Many have heard of meal replacements and are quick to compare them to the elemental diet. They aren’t the same. The purpose is not the same and neither are the benefits and outcome. An elemental diet is meant to aid gut health. It is designed to bypass the stomach and reduce the stress that food put on the intestines. An elemental powder provides you with nutrition in its simplest form; being pre-digested. It is part of a medical protocol and is used to help with Crohn’s disease, SIBO, IBS, and IBD. The diet has to be prescribed by a physician or dietician and helps the lower digestive system to rest and recover.
A meal replacement could not be any more different. A meal replacement powder needs to be re-constituted and that is where the similarity to an elemental diet shake ends. As the name suggests, meal replacements are designed to be a convenient, healthy, and easy replacement for a meal. They are a good alternative when you are trying to lose weight. These shakes are gaining popularity, especially for those who want a healthier option when they cannot cook a healthier meal. The meals include all the nutrients and digestive enzymes that you would otherwise get from a meal. They are a nutritionally complete meal that can help you with your weight goals, are easy to cook, and are a better substitute for takeaway and fast food.
A meal replacement shake is not pre-digested, your stomach would still be doing the work; breaking them down into vital nutrients. However, they do not have to be prescribed to you by a doctor and are not part of a medical protocol. Meal replacements are health supplements. You can buy them off the shelves if you wish to. Unlike protein shakes that only up your protein intake, a meal replacement includes all aspects of nutrition. They are ideal for the nutritional gaps created by unhealthy diets. The most common reason why people opt for a meal replacement shake is weight management.
When looking for an apt meal replacement, there are certain factors that you must keep in mind – allergens, nutrition value, health benefits, source of ingredients, ease of use, and value for money. If you were to trawl through the web you would be able to find the perfect meal replacement shake. It may take you a few days though. To save you time, and effort and hasten the decision-making process, here is a comparison of three popular meal replacement drinks. By the end of this, you should be able to find a product that suits your needs.
About Huel, Soylent & PhenQ Meal Shake
No. #3 – Huel Powder
The company Huel began in 2015, in an attempt to make nutritious meals affordable, easy, and with low environmental impact. The brands stop you from opting to consume unhealthy meals in an attempt to save time or for convenience. The brand also provides hot and savory options, ready-to-drink shakes, vegan protein powders, and protein bars. Huel offers more flavors like salted caramel, berry, peanut butter, and many others.
The Huel v3.0 comes with a free shaker and provides you with all the necessary, proteins, fats, carbs, and fiber. Huel provides nutritious meals in powder form that needs to be reconstituted before use – two scoopfuls in either water or milk should do it. The Huel product claims a whopping 174 benefits and uses plant-based ingredients to provide you with 27 vitamins and minerals. Huel can be used as a post-workout snack or can be taken to replace breakfast or lunch. Huel powder is best for when you are counting and checking your intake of macro and micronutrients as the meal replacement shake provides a precise amount of them. It is a convenient, macro-friendly, and vegan meal that will help you lose weight by keeping your calories in check.
Huel v3.0: Calories 440g, Protein 30g, Fat 13g, Carbs 45g, and Fiber 7g.
No. #2 – Soylent Powder
Soylent was created by like-minded individuals who believed that healthy food should not cost an arm and a leg and should not take forever to prepare. Soylent strives to make food simple and accessible to all and sustainable. Created by software engineers who lived on a diet of frozen meals and instant noodles, they understood perfectly the nutritional needs of those who are pressed for time and have little to no cooking skills or facilities. The products by Soylent include ready-to-drink meals, protein shakes and powders, and complete meals snack bars and powders. The meal replacement powder is available in only 2 flavors – original and cacao.
Soylent Powder Original uses plant-based proteins and slow-burning carbs to keep you feeling full and subsidizes nutritional gaps and saves on prep time. Including all 39 essential nutrients, Soylent takes the term ‘complete meal’ to a new level. Soylent recommends that the product be consumed chilled but you can have it any way you please by adding 60g of powder to 1 cup of water. A blender or a shaker would work to reconstitute the powder. The complete meal replacement claims to provide immune support, support cardiovascular health, boost metabolism, improve energy production, and aid weight loss.
