As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/

Soylent: The Totally Real Food Substitute That Totally Isn't Made of People (Probably)

Hexmage-PAHexmage-PA Registered User regular
edited August 2014 in Debate and/or Discourse
Food is bullshit. Convenient food is terrible for you (and is causing a major worldwide health crisis, if you didn't know), and healthy food is a real time sink. Why can't we just stop eating altogether?

Turns out there is now a product that promises just that: Soylent
Soylent is an open sourced nutritional drink. Its creator, software engineer Rob Rhinehart, researched nutritional requirements and developed the formula by self-experimentation based on his own research online and through textbooks, and scientific journals.[1][2]

A commercial version of Soylent has been financed by a crowdfunding campaign and venture capital which raised funds in excess of US$3,500,000.[3] The funding paid for additional research and modification of the formula. The first shipments of U.S. orders began in the first week of May 2014.[4]

Motherboard: How I Ate No Food For 30 Days
That night I went out for drinks with the crew, at a bar and grill where people were chowing down on burgers and fries. Weirdly, I wasn’t interested—Soylent had me entirely gastronomically satisfied.

Days four and five got a little easier. I still felt a little unsettled and gut-tight, but was starting to wonder if that was mostly psychological. I called my father, who’s a physician, and he told me that indeed, my body could take some time to adjust to a radically different diet.

After I got back to New York, I didn’t lust after food. I didn’t go hungry, and I didn’t curse Soylent. I was still anxious, sure, as I missed lunch hours and dinner dates and nights out drinking. I found that my new Soylent-fueled body wasn’t well-equipped for drinking. I’d get dizzy, a little ill, but not exactly drunk, if I downed more than two or three drinks. Long, intensive physical activity seemed an undue strain, and I started to lose weight.

Yet I felt fine—even good. Some days I was downright grateful I was on Soylent; a packed day with deadlines, interviews, and edits to finish blew by seamlessly, and I never had to leave my desk. Those days, I embraced Soylent wholeheartedly.

I kept a diary. This, for instance, is from Day 9:

I still wouldn't say I'm desperate for food or anything. Far from it. It's already almost become a bit of an abstraction; an option. Food. I don't know if it's because I can't allow myself to need it, but I really and genuinely feel like I don't need food right now.

Is this something that could catch on, or is it just a curiosity that few people will ever really go for? Could their be unforeseen side-effects to subsisting on a completely artificial food substitute, or could it truly turn out to be the ultimate in nutrition? If it really is all its promised, could Soylent have applications in supplying nourishment to famine stricken populations and treating obesity? Could this be the ultra-efficient, eco-friendly food of the future?

When I consider the mess re-engineering and processing actual food has made of public health I can't help but be skeptical of an attempt to remove human nutrition from the natural world completely (especially since we really understand very little of how the body works). The informational video alone seems like something you would see in the opening scene of a science-fiction movie (just before you find out it caused the zombie apocalypse or whatever). I will admit that I am curious and leaning towards trying Soylent, and I wouldn't be against turning it into a staple "food" of my diet if it were truly safe.

Anyone here tried it?

Hexmage-PA on
«13456

Posts

  • davidsdurionsdavidsdurions Your Trusty Meatshield Panhandle NebraskaRegistered User regular
    Why.
    Call.
    It.
    Soylent.

  • davidsdurionsdavidsdurions Your Trusty Meatshield Panhandle NebraskaRegistered User regular
    Okay, three things:

    1. Is this stuff any different than the slim fast I occasionally use? It really doesn't seem that different.

    2. Seriously, why would you call your product something that conjures the image of cannabilism? There has to be a better name.

    3. Jonathon Swift's A Modest Proposal for your perusal. The word soylent makes this satire unable to leave my mind. I'll try this stuff if, someday, they can call it Tasty Wheat or something without my knowing it was once called Soylent.

    Mmmmm soylent. Ugh. Try slim fast or whatever you have locally, because this doesn't seem new, just differently marketed.

  • RT800RT800 Registered User regular
    Now if only they could do something about sleeping and going to the bathroom.

  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited August 2014
    Okay, three things:

    1. Is this stuff any different than the slim fast I occasionally use? It really doesn't seem that different.

    2. Seriously, why would you call your product something that conjures the image of cannabilism? There has to be a better name.

    3. Jonathon Swift's A Modest Proposal for your perusal. The word soylent makes this satire unable to leave my mind. I'll try this stuff if, someday, they can call it Tasty Wheat or something without my knowing it was once called Soylent.

