Huel review

A few months ago I was listening to Ali Abdaal's podcast, which is called "Deep Dive." The episode featured Julian Hearn, the man who founded Huel. Huel, for the ones that don't know, is a company dedicated to creating plant-based, 'nutriciously complete' food. This means that their food contains the ideal amount of protein, fats, carbs, fibre and all 26 essential vitamins & minerals. But the thing that really distinguishes Huel from other food is one key factor of the product: efficiency.

The concept is quite simple: You fill your (FREE) shaker with water, then you add two scoops of powdered Huel, shake and you're all set. You basically have a full meal prepped within two minutes. This concept seemed intriguing enough for me to give it a go and so I ordered my first batch of Huel products in December 2022. As of tomorrow it is June 2023, so I've been using Huel for nearly 6 months now. Therefore I believe I have accurately reviewed the product and the following things stood out to me.

The delivery and ordering

I remember ordering my first batch of Huel-products on a Friday, not expecting it to be delivered until at least next week. Pardon my language here, but holy shit was I wrong. It was so quick, within 24 hours of ordering, the box was at my doorstep and wow I just didn't see that coming. And it was on a Saturday. The reason I didn't expect much of the delivery is because Huel is a UK-based company and the delivery is and has always been completely free. So far I've always had my Huel-stuff delivered to me within 48 hours, and this always free, speedy service which isn't even mentioned anywhere, so good job on that Huel!

The products are delivered in a black, sturdy box, and if you're ordering for the first time you get a free T-shirt, shaker and scoops, but more on that later. The products are all neatly packed and it's always a very satisfying sight to see, so 10/10 for this whole process.

The Black Edition powder

My favourite and by far most used product of the brand is the Black Edition powder. I put 400 ml of water in my shaker, followed by 2 scoops of the powdery substance, and then I shake like my life depends on it. I know, I like to be dramatic. My mom has had her fair share of diet shakes, some of which I tried a sip of, and they were positively disgusting. Because of this I had low expectations for the powder. But despite this I strangely love it. Like, damn, it's hands down my favourite product. It's so easy to make, and as all Huel-products are, nutritionally complete. That's why I have it for breakfast nearly every single day, and occasionally have it for lunch as well. The powder is honestly my go-to product. It's easier to make than the Hot & Savoury (and quicker to digest since it's drinkable) and yet it is still tasty as hell.

There is a regular non-black edition of this powder too, but I prefer their "Black Edition", as it has less carbs, more protein and natural sweetener (so no added sugar at all). The sugar in Huel all comes from the oats, pea, rice, flaxseed, sunflower and coconut.

Another thing I love is how people get creative with the powder and mix flavours, or mix it with fruit or other things. It's not my thing personally, but it's still lovely to see and nice to consider if I do want to change it up slightly.

Hot & Savoury

At first, I didn't like the Hot & Savoury. I'd ordered the Mac 'n Cheese flavour, and it just tasted a little bland to me. However, it did make me feel full and tasted like traditional mac and cheese. I also tried the Cajun Pasta flavour, but that was also not that good in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't gross or anything, I'd just expected better. After a bit of scrolling on social media I discovered a little life hack: If I add a little bit of the Cajun Pasta flavour to this mix, it should taste much better. And it did! It added that bit of spice that I'd been missing. Since then, I really like it.

Obviously making it takes a little more time than the powder, since you put 2 scoops in your hot pot, poor in hot water, stir and then wait for a bit. Despite this it's still quick as hell and it's a bit tastier than the powder.

This product is not really my favourite however, since it feels a bit like a glorified Cup-a-Soup pasta. Fun fact by the way: Cup-a-Soup pasta is technically also completely nutritious meal, so the Huel Hot & Savoury is actually just a slightly more expensive version of this product. I also don't like that the product's not easily digestible like the other Huel-products. Sure, it's helped me out a couple times when I didn't feel like cooking dinner and still wanted to have a nutritious meal (so not order fast food), but I buy Huel-products because of how easily consumable the products are. And this product takes more time to make and to consume, and that's exactly what I don't want from Huel.