Soylent Powder Original: Calories 400g, Protein 20g, Fat 19g, Carbs 42g, and Fiber 6g
No. #1 – PhenQ Complete Meal Shake
PhenQ is an all-natural fat-burner brand that has several products that aid weight loss and boost the body’s natural tendency to burn fat. The brand began with PhenQ fat burner pills and moved on to PhenQ PM – a nighttime fat burner. The PhenQ Complete Meal Shake is the latest addition to the weight loss assembly and is designed to help you lose weight systematically by curbing calorie intake and boosting metabolism. The brand exclusively addresses fat-burning and weight-loss products and the addition of the meal shake completes the set. The liquid meals are available in 3 flavors:
- Chocolate Brownie
- Vanilla Ice Cream
- Strawberry and Cream.
Providing you with a meal that will aid AMP-activated protein kinase – a natural enzyme that targets excess fat and metabolizes it or AMPK for short. The action of these enzymes slows with stress, age, and unhealthy lifestyle habits. PhenQ is not only a nutritional drink. It includes ingredients that revitalize the AMPK and switches it back on and with full power. The meal replacements fill you up, supply you with more nutrition than you could get from a standard meal, and supports the body to burn fat. In all, this meal replacements powder one-ups the others. PhenQ is also the only meal replacement that has no added sugars and is gluten-free.
PhenQ Complete Meal Shake Chocolate Flavor: Calories 180g, Protein 16g, Fat 3.5g, Carbs 21g, and Fiber 4g. (The calories and nutrients might vary a little based on the flavor you choose).
Visit here to learn more about PhenQ Complete Meal Shake, a shake that makes pounds vanish!
What Can You Expect from These Meal Replacement Products?
As expected, all meal replacements offer complete nutrition. When we discuss nutrition, we talk of two categories – macro and micro. Macronutrients are carbs, protein, fat, and fiber. These nutrients are primarily engaged in energy production. They provide the fuel from which your body would be able to metabolize into usable components. The other aspect is micronutrients. These include vitamins, minerals, and other trace elements that ensure that the body works optimally. Both are vital for health and well-being. Huel, Soylent, and PhenQ Meal Shake all offer a variety of benefits.
Here is a brief account of what these complete foods promise.
| Huel Powder v3.0 | Soylent Original Powdered Food | PhenQ Complete Meal Shake |
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By sheer number, PhenQ is a clear winner in terms of the range of benefits it has up its sleeves. It may also bring home the fact that PhenQ is the meal replacement you need to support not just nutrition but weight loss too. When you compare Huel and Soylent to PhenQ, you would be able to see that the former liquid meals only address nutrition gaps while PhenQ deals with nutrition gaps and keeps a close check on your weight too.
What Do Huel, Soylent & PhenQ Actually Provide Your Body?
When discussing micronutrients, Huel, Soylent, and PhenQ have all done an excellent job. All three seem to have successfully incorporated all the vitamins and minerals the body requires for optimal function.
The Huel, Soylent & PhenQ Vitamin Profile
The vitamins include:
- Vitamin A for immune function, reproductive health, and vision.
- Vitamin B Complex is included to enhance metabolism, improve hair and nail health, brain and nerve function, and RBC production.
- Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps to recover from oxidative stress, increases cell manufacture, and maintains bone health.
- Vitamin D is used to regulate phosphate and calcium levels and maintain muscle strength.
- Vitamin E can benefit cardiovascular health, and eye health and boost immunity.
- Finally, Vitamin K aids wound healing and the clotting of blood.
The Huel and Soylent Mineral Profile
Huel and Soylent have done a thorough job of including all trace minerals required by the body for everyday function. From the manufacture of neurotransmitters to the regulation of cell fluid balance, minerals play a key role in health and well-being. Nearly all meal replacement brands, including PhenQ, have stayed away from this inclusion, for this reason, because they may be operating under the theory that we only require a trace amount of these minerals in our diets. The only mineral it adds is Sodiumwhich maintains water balance, aids muscle contraction, and hastens the conduction of nerve impulses. The following is what you would find in Huel and Soylent.
- Iron for the production of hemoglobin and certain hormones.
