What’s In Soylent

space_odyssey

(this is the follow up to "How I Stopped Eating Food")

Edit July 2013: This was a prototype. While similar in spirit, the final soylent recipe differs in several ways and has been subjected to rigorous testing and expert evaluation. Also it tastes better.

There is precious little good data in nutrition science. Every study I've seen shows poor statistical methods, conflicts with other studies, or does not show statistically significant results, usually all three. It's a difficult field because there are simply too many variables and the parameters are difficult to control precisely. This is why diets are fads. I decided to ditch nutrition and focus on biology. The proportions in Soylent are closely based off of the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), though I added a couple extras and changed a few based on my testing. Here is what my body needs.

Carbohydrates (400g): Any molecule consisting only of Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen. Flour, corn, bread, rice, pasta, your cells don't care. What you need is D-Glucose. The Citric Acid Cycle metabolizes glucose and generates ATP, the cellular 'currency' for energy. Carbs can chain together and come in the form of monosaccharides (like fructose), disaccharides (table sugar), oligosaccharides, or polysaccharides, which are very long chains. Short chains get metabolized very quickly, leading to a 'sugar rush', and long chains can be difficult to digest. I use only oligosaccharides, like Maltodextrin, for Carbohydrates. This mechanism can also metabolize protein and fat, but the brain can only use Glucose for energy. In fact, the brain uses 25% of the body's glucose, though it accounts for only 2% of its weight.

Protein (120g): Protein is a very general term. What your body needs are 9 'essential' (meaning the body cannot produce it itself), amino acids: Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, and Valine. Eukaryotes use 21 different amino acids for protein synthesis. The human genome contains approximately 20,000 protein coding genes. It's a complex system. Without these essentials there are some proteins you will not be able to produce.

Fat (65g): Fat has gotten a bad rap. Without it you wouldn't be able to absorb some essential vitamins, like A, D, E, and K. Fats are triglycerides, and can be saturated or unsaturated, depending on the bonds within the carbon chain. Fat maintains healthy skin and hair, and cushions the body's organs. Some fats, though, like trans-saturated fats, are difficult for the body to metabolize, and have been linked to heart disease and obesity. I get all the fat I need, in nearly perfect proportion of saturated and unsaturated, and no trans fats, from olive oil.

Cholesterol(X): Cholesterol is used in cell membranes and intracellular transport. However, the body is able to synthesize it on its own and regulates the rate of production. So, even though the IOM mentions it I feel it's more of a maximum than a recommendation. Soylent has no cholesterol whatsoever.

Sodium(2.4g): You'll notice a lot of the elements the body needs are ions. Cells communicate with action potentials, electrical voltage differences which accumulate due to the presence of positive or negative ions. Sodium ions are used to regulate blood volume, blood pressure, pH, and osmotic equilibrium. Sodium and Chloride are conveniently found in table salt.

Potassium(3.5g): Potassium is important in neurological functioning, which is one reason it bothers me practically no one gets a full 3.5g / day. Raw Potassium is extremely reactive, so I use potassium gluconate, C6H11KO7.

Chloride(3.4g): Chloride is a negative ion, formed when Chlorine gets an extra electron. It's used in metabolism and overall pH balance.

Fiber(40g): Fiber is not digested by the body. It helps maintain a healthy digestive system. My digestive system is quite healthy as the only thing that it has to get rid of is the fiber itself.

Calcium(1g): Strong bones and teeth! Also used in muscle operation and the electrical system of the heart. Very important. I consume Calcium Carbonate, CaCO3

Iron(18mg): Iron is used by Hemoglobin in the blood to efficiently transport oxygen. Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies. If you are a vegetarian I recommend taking a supplement. I dissolve iron chellate in fat separately before adding it to the mixture. 

Phosphorous(1g): Part of the structural framework for DNA and RNA. I use monosodium phosphate.

Iodine(150ug): Constituent of Thyroid Hormones, which regulate basic metabolic rate through gene transcription.

Magnesium(400mg): Another ion, used by many enzymes to catalyze reactions. Be careful, magnesium overdose is very unpleasant.

Zinc(15mg): Used by enzymes in transcription factors, which control the expression of select genes.

Selenium(70ug): Used in some amino acids and the Thyroid gland. Careful, can be toxic in large doses.

Copper(2mg): Used in electron and oxygen transport.

Manganese(2mg): Similar to selenium, used as a cofactor in many enzymes.

Chromium(120ug): Occurs in trace amounts in many foods. Though no certain biological role has been found, there have been reports of chromium deficiency. Just being safe here, may be fine without it, though.

Molybdenum(75ug): Used in the active site of many enzymes. Interesting fact: a shortage of molybdenum held back eukaryote evolution for 2 billion years. Make sure you get your molybdenum, and continue evolving.

Vitamin A(5000IU): Used by the retina of the eye to produce a metabolite necessary for both low-light and color sensitivity.

Vitamin B6(2mg): Or, pyrodoxil phosphate, is a coenzyme for many reactions and macronutrient metabolism.

Vitamin B12(6ug): Key to the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system. Like iron, difficult to obtain from plants so a supplement is suggested for vegetarians.

Vitamin C(60mg): Or, ascorbate, is a reducing agent in many enzymatic and some non-enzymatic reactions. Don't want to get scurvy.

Vitamin D(400IU): Needed for the internal absorption of calcium and phosphate. Can be synthesized by the body from cholesterol given enough sunlight, but is essential in most people.

Vitamin E(30IU): Several functions including antioxidation, gene expression, and neurological function.

Vitamin K(80ug): Post-translational modification. Once a protein is transcribed, it folds (which is a very important problem we don't understand well) and modified by factors such as Vitamin K which affect its final utility.

Thiamin(1.5mg): Used in thyamine pyrophosphate, a coenyzme in the catabolism of sugars.

Riboflavin(1.7mg): Required by a class of proteins called 'flavoproteins'. It's used in the cofactors (non-protein substances that bind to proteins) FAD and FMN.

Niacin(20mg): Niacin binds to and stimulates a certain membrane receptor, GPR109A, which inhibits fat breakdown in adipose (stored fat) tissue. This decreases the amount of free fatty acids in your blood.

Folate(400ug): Folate itself is not used by the body, but its derivative tetrahydrofolate, and a few others, are used in DNA synthesis and repair.

Biotin(300ug): Another coenzyme, used in the synthesis of a few macronutrients.

Panthothenic Acid(10mg): Used to synthesize coenyzme-A (which itself is used in the synthesis and oxidization of fatty acids), as well as metabolism.

Extras not considered essential:

Lycopene(500ug): Essential in some plants for photosynthesis, it is abundant in red plants like tomatoes and carrots. Lycopene is an effective antioxidant and there is preliminary evidence it has an effect on cardiovascular health, diabetes, cancer, and others. Also, not very scientifc, but the males in my family have always loved tomatoes. I wonder if this is because lycopene has an unusually positive effect given our genetics. The only other nutrients in tomatoes are Vitamin A and C, which I get plenty of.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids(750mg): Humans cannot synthesize these fatty acids, and though links with cancer have been largely debunked, there is limited evidence consumption of these substances improve cardiovascular health and inhibit cognitive aging.

Ginseng(50ug): Used in old folk remedies, limited evidence suggest a link with sexual health and lower fatigue.

Gingko Biloba(100ug): Consumed since antiquity in China and Japan, has limited evidence of positive effect on working memory and focus.

Lutein(500ug): A rather small study found that Lutein improves visual function and can inhibit macular degeneration. There is stronger evidence Lutein is linked to the pigmentation of the eye.

Alpha Carotene(140ug): A single study linked this with lower risk of mortality from heart disease and cancer. Couldn't hurt.

Vanadium(100ug): Limited evidence has a beneficial affect on glucose control.

The body is a complex machine. There are a lot of substances and chemicals required for it's optimal operation. However, it is also extremely robust. Many people aren't getting the recommended amount of any of these substances, but the body is able to compensate via complex regulatory systems. This hurts in the long run, though. In fact, turning food in to energy is the primary process that ages the body. By giving it only what it needs, and nothing it doesn't, I am optimistic about the long term effects. The short term effects are already clear.

If you want to make Soylent for yourself, be very careful. We're not making pie here. It's a lot easier to overdose or underdose with the raw elemental form than it is with food. It took me a while to arrange sources for all of these substances, as well. You can get many micronutrients from a simple multivitamin, but their contents vary widely. For others such as K, P, Ca, Mg, check your local lab supply store or university, making sure they are regulated for human consumption. I actually got a lot of mileage out of brewing stores as well.

I am reticent to provide exact brand names and instructions because I am not fully convinced of the diet's safety for a physiology different than mine. What if I missed something that's essential for someone of a different race or age group? Also, the cost is low but some of the ingredients are hard to find and/or must be purchased in bulk which can be an investment, and some of my suppliers are quite small and would have their stock depleted if many people rushed to purchase the exact same item I did. I think it makes more sense to test this more thoroughly, and then produce it at scale.

So…I'll just ship you some of my batch. If you are willing to consume exclusively soylent, and get a CBC, chem panel, and lipid blood test before and after the week and share your results with me it's on the house. Bonus points for getting a psych evaluation before and after. The brain is an organ. I can ship it worldwide but it would be nice if you were in San Francisco so we can meet in person.

Update: No longer running trials. Order Soylent at soylent.me or join the DIY community at discourse.soylent.me

Update: Choline is included of course

  • Garin

    Thank you for sharing this information. Would you please create a step-by-step recipe for Soylent? Also list out where you buy each ingredient? I would be willing to pay you for this information.

    • Stephanie

      Yeah, we need directions! Please :)

    • truth answers all

      Of course he wouldn't.  He intends to sell this to make money off of it.  Just like all the pharmeceutical companies.

      • william

        Look common sense is a misused term since its not so common. But being a commoner here goes…Instructions: each ingredient has a G, MG or UG right next to it. For example Fiber (5g) so that means you need 5g of fiber. Now if you're the intellectual type you can use online conversion calculators to convert  grams to teaspoons. This is also a drink so you need water! Doesn't say how much but I would use enough to cover three daily meals. And if you still need it: all these ingredients are one batch for three meals so split accordingly. 

        • Rio

          I think the more interesting question is: where does he get some of these harder-to-obtain minerals in pure form? Will a supplement store have all (or most) of these, or do we have to order some of these raw materials online?

        • Rickard

          That whole converting "input nutrient here" to teaspoons only works if the converter knows exactly what type of product you are using, fiber from company A can differ in density from fiber from company B and so on, the best thing you can do is to just stick to the weights mentioned, why the need to convert it? oh right, you're american, i forgot that you use your own system and whatnot.

          • Aaron

            All countries use the same standards of measurement for the practice of biology and chemistry. The same goes for the Periodic Table of Elements.
             

          • Darius

            Please tell me what measurements you use instead of teaspoons. I not being a smartalec I really did not know there were other measures for cooking.

          • Bran

            @Darius  grams, miligrams, and IUs.  Its not cooking- its science! =D

        • http://www.EvolveWithEVO.com EVO

          The confusing bit for me came when Rob mentions 2,4g Sodium (Na) being found as an ionised component of table salt (NaCl). Then, two lines below, he recommends 3,4g Chloride…

          You could see how this could get complicated – and easy to overdose on certain chemicals if one is not careful to ensure that one is not taking in some of one particular ingredient from an unexpected source.

          Rob was clear that one must be very careful when performing an experiment like this.

          As for the step-by-step instructions, I think he was clear that this is his way of doing things, and it may or may not be consistent for others of different physiological makeup. 

          • Mike

            You get around 3.7g of chloride out of using pure NaCl to cover you sodium and chloride supplement.  Close enough, .3g is not going to cause an overdose.  Your body will just eliminate it.

          • Courtney

            That's because the molecular weights of sodium and chlorine are different. The ratio in grams of recommended sodium to recommended chlorine are 1:1.42. The ratio of the molecular weight of sodium to the molecular weight of chlorine is pretty close at 1:1.55.

