What is Soylent meal replacement?

Soylent comes in powdered format or a range of ready-to-drink flavours, including Original, Creamy Chocolate, Mint Chocolate, Strawberry, Banana, and Vanilla.   The company also produce ready-to-drink options that include caffeine, which is excellent if you want a little caffeine boost with your meal replacement drinks. These flavours are Cafe Chai with 35mg caffeine and Cafe Mocha with 150mg caffeine per serving. With an average of 400 calories per 414 ml bottle, these are a quick and convenient way to get some energy in between meals when you are short of time. The bottles are also an excellent option to take with you on the go when you don't have access to a blender to make up a powdered drink.   These meal replacement drinks contain soy, so they should be avoided by anyone with a soy allergy.

Soylent meal replacement ingredients

These are some of the key ingredients found within Soylent:   
    
Allulose         
Biotin 
Canola oil
Dipotassium phosphate         
Gellan gum    
High oleic sunflower oil        
Isomaltooligosaccharide
Maltodextrin  
Natural flavours         
Oat fibre        
Potassium iodide       
Rice starch     
Soy lecithin   
Soy protein isolate     
Vitamin b12

Let's take a closer and more critical look at the main ingredients that make up the bulk of the formulation:   Allulose: A simple monosaccharide that delivers sweetness without the calories.
     
Gellan Gum: A plant-based thickener used to emulsify and stabilise liquids.
     
High Oleic Sunflower Oil: Rich in monounsaturated fats and is stable without hydrogenation. It is often added to processed foods.
     
Isomaltooligosaccharide: A carbohydrate known to be digestive resistant, supports the growth of gut bacteria, and is commonly used as a sweetener.
     
Maltodextrin: An artificial sugar derived from corn and wheat.
     
Natural flavours: From naturally-sourced plant extracts that provide flavours and aromas as close to nature as possible.
     
Soy Protein Isolate: The primary protein source of the drink, soy protein is a good option for those on a vegan diet or have dairy intolerance that prevents them from consuming whey or casein protein powders. The downside is that commercial soy is a GMO product, and it contains estrogenic compounds that can increase blood estrogen levels higher in men than those consuming milk-based protein. The manufacturers say their product is not GMO-free.

The Soylent drink formulation

As you can see from the list of base ingredients, the meal replacement formula relies on soy protein with added vitamins and minerals, plant-based fats, low-calorie sweeteners, natural flavours, and a natural gelling agent to make the drink thick and palatable.     

Today's Soylent drink product is very far removed from its original concept by two Silicon Valley engineers who set out to create a meal replacement drink from a handful of patented chemical ingredients because they felt that preparing food was too 'burdensome' for them.     

The original Soylent shake was in dry powder form but has now extended to a range of meal replacement options, including ready to drink bottles. Soylent Complete Meal is essentially Soylent Powder in ready-to-drink form and offers more flavours than the powder version.    

Both the powder and bottled drinks contain the same number of calories and protein, and both provide 20% of the Daily Value for 28 vitamins and minerals per serving. However, the ready to drink bottles contain less sugar, more fat and less fibre than the powdered drink.  

Soylent Review: Conclusion

Most people you speak to will have heard of Soylent, even if they are not using meal replacement products personally. Kudos to the marketing team behind the product for that!    

We like the variety of flavours in the range, so it is easy to find something that will be suitable for your tastes. It is also reasonably priced when compared to similar products on the market. It can deliver better value for money than some comparable brands based on similar ingredients.     

We like that this is suitable for vegans or vegetarians following a plant-based diet. It also has added omega-3 that helps balance omega 6 to 3 levels where plant-based people often consume too much omega 6 for their health.     

If you are looking for a quick and convenient meal replacement drink that is low in sugar, uses natural flavourings, tastes good and will keep you feeling full for longer, then the new formulation Soylent meal replacement drink range may be the perfect choice for you.