- Calcium, aids bone health, oral health, and muscle and nerve function.
- Potassium helps maintain the fluid balance within the cell and also influences blood pressure.
- Phosphorus aids the use of carbs and fats as fuels and is needed for the maintenance of bones and teeth.
- Iodine supports thyroid function and the production of hormones.
- Manganese is responsible for blood clotting, sex hormone and collagen production, and bone health.
- Zinc is needed for hair, nail, and skin health, taste and smell, and immune function.
- Magnesium is involved in muscle and nerve function, protects the heart, and aids energy production.
- Selenium is used to moisturize the scalp and DNA generation while Copper aids nerve function, and iron absorption and supports the immune system.
- Chromium improves muscle growth, function, and strength, aids weight loss, and improves insulin sensitivity.
- Chloride maintains pH balance, and aids enzyme function and Molybdenumworks to remove toxins from the body.
The Huel Formula
The Huel powder is made using rather basic ingredients. However, to the end user, it becomes difficult to discern which component provides which macronutrient. Also, the source of the ingredients is obscure.
- Huel includes the use of Oat Flour, Pea Protein, Tapioca Starch, Ground Flaxseed, and Brown Rice Protein., all of these components provide carbs, protein, and fiber. Pea protein is also a great source of essential amino acids. The inclusion of these elements may also mean that Huel powders are not gluten-free but are vegetarian-friendly. The addition of Sunflower Oil, which along with the flaxseed provides you with omega-3 healthy fats that improve gut function. Sunflower oil is also a healthy source of MCTs – medium chain triglycerides. For a detailed list of the ingredients, kindly visit the official site. The Huel users would also benefit from the probiotic addition to the formula.
The Soylent Formula
On the official website, you can have a closer look at the Soylent formula. However, you may have a hard time understanding. What Soylent does is use components that sound scary and dangerous? As the name suggests, soy protein is the base of the shake. Soylent uses Soy Protein Isolate and Soy Lecithin which is a great vegetarian alternative for protein. However, soy is also a widespread allergen, and many look for a soy-free option.
The Soylent drink also includes the use of artificial sweeteners like Isomaltose and sucralose. Soylent adds carbs and fiber with Soluble Corn Fiber, Maltodextrin, Modified Food Starch, and Cellulose. Heart health is provided by Canola Oil and the Vitamin & Mineral Premix supplies the nutrients that bolster your health.
The PhenQ Formula
Even though PhenQ uses plant-based proteins and carbs, the inclusion of certain proprietary blends makes it a perfect addition to your weight loss regime.
- This meal replacement uses Gluten-free Oat Flouras a source of carbohydrates and fiber. The slow-moving carbs take longer to move through your digestive system feeding the gut bacteria and curbing your appetite in the process.
- Flaxseed Powder adds omega-3 fatty acids and the addition of a proprietary blend Vegetarian Micronutrient Blend™ caters to the nutritional needs of the body.
- PhenQ also adds DigeZyme™ – another proprietary blend of digestive enzymes that increase nutrient absorption, ease digestion, and supports the metabolization of carbs, fats, and proteins.
- Whey Protein Concentrate is the protein source added to PhenQ and this renders the product vegan-unfriendly.
How Do Huel, Soylent & PhenQ Meal Shake Compare?
When talking about meal replacement powders, you must keep in mind that different brands design their products for different purposes. Huel and Soylent meal replacement shakes are created to help fill in the nutritional gaps in one’s diet and to provide a healthier alternative to fast food. The PhenQ shake is designed to aid weight loss. The ingredients help to curb hunger and boost the body’s natural tendency to burn fat. If you are looking for a way to manage weight, PhenQ Complete Meal Shake is the way to go.
Gluten and soy allergies are rampant and customers are looking for allergen-free options. Huel and Soylent fall short there. Huel is not gluten-free while Soylent is built of soy protein isolate. PhenQ is soy-free and gluten-free.
Results are important. While Huel and Soylent are nutritional supplements so as far as results are concerned, you will notice a change in general health disposition. With PhenQ, you would be able to see tangible results in the way of weight loss and your health would improve.