          • Alex

            I was curious about the NaCl too, so I looked up the weight ratio of the molecule itself. An NaCl molecule weighs approx. 58.43 amu (Na = 22.98 amu, Cl = 35.45 amu). The mass ratio is about 60%-40%, which is about the same as the ratio between the Na and the Cl amouts he reccomends (2.4g Na + 3.4g Cl = approx. 5.8g NaCl, or salt). I'd guess he probably just adds 6-ish grams of salt to his mix.

          • Cernael

            "The confusing bit for me came when Rob mentions 2,4g Sodium (Na) being found as an ionised component of table salt (NaCl). Then, two lines below, he recommends 3,4g Chloride…"
            That's because sodium and chloride have different molecular weights. Sodium weighs roughly 23g/mol; chloride roughly 35.5g/mol. The combination of equal parts of these, NaCl, weighs about 58.44g/mol (according to wikipedia). 0.1 mol of NaCl then weighs 5.844g, and contains 2.3g Na+ and 3.55g Cl-; you might need to bump up the Na+ with some other source, but pure table salt basically covers it.

          • Cernael

            In addition, most commercial table salt (at least here in Sweden) is enriched with iodine. Looking at the brand I have at home, it has 5mg of iodine per 100g of salt (though that could vary from brand to brand, of course); that comes out to 300ug for 6g, or almost double the dose recommended here, if I were to use it as my sole source of all three minerals.

          • G Townsend

            He is using the fda amounts, if it is available in another compound item like NaCl in the correct amounts then move on. This is similar with Iodine, as table salts are iodized.

            This isnt rhat difficult to produce. Ive already found websites that will sell individual kilogram parcels of each component. The only concern is quality, possibly volitile substances and absorption rates

          • Matt

            Chlorine weighs more than Sodium! Sodium has a molecular weight of 22.98 and Chlorine 35.45.

            3.4*(22.98/35.45) = 2.2

            So his math is off a bit.

            But I think he takes 2.4g of table salt a day (reccomended is 2g on most nutririon facts) and that gives him both Sodium and Chlorine that he needs

          • Jeff

            NaCl is easy to dose.  The body will flush out any excess.

          • david

            Actually he was very clear that he has no intention of sharing this information with anyone because he intends to attempt to profit off of it.

            He reeks of scam artist and should be ignored.

          • Aggios

            1 mol of NaCl consists of 1 mol Na and 1 mol Cl. 2.4g of Na is ~0.1mol and 3.4g of Cl is ~0.1mol. So, using 0.1 mol of Nacl you get 0.1 mol of Na and 0.1 mol of Cl or 2.4g Na and 3.4g Cl. Simple chemistry!

        • dicoy

          speaking of common sense:
          you should convert grams to pounds or whatever weighting unit you use for small stuff. and messure with a scale, not spoons.

          • Hunter

            Just eat a healthy human. You get all this stuff in one.

            ;)

        • Max

          It's not a matter of common sense it's just a plea for speceficity.

      • Alex Andersson

        That is the most absurd thing I have read on this entire page. Please explain to us how exactly how you think he intends to do that?

      • Jay

        How dare he sell intellectual property that he has spent time and money developing himself… Seriously, where did this 'I deserve everything, for free, now!' attitude come from? Obviously you work for free – for the greater good, with no thought of personal advancement, right? 

        • Erick

          Well said.  Thank you.  The guy came up with it.  If he wants to sell it, that's up to him.  If he wants to publish a recipe for others, that's up to him.  If he wants to use the proceeds to put toward use in developing countries or toward a bunch of porno mags and k-y jelly, that's up to him.  He owes nobody and the attitude of 'I deserve everything, for free, now!' is based on greed and envy in undue circumstances.  It's bad stuff.  Make yourself rich, Rob!

          • Jeff

            Yeah make yourself rich! And step on it. I'm getting sick of ramen. (Figuratively and literally)

          • Mises

            "Came up with it" isn't as clear-cut as you propose. For example, there is already a diet called "Velocity diet", which consists of mainly protein shakes and essential nutrients in pill form. So Soylent isn't anything new, per se, though perhaps more refined than just gulping down vitamin pills. Thus the idea that he now "owns" the combination of necessary nutrients for humans is absurd.

            Anyway, I've tried the Velocity diet and found it tolerable and effective. It also left me wondering why approaches like that to nutrition aren't more common and not seen as an alternative for people in poor economic situations.

          • Jesse

            The reason why people have this "I want free" attitidue, at least in my case, is because the idea is not particularily original, his formula is, but his formula is based entirely off of science done by other people; merit should be given for his effort in developement, not core concepts.  I have enough background to do this myself but it would take far too much of my time.

          • david

            Wrong you stupid sack of self involved shit.

            Information SHOULD be free. This is the information age. Get a clue you fucking moron.

            It's the lack of transparency in corporations that has led to brainwashed SHEEP such as yourself considering someone like Julian Assange a criminal and Mark Zuckerburg a fucking hero.

            You are an idiot and I would love to beat the living shit out of you in real life.

          • Art

            david, you're psychotic.  First you call the guy self involved (whatever that means) and then you threaten to beat the shit out of him for his opinions?  Blend your lithium in with your next smoothie.

          • A.Brown

            I gather he's more likly to be worried about potential law suits, rather than copy right infringment, if somone were to stupidly copy his formula step by step. Because remember he does state that his formula is tailored to suit his body size and his genetic disposition. It's an untested experiment which he's never shied away from stating, so it would be easy (especially in the American court system) to have litigation upon litigation if someone got themselves a tummy ache and attributed it to his "secret formula". He's lazy with his eating, so I'm sure the last thing he wants is to be sitting around wasting his time in court rooms with boring lawers/judges having to explain himself time and time again!

          • john

            art, i think david is just a humble sarcasm artist – 

        • hetid

          Actually, if you develop what is shown to be closest to optimal food, you pretty much have an obligation to make it open source if you want other people to prosper at all. That's not the same as giving people free food though. He could still found a company that makes Soylent and make money off it. The problem is, how do we know it's actually the best source of food?

          • OjM

            It does not have to be the best possible source of food. He doesn't even say it is. But it could well be better than what lots of us eat now.

        • Joe

          That's not really how intellectual property works. Specifically, we would be talking about patents (since this isn't a creative work or a distinguishing mark). But formulas themselves are not patentable subject matter. You can patent methods of manufacturing, but the formula itself does not qualify for any sort of protection. By posting the formula online, he would also be unable to get any trade secret protections. So even though he did the legwork, he wouldn't be able to get a patent on the fruits of his labors.

          • Fran

            He has already published above the "recipe" without the specific "ingredients" or sources, so can't patent that.  But who cares?  He can still make plenty of money by just packaging the basic recipe into daily packets and sell Soylent as a convenience.  Most of us would pay double what it costs him just to be able to have it without the hassle of tracking down all the ingredients and doing all the measurements.  Even if he charged a buck a meal ($100 a month) that would be half what we normally spend on food that is GMO, hormone filled, poisonous and bad for us. 

        • Matt

          Agreed.  Rob has already provided plenty of free value just by maintaining this blog and discussing the core concepts behind his idea and future product.  Enough information has been provided here that any reader could, if willing to put in the work, reproduce the experiment for themselves.

          For those who do not want to do the work to get from theory to product, perhaps in the near future he'll be able to sell you the finished product.  Seems more than fair to me.

          • Maria

            Well, I wouldn’t say he graciously provided us with valued blogging and ingredients. I mean he did that so he can get more publicity. If he didn’t share ANYTHING with the public, how is the public going to get excited about it? It’s true, all he wants is to get rich with it, but it was his idea so that’s fair enough.

          • Jody

            In agreement 100% with Matt!

          • http://none Peter

            Rob mentioned in an article in Popular Science that his cost was around $150 per month for his formula. Reasonable markup that included his time and effort would make the price around $300 per month, which is roughly $100 more than food stamps allows for food for a homeless adult with zero income and zero expenses.

      • mg

        So what if he does, you daft hippie? Good luck to him

      • http://hellosandrik.ru/ Sandrik

        Okay, but what if I’m not American and even not from Europe? This drink will never be sold all around the world. Unfortunately…

        • http://brokebits.org drew

          If you are unable to get Soylent commercially by this time next year you just let me know. I will ship you as much as you want for distribution purposes. amev28@gmail.com

      • javon Kell

         if it works … why not sell it…

      • Simon

        The information is right there, on your screen That is all the information that you need in ordor to make it. If you are unable to make the mix based on that information, you probably shouldn't be testing out a very new way of neutrition anayways

      • Brian

        Did you really have to use this as an opportunity to take a stab at unrelated big pharma companies when this guy was nice enough to list everything for you? You expect him to take his time to write everything step by step? Maybe he'll do that later, but I bet you wouldn't even do anything even if that happens. You would blame him because it was too difficult to do on your own, just like how the pharmaceutical companies make it too hard to make your own FDA-approved drug. All companies try to make money; they're not all non-profit charities. Just FYI.

      • ben

        Bro, that's capitalism in action. Gou got a problem with it, move to China.

    • B

      He covers this question is the small text near the end of the post. Short answer: "Not yet."

      • Ryan

        What? Someone ACTUALLY read the full post? BLASPHEMY! Why should we utilize our common sense and actually pay attention?

        -facepalm-

        • david

          Everyone read it you sarcastic shit.

          • Bob

            Wow being a fucking douche sure comes naturally to you. Why don't you get off your self-centered ass and work out the recipe for yourself- oh that's right, you were never going to use it anyways, as it doesn't involve eating all your favorite junk foods. But it was just too easy to find fault in something, to distract yourself from your own pathetic life AMIRIGHT?

    • Louis

      Lutein has a see-saw relationship with Arginine.  It might be a good idea to add some arginine too.  Meat contains the 2 in a 1:1 ratio.  That may be best.  You  might deplete Arginine if you skip on it & are consuming lutein.  This could effect orgasm quality & semen volume, among other things.

      Oxalic acid is one nutrient I didn't notice in there.  It's a very fascinating & little understood one.  Col Joe's book about it is a fine resource.  I'd recommend researching it too, for preventing one of the most feard diseases today.  But you cannot take OA and [citrus, b6, or alcohol] at the same time or OA will be flushed out of the body.  There may be other nutrients that need to be cycled exclusively too.  

      The Baha'i sacred writings on nutrition would also be a great resource to look into.  Here's a few bits from memory.  The senses will instinctively crave what the body needs.  If it's lacking in a sugary component, the body will crave sweetness.  The nose, likewise, will find sweet smells very appealing.  If the body has too much sugar, the smell won't be so appealing…   This is how the animals in the wild survive.  If they lacked this selection instinct they would be dead overnight.  

      People eat too much for pleasure, combining all these ingrediants to stimulate the senses.  If they could be content w/ 1 food at a time & simple foods, it would be much better for health…

       

      Cheers, & best of luck w/ your progress.  

      • Mark

        I admit that I know next to nothing about nutrition, but I vaguely recall hearing that certain nutrients (in the most broad sense of the word) cannot be utilized by the body when taken in conjunction with others. If this is indeed the case, then I'm glad you mention the idea of going with a daily cyclic mix (or not necessairly daily? Further research required) to ensure that all important nutrients get absorbed properly. 

        At any rate, and assuming not everything should be taken at once, a special blend for each particular "meal" sounds like an excellent idea.

        Thanks for your comment.

      • Fry McBurger

        > The senses will instinctively crave what the body needs.  If it's lacking in a sugary component, the body will crave sweetness. 

         

        It's not true unless you have been on a balanced diet / balanced lifestyle for as long as you can remember.  Do you think all the dangerously overweight people out there are eating what they don't instinctively want to eat?  I think they may logically not want to eat it, but instinctively they want to eat it.

        "Gorging" on McFries, McShakes, McMeat, has been integrated into our gene pool over millions of years: in time of famine the thick layers of vitamin and energy rich fat enabled survival, as well as convenient insulation through the ice ages.  

    • J.