    Mmmmm soylent. Ugh. Try slim fast or whatever you have locally, because this doesn't seem new, just differently marketed.

    According to the guy
    Soylent is not the first drink with calories in it, nor was Google the first search engine. There are many liquid diets. You'd probably be surprised how long you can survive on just cow's milk. No one says 'solid diets exist already' when someone makes a new food. I don't see how the viscosity makes up an entire category. I considered Ensure but found it much too expensive, low calorie, unpalatable, and an ingredient make up that was far from complete or optimal.

    The goal of soylent is to make something ideal, not just a quick shot that will get rid of hunger for a few hours. I need something that allows me to run and lift and think, not just survive, and something considerably cheaper than normal food. A big part of soylent is its personalization as well. There is no 2000 calorie human. If you want an ideal diet you have to personalize it.

    I do not plan to patent soylent as the patenting of "plumpy nut" interfered with its capacity to help the hungry, which is a big focus of soylent.

    He's right about price

    Now Soylent is vastly more than I spend on food, but if you tried to replace all of my meals with Ensure it would sure as shit cost more than $200 a month

    override367 on
  • davidsdurionsdavidsdurions Your Trusty Meatshield Panhandle NebraskaRegistered User regular
    edited August 2014
    I'm just saying you can go to Walgreens right now, pick up a pack of liquid meal replacements and try it for a few days. The soylent website says you'd be waiting a few weeks months before they ship your order.

    That article that is the first hit from google that is quoted in the OP is pretty interesting. Dude seems like he was losing weight without explanation, and that fried chicken sounded delicious.

    Edit: apparently new orders are 4-5 months out. Hmm.

    davidsdurions on
  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited August 2014
    well I mean, yea, you can go to Mcdonalds right now and buy a burger too and making one takes time

    I'm not defending the product, I have no idea if it's any good, but it seems silly to criticize it on the basis that other products like it exist

    those aren't really meant to do what soylent does either, they're for like skipping lunch not completely replacing food and doing so would cost a lot more

    override367 on
  • davidsdurionsdavidsdurions Your Trusty Meatshield Panhandle NebraskaRegistered User regular
    I really think soylent isn't nutritionally different then other meal replacements though. Just marketed differently. Instead of weightloss, they are saying it is for maintaining health. And what's this hackable garbage? I can add flavor and variety to anything else I'm consuming already. That's not new either, they are just telling you it is new.

  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    yes, it's a competing product marketed and priced differently

  • davidsdurionsdavidsdurions Your Trusty Meatshield Panhandle NebraskaRegistered User regular
    Really, though, it's just the name that bothers me.

  • knitdanknitdan In ur base Killin ur guysRegistered User regular
    I had a rant typed out but It would have probably gotten me infracted.

    So I'll just say I think it is based on a false premise (healthy food takes too long to prepare) that is borne out of misplaced priorities (must spend all time coding) and an inflated ego (I'm smarter than everyone who ever made food in human history).

    Also it's a terrible name, and would be even if it actually contained soy and lentils, which I doubt.

    “I was quick when I came in here, I’m twice as quick now”
    -Indiana Solo, runner of blades
  • JeedanJeedan Registered User regular
    edited August 2014
    The issue with the whole "feeding hungry people" idea is that the nutrients to make Solent need to come from somewhere, and I don't see how gathering xyz nutrients from various sources and combining them into soylent and getting it to the people who need it is more energy efficient and practical than say, getting them a vegetable.

    Jeedan on
  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited August 2014
    soylent is energy dense and doesn't expire easily, so I can see the benefit

    I doubt it will go anywhere though

    no matter what they do it'll be way more expensive than rice and grain

    override367 on
  • yossarian_livesyossarian_lives Registered User regular
    edited August 2014
    Some of the arguments in this thread are ridiculous. First, most liquid shakes are meant to supplement your diet, not replace it. The whole point of soylent is to replace the need for traditional food. Kind of like a book I had as a kid that showed futuristic space explorers eating whole meals in pill form.

    Second, not all food is created equal, or require the same amount of energy to produce. It takes a lot more energy to produce meat than it does grain. I wouldn't at all be surprised if production of the nutrients in soylent also require little in the way of energy investment.

