Soylent (drink)

Soylent

A glass of Soylent
Type Powder
Creator Rob Rhinehart
Year of invention 2013
Main ingredients 1.4: Rice Protein, Oat Flour, Isomaltulose and Sunflower Oil
Ingredients generally used 1.4: Rice Starch, Modified Food Starch, Soy Lecithin, Cellulose, Salt, Flaxseed and Safflower Oil Powder, life'sDHA Oil Powder, Xanthan Gum, Sucralose
Food energy
(per serving)
 1.4: 500 kcal
Nutritional value
(per serving)
Protein 24 g
Fat 21 g
Carbohydrate 51 g
Cookbook:Soylent  Soylent

Soylent is a powdered meal replacement product, advertised as a "staple meal" that its creator says meets all nutritional requirements for an average adult. It was created by software engineer Rob Rhinehart as a self-experiment in nutrition and is now marketed and sold by Rosa Labs. Soylent has undergone four reformulations since release and dedicates space to DIY recipes created by the online community. As of 2015, there is no published scientific evidence on the risks or benefits of Soylent itself but all ingredients in the product are generally recognized as safe[1] by the United States FDA.

History

On February 13, 2013 Rhinehart detailed his initial 30 day experiment in food replacement[2] on his blog before later sharing the nutritional information and original formula[3] for interested parties. Posts over the next two months detailed modifications to the formula leading up to a crowdfunding campaign on Tilt and venture capital funds in excess of US$3,500,000.[4][5]

The first shipments of U.S. orders began in the first week of May 2014.[6] In January 2015, Soylent received $20 million in Series A round funding, led by Andreessen Horowitz.[7] In February 2015, Soylent released version 1.4 with changes, such as using a carbohydrate/fat/protein ratio of 43/40/17, made with the advice of F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer, M.D., a professor of medicine at Columbia University.[8]

Version Changes Date
Soylent 1.0 First full version. Ingredients were finalized in January 2014,[9] and shipments began in April[10](vegan) and May[11] (regular) of 2014. Early 2014
Soylent 1.1 The sucralose was decreased, giving it a more neutral flavor, and it added new digestive enzymes.[12] October 2, 2014[13]
Soylent 1.2 Omega-3 from fish sources was replaced with omega-3 from algae, making the drink suitable for vegans and the enzymes added in Soylent 1.1 were removed.[14] November 10, 2014[14]
Soylent 1.3 Dipotassium phosphate was added and shipping box sizes were reduced.[15] December 11, 2014[15]
Soylent 1.4 Fats were incorporated into the powder which eliminated the need for the oil bottles, resulting in less packaging required in the shipping boxes and isomaltulose was added.[16] February 25, 2015[17]

Naming

The product's name is based on Harry Harrison's 1966 science fiction novel Make Room! Make Room! in which the food product derives from soya and lentils; although it's commonly associated with its 1973 film adaptation Soylent Green in which the eponymous green variety of the food supplement is made from human remains.[18]

Cost

In April 2013, Rhinehart said he was spending US$154.62 per month on Soylent, yielding a diet of 11,000 kilojoules (2,600 kcal) per day[19] while a diet of medical food such as Jevity would cost US$456 per month for 8,400 kilojoules (2,000 kcal).[20]

Soylent 1.0, which began shipping commercially in May 2014, was supplied in quantities of 7, 14, or 28 bags, with one bag providing "3+" meals.[21] As of February 2015 it was available only in the US for $85 for 7 bags, reducing the price for larger quantities or having a monthly subscription.[22][23]

Nutrition

The following summarizes the nutrition facts and ingredients for Soylent 1.4.[24] The nutrition facts are based on one serving of 115 grams (4.1 oz).[24] Each Soylent pouch contains four servings.