Both Huel and Soylent include artificial sweeteners. Even though the quantity is not much, the addition of artificial flavors to a nutrition shake seems counter-productive. PhenQ is free of any artificial additives, sweeteners, or preservatives.
As far as the price is concerned, you will see a fair difference.
- Huel cannot be bought as a single pack; you have to make a minimum order of 2. Regardless of which flavor you buy, you’ve got to purchase two bags, with a total of 34 meals, which would cost you $83.34 with free shipping. Your first order would also get you a free t-shirt and a shaker.
Huel also offers a subscription which would bring prices even lower. All orders are eligible for a 30-day refund if you are unhappy with the purchase. - One pouch of Soylent – 35 meals, would cost you $80.00. If you should choose to subscribe, the price falls to $67.00 per pouch. Soylent does not have a return policy and does not entertain return or refund requests.
- A single bag of PhenQ Complete Meal Shake cost $20.95 and each bag consists of 7 meals. You could buy an additional two bags at $17.95 each. Subscription is also available, but might be at capacity at the moment but the opportunity may open up shortly. PhenQ offers a 60-day money-back guarantee on all products, including meal replacement shakes.
Looking at the above factors, PhenQ pans out to be a better and more reliable option when it comes to meal replacement shakes. You get more, the benefits work, your weight is managed and you get a refund even after 2 months of trying the product. The refund policy alone shows the levels of confidence PhenQ has in the product. Both Soylent and Huel are good products but when compared to PhenQ, they fall short.
To make the comparison sharper, here is the whole discussion in a nutshell.
| Huel Powder v3.0 | Soylent Original Powdered Food | PhenQ Complete Meal Shake | |
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| Cons |
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| Allergens | Gluten | Soy | Whey |
| Flavors | 10 | 2 | 3 |
| Audience | Healthy individuals over the age of 18 | Healthy individuals over the age of 18 | Healthy adults over the age of 18 looking to manage weight and burn fat. |
| Price per Meal | $2.45 | $2.28 | $2.99 |
| Cost per Bag | $41.67 | $80.00 | $20.95 |
| Refund | 30-day return policy | No return or refund policy | 60-day money-back policy |
| Where to Buy the Best Meal Shake? | Is available on multiple platforms like Amazon, GNC, etc. | Is available on multiple platforms like Amazon, GNC, etc. | To Buy PhenQ Complete Meal Shake tap this link to visit the Official Website. |
FAQs
Q1. Can anyone use meal replacement drinks?
Ans.: Meal replacement drinks are meant for healthy adults and if you are one, you can use them. However, you must consult a dietician or doctor before you start the use of any such liquid meals. This is pertinent if you are being medicated for any pre-existing medical condition/s.
Q2. Is it safe to replace all meals with these shakes?
Ans.: This is not recommended. Meal replacements powders and formulas cannot replace whole grains, meat, fruit, and veg. The idea is to replace one meal. This may also cause a calorie deficit which is not always a good thing.
Q3. Are meal replacements habit-forming?
Ans.: Upon meticulous analysis, it becomes apparent that meal replacement shakes do not possess the propensity to engender habitual behavior in individuals, thus they are not habit-forming and can be used as long as one intends to without being dependent on it.
Q4. Do these products contain caffeine or stimulants?
Ans.: None of the above-discussed shakes contain caffeine or any other stimulant and consequently, in no way will it cause, anxiety, jitteriness, or crashes.
Summary & Verdict
The trend towards healthier eating habits has sparked a spike in the meal replacement shake market. Many find it easier, time-saving, and healthier to consume a shake instead of a meal. It saves money too. This is a smarter move than ordering take-out. Huel, Soylent, and PhenQ Complete are three popular brands that offer easy and convenient powders that can be reconstituted to make a complete meal.
After a thorough comparison of the three, PhenQ rises to be a clear winner for several reasons.
- The benefits offered by the product outnumber the other two by leaps and bounds.
- Results are tangible in terms of fat loss and weight management.
- It is gluten and soy-free.
- Contains no added sugar
- And, last but not least, it comes with a 60-day money guarantee.
The only drawback is that it is pricier than both Huel and Soylent. But what you get from PhenQ, in terms of results, outshines the price. PhenQ Complete Meal Shake is what we recommend.
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