The Huel Ready-to-drink Formula Explained

Huel Ready-to-drink is a nutritionally complete meal in a bottle. It is high in protein, low in sugar and salt, it is a source of fibre and it contains a balanced macro split of 35:42:20:3 (carbohydrate, fat, protein, fibre) and all 26 essential vitamins and minerals.

Additionally, it contains no lactose or any animal products, no soy, and no GMO.

Huel Ready-to-drink meets the UK and EU Reference Nutrient Intakes (RNI), Reference Intakes (RI) and Nutrient Reference Values (NRV) for all macro- and micronutrients ^{[1, 2, 3]}, and it provides a sustained source of energy with a wealth of other nutritious benefits.

Continue reading to find out more about Huel Ready-to-drink.

Huel Ready-to-drink is 35:42:20:3 Macro Split

The principal macronutrients from which we obtain energy from food are carbohydrate, fat, protein and fibre, and in Huel Ready-to-drink their ratio is 35:42:20:3 respectively; i.e. 35% of the total energy comes from carbohydrate, 42% from fat, 20% from protein and 3% from fibre.

Amino acids are the most basic units of protein, and nine amino acids are essential for life – with others being crucial for optimum health – so any diet has to contain a significant amount of protein. Huel Ready-to-drink is high in protein with all essential amino acids present in good amounts (see below).

Fat is more energy-dense than carbohydrate and protein, so the Huel Ready-to-drink formula includes large amounts of healthy fats in order to achieve less volume and an easy-to-consume Huel meal in a bottle. Moreover, there are some fatty acids that are required for optimal health, and Huel Ready-to-drink is rich in the fats that provide these essential fatty acids.

Carbohydrate – whilst not essential per se – does have significant benefits in respect of sustaining energy levels, and those in Huel Ready-to-drink are slow-release carbs – ideal for maintaining energy for up to several hours.

The amounts of fat, protein and carbohydrate in Huel are designed to provide optimum, sustained energy release as well as covering requirements for health and protection against disease.

Carbohydrate in Huel Ready-to-drink: Oats, Tapioca, and Brown Rice

The carbs in Huel Ready-to-drink are mainly from ultra-fine powdered oats, brown rice flour and tapioca starch. Oats have been shown to have a low glycaemic index (GI); GI refers to the speed after which we ingest a carb source to the resulting rise in blood sugar and, hence, energy levels ^[4]. The oat powder in Huel Ready-to-drink has been milled so finely that it’s readily soluble and also provides so much more than just carbohydrates: soluble fibre and many vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients too. Brown rice flour provides carbs, protein and other nutrients. Tapioca starch is an ideal source of carbohydrate as it is soluble and works well with other ingredients. The oats, rice flour and tapioca starch in Huel Ready-to-drink support the other ingredients in helping to sustain energy levels until the next meal.

Fat in Huel Ready-to-drink: Rapeseed, Flaxseed, Sunflower, and Coconut

The fat in Huel Ready-to-drink provides 42% of the total energy and is made up from rapeseed oil, flaxseed and sunflower lecithin to ensure that the essential fatty acids are included in optimum amounts with Huel Ready-to-drink being rich in monounsaturates, omega-3s and omega-6s. We’ve also included MCTs from coconut for a very good reason: MCTs, or medium-chain triglycerides, are treated much like carbs, i.e. they provide an energy-rich, sustained fuel and are perfect for those of us with busy lifestyles ^[5]. But MCTs have another invaluable quality: they are not susceptible to oxidation and rancidity, meaning that they do not contribute to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. In short, MCTs from coconut are a healthy and efficient source of energy. Read more about MCTs here.

There are two completely essential fatty acids (EFAs) that humans require: linoleic acid (LA – an omega-6 fatty acid) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA – an omega-3) ^[6]. Using fats from rapeseed, flaxseed and sunflower, we’ve ensured Huel Ready-to-drink contains sufficient amounts of both of these EFAs as well as other omega-3 and -6 fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids*. Moreover, these ingredients provide antioxidants and other vitamins and minerals in a biochemical redox balance to help minimise the negative effects of free-radicals. Free radicals may be involved in the pathology of cancer, cardiovascular disease and ageing, so it’s desirable to keep their formation to a minimum, and this is the role of antioxidants. Read more about fats here.

Huel Ready-to-drink is High-protein: Peas and Rice

The RI for protein is 50g per day, but this only covers our very basic needs at a level that adequately prevents protein deficiency ^[1,2,3]. The Western diet typically provides more ^[7], and Huel Ready-to-drink does too*. All essential amino acids are included in adequate amounts from vegan protein sources: pea protein, brown rice flour, oat powder and flaxseed. Each 500ml bottle of Huel Ready-to-drink provides 20g of high-quality protein – 40% of the average person’s daily requirements, a good amount for optimum health as well as building and maintaining a healthy body. Furthermore, protein is more satiating (appetite suppressing) than other macronutrients ^[8], and a Huel Ready-to-drink meal has been designed to stop unwanted hunger pangs.