Soylent 1.4 Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 115g Servings per Pouch: 4
Calories 500
Calories from fat 210
Amount per Serving % Daily Value*
Total Fat 24g 37%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Trans Fat 0g N/A
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 410 mg 17%
Potassium 866 mg 25%
Total Carbohydrate 51g 17%
Dietary Fiber 4g 16%
Sugars 11g
Protein 21g

Nutrition Facts (continued)
% Daily Value
Vitamin A 25%
Vitamin C 37%
Calcium 30%
Iron 23%
Vitamin D 26%
Vitamin E 26%
Vitamin K 28%
Thiamin 25%
Riboflavin 25%
Niacin 25%
Vitamin B6 25%
Folate 25%
Vitamin B12 25%
Biotin 25%
Pantothenic Acid 25%
Iodine 30%
Magnesium 23%
Zinc 25%
Selenium 25%
Copper 28%
Manganese 25%
Chromium 25%
Molybdenum 25%

Taste

Soylent contains soy lecithin, gum arabic, vanillin and sucralose as masking flavors and to adjust appearance, texture and smell.[25] Rhinehart calls the flavor "minimal", "broad" and "nonspecific".[26] As of version 1.4, vanillin is no longer included as an ingredient.[27]

Reviews on the taste of Soylent (before version 1.4 was released) vary widely. Negative reviews have called it a "punishingly boring, joyless product", "like someone wrung out a dishtowel into a glass",[28] "purposefully bland", "and compared the taste to "homemade nontoxic Play-Doh".[29][30] Others were "pleasantly surprised" with the "rich, creamy, and strangely satisfying" flavor,[30] or likened it to that of a vanilla milkshake with the texture of pancake batter.[31]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Soylent Corporation (June 1, 2014). "Soylent FAQ - Is it safe?". Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  2. ↑ How I Stopped Eating Food. Feb 13, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2015
  3. ↑ What's in Soylent Feb 14, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2015
  4. ↑ Scutti, Susan (February 18, 2014). "Can Soylent, A New Crowd-Funded Nutritional Drink, Back Its Claims? Eat All A Healthy Body Needs For $9/Day". Medical Daily. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  5. ↑ "Soylent". Tilt.com. Tilt.com. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  6. ↑ "Soylent Update". Discourse.soylent.me. May 1, 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
  7. ↑ Soylent Raises Money. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  8. ↑ Nutrition advisor for Soylent. 16 March 2015.
  9. ↑ "Soylent : There is more to food than nutrition. Even a...". soylent.me.
  10. ↑ "Soylent : Soylent Update 4/23". soylent.me.
  11. ↑ "Soylent : 5/1 Shipping Update". soylent.me.
  12. ↑ Soylent gets a version bump to 1.1—new flavor, new gut flora help. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  13. ↑ "Soylent : Introducing Soylent 1.1". soylent.me.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Soylent : Announcing Soylent 1.2 Development of the Soylent...". soylent.me.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Soylent 1.3 Shipping Today. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  16. ↑ Soylent 1.4 begins shipping today. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  17. ↑ "Soylent : Soylent 1.4 begins shipping today.". soylent.me.
  18. ↑ Varughese, Ansa (March 15, 2013). "Rob Rhinehart, 24, Creates Soylent: Why You Never Have To Eat Food Again". Medical Daily. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
  19. ↑ Pomeroy, Ross (April 1, 2013). "'Soylent': Can Man Survive on Goop Alone?". Real Clear Science. Retrieved 2013-05-27.
  20. ↑ Matthews, Dylan (March 14, 2013). "Rob Rhinehart has a crazy plan to let you go without food forever. It just might work.". Washington Post. Retrieved 2013-05-14.
  21. ↑ Hutchinson, Lee (September 5, 2013). "Ars does Soylent, the finale: Soylent dreams for people". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
  22. ↑ "Soylent Website Launch". Soylent. May 5, 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
  23. ↑ "Soylent - Free Your Body". Soylent.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Soylent 1.4 Nutrition" (PDF). Soylent. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  25. ↑ "There is more to food than nutrition". Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  26. ↑ "Stephen Colbert Taste Tests Soylent... And Finds It Delicious?", Inc. (magazine), June 13, 2014, Rhinehart described the "minimal flavor" as "broad" and "nonspecific"
  27. ↑ Soylent 1.4 begins shipping today., retrieved 20 March 2015
  28. ↑ "We Drank Soylent The Weird Food of the Future", Gawker, May 19, 2013
  29. ↑ Manjoo, Farhad (May 28, 2014), "The Soylent Revolution Will Not Be Pleasurable", The New York Times
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 "Soylent survivor: one month living on lab-made liquid nourishment", The Verge, July 17, 2014
  31. ↑ "Soylent Review", Business Insider, July 14, 2014

External links