      How can you say thank you for sharing when you clearly didn't read the article? If you did you wouldn't have asked questions he clearly stated he would not be answering. 

    • Laura

      Please read to the end of an article! Volunteer and you can get some, basically be a guinea pig so that we can find out if this actually works or is just another gimmick which will be hijacked by weight loss companies to peddle to the masses

    • Mary Cairns

      I do not necessarily want exact ingredients but is there soy in it?

      • Tom A.

        He says there's no soy in it — despite the name.

    • Eric

      You know its made of people don't you?

      • Laura

        :D
        "SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE!

        • Andy

          Ha ha ha, great movie! loved it too! :)

    • kim

      Your nuts.. What do you know of the body.. You will one day have serious health affects from eating this way.

       

      • Bob Marley

        guys stop arguing just be chill just be alright man

      • Ignacio Ramirez

        Yeah, right: he was on ramen and pizza and nobody ever cared about his nutrition, but now he eats a texbook-perfect diet and people start crying foul.

      • Keepitsimple

        Kim, have an open mind,  I think he might be onto something great!!!

        All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. Arthur Schopenhauer

      • Wazz

        What about his nuts ? 

         

        Anyways, I see people eating shit all the time. I'm not convinced this thoughtfull laid out eating plan is much worse than what a lot of people eat. Personally I wouldn't eat like this, but I like proper food way too much. For a short time (like a survival situation) or special circumstances (like certain gastrointestinal disease) this might be a rather sufficient solution. Testing it long term (and on a greater scale than n=1) is necessary to properly check for the effects of certain shortcommings.

    • Crystal

      It always amazes me how people fail to read all the information provided before asking a question.

      Taken from the information above written by Rob and I agree fully with why he is not providing exacts..:

      "If you want to make Soylent for yourself, be very careful. We're not making pie here. It's a lot easier to overdose or underdose with the raw elemental form than it is with food. It took me a while to arrange sources for all of these substances, as well. You can get many micronutrients from a simple multivitamin, but their contents vary widely. For others such as K, P, Ca, Mg, check your local lab supply store or university. I actually got a lot of mileage out of brewing stores as well.

      I am reticent to provide exact brand names and instructions because I am not fully convinced of the diet's safety for a physiology different than mine. What if I missed something that's essential for someone of a different race or age group? Also, the cost is low but some of the ingredients are hard to find and/or must be purchased in bulk which can be an investment, and some of my suppliers are quite small and would have their stock depleted if many people rushed to purchase the exact same item I did. I think it makes more sense to test this more thoroughly, and then produce it at scale.

      So…I'll just ship you some of my batch. If you are willing to consume exclusively soylent, and get a CBC, chem panel, and lipid blood test before and after the week and share your results with me it's on the house. Bonus points for getting a psych evaluation before and after. The brain is an organ. I can ship it worldwide but it would be nice if you were in San Francisco so we can meet in person."

      • pete

        Well it is kinda contradictory – he won't supply ingriedients for safety reasons, yet he'll ship his own? lol.

        THis ain't anthing new guys, I been doing it for years, multi vitamins and a milk shake with eggs essentially. put some berries and some metamucil for fibre and you'll have something near enough.  green tea never hurt anyone either.

         

    • Melinda

      Are you kidding?  With all the sue happy people in this country.  Rob's probably just not into buying liability insurance right now.  Just think about it.

    • http://jeanvroman.isagenix.com Jean Smith

      There is a company that has been feeding people in this manner since 2002. It's name is Isagenix and their meal replacements are complete and safe for all needs. Way easier than trying to make your own from someone's recipe.

    • Karl Rosenqvist

      http://www.makesoylent.com/recipes

      Here you go. You're welcome :-)

  • Michael

    You able to ship some out to the UK? :) Would love to test it for you.

  • Arthur B.

    You may need to add some probiotic. You need your gut flora not just to digest, but also to outcompete undesirable bacterias and yeasts. 

    • rob

      Good point. Oligosaccharides often make it to the intestine to complete digestion so my gut bacteria is still active. I know because I still flatulate. I looked in to probiotics but couldn’t find much data on efficacy. Do you have something to recommend or any symptoms of undesirable bacteria I should watch out for?

      • Arthur B.

        Look out for candidiasis. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibiotic_candidiasis

        My overall concern with your idea is that you only eat what is known to be necessary to support life. It used to be that when people set out to sea, they'd develop scurvy because of vitamin C defficiency. You're setting yourself to be a test subject for discovering new vitamins.

        • rob

          You’re exactly right. This is a risk, an experiment. I would be honored if a new essential nutrient was discovered because of me. Biology has come a long way since the discovery of Vitamin C, though we still don’t understand the full picture. Nothing bad happened in 30 days with no food at all, and again there is no reason people need to eat this exclusively. If it is missing something it should be consumed when people eat for pleasure or social outings.

          • JB

            "Nothing bad happened in 30 days with no food at all"

            That you are aware of. You could be doing severe damage to your system and not know it.

            Worse than that, you are advocating others do this without any real concern.

            Please stop.

          • Todd Tragar

            since there may be other phyto chemicals missing when using certain vitamin brands, nutrients,etc, would it not be best to get these from food based vitamins instead of synthesized ?

          • Scott

            I've actually had Scurvy, I totally forgot to mention that on your sign up form. Don't get that it was miserable. It was actually a food experiment too of sorts. I lived for 3 months on basically nothing but Mt Dew and Cool Ranch Doritos, I shit you not.

          • Josh

            When you say "nothing bad happened", you have to include blood tests, blood pressure, bone density, strength tests, alertness, etc.

            blood tests, mental health tests, and running distance "tests" do not give nearly enough information. You should probably brainstorm with everyone if you want to come up with enough good tests to find new essential nutrients.

          • Lori

            JB: His diet is likely healthier then that of most people. Very few people consume enough of everything they need. At least this diet attempts to match known daily requirements.

          • Paul

            For probiotics – I'd recommend trying Lactobacillus plantarum 299v.  It can be cultured easily from the "Good Belly" brand probiotic drinks.  You simply use sucanet (unprocessed sugar) in water and add a little of the source probiotic (like Good Belly or others).  the 299v strain has some interesting published benefits – but more importantly I find it to have a relatively nuetral flavor balance with some decent carbonation capabilities.

            I do counter top "nano brewing" in mason canning jars.  If you tighten the lid, it carbonates the drink.  Leaving it just a little loose is safer if you are not watching the batch for a few days.  Batches can be kept in the refriderator after brewing at room temperature to maintain the yeast culture.

            I've been experimenting for a couple of years this small scale brewing mostly using various probiotics.  You can also purchase other starters (like water kiefer "crystals" on ebay) or try culturing any of the existing drinks. 

            To use as part of your broader blend – I'd suggest using the probiotics as the liquid to add to the rest of the mix.  Using sucanat, you'll be getting some minerals from the sugar, but much of the sugar content gets converted to lactic acid and other byproducts.  Not sure how these map into your analysis for nutritional profile.

      • http://dishesfromthedish.tumblr.com Photon

        VSL #3 has been tested extensively to help IBD patients with gut flora.

      • Lori

        Actually, even without bacteria in your gut you would still have flatulence. At least 25% of flatus volume comes from swallowed atmosphere. :) (This of course can varies drastically by person)

        • pete

          You will always have bacteria in you gut, lol. Its about type and amount,

  • Jack

    Are these ingredients per dose? Per day? How many doses do you take per day?

    • rob

      This is per day. I make one batch and drink it whenever I get hungry. However, I’ve never been hungry enough to finish an entire batch in one day, usually I consume 70-80%.

      • Geordie

        I hope you are compensating for not completely consuming the daily amount by giving yourself a bit of buffer on the amount of nutrients per dose.

        • max mcgregor

          I don't get that. I probably don't even meet half of what I require every day, and hes getting 80-90% of what he needs. The body knows. A lot like how they say "drink 8 cups of water a day", but in truth, you should just drink water when you're thirsty. 

          • Jacob

            What they should say is "drink the equivalent of 8 cups of water a day", as much of that water can come from fruit, veggies, and even coffee, soda, or beer. You don't have to actually drink 8 full glasses of water a day.

            I agree with you that the body knows what it needs. If you're thirsty, drink, and don't worry about hitting some arbitrary number.

          • Brittany

            I am a nursing student and can tell you that if you wait to drink until you are thirsty, that is bad. You should be eating and drinking both before you are thirsty and hungry. Your kidneys need to work a certain amount in a day to stay functional and healthy. If you don't take in enough fluid, they cannot do that. That is partially where your daily allowance comes from. It does not mean someone should get thirsty for that amount of water per day. Please stop spreading misinformation. 

            I think that what you are doing is really cool, Rob. I am excited to follow your blog and see what happens with it! 

          • Nick

            Yeah and whenever I have a hankering for zinc I just have a pinch.  Same thing

          • Danielle

            I actually end up drinking close to 1 1/2 gallons of any liquid per day, for optimal comfort. But if I took that much in a space of about ten minutes, I'd drown and/or my stomach would rupture ú_ù

            It's really exciting to find out about all this, Rob. I'm very eager to try out Soylent, and I'm not too far away; midwest USA. I just don't actually remember to eat, which is why I typically have a problem keeping myself nourished. Drinking, though? I always remember to do that. :D

          • a

            For the majority of healthy individuals, there is absolutely no reason to eat before the onset of hunger.  The need for concise blood sugar control during the use of certain diabetic medications is probablly the most common scenario that causes concern.

            As for "drinking when thirsty":  I know I get plenty of fluid, yet I feel "thirsty" often.  This can be contributed to me getting dry mouth from having to talk all day as part of my job, medications I am taking, or an underlying medical condition. None of these reasons would indicate a definite need for a more regimented/scheduled fluid intake.  Patients with polydipsia don't need to be consuming the amount of fluid that they want to intake, but they still feel thirsty. 

            Drinking fluid or eating when your body does not want to consume anything is unhealthy and can lead to other issues.  Electrolyte imbalances can be deadly, hyponatremia happens, high blood sugars are hard on your kidneys (as well as the rest of your body) and vomiting is terrible for your teeth.

            Oh, and alcohol containing beverages have a strong enough diaretic effect to conteract the fluid you intake when you consume them.  Caffiene containing products do not have this effect on regular users, but will on people who usually abstain from caffiene.

          • pete

            @ Brittany, LOL you are a nursing student? Oh… well I'll listen to you. You must know so much. Tell me about it after you've changed my bed pan.

      • http://harshbatra.com Harsh

        Rob won't these quantities vary from person to person? Someone more active might need a higher dose of carbs, protein and fat for their daily batch, won't they?

        • Brian

          I would agree with you, but it will probably be left to the individual to determine what else they need. This is an excellent guide though!

        • Lori

          You would likely want to adjust based on weekly weight loss/gain until you find an ideal weight.

      • Reg’

        That's sooo interesting. Have you thought about the possibility that you might feel much more active and filled with more energy and vigor because your body does not need the extra-energy to break down large chunks of unmetabolized food or rather: molecules ?

        But then: if you need less energy to transform food into usable nutrients, does this not also affect the average amount of nutrients needed per day ?

        It might be really interesting to see how your daily energy consumption is on a total level and how much CO2 you exhale while doing excercises… There are tests that can measure exactly how much energy you consume to do a defined amount of work. I wonder if your metabolism changes through the use of your product. (Sorry, but I can' call it "Soy…" for somewhat ethical reasons. Soy… Green was, as we all know made from human flesh. Brrrr. )

        But still, congratulations on your idea and the experiment as well. I really hope to see some interesting scientific results coming from you soon. But please, be careful not to take unnecessary risks – this should be the beginning and not the end of an interesting and joyful journey ;-)

        And: Sorry for my bad English – I'm German.

        • Nintendoll

          Reg' you articulated that beautifully. Great points. 

        • pete

          Hardly his idea, there has been a community of people doing this for ages, see immortality institute, and I doubt they were the first. 

