This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent every Friday from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dissects and discusses the latest gizmos and potions that swear they’re going to change your life. Opt in for Optimizer here.
In 2017, I was at rock bottom. My dad’s health was rapidly failing; my relationship with my mom was on the rocks. I was in a not-so-great place in my career. My undiagnosed polycystic ovary syndrome was wreaking havoc on my health. I was already in a dark place when a situationship broke my heart, my roommate notified me they were moving out, and I received a surprise $5,000 vet bill for my dog. Stressed, depressed, and a hot mess, I stopped eating.
Physically, I wanted to eat. Mentally, I simply couldn’t. A week into my involuntary fast, my therapist suggested meal replacement drinks until we could work out a solution. For six weeks, I forced myself to drink two chocolate Ensures a day until I managed to start piecing my life back together. It was a miserable, terrifying time, in which I lost 20 percent of my body weight.
I was recently transported back to that time thanks to a Huel ad. If you’re unaware, Huel is a wellness brand that sells meal replacement drinks, powders, supplements, instant meals, and daily greens. It’s probably best known for its powders and ready-made shakes, but this particular ad is for its daily greens drink. A manicured hand snaps open a can as wistful violins play over a series of text: Just went through a breakup. Is getting married next month. Just lost their job. Just need a break from the world. Looking for community. Just got a promotion. Just surviving the day. The caption reads, “No matter the moment, Daily Greens are ready to drink,” punctuated by a green heart emoji.
It just so happens that when I took a look at AG1’s science-washed marketing in a recent Optimizer, several readers requested I do the same for Huel. The two products are similar. Both aim to make up for a perceived lack of nutrients in an ordinary person’s diet. Both employ fit celebrities and influencers as spokespersons. AG1 has Hugh Jackman and Andrew Huberman, while Huel’s site boasts actor Idris Elba, former Yankee Alex Rodriguez, and Steven Bartlett from the Diary of a CEO podcast. Whereas AG1 leaned on dubious terms like “clinically backed,” Huel uses framing like “nutritionally complete” and “scientifically supported.” And while AG1 is clearly a greens supplement, Huel lives in a grayer area between greens supplements, protein powders, meal replacement, and ready-made food. Buzzy phrases like “nutrient-dense,” “superfoods,” “plant-based,” and “sustainable” also make appearances.
Perusing Huel’s marketing, the meal replacement narrative is what sticks out the most. “Huel is an ally on my busiest days,” reads Bartlett’s testimonial. “I always have a couple in the fridge at home — it’s my go-to when I realize I haven’t eaten,” reads another from Premier League Hall of Famer Gary Neville. Other ideas that frequently pop up: no prep, no need to buy food, cost efficiency, and staying healthy while on the go. It’s the solution “for your most inconvenient meal,” and “everything your body needs.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a tech- and wellness-adjacent meal replacement pitch. Remember Soylent? But the science behind meal replacement is more complicated than just packing nutrients into a bottle.
For starters, meal replacement supplements are not meant to replace food entirely. Even if a shake contains all the essential vitamins, minerals, and proteins, supplemental forms aren’t necessarily the same as what you’d get from eating whole foods. According to Stanford Medicine, absorption is generally better when those same micronutrients come from foods. Heat processing for shelf stability can also reduce potency. Since supplements aren’t regulated, evaluating sourcing, purity, and dosage can be hard without independent testing. (Huel does provide quality control information on its site, and says it’s received NSF International certification for its Black Edition product.)
What does ‘nutritionally complete’ actually mean?
Take the Black Edition of its ready-made drink: Huel says you get 7g of fiber from flaxseed, chicory, and corn. That sounds great on the surface. Most people don’t get the daily recommended 25 to 38g of fiber, 7g is high for this kind of product, and Huel includes both soluble and insoluble forms. But scientists have found that not all dietary fiber supplements are created equal. Chicory root fiber, or inulin, is often controversial as, in some people, it can cause gastrointestinal distress, inflammation, and potentially liver damage if taken in excess. In a diverse diet, you’d be getting even more forms of soluble and insoluble fiber, so some inulin might not be a problem. But if you’re prone to gas, bloating, or have irritable bowel syndrome? Heavily relying on Huel’s limited fiber sources might not be your best option.
... continue reading