The bars and ready-to-drinks

I genuinely wanted these bars to work out for me, since they're so easy for eating something on the go (i.e. the perfect snack or even light lunch), and so I tried these bars a lot of times. I gave it 6 tries over the course of 5 months and am sad to say that they are just not for me. I really don't like the taste of them. I've tried peanut butter, chocolate, raspberry, chocolate again, coffee caramel and salted caramel. I didn't like any of them. I could barely even finish them, which was a shame. They were just to0 bland and much too dry for me.

Sadly the same can be said about the ready-to-drinks. I desperately wanted to like it, trying 5 different flavours, but it just wasn't my thing. I just didn't like the taste at all and it was not something I was gonna get used to. These are not bad products however, I am just very picky when it comes to flavours. I've read about and seen many people who thoroughly enjoy these products, so please don't let my pickiness put you off of what might become your favourite Huel-product.

The Complete Protein Powder

The most recent product I tried was the Complete Protein Powder. I ordered the Chocolate Fudge Brownie flavour and I like it. I ordered it because I wanted something to drink after working out. Something with protein, but not a full meal to digest. This powder is finer than the black edition powder. Lately I've started mixing it (one scoop of the black edition, one of the complete protein) and that's now my breakfast after a quick morning workout. I can confidently say that this powder is my second favourite product.

The freebies (spoiler: gosh I love them)

As I mentioned before, every person who orders a Huel-product for the first time, receives a free Huel shaker when you order a powder product, a Huel hot pot when you order a Hot & Savoury product, two free scoops and a free t-shirt. And this t-shirt, damn it's good quality. There are clear instructions on how to use things and for what (and there's even detailed videos on their website). And more importantly, it looks nice and classy and it's just satisfying to have that full "Huel experience", working out in their shirt, then drinking a Huel afterwards. Personally it makes me feel cared about as a customer and I just love freebies.

Thoughts on products and brand overall

As I've mentioned before, I love that the products are all quick and simple. They're all nutritious and most of them are based on water, so I've been much more hydrated since I've started using Huel. Because of the hydration I feel extra energetic and refreshed, which is such a nice feeling to have. Another plus is that the products are plant-based and that's helping me be more vegan, which is something I'm working on, and yet the products still contain everything I need to be well-fed.

Huel is really flexible, you can have a Huel for lunch everyday this week, and then have just three Huels next week and so on. The only thing to watch however is the fact that your body and digestive system need some time to get used to this change in diet. It is recommended to start with one Huel meal a day, then two, basically slowly build up so your digestive system has a chance to catch up.

I have personally struggled with eating enough in a day for quite a while. I ate, sure, but it was not nearly enough and could certainly not be considered a balanced diet. I felt unenergetic, and even if I did eat, it would be such a quest to find something cheap, healthy and easy and quick to make. That's where Huel came in, all efficient since it's got everything you need. The name itself even: food = human fuel = Huel, is very much descriptive of the relationship I (want to) have with food/eating. Many people use it for meals that might be hard, like when you get up and most people skip breakfast, while they could be hydrated and well-fed within minutes. It's also nice that this way I don't overthink what I should eat and I can make a Huel real quick, poor the shake into a glass with a straw, take it to my desk and just do my work as I'm drinking a Huel.

My mental health has its ups and downs, but it can get really bad sometimes. Huel's ease and simplicity seriously helps me on those days, so I at least stay hydrated and well-fed. If this were not the case, I'd only feel worse because of the dehydration, put myself down even more for not eating "well enough" and only spiral down more from there. So in a way Huel keeps me out of that spiral and helps me take care of my body and myself.

Lastly I have to note the freebies. The way Julian Hearn spoke about it on the podcast I mentioned before, he explains why he gives out the t-shirts to the first-timers, it was just so wholesome. It genuinely makes me feel cared about as a customer. Huel is a small company with not many people attached to it and I feel really seen as a customer and hear great things about their customer support, although so far I haven't tried that out myself, since so far I've not had any issues.

Conclusion

I hope that this review has convinced you to also give Huel a try. At first glance it may seem a bit pricey, but the things you get in return (quality products, the freebies, the positive effects of being nutritiously fed) as well worth it. I certainly am not gonna stop being a so-called "Hueligan."

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