      • luke

        could you email me what products and how you mixed it all together plz im very interested, i saw what you posted but i guess im stupid if you could email me what products and a step by step , i would inturn document the journey an results and send them back to you thx

    • Max Watt

      Suggest add about 30 mg of methylent blue per serving (see Ames paper on the subject.)  Improves NAD/NADH ratio, associated with longevity, and gives mice greater endurance a treadmill, makes old mice look young.  You could call it Soylent Blue….

      • Brenden

        I would would worry abut the side effects of methylent blue way before I would take it.I am speackin more from my medical history. Others mite want t add stuff but this idea is one I would avoide.

        • Jennifer

          I don't know why you would be worried about side effects with methylene blue. There are very few known and it's been in use since something like 1871. The only serious problem is if you're taking any kind of antidepressant, methylene blue can cause serotonin syndrome – which is serious, and can even be fatal. Other than that, it's used regularly to highlight tissues for surgery. It's in clinical trials now for elderly patients with Alzheimer's. Lots more info can be found with a search of medical literature.

      • Denni

        Methylene Blue?  You better warn people it will turn their urine green….That would be disconcerting if they didn't know….

  • vince

    would you be willing to show which exact brand of vitamins or supplements you are using? like when you say carbohydrates are you getting some maltodextrin and just using that. i guess im asking for specific brand names to get me started. when you say fats what do you use. sorry but this looks great and i want to get started asap

    • Myles

      Very good question. I too would love to know brand names. Maybe pictures would be an option?

      • Euge

        I believe that if you read the entire article he answers that question.

        "I am reticent to provide exact brand names and instructions because I am not fully convinced of the diet's safety for a physiology different than mine. What if I missed something that's essential for someone of a different race or age group? Also, the cost is low but some of the ingredients are hard to find and/or must be purchased in bulk which can be an investment, and some of my suppliers are quite small and would have their stock depleted if many people rushed to purchase the exact same item I did. I think it makes more sense to test this more thoroughly, and then produce it at scale."

        • Bman

          So he's not willing to give that info out for the sake of safety, but he'll send it out to you to use? Something's sketchy.

          • Sofia

            There is nothing sketchy about Rob at all. This diet is a wonderful development that has world changing potential. I personally believe he shouldn't be giving anything away for free! Nothing!

          • hetid

            @Sofia:

            That's naive thinking and you should feel bad for commenting with nothing meaningful. Also I have some snake oil I'd like to sell you.

          • Schwagit

            That would be because he probably doesn't trust people's ability to follow instructions to the dot, or account for their differences in age, race, etc. I wouldn't either. But by doing that he has transferred responsibility entirely to himself and his associates. He's either incredibly altruistic or incredibly stupid.

  • https://bitbucket.org/Alexanderkyte/ Alexander Kyte

    While fully able to throw protein poweder, malodextrin, and the assorted vitamins and minerals in a tub and shake it, I think the choice of proteins and carbohydrates have some significance. Do you simply use whey protein powder?

    • rob

      Yep, it’s just whey, though I buy a really cheap brand to lower cost. That covers all essential amino acids. I debated using a combination of monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides, but I think on the cellular level it’s all treated as D-Glucose. What changes is only the rate of digestion, and an oligosaccharide like Maltodextrin provides a nice steady flow of energy, as long as I combine it with fiber to slow the rate a little.

      • https://bitbucket.org/Alexanderkyte/ Alexander Kyte

        I actually checked my current vitamin regimen and the only difference in it and in soylent is that I take acetocholine to better handle stress and some cinnimon tablets to better handle my blood sugar. You're essentially doing what taking vitamin tablets and protein shakes would accomplish. I'm temped to buy a tub of malodextrin and call it a day. Its definitely cheaper than college food. 

        • Michael

          In addition to spelling literally every chemical you mention incorrectly (acetylcholine, cinnamon, maltodextrin), you attribute properties to them that science has not established. I'm not even sure what you think ACh does, Cinnamon is still controversial among endocrinologists, and why not just eat a big bowl of glucose instead of maltodextrin.

          • http://www.fb.com/Quinsapientae Quin

            I've experimented in the nootropics community which has a lot of overlap with the supplement folks. My first guess would be that he's also taking a Racetam as a cognitive enhancer, Racetams increases Choline usage and diminishes you hippocampal Acetylcholine levels so most people who use piracetam, aniracetam etc also take acetylcholine as a supplement. There's also a couple of studies in rats which suggest choline has synergetic effects when used along with racetams [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7301036]

          • David

            lighten up man it's the internet we're allowed to spell things wrong or haven't you noticed?  I sisn't find anything on health effects of acetycholine, but it looks like there's good evidence for cinnamon having some health effects: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14633804

            you say it's controversial… are people suggesting it could be harmful?  If not, than what's the big deal?  

            glucose vs. maltodextrin: I was surprised that wikipedia agrees with you that they are absorbed equally fast.  Really, I think both are a bad idea; aren't the health benefits of complex carbohydrates over simple carbohydrates well established? 

        • Louis

          I had the same impression.

          When I get stressed, my body craves acetyl-choline.  Pork has a very high concentration of that, more than most foods.  That's why I have no problems downing a pack of bacon or BBQ when my body craves it.  It melts stress fast.

          • Fry McBurger

            Interesting.  I noticed that eating spare ribs results in a relaxed feeling of elation after several hours of endurance exercise.

        • MaximilianKohler

          you say it's controversial… are people suggesting it could be harmful?  If not, than what's the big deal?  

          The big deal is that by claiming things that have not been proven you are spreading misinformation.

      • http://nthmost.com Naomi Most

        Are you aware that different proteins have different effects on insulin secretion, and have varying levels of release into the bloodstream? 

        Whey protein isolate and hydrolysate, for example, tend to be used by bodybuilders in the post-workout period because of their rapid absorption rate and their high impact on insulin secretion, which helps shut down catabolic processes (preserving muscle) and of course provides a quick source of amino acid building blocks for repair and growth.

        Meanwhile, casein becomes the fractionated protein of choice for other times of day, as it is far more slow-releasing and has demonstrated ability to improve muscle growth over the course of a day (or overnight). 

        I'm not saying your choice of protein is "wrong", only wondering if you've considered insulin impacts and release rates.  You have definitely put together a high-glycemic drink (considering the D-Glucose), despite the fat and fiber content.  Again, not "wrong", just something to consider.

        • Nobody

          Came in here to say the same thing regarding the high glycemic index of maltodextrin (105). That's not exactly a steady source of energy – the olive oil is more likely responsible for that effect if present.

          • Louis

            The olive oil is another thing I was concerned about.  Many olive oils today are tainted with soy-oil, which is usually GMO.  The manufacturers add cheap soy oil to make a bigger profit.  

        • Your Cousin MaryE

          Naomi, I laughed out loud to see you here, but more from "oh! of course!" than surprise.  Are you going to try this guy's product?  It's very interesting.

      • Maria Celeste

        I'm currently "lactose intolerant" = never diagnosed, but I avoid dairy because it makes my skin break out with acne and get gassy. So, when I buy protein powders I normally use rice or soy. Have you tried other alternatives?

        • Jeremy

          Hey Maria,

          You can get whey protein in various forms. Most lactose intolerant people can use whey protein isolate with no ill effect. The "isolate" in Whey Protein Isolate means that it is generally considered lactose and cholesterol free, due to the way they filter the whey.

      • Jenrose

        So you're mixing whey, fats, vitamins, carbs, other essential nutrients… essentialy what you are doing is making an adult version of an infant formula. 

         

      • http://elenelistens.wordpress.com Elene

        My understanding is that you want to avoid denatured protein caused by some processing methods.  Undenatured whey protein would be unlikely to be the cheapest kind, so I'm wondering if, while trying to lower costs, you've checked on that aspect of the product you're buying.  If I'm going to buy the stuff and make it a large part of my diet I'd like to know that the ingredients are high-quality, not the cheapest possible.  (Especially since your present prices are more than I spend on food as it is.)  This is not meant as a criticism but as something for you to consider seriously.

  • Artur

    I'm ready to test your batch, if you post to UK. U have my email.

    Should i mention,  that I have lot of physical and mental job? 

  • Eric

    How many calories does the above recipe with the quantities mentioned provide?

    • rob

      About 700-900 kcal. Though I usually only consume 70-90% of the batch each day, depending on how far I run.

      • Dan

        Is it not about 1585? Assuming your taking the above amounts of protein, fat and carbohydrates, is it not 200×4 carbs, 50×4 protein and 65×9 fat = 1585kcal

        • rob

          Not all carbs, fats, and proteins provide the same amount of energy. E.g. a carb can be a monosaccharide, just 6 carbons, or very long chains of D-Glucose that provides a lot of energy. Based on the nutrition facts of the sources of those 3 macronutrients I’ve calculated my daily intake to be about 900kcal.

          • Dan

            Thanks for the explanation Rob, I was unaware of that. 

            Cheers

          • Richard

            This isn't entirely true, at least not to the degree you beleive it to be. Regardless of the carbohydrate's form (glucose, fructose, mono, poly, di, etc.) the average amount of energy, agreed on by most sources, is ~4kcal/g.

      • MP

        This is certainly not sustainable, even from a simplistic thermodynamic energy balance perspective. Even without running or thinking or moving at all your basal metabolic rate will be at least 1500 kcals/day at your height and weight, and probably over 2000. At what point will you bring your consumption up to match your expenditure?

        • Richard

          Even under the most favorable conditions, this is detrimental in many aspects. Giving the better end of your range, 90% of 900kcal, you're total caloric intake is 810kcal. Let's say you average 20min of light activity daily (favorable since 7+ miles is obviously more); you're running a deficit of at least 2000kcal/day. Of course you'll be losing weight. You mentioned all you were seeking is maintenance so I'd suggest consuming at least 2500kcal/day. Add in some olive oil ;) It can only help your libido and that seems like another pro on your list of soylent's anectodal benefits.

          • rob

            I miscalculated earlier. My diet is 1/3 the average U.S. caloric intake, which works out to about 1300-1400kcal. I mistakenly divided the recommended value by about 3. This is still much less than what you’ve recommended, but I have not experienced any ill effects. I think the idea that not all calories are the same will gain more traction and I believe it is possible to get all required energy for an active lifestyle from fewer than 2000kcal, given they are appropriately chosen. Never know until you test.

          • Buster Blakeney

            Let's not ignore that Rob is also all but eliminating mastication and the peristaltic and catabolic processes that he used to engage breaking down burgers, pasta, eggs, etc. I admit I'm not familiar enough to comment on any changes in resting metabolic rate, but I'd imagine 30 days is enough time to adapt to a sub-2K daily caloric intake, given the amount of time people can go without eating entirely. 

          • Erick

            On point not considered is how many calories digestion takes.  I don't know the figures or have a reference, but it is a fairly large amount – likely far more than digesting this slime – so a lower intake would be appropriate.  No more naps after eating.

          • Louis

            It has the consistancy/texture of slime?  Do you find the feel repugnant or repulsive in any way?  Do you like the slimey feel?  How does your body feel about it's texture? 

      • Serge

        My calculations show similar results of 1400-1500 ccal. And this is probably explaines how you sustain on the diet.

  • Taylor

    I'm also quite infested in what, specifically, goes into your formulation. You provide some, but certainly not enough to be replicable. Any chance you can give specifics, and if possible brand names of what you use?

  • http://fsk141.com Jonny

    I would love to try your bachelor chow. I'm in the US, and would take all the tests you're looking for… Look forward to hearing from ya.

    • Mikell

      Thank you for that futurama reference. 

  • John

    I don't necessarily believe the author, but a lot of the effects sound similar to what Moser describes in her book, regarding fasting.

    http://www.soilandhealth.org/02/0201hyglibcat/020102moser/020102Moser00toc.html

    It could be interesting and solve most of the objections by trying it as a "Soylent Fast" for a few weeks per year.  I've been thinking of doing something like that, maybe a day or two per week, and working a fast this way might give the benefits without the problems.

