Do you Soylent?

[PricklyPete]

While this certainly is not a new idea (and reminds me of baby formula for adults), it has some potential of making our food process much more efficient, sustainable, and available to a poorer demographic.

http://www.soylent.me

 

[Kaido]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2323062

 

[Ken g6]

I just go there for the stories, honest! :$

Oh, the other Soylent.

 

[PricklyPete]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2323062

Damn my laziness!

 

[Imp]

I checked it out... Too expensive.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Idea is nice.

Way too expensive.

 

[Kaido]

I checked it out... Too expensive.

It's not too bad compared to say protein powder though...especially since you're getting like 100% of the nutrients, fiber, etc. in each glass. I have a buddy who has been on it for awhile & likes it for breakfast & lunch. He lost about 12 pounds simply by changing that portion of his existing diet & exercise habits. He says he throws in a banana or some vanilla to help the taste sometimes though.

I think it's a great idea. I'd imagine that most people are somewhat nutritionally deficient, so while it may be boring, it gets your body what it requires. Plus, you can air-drop the stuff in starving parts of the world...just add water for an instant meal.

 

[PricklyPete]

Idea is nice.

Way too expensive.

I think their goal is to bring the price down as they refine the process so that it will eventually be accessible to as large a demographic as possible.

 

[saratoga172]

Actually when I broke down the cost it was about on par with if not cheaper than standard food. Really depends on your eating habits and what you spend.

The cost is $255 monthly for 84+ meals. That equals out to about 28 days with 3 per day and I'm sure there will be a few days you throw in something different.

Even if you do, say, half that it's about $130 for 42ish meals and that lasts half the month. Then you factor in whatever else you'll eat for meals. If it replaces breakfast and in some cases lunch then you've got dinner costs. I'd say most people eating out for lunch spend about $7-10 on average (I spent $8.50 for a sub, chips and drink today) and the cost for the Soylent is between 3-3.50 depending on if you do the monthly or one time charge.

I'd say that's not a bad deal. Plus you are getting a much more nutritionally sound meal. I mention the 40 meal option because many people, myself included, would not be able to fully give up other meals or food. It wouldn't drastically alter my food expense because I only spend about $3 for breakfast if I don't eat at home. It would help lunch costs and dinner if I used it as a replacement. The biggest impact I see from our society is it's ability to be read whenever or wherever you go. I don't want to spend the time or don't have the time to prepare a nice healthy meal at home so I can grab a Soylent meal.

The big difference is the up front cost that is associated with it. But $130 isn't bad when you consider other aspects of spending we incur.

 

[MixMasterTang]

FYI - I placed an order July 21st expecting ~10 weeks to get my first order and then on October 16th I got an email saying it was going to be delayed even more.

Demand for Soylent has exceeded our expectations and unfortunately this has resulted in a temporary ingredient shortage. We regrettably must revise your estimated ship date to 6-8 weeks from today.

 

[PricklyPete]

FYI - I placed an order July 21st expecting ~10 weeks to get my first order and then on October 16th I got an email saying it was going to be delayed even more.

Demand for Soylent has exceeded our expectations and unfortunately this has resulted in a temporary ingredient shortage. We regrettably must revise your estimated ship date to 6-8 weeks from today.

Crazy they are getting that much demand.

 

[Kaido]

Idea is nice.

Way too expensive.

Really? A one-time purchase of 7 days worth of food is $85:

http://www.soylent.me/#/

That's 21 meals, which is $4.05 per meal. Starbucks is like $6 or $7 for a single drink just for breakfast. Seems like a pretty good deal...get 3 meals with 100% nutrition for under $13 a day...

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Really? A one-time purchase of 7 days worth of food is $85:

http://www.soylent.me/#/

That's 21 meals, which is $4.05 per meal. Starbucks is like $6 or $7 for a single drink just for breakfast. Seems like a pretty good deal...get 3 meals with 100% nutrition for under $13 a day...

That is expensive as all hell for food. Like, over 2x what i spend a week.

 

[Imp]

Really? A one-time purchase of 7 days worth of food is $85:

http://www.soylent.me/#/

That's 21 meals, which is $4.05 per meal. Starbucks is like $6 or $7 for a single drink just for breakfast. Seems like a pretty good deal...get 3 meals with 100% nutrition for under $13 a day...

Oh ya, forgot to mention, customs + shipping charge to Canada killed it for me. Otherwise, cost is somewhat competitive with regular cost of lunch for me.

 

[PricklyPete]

That is expensive as all hell for food. Like, over 2x what i spend a week.

For you, maybe. For most people, they likely spend more for less nutritional value.

 

[sandorski]

It's peeeeeeeeeepulllllll!!!!!

 

[PricklyPete]

It's peeeeeeeeeepulllllll!!!!!

Grass fed?

 

[saratoga172]

That is expensive as all hell for food. Like, over 2x what i spend a week.

So you spend $40 per week for food? It's doable for sure, but what exactly do you eat for meals for that? Also, how nutritious is that compared to Soylent? That's another big plus that I think a lot of people are looking at.

 

[sandorski]

Grass fed?

For awhile, eventually they will be peeeeeeepuullll! fed.

 

[Imp]

I'm surprised no one else has tried to mimic the product yet. It doesn't seem to be that patentable. Wonder if Ensure has the same nutrients...

 

[NikolaeVarius]

So you spend $40 per week for food? It's doable for sure, but what exactly do you eat for meals for that? Also, how nutritious is that compared to Soylent? That's another big plus that I think a lot of people are looking at.

I eat a very high protein almost no carb diet and 2,000 calories a day.

I mostly eat mass amounts of eggs, fresh veggies, tofu, chicken breasts, and tuna. It's pretty samey, but compared to soylent, is miles above it in taste.

This also gives me energy to lift heavy on weekdays and run 10K's on weekends. Eating on 35-40 dollars a week is actually really easy and extremely nutritious.

 

[nace186]

I eat a very high protein almost no carb diet and 2,000 calories a day.

I mostly eat mass amounts of eggs, fresh veggies, tofu, chicken breasts, and tuna. It's pretty samey, but compared to soylent, is miles above it in taste.

This also gives me energy to lift heavy on weekdays and run 10K's on weekends. Eating on 35-40 dollars a week is actually really easy and extremely nutritious.

Post receipt please.

 

[vi edit]

Evolution gave me a variety of pearly whites for a reason.

 

[Ruptga]

Evolution gave me a variety of pearly whites for a reason.

Yeah, because your ancestors were scavengers, eating anything they could grow find or kill in order to survive. That tells us nothing about what's prudent to do now or in the future.

 

[mmntech]

It's the other, other white meat.