    I'm more worried about the actual formula. You can claim that soylent has all the nutritional value a body needs but that doesn't make it so. There could be long term consequences for going on a soylent diet. I'm reminded of a friend that went vegetarian in high school. She ended up getting sick because she wasn't getting all the nutrients she needed. It would help if studies were done on soylent to determine if it really can replace traditional food with no negatives effects.

    And yes, the name is a really bad idea.

    yossarian_lives on
    "I see everything twice!"


  • Alistair HuttonAlistair Hutton Dr EdinburghRegistered User regular
    Didn't the guys behind Soylent approach it with a 'hacking' ethic that ignored minor things like all food health and safety laws and the like, so it was made in a filthy factory space?

    I have a thoughtful and infrequently updated blog about games http://whatithinkaboutwhenithinkaboutgames.wordpress.com/

    I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.

    Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
  • Mojo_JojoMojo_Jojo We are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourse Registered User regular
    Wouldn't only consuming liquids cause massive bowel distress within a few days?

    Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
  • Jam WarriorJam Warrior Registered User regular
    Hexmage-PA wrote: »
    Healthy food is a real time sink.

    What the fuck are you talking about?

    I'm not being hyperbolic. I honestly have no idea what you mean. A healthy meal can be massively quick to cook. A healthy meal can be picked up ready to eat as instantly and as portably as your junkfood.

    MhCw7nZ.gif
  • JeedanJeedan Registered User regular
    I don't see how you could say "healthy food can be had as easily as junkfood" without certain caveats, junkfood is literally designed for optimum convenience.

  • Jam WarriorJam Warrior Registered User regular
    edited August 2014
    Healthy food you can pick up and eat as quickly as junk food:

    Salad in its many and varied forms.

    A sandwich that maybe contains some vegetables and isn't covered in melted cheese.

    Fruit. So many different fruit.

    This is not hard.

    Jam Warrior on
    MhCw7nZ.gif
  • electricitylikesmeelectricitylikesme Registered User regular
    edited August 2014
    Mojo_Jojo wrote: »
    Wouldn't only consuming liquids cause massive bowel distress within a few days?

    No. You drink soluble fiber (which is what soylent contains) and it's fine.

    Or to put it another way: those juice only detox things people do generally work out okay, and a lot less thought has gone into making them.

    EDIT: Consider something like metamucil, or benefiber - both soluble fiber products, sold for the purpose of helping people increase their fiber intake.

    electricitylikesme on
  • electricitylikesmeelectricitylikesme Registered User regular
    edited August 2014
    knitdan wrote: »
    I had a rant typed out but It would have probably gotten me infracted.

    So I'll just say I think it is based on a false premise (healthy food takes too long to prepare) that is borne out of misplaced priorities (must spend all time coding) and an inflated ego (I'm smarter than everyone who ever made food in human history).

    Also it's a terrible name, and would be even if it actually contained soy and lentils, which I doubt.

    Why do you cook? Do you think you're smarter then the people who prepare meals for supermarket consumption?

    Seriously, all of this post, and I suspect your rant, is just you projecting some weird insecurity about this product even existing. It's the equivalent of every thread about vegetarian which involves a bunch of omnivores declaring they'll totally eat more animals.

    EDIT: Not to mention your multiple assertions that this guy is totally wrong and you're right. How dare he have different priorities (that just so happen to align very accurately with how the majority of the western world's lifestyles actually play out).

    electricitylikesme on
  • davidsdurionsdavidsdurions Your Trusty Meatshield Panhandle NebraskaRegistered User regular
    I remain unconvinced that soylent is different than slimfast.

    So they stuffed extra carbs in the powder and call it everything the body needs?

    I'm also curious how they get their ingredients, it doesn't sound like they are extracting the maltodextrin themselves. Getting it from somewhere costs energy. I read they want to get the cost down to under $5 a meal, so I start to wonder where the savings would come from.

    Surely not from ups unless they make a deal with amazon to utilize prime shipping...oh for fucks sake that's probably going to be the next big amazon product announcement, isn't it?

  • electricitylikesmeelectricitylikesme Registered User regular
    Healthy food you can pick up and eat as quickly as junk food:

    Salad in its many and varied forms.

    A sandwich that maybe contains some vegetables and isn't covered in melted cheese.

    Fruit. So many different fruit.

    This is not hard.

    Hey, so guess what none of these things have (and also, try preparing a sandwich more then 1 day in advance). If you guessed "all the nutritional requirements of the body" then you'd be right!