    If/when a recipe shows up, I'll probably give that a shot.

    You mention "when [you're] hungry," by the way.  Is that a normal, growing hunger or is it more sudden?

    • rob

      It’s a normal growing hunger. If I am hungry and I smell regular food I do crave it, but drinking Soylent makes it go away almost instantly. Also, there is no reason one has to consume this exclusively, as in a fast. I’m only doing so to test what that does to the body. I more see this as a nutritional supplement, a staple meal so to speak when you don’t want to bother buying or cooking food, or would like to be healthier and spend less money. Thanks for the book recommendation.

      • Paul Walsh

        I completely agree with that Rob.  It's a supplement and people should see it as that. A third of the portion for breakfast to fill in any missing vital vitamins and minerals would be perfect.

        It's amazing what you're doing though as you're creating a safety net as to how much one can do the diet without ill effects.  So basically if it's used as a supplement then you can't really go wrong – apart from the consumption of crap in the rest of the diet of course.

        It's also interesting how people are getting hung up on the details of the exact amounts when the foods in the shops and supplements available over the counter have such a wide range anyhow and some are considered dangerously high.  The body has lots of room for flexibility and whilst doing the diet exclusively may discover what's missing, using the formula as a supplement in my opinion will be a win win situation.

        I completely agree with that Rob.  It's a supplement and people should see it as that. A third of the portion for breakfast to fill in any missing vital vitamins and minerals would be perfect.

        It's amazing what you're doing though as you're creating a safety net as to how much one can do the diet without ill effects.  So basically if it's used as a supplement then you can't really go wrong – apart from the consumption of crap in the rest of the diet of course.

        It's also interesting how people are getting hung up on the details of the exact amounts when the foods in the shops and supplements available over the counter have such a wide range anyhow and some are considered dangerously high.  The body has lots of room for flexibility and whilst doing the diet exclusively may discover what's missing, using the formula as a supplement in my opinion will be a win win situation.

        • Louis

          That's right.  Consider that dog-food, cat-food, mouse-food pellet manufacturers have done the same thing for decades.  

          Most pets, however don't live nearly as long on that stuff unless supplimented w/ table scraps.  Their ferrel counterparts in the wild, who get an unlimited diet live longer & develop keener senses…   Compare a pig to a ferrel boar.  One difference.  Diet.  The boar has huge husks that become teeth in a pit.  The boar's hair is thick and long.  Pigs are nearly hairless.  Same for bobcats & domestiacted.  Notice how all domestic cats today now have a huge pooch as they age?  It's the GMOs.

          • Lou

            I'm willing to consider the comparison between wild boars and domesticated pigs since they are scientifically the same species, but bobcats and domestic cats don't even belong to the same genus. They are simply to far separated on a genetic scale to use as a one-to-one comparison and to claim that the only difference is human-made food. The comparison between feral and domestic house cats would be more accurate, and studies indicate that domestic cats live on  average 4-6 years longer than their feral counterpart. It would be extremely difficult to determine, however, if that shortened life span was a result of diet or a byproduct of a harsher environment than the domestic cats suffer.

      • Rachel

        How is Soylent different from a meal replacement drink such as Ensure?

  • Perry De Jesus

    I'm on the East Coast of the USA , if shipping is easier. Sounds quite promising and would like to give it a go.

  • Andy

    How do you ensure you have the right amount of micronutrients?

    For example, you only need 6ug of B12. How do you get 6ug accurately?

    • Alex

      For something like B12, exact dosage isn't all that important, he probably isn't getting EXACTLY 6ug, but it'd be easy to get ~4ug-10ug consistently. Simply disolve 1mg of B12 in 166ml of water. take 30ml of the solution and put into 30 days worth of soylent. I'm not saying that's how he does it, but that's how I would do it. 

      • Miranda

        Why 166ml?  Is that an amount that would work across the board for the ingedients that are measured in micrograms?

  • https://tvori.info Oleksandr Nikitin

    Seems VERY similar to Nutrison ( http://www.nutricia.com/our-products/tube-nutrition-medical-devices/nutrison ). You might consider looking at its contents and adjusting accordingly.

  • greg

    IT would be great if you could ship me some to the Netherlands? 

     

    Let me kno whow it would work out for you. 

  • Herman

    This is a terrible idea. First: your protein intake is incredibly low especially if you're an active individual. A lot of the weight you lost probably came from your lean body mass. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSMF <— if you're active you likely need AT LEAST 100g of protein (from whey protein isn't a bad idea)

    You're using olive oil for fat, you're not getting enough essential fatty acids (the ones you CAN't synthesize). You should be using a mixture of flax seed/grapeseed. Ideally a mixture of red palm/flax seed/coconut oil would be best but it would change the taste of your mixture considerably. Sure you're taking the omega 3 fatty acid, but it's not doing much if you're screwing up your ratios from the olive oil.

    You're missing trace minerals (boron). You're even missing minerals that we KNOW are essential (copper). You're not getting enough for optimal function for athletic individuals, the DRI isn't what you need if you're physically active. It's the bare minimum for function, not for athletic people.

    Some of the DRIs are straight up wrong (Vitamin D and Vitamin K being the two big ones).

    —————————–

    If you're going to do something so incredibly stupid this is a much better idea:

    Spinach, at least 1 cup for micronutrients

    Eggs, 3-6 for protein, essential minerals and fats

    some form of nut (cashew/almond) for more minerals and fats

    1 tablespoon flaxseed oil, or 1 can of salmon

    2000 IU Vitamin D

    Whey protein isolate (or a different protein if you have lactose intolerance/milk protein allergies), enough to get at least 1.5g/kg of protein (including the eggs/nuts)

    A banana

    Berries for carbohydrates and micronutrients

    Blend, drink throughout the day when you get hungry.

    ———————-

    You should probably be getting AT LEAST 100g of protein a day at your weight and level of activity. Your experiment is ill-conceived and you're missing several essential nutrients, some the functions of which we don't even fully understand yet.

    You'd literally be better off blending just this:

    150g whey protein,

    4 cups frozen blueberries,

    2 cups of spinach

    1/2 cup almonds

    3 tablespoons olive oil

    1 tablespoon flaxseed oil

    2000IU Vitamin D

    than what you're doing currently.

    • rob

      I stopped losing weight once I got around 188-190 (which is what I weighed when I was 18). Could you be more specific on which essential fatty acids I am missing? What exactly does flax seed and coconut oil have that is essential? Lots of people are recommending a low protein diet to me, you’re recommending I get much more. What data is your chosen amount of protein based on? I don’t think I lost much lean body mass since my weight lifting performance is even higher than before.

      The DRI’s came straight from FDA.gov. What source conflicts? I take extra Vitamin D anyways since I don’t get a lot of sunlight. I get plenty of copper, it’s on the list. Boron is an ultratrace mineral, no deficiency symptoms have ever been described, and it’s biological role is not understood. But I’ll probably add it to the mixture just to be safe. Thank you for the recommendation.

      That sounds like it would not taste very pleasant. Would you be willing to compare results? Would you be willing to consume your drink for 30 days and compare it with the results from mine?

      • Matt

        Protein content appears to be highly dependent on both activity and type of activity.  Advanced coaches and trainees of intense weight training (ie powerlifting, strongman, and Olympic weightlifting) tend to almost universally recommend 2.2g protein/kg bodyweight as a minimum.  There is insufficient scientific data on advanced strength athletes to make a scientific recommendation, but the general consensus is "More is better."  

        Among other athlete groups, the benefit of increased protein consumption appears to be less.

        • blah

          This protein complaint doesn't really pass the sniff test, at least if you believe the honesty of the Soylent author's article.  If this diet is terrible because it's destroying his muscle mass, why does he claim he can run so much further, and why does he claim he feels great and full of energy?  

          Even if you believed both that he really was losing a lot of lean muscle mass, and you believe that he has tons of energy and better athletic performance — well, then who cares about lean muscle mass?

          Most people talk and think about lean muscle mass because it's a measurable trait that contributes to fitness and wellbeing.  If you have both, it's not clear why you'd care about the lean muscle mass.  A typical person is not a bodybuilder, with some fixed goal of maximizing lean muscle tissue for its own sake.

          • jjeii

            I don't buy into society's obsession with "getting enough protein" in the first place. I've been a vegetarian my entire life, as has my whole family. (Yes, I eat some eggs and dairy products, though not lots. I'm a so-called "ovo-lacto vegetarian.") I have never been concerned about how much protein I'm getting, or even thought about it at all, really. The only source from which I've ever heard the question "How do you get your protein?" is from non-vegetarians. I've been healthy, athletic, and active my whole life—hiking, climbing, running, skiing, etc. So has my family. (I'm nearly 37 and am currently in the U.S. Air Force. I consistently score near 100 on our mandatory fitness tests, and I won my flight's fitness award during officer training school.) In my opinion, society blows protein intake WAY out of proportion!

        • http://www.akumina.com Justin

          I've read more protein is NOT better.  Too much protein intake just makes your Liver work overtime, and can actually damage your kidneys over time. 

           

        • Wes

          Sorry, but I'm going to trust the FDA over something as vague as the "general consensus."

      • Sallie

        10% protein is plenty especially if it's high quality. Whey is not easily absorbed however according to Proof Positive by Dr Neil Nedley. Dr Joel Fuhrman lectures about the high importance of phytonutrients. Where do you or can you get them without the food?

        • Roger

          As someone in the fitness industry, I wouldn't agree with 10% protein as being a sufficient amount in the typical diet. However don't forget that the typical diet – even those used during clinical tests which result in our current recommendations – are all real-food based.

          I'm not sure if any amount is too low or too high when the total consumption of macronutrients is already at its most basic level. We already know that not 100% of the nutrients we consume are broken down and used by the body when taken in normal form (e.g. steak, rice & steamed veggies).

          I'm currently on a diet of about 3300 cals at roughly 50% C, 30% P, 20% Fat. That's a lot of food and honestly, I don't care to prepare or eat most of it. I'd be happy to try this mix if you're willing to adjust some of the numbers to allow for a highly athletic user performing a hypertrophy weights program. Would be good for your test.

          I'll be in touch.

      • baldmosher

        I agree that taking nutrition from real food should be preferable.  It's the stuff in 'real' food that we need but we don't know about yet that worries me most, if only slightly. There might only be a minuscule effect, and it might well be outweighed by the positive effects of Soylent, but I'm still concerned — simply as it only takes one cell mutation to cause cancer, but your body will succesfully destroy countless mutated cells in its life, but we can't know for sure that, for example, some of those processes aren't dependent on certain trace elements for catalysis.

        But a mixed Soylent/real food diet could cause problems.  Most of those ingredients in excess would be passed out by your body.  You've rightly highlighted the ingredients that can lead to overdose in excess, so if one were to follow a mixed diet, one would need to be very cautious indeed about those.

        Disclosure: MChem(hons) Chemistry, did well in cancer pharmaceuticals module; moderate human biology and nutritional knowledge; now a professional data spod

    • Court

      Some of this is good stuff…. for example, increasing vitamin D, there is really good research to support that while 400 IU will get you by, more is better. supplimented at the levels that this guy is suggesting can actually help to reverse bone loss seen in postmenopausal women when combined with calcium and weight bearing excersize.

      Mostly i kind of like your mix. But the Ginkgo Bailoba has to go. It has proven to have blood thinning effects which can be dangerous in many people. There are other memory aids out there that don't have this unfortunate side effect. :) Keep tweeking, you are in the right direction.

    • Tom A.

      In case you haven't seen this:

      http://escholarship.org/uc/item/4m84d4fn

       

  • Jeroen

    Where did you get 50g of proteine? Most place I look advice more than that: usually at least .8gr per kg of body weight, but up to 2.5 gr/ kg of body weight.

    • rob

      I get it from whey protein. That’s a pretty big range. Where are these recommendations coming from?

      • Eric

        They meant, where did you get the number 50, not where did the protein come from.

