Is Soylent Good For Weight Loss?

In recent years, several entrepreneurs and start ups in Silicon Valley have set their eyes on the world of food. Looking to replace, at least partially, our dependence on food substances, new entrants into the space are looking to dramatically shift both how we perceive and intake our daily nutritions.

One such start up is Soylent. Founded in 2013, Soylent is looking to dramatically shift consumers behavior and relationship with food.

And, after having tried Soylent ourselves, we wanted to discuss just whether or not Soylent is a good option for weight loss.

What is Soylent?

Soylent’s inception began in 2013, when then roommates Rob Rhinehart, Matt Cauble, John Coogan, and David Renteln, frustrated with the same diet of frozen meals and ramen noodles, envisioned a better and less expensive way to meet their daily nutritional needs.

Named Soylent in homage to the novel Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison, the drinks, bars, and powder are meant to be a complete meal replacement. And though Soylent can be drunk as a meal replacement, it was never originally intended to replace all meals.

What’s in Soylent?

Soylent, as a meal replacement, provides 20% of your daily nutritional needs per a single 400-calorie serving. Utilizing the highest quality ingredients to provide a complete nutritional profile, Soylent has 36-grams of carbohydrates, 24-grams of healthy fats, and 20-grams of protein.

In addition, the protein utilized within a bottle of Soylent is derived from soy. And, according to Soylent, soy is the most complete plant based source of protein and contains all of the essential amino acids that are necessary for healthy, growing, and functioning bodies.

Similarly, Soylent is jam-packed with 39 additional essential nutrients. These essential nutrients are vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and amino acids that are needed for daily body function.

However, many of these essential nutrients are not readily synthesized by our bodies, requiring us to ingest them from our food sources.

What Does Soylent Taste Like?

Admittedly, we were a bit nervous before taking our first sip of Soylent. And while we’ve heard and read rave reviews of the various products offered by Soylent, we didn’t truly believe the hype.

That is, until we tried it.

To say the taste is pleasurable would be an understatement.

Honestly, Soylent tastes like a normal protein shake, though it is just a bit more mild. It drinks well and flows nicely from the bottle to our mouth. The taste is extremely reminiscent of a protein shake and doesn’t feel gritty or difficult to swallow.

And if you’re nervous about trying Soylent, we would recommend purchasing a single bottle before committing to a full case.

In addition, the ready to drink bottles come in a wide variety of different flavors, including creamy chocolate, vanilla, cafe mocha, banana, cafe chai, mint chocolate, protein chocolate, energy chocolate, and strawberry.

And after trying nearly all of the flavors, we have to say that the creamy chocolate is definitely our favorite. A perfect blend of sweet, the creamy chocolate is smooth and drinks nicely.

Where to Buy Soylent?

As Soylent is a relatively newer product, it is a bit more difficult to find at your local supermarket. However, Soylent provides a store locator feature on their website to help find and locate Soylent products at nearby supermarkets and retailers.

In addition, Soylent is available for purchase from Amazon. Coming in a variety pack of 12, the price per bottle comes out to less than $3.50.

We actually ordered our Soylent products from Amazon and were happy to wake up to the package waiting for us outside our door the next morning.

Can Soylent Be Used for Weight Loss?

One of the top questions we get from friends and family who have seen us use Soylent is whether or not it is a good product for weight loss.

And while you could see weight loss by drinking Soylent, it is not meant to be used as a weight-loss plan.

The reason for this is simple. When you restrict your total intake of calories, you can expect to see a loss of weight. However, doing so solely off of a Soylent based diet is simply not sustainable. And while you may feel an initial surge of confidence and motivation, those feelings are bound to subside and you will likely indulge in previous behaviors.

Rather, Soylent should be used as a supplement and in conjunction with other healthy, long-term behavioral changes.

So yes, you can use Soylent to help you lose weight but it should not be your sole source of nutrition nor should it be seen as a long-term solution.

Rather, supplementing Soylent into your diet and beginning to introduce healthier eating habits, a more active lifestyle, and the avoidance of certain weight causing foods will help you to see long-term success that is both sustainable and healthy.

What is Soylent Best Used For?

In our few weeks of having Soylent readily available, we found that it was best for the times when we were simply too busy to cook up a quick meal or too lazy to order from a local restaurant. That is, we found Soylent was the perfect answer when we were simply too busy for any other option.

In addition, we found that Soylent was a great option for breakfast. Quick and nutritious, we were able to down a quick bottle in just a few minutes and start off our day satiated.