  • JeedanJeedan Registered User regular
    edited August 2014
    Healthy food you can pick up and eat as quickly as junk food:

    Salad in its many and varied forms.

    A sandwich that maybe contains some vegetables and isn't covered in melted cheese.

    Fruit. So many different fruit.

    This is not hard.

    When I read your post I thought "like what? Fruit and salad I guess"

    When you expand beyond that it gets trickier, stuff that needs preparation.

    And the big trap with junkfood is that oftentimes people are choosing what to eat at a time they're already experiencing willpower depletion, so while its easy from a cold rational perspective to say "look! A Healthy meal can be cooked in 20 minutes or less" it doesent always pan out like that.

    Also you've got a weirdly condescending tone about this.

    Jeedan on
  • PaladinPaladin Registered User regular
    Soylent sounds great


    TOO BAD I'M STILL WAITING ON MY ORDER FROM EXACTLY 1 YEAR AGO

    Marty: The future, it's where you're going?
    Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited August 2014
    there's more to healthy food than just being healthy food

    trying to fill up on salad is hilariously difficult for the average person as the last few decades telling everyone to avoid fat have shown

    if soylent is both healthy and legitimately solves the satiety problem that lots of people who are used to high fat+sugar diets have when trying to stop, more power to it

    I enjoy eating food that I cook far too much to go for it, but theres no way in hell it's as bad as what many people eat

    override367 on
  • Kipling217Kipling217 Registered User regular
    I have heard of this Soylent and what I have heard makes it sound stupid.

    First of the person designing and making this isn't a registered dietitian, but an complete amateur. Registered Dietitian is a protected title that requires a college degree in nutrition and health with over 1200 hours of practical study. Unlike the way more common title Nutritionist which is a title that can be used by anyone and has no requirements. If you think that having actually studied how nutrition and diet affect the human body is a plus in creating something like Soylent, then ding, ding, ding you are right.

    The history of Soylent is filled with Rhinehart making elementary mistakes, that are alternately horrifying or hilarious. The Soylent is definitely not approved by the FDA and are made under conditions that would have the FDA close the factory down in seconds.


    Real diet Shakes cost $200 a month because they are made by people that know what the fuck they are doing.

    The sky was full of stars, every star an exploding ship. One of ours.
  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    Geth being interested in something called soylent worries me

  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited August 2014
    Kipling217 wrote: »
    I have heard of this Soylent and what I have heard makes it sound stupid.

    First of the person designing and making this isn't a registered dietitian, but an complete amateur. Registered Dietitian is a protected title that requires a college degree in nutrition and health with over 1200 hours of practical study. Unlike the way more common title Nutritionist which is a title that can be used by anyone and has no requirements. If you think that having actually studied how nutrition and diet affect the human body is a plus in creating something like Soylent, then ding, ding, ding you are right.

    The history of Soylent is filled with Rhinehart making elementary mistakes, that are alternately horrifying or hilarious. The Soylent is definitely not approved by the FDA and are made under conditions that would have the FDA close the factory down in seconds.


    Real diet Shakes cost $200 a month because they are made by people that know what the fuck they are doing.

    man what, the world of dietary supplements is all but unregulated and many don't even contain the ingredients they say they do (I'm not pointing at a specific thing here, just in general)

    they cost $200 a month because of the profit margin

    which, again, is not an endorsement of soylent because it should probably be studied to make sure it's legit, but I feel like it's getting a ridiculous level of criticism when you factor in what kind of trash is sold in stores to go into people's bodies

    override367 on
  • Mojo_JojoMojo_Jojo We are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourse Registered User regular
    I suppose I just find it oddly disheartening that there's a market for people unable to look after themselves to the point where they'll happily sacrifice one of life's key pleasures for convenience.

    And that's ignoring how half-arsed this seems.
    Mojo_Jojo wrote: »
    Wouldn't only consuming liquids cause massive bowel distress within a few days?

    No. You drink soluble fiber (which is what soylent contains) and it's fine.

    Or to put it another way: those juice only detox things people do generally work out okay, and a lot less thought has gone into making them.

    EDIT: Consider something like metamucil, or benefiber - both soluble fiber products, sold for the purpose of helping people increase their fiber intake.

    Interesting.

    Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
  • MortiousMortious The Nightmare Begins Move to New ZealandRegistered User regular
    edited August 2014
    Jeedan wrote: »
    Healthy food you can pick up and eat as quickly as junk food:

    Salad in its many and varied forms.

