# Soylent™ apparently is neither green, nor made of people? Inquire Within... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 22, 2013, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041 "2013-05-22T17:26:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041/1 "2013-05-22T17:26:19Z")
So, apparently the dream of nerds, geeks, and futurists alive and dead has now come into fruition — enter The Soylent Corporation. A campaign composed of chemists, scientists and other -ists have developed a dietary powder you mix into water, and is intended to completely substitute the need to prepare or eat any food, indefinitely. Not sure what Soylent™ is made from, but I am interested in giving it a shot, as my diet leaves a lot to be desired. Of course, I’d eat regular food whenever I feel like it, but pondering the thought of downing a drink mix and it being healthier and more nutritious than any meal I could otherwise forage has its allure. I’m thinking of ordering at least a week of the stuff, but wanted the SD to weigh in on this. Sorry if there’s a previous thread on this, I googled, but nothing seemed to come up. Anyhow, [check it out…](https://campaign.soylent.me/soylent-free-your-body) ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041/2 "2013-05-22T17:37:42Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > So, apparently the dream of nerds, geeks, and futurists alive and dead has now come into fruition — enter The Soylent Corporation. > Anyhow, [check it out…](https://campaign.soylent.me/soylent-free-your-body) > [@](#): > > 2 million people are killed annually by smoke inhalation from indoor cooking stoves… Can’t say I’ve ever heard of this. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041/3 "2013-05-22T18:23:27Z")
> [@Dr\_Doom](#): > > Can’t say I’ve ever heard of this. Me neither, but it sounds more like a poverty/3rd world problem if it’s indeed true. CO is a sneaky devil; does seem like a dubious claim though. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041/4 "2013-05-22T18:41:42Z")
Here are couple more links about it. > **[Who Needs Food When You Have Soylent?](https://www.livescience.com/27908-soylent-meal-replacement.html)** > > A software engineer has devised a meal replacement named Soylent. [http://robrhinehart.com/?p=298](http://robrhinehart.com/?p=298) [http://robrhinehart.com/?p=424](http://robrhinehart.com/?p=424) ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041/5 "2013-05-22T19:42:55Z")
My username is relevant! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041/6 "2013-05-22T19:45:37Z")
That is a really really bad product name. ---
**Author:** ![cougar58](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@cougar58](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cougar58)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041/7 "2013-05-22T20:08:58Z")
there was a similar product in 1990 called “BLD” which stood for “Breakfast Lunch Dinner”. I worked next to the Indianapolis guy who was CEO & inventor. He made millions for a year or 3, then now there is no trace of him or his product on Google. IIRC, it was a powder in a bottle - just add water. Any one remember it - or use it? ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041/8 "2013-05-22T20:54:20Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > That is a really really bad product name. And despite this, I love it. Has the word “soy” in it too, I can’t imagine the product doesn’t heavily depend on this particular bean. **@Strinka,** thanks for the links. I went ahead and ordered a week’s worth. As a supplement for meals when my busy schedule forces me to eat like shit (or sometimes not at all when I pull all-nighters), I’ll be curious as to how this might work. Doesn’t ship until August, but I’ll report on it when the time comes. ---
**Author:** ![Collaborator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Collaborator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Collaborator)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041/9 "2013-05-22T21:08:28Z")
Yay, a group of kids that look like they just got out of middle school have determined that a basic necessity of life can be solved and we’ll all enjoy it in the process. And people are taking it so seriously they have to crowd fund it from the same group of people that probably pays for more farmland in Facebook games. Amazing. I look forward to this project totally panning out and Soylent becoming a global corporation. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041/10 "2013-05-22T21:19:59Z")
If it works and fills a need, then it does. I’m not expecting any miracles, or so naive that it’ll solve world hunger, but I find it an interesting experiment, and hope they remain as transparent as possible. :shrug: I’d be far more dubious had Kraft or some Infomercial-funded company developed something like this. It’s certainly not an original idea, but I don’t see a need to dismiss it yet — Healthy skepticism? Yes. Cynicism? Too early for that, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041/11 "2013-05-22T22:10:53Z")
Here is a website with some recipes for making your own soylent. > **[soylentmaker.com](http://soylentmaker.com/the-beginners-diy-soylent-recipe/)** > > Soylent Green There are already meal replacement powders out there, I don’t get teh appeal in some ways. Companies like garden of life (to name just one) sell various micronutrient dense powders which are supposed to be full of probiotics, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and other products. Granted they are somewhat expensive (a dollar per serving roughly) and not very macrnonutrient dense. But the product already exists in a way. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041/12 "2013-05-22T22:37:59Z")
Because when I think of food, I think “what a chore” and want the most boring, easiest to prepare and digest slurry possible. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041/13 "2013-05-23T02:03:03Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Because when I think of food, I think “what a chore” and want the most boring, easiest to prepare and digest slurry possible. Sadly, that’s just how tons and tons of people think of food. Most people find no joy in exploring new flavors, new types of food, find any joy in cooking and creating and baking, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041/14 "2013-05-23T02:09:36Z")
I thought “Soylent” was meant to be a portmanteau of “soybeans” and “lentils.” ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041/15 "2013-05-23T02:34:43Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Sadly, that’s just how tons and tons of people think of food. > > Most people find no joy in exploring new flavors, new types of food, find any joy in cooking and creating and baking, etc. No joy in cooking or preparing food for myself, that’s for sure. I love food, but 2 to 3 meals a day gets old. Real old. If I could cut the effort of eating healthy and better yet, the _necessity_ of having to eat, in and of itself, in half… I’m sold. Same goes for pooping and sleeping. I could do so many more things I enjoy much more! ---
**Author:** ![nion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@nion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nion)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041/16 "2013-05-23T04:01:32Z")
I for one enjoy pooping… ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041/17 "2013-05-23T04:45:12Z")
In much of East Asia, young adults will give their favorite pastime as “sleeping.” So no market for no poop, no sleep pills! ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041/18 "2013-05-23T04:56:17Z")
I think there maybe some serious digestive consequences to this. The human body needs to poop wether we like to or not. This product actually causes you to poop less,which may be detrimental to colon health. IANAD but that is MHO ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041/19 "2013-05-23T05:00:40Z")
> [@April\_R](#): > > The human body needs to poop wether we like to or not. I can attest to this, on almost a daily basis. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041/20 "2013-05-23T05:07:26Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Has the word “soy” in it too, I can’t imagine the product doesn’t heavily depend on this particular bean. given that they say there are no known allergens in the stuff and that soy is a top 10 food allergen I would guess not. [http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-allergies/AA00057](http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-allergies/AA00057) but then again who knows [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soylent-apparently-is-neither-green-nor-made-of-people-inquire-within/659041.md?page=2)