      • Connor

        I am in a nutrition class right now and what my prof/ nutrition book says is an average person needs around 0.8g/kg of body weight. Say I weigh 84 kg, I would need 67.4 grams a day. More like 1.2g/kg if I was an athlete. I would say tweak that number just a tad and see how you feel.  

    • myles

      50g of protein sounds reasonable. Depending on what your trying to achive, here's a great article. http://www.livestrong.com/article/523623-how-much-protein-does-a-human-body-need-daily-to-maintain-muscle/. Here's another link showing how much you need based on age. http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/protein

  • Alec

    I absolutely love the idea. I intend on doing your 30 day experiement but am interested in developing my own recipe/synthesis schema. I'm currently studying biochem and molecular bio and I'm interested in perhaps adding to your research with all the rigor possible. Started yesterday.

    I'm also curious; you say you use whey protein, but that your Soylent still does not contain any cholesterol. Are you sure you didn't miss the cholesterol in the whey? 

    • Ritch

      Good lad! Look forward to seeing where this goes.

  • Erin and Jamie

    how much does a a CBC, chem panel, and lipid blood test cost? Do you have to go to the doctor? What do you measure with and are you going to be doing YouTube videos to explain it to show us what it is you do?

  • John

    Hey Rob,

    I live in San Francisco, Inner Sunset.  I'm not sure that I'm ready to commit to a week of nothing but Soylent, but I'd happily buy some from you to experiment gradually with.  If that goes well, I'd definitely consider doing a week with only Soylent.

    You said that get costs you $50/month. I'm happy to offer $100 for a week supply, and I'll keep you updated with my results.

    Feel free to email me, if you want to meet up.

  • yury

    Me and my friend are extremely interested in trying out the Soylent. So it would be great if you could send some ingredients in Belarus. But we don’t have any background in chemistry or biochemistry so some manual would be needed.
    We are 20-21 years old and my friend has sport trainings 3-4 times a week, so we can get some interesting data, I think.

    • Andrey

      Юрий, привет! Скажи, пожалуйста, есть ли подвижки в этом вопросе? Удалось ли что-нибудь узнать?

  • Sophia

    How would you modify these proportions if you were not a 200 pound male? Would the proportions be the same but you simply drink less of the soylent? I'm a 5'2 female.

    • Peggaret

      I'm in a similar boat as you, 5'5 female. I'm starting with these tables:

      http://www.iom.edu/Global/News%20Announcements/~/media/Files/Activity%20Files/Nutrition/DRIs/DRI_Summary_Listing.pdf

      there are plenty of differences with what Rob posted above, but two major things you want to keep in mind;

      1) Nutrition science is very undefined, a lot of these values have not been rigorously tested via experimentation but rather by opinion of what experts believe is acceptable. (Though how someone qualifies as an expert I'm not quite sure) In ten or twenty years it is very likely that these values will have changed as medicine and the understanding of human body progresses

      2) Many people live fine without injesting the exact recommended intake of everything. Iron deficiency is on the order of 10% in females in the US. Or in the other direction, taking too much vitamin C is impossible, you just pee away any excess. (well almost, you can conceivably take too much of anything. Don't go injecting yourself with concentrated vitamin C, okay?)  

      A lot of this is inexact, do your own research. But realize we live in a world where people are able to get away with eating nothing but chicken nuggets for 15 years. I doubt a month of soylent would cause serious damage someone in the generally healthy population. 

      (chicken nugget article, btw. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2092071/Stacey-Irvine-17-collapses-eating-McDonalds-chicken-nuggets-age-2.html)

      • rob

        Wow she looks a lot older than 17. It’s amazing what people will do for convenience. And that is the exact chart I was planning to use to test a female version. I agree wholeheartedly that nutrition needs more hard data.

  • http://www.saivenky.com Sai

    I'm trying to come up find a product list that gets me a very rough mix of the above nutritional content. So far I've got:

    1. Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass (main ingredient is Maltodextrin, although it has some of the Protein, Fat, Fiber, and micronutrients covered as well)

    2. Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey (main ingredient is Whey)

    3. Centrum Adults Under 50 (covers pretty much most of the micronutrients)

    I'll need to go over exact portions because the Optimum Nutrition blends mix a whole bunch of other stuff too. And I only chose mainly Optimum Nutrition because I already buy their Whey and they seem to be a decent brand…

    However, I'm also still pretty skeptical of this experiment, so I'm going to ease into it one meal at a time. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know :-D

  • Matt

    A friend posted this article, and I found it absolutely fascinating!  Thanks for sharing.

    Last year, I went on a quest for more knowledge and information about diet and nutrition.  My research led me to ketogenic dieting and eventually to paleo.  The essence of the paleo diet is that the typical American diet has a lot of irritants (mostly from grains, dairy, etc.) far too much carbohydrates, and far too few fats/protein, and that this is what is the cause of the general health problems of America.  Advocates suggest eliminating everything from the diet except for leafy green veggies, tubers, some fruit, and meat.  Virtually everyone that tries this reports similar results to what you got from switching over to Soylent.  I can't help but wonder if the benefits you're recieving from Soylent are not so much from the lack of all food, but the lack of certain food groups that you are no longer eating.

    It appears to me that Soylent has the power to provide you with complete nutrition that you'd need while reintroducing food items one at a time to see how they react with you.  

    • Cassiano

      I had the same thought myself. I've been following a paleo diet for roughly 2 months (athough not 100%) and I can attest to the health effects.

      I've had little to no time for exercising for about a year now (unfortunately, as I do love to cycle, play football and climb/boulder), and after about a week of starting with the paleo I started noticing improvements. I was losing weight (from fat only as my muscle mass seemed to stay the same), and I don't feel the lack of air anymore when running up the stairs or doing anything else really.

      Soylent does come with the added bonus of time and money savings, though — even though paleo doesn't take long to prepare, it can get quite expensive!

    • Tinco Andringa

      I don't mean to discredit paleo. But how many of the paleo dieters that claim the improved health effects did actually eat healthily before starting the diet? I think there's a good chance just the increase of veggies and fruit increases the health, not the decrease of 'irritants'.

    • Jenrose

      I thought the same thing, but if he's starting with dairy protein, it's a lousy basis for an elimination diet.

  • chris

    I’m another person who’d like to try this in the UK, do you think you’ll be able to send it here?

  • Stripe

    Recommendations for amounts of "protein" may be acounting for how much would be required to have a chance of attaining the essential aminos. Still, a slight excess of protein would be preferable, especially if you generally don't consume your full quota of soylent.

    A lot of people complaining about the low calories you're consuming clearly do not understand how much energy is lost in the processing of food.

    Perhaps a lower carb, higher protein version would be practical for some users?

    Have you looked into antioxidants aside from the vitamins?

    • Brian

      Just how much calorie do you need to digest food?

      • http://www.eet.nu Gerard

        Normally around 10% of the calories consumed.

  • Jack

    Hi! 

    Just got one quedtion before i sign up. If i was to test this for you would you make it for my lifestyle? 

    Wonder this because i go to the gym 3-4 times a week for roughly 2h each time. 

     

    /Jack, Sweden

  • Jackson

    You are a champion! Finally, somebody who thinks of the body as a machine and wants to find the right inputs! I'm just curious, how much water do you use in your mix?

    Also, I am in the San Francisco area, in Palo Alto. I'm no expert in any field relating to this, but I'd love to help you out with your research if circumstances allow.

    Nice smiley in the bottom left :)

  • Keith

    Hi! I can only express my greatest interest in this and it's absolutely insane potential – the mind reels!!

    If you could answer two simple questions for me: what does one measure of all the ingredients cost to feed you for ONE DAY, and what is your body weight?

  • chris

    From what I understand (having been vegan for a number of years) it’s actually very difficult to have a protein deficiency. On a similar note, do you think it would be possible to make this with soya protein rather than whey? As well as veganism, there are also many folk with strong dairy intolerance.

    • rob

      Yes it is certainly possible to make an entirely vegan version, it would just be a little more expensive. I also believe whey protein is isolated from lactose but I haven’t seen a lactose intolerant test it.

      • Lee Clowers

        From what I understood from working in a smoothie shop, and from what it says here, http://www.cancerinfonet.org/lifestyle/are-all-proteins-created-equal-no-whey.htm  whey protein will still contain 15% to 5% lactose depending on the filtration process.

      • Sheindal

        Are you likely to make a vegan version?  Hemp might be a better choice than soy, not sure about in the US, but here in the UK we can get an unflavoured hemp protein powder that is GM free – I wouldn't trust soy to be GM free unless it was certified organic…

        Apart from the whey not being vegan, are the sources you use for other ingredients vegetarian/vegan?  For example omega 3, does it come from a fish source, or direct from algae, or from a (less efficient) plant-based source?

        Someone previously made the point about olive oil – if it isn't extra virgin and mechanically rather than chemically extracted it is quite likely it isn't wholly olive oil, I think you can get round this by going for organic, though perhaps there are also those who lie about it being organic too…

        Would you consider making a GM-free vegan friendly version for those that might want to test it for you?

    • Dave

      I wouldn't go with soy if you're a guy though. See Tim ferriss's 4-Hour Body book for info.

      • Mark

        Or you could just explain yourself…

        • Jenrose

          Soy contains phytoestrogens and is goitrogenic. I don't even think of it as food anymore–after a number of years avoiding milk "for health reasons" and doing a fair amount of soy instead, my thyroid is trashed. 

          • http://www.eet.nu Gerard

            Those problems usually occur in combination with an iodine deficiency and other thyroid function suppressants like caffeine.

            It would be unfair to solely blame soy.

             

            Having said that, it is always unwise to consume 1 food source heavily.

    • http://johnford.is/ John Ford

      I started doing some calculations on a plant-based vegan version that wouldn't require finding sources for each raw ingredient. It looks like 2 servings (87.6g) of Vega One chocolate flavor (http://www.myvega.com/products/vega-one-shake/nutritional-info), which I already use and love, plus about 6g of salt (for sodium and chloride) give you most of the core nutrients.

      You'll then need to add fat, carbohydrates, protein, potassium, and biotin to match your calorie/energy count. I've started playing with a combination of sesame seeds + hemp + cacao which get the numbers really close to what's in this post (and Rob's updated calorie counts). There needs to be attention to the extra nutrients that come from those items but I'm excited to try it out.

  • Dohun

    I've been feeling a bit sluggish and usually find it hard to get out of bed. I'd really like to try out Soylent and see how it'll affect me. Please send me a batch!

    • Jay

      I would like a batch too!

  • http://facebook.com/james.mattingly2 James Mattingly

    Hello! 

    After reading this very informative and very thought provoking food replacement, I am curious to see its results personally and to provide you with the needed responses as well so I can further help provide you with some clean results. 

    I recently (Christmas time) did the Master Cleanse which as you may know, it too an all liquid diet. I did it for 10 days, lost 11 lbs and detoxified my body while doing it. While it was a test of will power to not eat solid food, I did realize that the first 5 days were the most difficult. In saying this, I feel as though I would be a better candidate as I have experienced the feeling and controlled my body from not eating solid foods thus avoiding tainting the results of your experiement. 

    I linked my facebook to this message, I am a 23 year old male in good health. I work out 5-6 times a week for 60-120 minutes each day. I weigh 178 lbs and would like to continue to increase my muscle mass while being on this diet. I am curious to see what type of affect this drink may have on my skin problem that I have yet to find out what it is. Since the age of 12 I have had a serious issue with the skin on my face only where there are bumps underneith my skin that are not in anyway shape or form a blemish. They have remained there since I was in the 6th grade and have slowly dimished with age but are still very much existant on my forhead. Of course I would take before and after photos for this as well – who knows you may have found a cure to acne as well! 

    Please let me know as soon as possible if I am a candidate that you would like to consider for your experiement. I would love to try it out!

  • Christian

    I'm in the UK and I would most definitely like to help you in assessing the physiological and psychological impacts on living exclusively on soylent for an extended period of time.

    I'm 33, male, 5'10'', 185 pounds, and healthy.