    A sandwich that maybe contains some vegetables and isn't covered in melted cheese.

    Fruit. So many different fruit.

    This is not hard.

    When I read your post I thought "like what? Fruit and salad I guess"

    When you expand beyond that it gets trickier, stuff that needs preparation.

    And the big trap with junkfood is that oftentimes people are choosing what to eat at a time they're already experiencing willpower depletion, so while its easy from a cold rational perspective to say "look! A Healthy meal can be cooked in 20 minutes or less" it doesent always pan out like that.

    Also you've got a weirdly condescending tone about this.

    Are you guys talking about cooking a healthy meal versus cooking an unhealthy meal, or buying a healthy meal versus buying an unhealthy meal?

    Because I don't think there's really a difference between the cooking a healthy meal versus cooking an unhealthy one, and ditto for buying fast food.

    Edit: Same goes for snacks.

    Mortious on
    Move to New Zealand
    It’s not a very important country most of the time
    http://steamcommunity.com/id/mortious
  • JeedanJeedan Registered User regular
    Kipling217 wrote: »
    I have heard of this Soylent and what I have heard makes it sound stupid.

    First of the person designing and making this isn't a registered dietitian, but an complete amateur. Registered Dietitian is a protected title that requires a college degree in nutrition and health with over 1200 hours of practical study. Unlike the way more common title Nutritionist which is a title that can be used by anyone and has no requirements. If you think that having actually studied how nutrition and diet affect the human body is a plus in creating something like Soylent, then ding, ding, ding you are right.

    The history of Soylent is filled with Rhinehart making elementary mistakes, that are alternately horrifying or hilarious. The Soylent is definitely not approved by the FDA and are made under conditions that would have the FDA close the factory down in seconds.


    Real diet Shakes cost $200 a month because they are made by people that know what the fuck they are doing.

    man what, the world of dietary supplements is all but unregulated and many don't even contain the ingredients they say they do (I'm not pointing at a specific thing here, just in general)

    they cost $200 a month because of the profit margin

    which, again, is not an endorsement of soylent because it should probably be studied to make sure it's legit, but I feel like it's getting a ridiculous level of criticism when you factor in what kind of trash is sold in stores to go into people's bodies

    Yep http://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/tcpmt/american_pure_whey_is_american_pure_shit/

  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited August 2014
    Like if you have criticisms of soylent is fine, but pointing to it's competitors as somehow being more legit because the companies behind them can pay people with PHD in front of their name to sign off on them is laughable

    you could probably sell actual powdered dog shit as a vitamin supplement in a fancy package for $20 a box and get away with it for years

    override367 on
  • PaladinPaladin Registered User regular
    edited August 2014
    Kipling217 wrote: »
    I have heard of this Soylent and what I have heard makes it sound stupid.

    First of the person designing and making this isn't a registered dietitian, but an complete amateur. Registered Dietitian is a protected title that requires a college degree in nutrition and health with over 1200 hours of practical study. Unlike the way more common title Nutritionist which is a title that can be used by anyone and has no requirements. If you think that having actually studied how nutrition and diet affect the human body is a plus in creating something like Soylent, then ding, ding, ding you are right.

    The history of Soylent is filled with Rhinehart making elementary mistakes, that are alternately horrifying or hilarious. The Soylent is definitely not approved by the FDA and are made under conditions that would have the FDA close the factory down in seconds.


    Real diet Shakes cost $200 a month because they are made by people that know what the fuck they are doing.

    it says on their website they were "guided" by an MD/MPH attending at Columbia, which could mean anything

    FDA is extremely lax in regulation of food, especially food supplements and medical foods. So waiting for that is pretty fruitless.

    Paladin on
    Marty: The future, it's where you're going?
    Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
  • electricitylikesmeelectricitylikesme Registered User regular
    Kipling217 wrote: »
    I have heard of this Soylent and what I have heard makes it sound stupid.

    First of the person designing and making this isn't a registered dietitian, but an complete amateur. Registered Dietitian is a protected title that requires a college degree in nutrition and health with over 1200 hours of practical study. Unlike the way more common title Nutritionist which is a title that can be used by anyone and has no requirements. If you think that having actually studied how nutrition and diet affect the human body is a plus in creating something like Soylent, then ding, ding, ding you are right.

    The history of Soylent is filled with Rhinehart making elementary mistakes, that are alternately horrifying or hilarious. The Soylent is definitely not approved by the FDA and are made under conditions that would have the FDA close the factory down in seconds.