Amino acid profile of Huel Ready-to-drink

Protein is made up of amino acids. There are over 500 amino acids in nature, 20 of which are known as the standard amino acids, as these are the ones that are coded for genetically and are subsequently involved in primary protein synthesis in animals. Of these 20, nine are essential as they cannot be synthesised from other amino acids.

All protein sources are not equal: some are classed as ‘complete proteins’ and some are not. A complete protein is one that contains sufficient quantities of all nine essential amino acids. Generally, proteins derived from animal foods (meats, fish, poultry, milk and eggs) are complete. Indeed, some proteins derived from plant foods (legumes, seeds, grains and vegetables) are often complete as well; examples include quinoa, buckwheat and soya. Many plant foods have insufficient amounts of one or more of the essential amino acids. Some are notably low, such as corn protein, which is low in lysine and isoleucine.

The protein in Huel Ready-to-drink comes from four of the main ingredients: pea protein, oats, brown rice flour and flaxseed. This ensures a good range of all amino acids and that there are sufficient amounts of the essential amino acids. Rice is high in the sulphur-containing amino acids cysteine and methionine, plus it contains good amounts of all the others, but is very low in lysine. Pea protein is low in cysteine and methionine but high in lysine. Selecting different sources ensures everything is covered whilst keeping Huel Ready-to-drink vegan. Plus there’s additional protein from the oats – which are reasonably high in all essential aminos – and the flaxseed.

Amino Acid Content of Huel Ready-to-drink (based on Vanilla v1.0)

*WHO (2007) recommended daily amounts for essential amino acids for 70kg adult

**combined total for methionine + cysteine

***combined total for phenylalaine + tyrosine

****figure includes asparagine

*****figure includes glutamine

Fibre in Huel Ready-to-drink: Oats, Flaxseed and Corn Fibre

Huel Ready-to-drink Vanilla and Berry contains 6g of fibre per bottle. The fibre in Huel Ready-to-drink is a mixture of soluble and insoluble forms all naturally supplied from oats, flaxseed and corn fibre. This fibre profile helps to ensure the formation of normal, solid stools in healthy users.

Fibre acts like a sponge, so it’s important to include lots of fluid in a fibre-rich diet ^[9]. As Huel Ready-to-drink is made with water, there’s plenty of fluid supplied, but we do recommend you also include plenty of water in your diet.

The Huel Ready-to-drink formula has been designed to maintain optimum digestive system health, and there are also other benefits from its fibre profile: you may well have heard about the beneficial soluble fibre in oats called beta-glucan; well, Huel Ready-to-drink contains good amounts of this cholesterol-lowering fibre, ideal for a healthy heart ^[10].

Vitamins and minerals in Huel Ready-to-drink

A bulk of the vitamins and minerals – also known as micronutrients – in Huel Ready-to-drink are from natural ingredients. However, in order to meet the demands of a Western lifestyle, we’ve added a unique vitamin and mineral formula to provide – in some cases – more than 100% of the recommended amounts*.

Since the UK Dietary Reference Values were compiled in 1991 ^[1], there have been numerous studies demonstrating that, for many micronutrients, levels higher than the RNI may have beneficial effects to health. For example, it’s widely considered that the amount of vitamin C we’re recommended to consume is too low ^{[11, 12, 13]}, so we’ve reflected this in the Huel Ready-to-drink formula. Benefits of consuming more vitamin C include a healthy immune system, healthy skin and antioxidant properties ^{[12, 13, 14]}.

With calcium, the US recommended amount is more than the UK RNI (1,300mg vs 800mg per day) ^{[1, 2, 15]}, and we feel the US recommendation is more than sufficient to protect against osteoporosis. With some of the trace element minerals the levels are higher than the recommended amounts. This is because we only need tiny amounts of them, but the natural ingredients in Huel Ready-to-drink are a rich source.

Choline is a conditionally essential B vitamin, and although, strictly speaking, it can be synthesised in our bodies, it’s more efficient to obtain it from our diets ^[16]. It’s of particular importance for post-menopausal women ^{[17, 18]}. As Huel is all about optimum health, the inclusion of choline was felt to be fundamental.

Another example is vitamin D: the RNI was 5mcg per day, but in 2016 this was revised to 10mcg per day ^[19], so the amount of vitamin D in Huel Ready-to-drink more than reflects this higher requirement*.

There has been some concern about phytic acid: a naturally occurring substance in some plant foods including oats and flaxseed. Phytic acid can chelate (bind) some minerals meaning that they’re less bioavailable ^[20]. As oats and flaxseed are fundamental ingredients in Huel Ready-to-drink, we’ve ensured the levels of some minerals, like iron and zinc, are higher, to accommodate any issues with phytic acid chelation. Furthermore, the high level of vitamin C in Huel Ready-to-drink will also further promote iron absorption ^[21].

Summary – Huel Ready-to-drink is a meal

As you can see, Huel Ready-to-drink provides superior nutrition compared to most conventional meals. Huel Ready-to-drink is a nutritious meal to be enjoyed at any time, or as an add-on improvement to your diet to ensure you’re giving your body what it needs.

*based on a 2,000kcal intake of Huel products.