    Christian

  • Markus

    You might consider adding choline to your mix. 

    • Joe

      Should not consider — he needs it.  Choline is an essential nutrient.  You will be catabolizing your brain if you don't get any.   

  • Carlin

    I love your concept and would like to try soylent.  I've been experimenting with month-long minimalist diets and have had good results in terms of mood stabilization and improved health, thoubutgh my fatty food cravings never totally subside.  Please email me and I'll give you my mailing address.

  • Davon

    A few friends and I were looking to catch up with you in San Fran and see if you can help us with testing Soylent as well as talk to you about it a little. We do not live in San Fran yet but are making a trip in early march. Message me back so we can decide on a place and time Thank you :-)

  • Yahoo

    Good day!

    We are very interested in Soylent. We are living in Belarus and we can help you with your tests in russian-language countries. For these purposes we can make something like this blog.

    Also we can donate expenses on making and shipping Soylent to us.

  • Chris Soylent

    Herman was rude but made a fair counterpoint.  Instead of chemicals, blend simple foods to make Soylent. In fact, I tried one of his suggestions today…tasted strange, but not bad. Ingredients we're easy to get. I'd be happy to be a test subject on this if someone with professional knowledge would critique his list as he did yours. I did add broccoli sprouts, ice and water.  

    • Chris Soylent

      On day 2…added a dash of turmeric. Feel great, no gastrointestinal probs. 

      • Chris Soylent

        Day 3: Current mixture – 150g of Whey Protein powder, 4 cups frozen blueberries, 1 1/2 cups Spinach leaves, 1/2 cup broccoli sprouts, 1 tbsp flaxseed oil, 3 tbsp olive oil, dash of turmeric, ice, water…blended, drinking equal portions throughout waking hours every 2 hours.  Weight 199, activity level moderate (did 4 hours of hard work in yard yesterday). Please critique, citations greatly appreciated. 

         Feel excellent. Huge time and resource savings…only clean blender and one plastic cup. Far less expensive. Only drawbacks I think are loss of pleasure in eating tastier food, social pressure, and discipline required to break old habits. 

        • Chris Soylent

          Day 6.  Feel great.  Still drinking all meals.  It's a lot like ice cream in taste and texture.  Sooo efficient, inexpensive, and healthy.  

          • Gerard

            How much do you drink every 2 hours? A set amount or until you feel satisfied? Does it give enough of a feeling of satisfaction?

            When do you start in the morning and at what time do you stop?

             

          • Adam R. Charpentier

            How is the diet going?

          • haoran

            oh no he's dead.

          • dotZak

            So the diet was not successful?

          • Chris Soylent

            Gerard I drink 8 to 12 oz …never really hungry cause my blood sugar is rock steady. Start when I get up and stop at dinner time. 

             

            Going great Adam…the upside to doing this is amazing in so many ways. 

             

            Not yet haoran lol. 

          • http://www.802bikeguy.com 802BIKEGUY

            I plugged your monster poo recipe into cronometer.com, it's kinda unbalanced and missing some stuff, notably B vitamins. You might want to plug your ingredients into cronometer.com and adjust for your personal situation. The site bases everything on your profile including age, weight, preferred carb/protein/fat ratio, goals (gain, lose, maintain), etc.

    • Chris Soylent

      Coming up on a month of what we call the 'Monster Poo'  (looks like purplish brown goop once its ready..the food that is) diet around here. Piggybacked off of Rob's great idea but use regular foods blended up instead. No plans to stop anytime soon as I really like all the benefits of feeling great, improving my nutrition, losing fat, saving money and saving loads of time and trouble. I eat old fashioned food on Saturdays and Wed evenings. I just need a nutritionist to double check my ingredients and make suggestions. Rob I noticed your story is starting to be picked up around the web now..prepare for the ridiculous attention you'll be getting! Thanks for the awesome idea.

      • Art

        The great thing about your approach is that you aren't taking too many chances.  You're being very smart about your risks and, rather than mixing with a bit of kitchen chemistry that may be problematic, taking a safe course.

        I think you have an excellent basis for a blog series on what you've done, how you approached it and integrated it into your life, and the ups and downs of the experience.  I'd like to read it as much as I look forward to Rob's updates.

        I think the advantage of your approach is that it's much more accessible to first-worlders.  We can stop by the farmer's market, yuppie grocery, or regular supermarket, buy things Michael Pollan would approve of, make some monster poo, and get 70-80% of the way to what Rob is attempting.

        I've done a fair amount of 'molecular gastronomy' over the past 7+ years and have screwed up enough to have to stay home from work the next day with "experiments".

        • Chris Soylent

          Thanks Art, I hadn't read Michael Pollan's work…looks like we'd be fairly in synch with him at first glance. On my reading list. Yes, I think we might get even better effects than Rob and with far less effort and risk. Not sure anything Im doing is interesting enough to blog about…I did type up the recipe and am making a checklist if anyone wants it. After I get a nutritionist to tweak the formula I want to start working my way towards fresher, higher quality ingredients. I'm guessing I can grow spinach, broccoli sprouts and blueberries fairly easily. 

          I think if a significant amount of people did this there could be a real positive impact on not only our health and well-being but on the planet's.

          • Neece

            Hey Chris, I'm interested in your recipe. Can you email it to me at zeneece@gmail.com?

            Rob, at first I thought this idea was awful, especially since you can just buy Ensure. But if it tastes great and is satisfying, it sounds like a great way to get most of your food, if not all of it. I love the name, Soylent, though. It's awesome. :) I'm just concerned, not being a chemist or having a degree, that I'd not get the numbers right.

            But Chris, I like your idea of using whole foods, so I'd really love your ingredients and anything that would help me create my own Monster Poo.

          • Krys

            Hey, I'm interested in this checklist too, it sounds like an interesting alternative to this soylent business. My email is nuklear.man@gmail.com

      • Adam R. Charpentier

        Hah, I'm on day one…thanks for the idea. Any changes to your original recipe?

        • Chris Soylent

          Adam, Cool! Let me know how it goes. I cut down the Olive Oil to 1 1/2 TBsp. I added 1 Tbsp cocoa powder, a pinch of Saigon cinamon, and a pinch of chile powder. The moniker "Monster Poo" belies the harmony of flavor I've achieved!

          • Adam R. Charpentier

            I think that I chose my protein base poorly…of all the brands, I picked the one that tastes the most like concentrated ass. So, this has been more of a grin and bear it situation for me, but I'm striving forward regardless. The new spice suggestions have helped immensly. 

      • HungryJoe

        This sounds interesting to try, as either an alternative or stepping stone to attempting soylent (would at least be interesting to compare the results with one another). Question: are you just drinking your monster poo drink, or also taking a multivitamin?

        • Chris Soylent

          HungryJoe, I stopped taking my multivitamin. Might reduce risk to continue it but I'm trying to make Monster Poo as complete as possible. 

          Neece…yes, no problem. 

           

          • Chris Soylent

            Krys,

             

            Sent…let me know what you think.

          • Alex

            Chris,

             

            I'm just a poor college kid that finds all of this fascinating. I have access to the ingredients that Rob lists, but would like to try your approach as well. Could you please e-mail me the ingredient list to :

             

            aman0050@umn.edu

             

            You're awesome! Thanks!

    • Josh James

      Chris, I'd also like to receive a copy of what I'll call this "organic" version of Soylent – something created from actual foods that, more-or-less accomplishes the same idea that Rob's does. If you could send it to jdrentr@gmail.com, I'd appreciate it.

  • Josh

    Any reason to believe that synthetic vitamins are useful? All the studies I've seen, show the same results you mentioned about nutritional studies: We know what we need to get in, but the body doesn't seem to take them in through multivitamins; we just pee it all away. I'd be interested in food sources for what's on your list; I know I can get the nutrition from say, plants.

    • David

      I think most high quality multivitamins have solved this problem by using plant extracts, but I may be wrong in any number of ways.

  • Katie

    Hi! So, calcium blocks iron absorption when they're consumed together. How can you work around that?

    • rob

      That’s interesting, I did not know that. I could take the iron in the form it comes in as a capsule that takes time to dissolve in the stomach, rather than dissolving it in the oil. By the time the iron is ready to be absorbed the calcium should be digested. Thank you for telling me this. I am not deficient of iron, though so the effect may not be pronounced enough to effect my health.

      • Chris

        Rob,

        You could have 2 different shakes and alternate them, or have a morning shake and an evening shake, each having Calcium OR Iron.

      • Justin S

        while you're working on this, be careful to monitor your iron levels. Men don't generally lose iron unless they're donating a lot of blood, and if you get too much iron, it becomes quite dangerous. The dose you're currently taking is 2x what is recommended here:

        http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/for-men/understanding-iron-nutrition-for-men.html

         

        • Todd

          I have to agree with Justin's comment.  My nephew had some serious health problems due to too much iron.  He cut out the iron suppliments and was OK.

      • Julie

        FYI, Vitamin C enhances iron absorption. I'm not sure if this would cancel out the effects of calcium causing iron inhibition or not. But if you do make two different shakes (one with iron, one with calcium) be sure to keep the Vitamin C with the iron.

         

        Non-heme iron is less readily absorbed (as you allude to above, with the mention of vegetarians) than heme iron. If you are indeed using vegan sources for your nutrients, the extra iron should not hurt you (as the user below suggests). While the male DRI for iron is 8 mg (as Justin points out) that is for heme iron. If non-heme is your only iron source, you should be shooting for 14.4 mg minimum (maximum should not exceed 45 mg, the Iron UL, which you would likely not approach even if you eat meat with your dinner).

  • J Sarmiento

    This looks similar to the Velocity Diet except without the focus on fat loss

    Have you considered using a casein protein instead of whey? I find it more palatable and satisfying than whey.

    • Greg Zeng

      Biggest ingredient of all missed by everyone so far: PSYCHOLOGY.

      Focussed goal, clear guidelines, etc => Positive-psychology.

      This explains many things: moods, disregarding non-goal possibilities, long term effects, …

      Young man: you haven't check your sperm virility/ count yet. I did, just before my 25th birthday; so I needed to get a vasectomy, since I wanted a baby so much, I didn't care who the mother was (oldest of 5 kids; primary-carer to the two youngest inmy family).

      Women generally are not as narrow-focussed, environmentally unaware as men can be: genetics, socialization,  etc reasons.  So women etc (including 'sensitive' men) notice externals more, like temperature, moods, etc.  Alternatively explaining this: the logical-cognitive left-brained male has it easier to over-ride right-brained illogics, moods, emotions, etc.

      In my age group (medically 85, due to a car-motorcycle accident), we often need geriatric liquified foods, similar to your 'Soylent'.  Keep that copyrighted brand name, because the multi-national nutrition giants are closely monitoring your work: one of my work contracts decades ago was to investigate food industry out-flyers like yourself.

      My immediate past boss (born quadriplegic), my very-old father, and soon myself, will be using the commercial liquid foods as we enter out death-run. Our death-run should be the last few years before we enter 'heaven' (whatever that is; I didn't quite get there, the several times in my life that I got to the pearly gates).

      Born & living in Australia, with our scientific weight system. So my application to you mentioned 70 kilo weight, which you insisted be anti-scientific converted to imperial weights, so I filled in your form incorrectly.  But to create the Soylent food in Australia, the easiest way is to take a commercial liquid-food powder, then add whatever to match your product.

      The advantage of using commercial products: quality-controls,storage, handling, … but most of all: COST!

      Our Australian government will pay for my liquid-food, without cost to It matters not that I was a military officer, nor a medical research worker, government worker, etc. myself.  We are assumed to have paid our life's taxes when we were working, so our pre-heaven life is paid by the government.

      After you finalize Soylent, I might try to emulate it with current food stocks available locally, in Australia. Unless the god(s) determine otherwise. 

  • stephanfeb

    Interesting. I agree with Rob though. The adult human carries about 2kg of gut bacteria. This stuff is your first line of defense against some of the nasty bugs and heavy metals we ingest. Healthy gut flora also participate in the digestive process, helping to digest food and synthesizing vitamins (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9167138).