    Real diet Shakes cost $200 a month because they are made by people that know what the fuck they are doing.

    *sigh*

    So here's the thing about this criticism: it's complete crap.

    Because you haven't actually identified any specific problems. You haven't actually explained what you think the fatal mistakes are. You're simply pointing to the title the guy does or does not hold, and declaring it means something.

    Which might hold some weight if he was trying to make an extraordinary claim, as opposed to a fairly mundane one. It also might hold some weight, except no one in the history of commerce has ever had to be a dietician in order to sell a food product, and the founder of the soylent company has never tried to claim any special title as such.

    So you know what would be really great? If the "foodie"-crowd would take off their stupid hat and sense of indignation, and come up with better actual criticisms and/or content for their arguments.

    Because once again: everytime Soylent comes up, some group of people seem to take it as some weird personal attack on...something. I don't know what. But the response is exactly identical to when someone says they're a vegetarianism and then someone starts ranting about how much they love steak and oh how could you not love steak?

  • PaladinPaladin Registered User regular
    Bottom line, I'm already willing to tolerate a bunch of unhealthy crap for $3 a meal; unless this is going to shut down my kidneys in less than 20 years I'll need more scare tactics

    Marty: The future, it's where you're going?
    Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
  • davidsdurionsdavidsdurions Your Trusty Meatshield Panhandle NebraskaRegistered User regular
    Paladin wrote: »
    Soylent sounds great


    TOO BAD I'M STILL WAITING ON MY ORDER FROM EXACTLY 1 YEAR AGO

    Is there a timetable for you receiving your order? I mentioned earlier that the website says current new orders are 4-5 month waits for delivery.

    Is anyone other than journalist/bloggers actually getting to try this yet?

  • Kipling217Kipling217 Registered User regular
    Actually it isn't. If you are trying to design something that is supposed to be a total replacement for all other forms of nutrition having some actual expertise in the area of human nutrition and diet is step one.

    That is an actual valid criticism and its not a "foodie" thing, its a common sense thing. I am not a foodie anyways.

    Soylent and its designer/supporters falls at the first post: Does this guy know what the fuck he talking about? No.

    The sky was full of stars, every star an exploding ship. One of ours.
  • electricitylikesmeelectricitylikesme Registered User regular
    edited August 2014
    Kipling217 wrote: »
    Actually it isn't. If you are trying to design something that is supposed to be a total replacement for all other forms of nutrition having some actual expertise in the area of human nutrition and diet is step one.

    That is an actual valid criticism and its not a "foodie" thing, its a common sense thing. I am not a foodie anyways.

    Soylent and its designer/supporters falls at the first post: Does this guy know what the fuck he talking about? No.

    It is a food product in the same standing as any other food product which can be commercially sold (and they do in fact, meet the various guidelines, as well as have several food scientists working for them).

    You might as well bitch and moan about any of the myriad of people who will happily offer up their thoughts on dietary advice randomly on the internet, who also do not have such qualifications. You are under no obligation to believe them. But unless you can actually argue specific details or concerns, you're not bringing anything to the conversation - you know, evidence.

    So again: actual criticisms of ingredients, methods or results? You have some? No?

    It sounds essentially like you want to rant about something else which is offending you about this concept.

    electricitylikesme on
  • yossarian_livesyossarian_lives Registered User regular
    Kipling217 wrote: »
    Actually it isn't. If you are trying to design something that is supposed to be a total replacement for all other forms of nutrition having some actual expertise in the area of human nutrition and diet is step one.

    That is an actual valid criticism and its not a "foodie" thing, its a common sense thing. I am not a foodie anyways.

    Soylent and its designer/supporters falls at the first post: Does this guy know what the fuck he talking about? No.
    Your argument is complete goose shit. So now consulting with professionals is no longer considered valid? I have my doubts about soylent but this thread is going full on derp.

    "I see everything twice!"


  • JeedanJeedan Registered User regular
    edited August 2014
    The interesting thing about soylent to me, is the distinction between "food as an enjoyable activity/group experience" vs "food as something to power your meat body".

    I mean a 100% soylent diet would be strange as it would effectively cut you off from a large amount of shared human experiences.

    Although on the other hand if the only time you ate food was on special occasions you might actually get more enjoyment out of it on the whole.

    Breakfast falls closest to the right for me on the above scale, although I couldnt imagine replacing dinner.

    Jeedan on
Sign In or Register to comment.