Anyone keeping up with my journal knows that Stockholm is currently experiencing something of a heatwave. All of Sweden is, with ensuing forest fires, people getting sick from the heat, among other things. Keeping hydrated when it’s hot is hard, and although I normally drink plenty of water, I feel it’s not enough.

That’s where Huel comes in. Huel is a (vegan) supplement shake that can, theoretically, replace your entire diet. It is supposed to contain everything you need to survive, and it doesn’t taste like shit. I’ve been using it for some time now, substituting a meal here and there. It’s filling and, when you get used to drinking rather than chewing, it leaves you satisfied.

It also makes you drink plenty of water, whether you like it or not, because you have to mix the Huel powder with something and water is the best choice. I’ve found that the days where I’ve had one or more Huel shakes, I feel better in this heat. This, I believe, is for two reasons.

1. I get more fluids into my body, as in a bonus 400-500 ml. That’s a lot, because I don’t drink less just because I’ve had a Huel shake. On the contrary, I want to wash it down with a glass of water or two.
2. I actually get the necessary nutritions for my body, which is more than I can say for some days. Eating properly is hard in the heat, drinking is easier, and thus I’m fueling my body better thanks to the Huel shakes.

Yes, that all reads like a promoted post or something, but I’m not getting paid to say this. I’ve turned people on to Huel, and although this sort of, shall we call it food, isn’t for everyone, it’s also helping those who have a hard time eating enough. I have that problem myself at times, and this helps.

So how does it taste? Well, the vanilla flavored Huel is pretty decent. You don’t need to add any taste to it, although I personally prefer it with a couple of shots of espresso or a quarter of brewed coffee, and some ice. There are flavor packs, which I’ve tried and passed on. Too artificial for my taste, I prefer the relative simpleness of the vanilla flavored Huel myself.

It does not mix well with red wine. Now you know.

I’ve tried a few of these supplement and replacement shakes, bars, and powders. It’s not a losing or gaining weight thing for me, it’s the convenience. I live alone, I don’t cook for myself, and I get bored going out all the time. Shakes like this helps, making sure I don’t eat too little. Supplements like Huel will never replace actual food for me, I enjoy the experience of eating too much for that, but as a complement it makes sense.

Heatwaves are hard on people, especially the old and sick. Distributing something like Huel would be a good idea. People, young and old, have a tendency to drink too little fluids, or mix up what sort of fluids they need. They also eat too little when it’s hot, because who has any appetite when you can hardly breathe, and are sweating and overheating all the time? I don’t think we should swap out clean and pure food for powder, even if it’s vegan and whatnot, but surely there’s a place for something like this in today’s resource-strained world?

You don’t even have to want to save the world to recommend powder-based food. Just look at obesity, and how expensive it is to eat right. Huel isn’t cheap, but it’s not expensive either. They’re pitching it at $2/meal, or something like that. That sounds about right, and compared to Swedish standards, it’s cheap. So drinking a complete meal is actually saving me money, makes me drink more fluids, and is (supposedly) good for the environment. I feel I can get behind this, despite the overdone tech-bro branding Huel and its ilk are relying on.