    Would you consider fermenting some of your "goop" using "water kefir" ? Water kefir will pretty much ferment any simple sugar into an awesome probiotic drink.

  • kamal van albert

    do u hv a version of ths tat is suitibl for inttroveenus injection? orr a snortibl ricipee?

  • Patrick

    Hi, thank you for the article and efforts taken to write this page. Seems like this is a super efficient food for the body. In your case after 1 month, have you noticed a lost in the ability for your stomach to churn food and the peristalsis of your intestinal tract when you went back to bulk food?

  • Tóca Mela

    Add people and plankton. Also, your hoax´s name is a recipe for legal action. It will be brought by the heirs of Harry Harrison..(see  his novel Make Room! Make Room!)

    • Stripe

      His use of "Soylent" is not only covered under parody laws, but he isn't selling anything so could not be charged or sued for his use if it wasn't.

  • http://zooko.com Zooko Wilcox-O’Hearn

    Ha! This is cool. Thanks for making it possible for others to learn from your experiments. I look forward to future updates. Suggestion: you can leave out the carbohydrates. http://ketotic.org

  • http://www.jayheinrichs.com Jay Heinrichs

    I'd be curious to see what you think of meal replacements such as Beachbody's Shakeology. Also, how do you get sufficient fiber? And do you worry about the balance between soluable and insoluble? I take two liquid meals/day but my daughter, a registered nurse, thinks I need a big salad for the fiber. 

  • Joe Torre

    You can blood tests , and get lots of other tests done here, without a doctors involvement (…and thus not covered by Insuranse either, alas.)  They collect your sample, blood, etc, and mail it off to a Lab, then send you the results.
    http://www.anylabtestnow.com/&nbsp;

  • Ian

    Ok so everyone is concerned about undiscovered essentials for the human body… If your just concerned about  what you may not be getting, then use soylent as the basis of your diet, while enjoying tiny portions of the food you usually eat. If your living now by what your eating, any essentials to your body that have been yet to be discovered will be covered by the food, and soylent will cover the rest, and you would then have less bowel movements rather than no bowel movements, which im sure would have many benefits to your intestinal tract

  • Joann

    well, so you should patent your drink.  However, how do we make it, I don't really see how one can make it and I definately believe you should add the pro-biotics, a good one is primadopholis.  Your ingredients are some of the best ones.  Maybe some amino acids to help, like tryptophan-the vanadium in it, it's very good for blood sugar levels and is an appetite suppressent.  Really….want to try it and do a test as in my old age

  • Daniel Blain

    rob:

    I'd actually like to request that you leave brand names, etc., out of your article. I'm skepitcal of a very many "diets" out there because I just can't trust that they're not trying to sell me one brand of product or another.

    I share your opinion that food is generally more of a hassle than anything else. I've found myself wishing for the equivalent of pet food; cheap, very complete, and easy to produce.

    I'd love to try this experiment; please contact me, if you're not overwhelmed with orders yet. I'm a fair distance north of you in Vancouver BC, Canada.

    One thing I am worried about; this really does sound scientific. You knew right away that iron was lacking from your diet but I don't have a clue how my body works. Can I follow up with you if I'm feeling peculiar in some way?

    • rob

      Of course. Right now I’m receiving far more requests than I can personally support. So I will be doing a small local trial and monitor people closely for any peculiar feelings or cravings. From there I should have a good picture of how to safely and effectively scale up.

    • Steve

      It seems irresponsible to do a trial on other people after only a month of self testing.  It's certainly unscientific to assume that 30 days is enough to call it a successful experiment.

      • Frantisek Potapka

        i think that it is ok. however i would be scared to eat what ever some guy rob sends me over the net.

      • http://indiobns.wordpress.com Andres

        TOTALLY AGREE

      • Ulrich

        Irresponsible?

        Okay; what if he only allows each participant to.. ya know, participate for only 30 days as he did. "I did it for 30 days, so I wont force you to do it any more than that if you dont want too". I think that'd be acceptable.

         

        But also, keep in mind that Rob claims (if I remember correctly) that he is still taking Soylent- just not exclusively, he's taking it as a suplament. Perhaps the trial period would consist of people doing this rathar than consuming Soylent exclusively?

         

        At any rate; Rob. Saw your segment on The Doctors and got immediately interested. Great work, I look forward to seeing you progress in this.

  • Jake

    So, does it taste good / what does it taste like (if anything)?

    • rob

      It tastes great! Very sweet, like thin cake batter. I usually add a bit of Vanilla just to give it a familiar taste, but have also made a tasteless version that has roughly the consistency of melted ice cream.

  • Dude

    Vanadium is an important ingredient of a well-made wrench. Don’t skimp on it!

  • Dude

    I think it’s not essential for humans to spend time outdoors, let alone in nature. I’m going to stay indoors and expose my skin just to lamp, and for that feeling of wind blowing through my hair, I will just use an ionizing hairdryer set on cool. There must be some chemical concoction that can be vaporized to simulate being on a mountain trail, or by the ocean. Not that humans strictly need that, mind you.

    • Sign of the Times

      I like your comment. I completely get where Rob is coming from with this. Quite frankly I am sick of eating too, especially now that my gut is in such a horrible state that I can't digest anything! Firstly, I think Rob's positive results are simply due to the fact that he went on a fast of sorts. We already know the benefits of fasting and of giving your body a break from the strains of digestion. My concern though, is the suggestion that this could be a substitution for food, especially in third world countries. As it is, corporations are increasingly making it impossible for much of the world to obtain access to clean food and water. The last thing we need is for continued destruction of our natural resources in combination with some corporation's ultimate control over a singular viable nutrition source. Yes, I get that at the moment,Rob is just some guy, but I question his motives. If not his, then someone else who may jump on his wagon.

      Perhaps the real issue here is our (Westerners) disconnection to Mother Earth and to our bodies. Drinking a pill in a glass instead of connecting with the beauty of what has been given to us to feed and nourish us, may further disconnect people from Mother Earth and her value and the value of all life. Will it be an improvement if instead of mega farms producing food, we have mega factories producing supplements? Neither is viable or sustainable, and both make slaves of mankind. People need to start taking back their power, and remembering their place in the universe and their connection to all living things. 

      • Jessica

        Sign of the Times. Thank you for your eloquence and wisdom.

    • Jessica

      Great satire Dude!

  • Sandra Kendall

    Your mix sounds comparable to Life Extension Foundation Mix. http://bit.ly/VRL3l0   Mixed in protein whey, it maybe pretty close to Soylent.  

  • Victoria

    My main concerns here are the following: 
    1. that some vitamins and minerals interact with one another.  For instance B vitamins must be taken together in particular ratios, but it's pretty well established that Iron and Calcium  interfere with absorption when taken together (either calcium reduces the bioavailability of iron, or the other way around depending on which sources you read).
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7770189

    2. You mention nothing about gut microbials, which more and more is being understood as an integral part of human digestive processes.  There was a study recently published in Nature that linked low diversity of diet in the elderly to expedited age related decline.  What they found was that low diet diversity was indicative of lower levels of gut flora.  Now correlation does not equal causation here, but that's still a meaningful enough result for one to want to be cautious.

  • Georgis

    what happens to mouth enzymes like Ptylin? What happens when the intestinal villi atrophy from lack of stuff to digest? What happens to intestinal micrflora and the GI immune function? What about trace elements and enzymes that we don't know about, but are esential to our body. What about long term effect on brain cells?

  • Andrew

    Can you make a video of the preparation process? Thanks.

  • Jason

    Hey Rob; I'm thinking about giving this a shot, or something similar.  I've found most of the ingredients already, but I'm not eager to start consuming large doses of Maltodextrin for various reasons.  I'm having difficulty finding a good source to replace it with (barring pure sugar, ground oats or flax, etc).  What functions like Maltodextrin?  If nothing, I may try to find a balance of Maltodextrin and solid food (like oatmeal. Or more likely, ice cream).

    I would also find it incredibly helpful if you'd put OD warnings on the relvant ingredients. I know most of these aren't a problem, but the fat-soluble vitamins and metals could use a warning, maybe?  As you have something for Magnesium, it implies everything else is safe.

    If you want to discuss further details about how I'm planning on dosing, shoot me an email.  Note, I probably won't be starting until March or April.

  • Luke

    Hey Rob, i am really interested in trying this however it seems to be a bit complex for a normal person to create. Could you possibly create an in depth tutorial for creating this soylent. It would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

    • Tyler

      I agree, I just posted a request for a video. I think that would solve most of the questions in one shot :D

  • Joe

    This is an intriguing idea, but another thing to look out for is the recent finding that some supplements (in this case vitamin D) can contain significantly more or less than the labeled dosage — which could be a real problem if you're relying on them as your sole/primary source. They did find that the USP inspected product they tested was more accurate.

  • colt

    Very very interesting I am a 15 year old who happened to stumble on to this from reddit but I truly think that this is a good idea i do agree with some people who have said still eat small amounts of food to make sure also if I where to want to try it (not soon) would you br able to make a salution for a 6’4, 210 pound

    • colt

      Teen * forgot thain last comment

  • colt

    Soylent green is people

  • Adam

    I'm unable to come even close to $2, propbaly end up close to twice that before I finished the list. Any chance of a tip or two on some of the higher priced items to help keep cost down (whey and dextrose mainly)? I'm looking at $1.40/day between those 2 even with shopping around quite a bit.

  • Cam

    It seems there are tons of nutritionally complete medical sources of nutrition for people being tube fed, an severly allergic. Google "Nutritionally complete"  Is this really very different from drinking 4 or 5 bottles of Ensure Complete a day?

    • Scott

      Ensure is really low-quality stuff, it's just high-frustose corn syrup, soybean oil (awful for you), and a smattering of nutrients that look good on the label.

      While Ensure drinks and this project have the same general idea, I think that a home-made conconction has a much better chance of being nutritionally sound.

    • http://www.facebook.com/ Len Castle

      Like Scott says, the quality of Ensure as a long-term food source is not likely to be good for you.

      On the other hand, hospital-quality food sources, meant to be used to feed people for long periods of time, are available. Here's a few from a U.S.-based company that has been providing this to hospitals worldwide for decades now:

      http://abbottnutrition.com/Adult/Adult-Tube-Feeding-Products.aspx

      I would be willing to first experiment using this set of products, before moving ahead using Rob's homemade collection.

      • Courtney

        Trouble is that they have all been formulated with the expectation that they will bypass the tastebuds. I've never tasted one but I wouldn't be surprised if it was awful.

  • Steve

    What about folic acid, you seem to have none in there?

    • Matt

      I believe Folate and Folic Acid are the same, the naming difference is natural vs synthetic.

  • Stian

    I would like to say first of all that it is a very interesting idea, but that I would not choose to embark on a fully fledged 'self-test regime', e.g. I would go one month, one month off etc. Secondly, I am slightly worried (in a general sense) that this diet fails to anticipate the full range of food stuffs that the body requires to be healthy. One thing that is important in the human diet is to eat vegetables that have a wide variety of colours, as there is a large range of bioflavonoids. The other class of anti-oxidants, caretenoids, you have there as alpha-carotene, but again, there is a large range of these that a healthier diet can give you. Assuming that your diet has a lower amount of anti-oxidants than a more optimum diet, we all know how this would end (i.e. cancer), but along the way you might discover a higher susceptibility to certain diseases due weaked immune system. Looking at your positive feeling and health benefits, it may simply be the case that your previous diet had some deficiences you were unaware of, or something that you were allergic to; or you were eating high amounts of sugars (fructose, sucrose).

  • Drew

    I would strongly advise substituting hemp protein powder for whey. You'll find that hemp is almost a complete food source.

    • Johnny

      Hemp is quite ghastly, turns my stomach. I'd rather eat dirt.

  • Michael

    Hrm, the Daily Recommended Intake of fiber is 38g for an adult male (http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09333.html).  If you're only eating one batch of soylent per day, you're only getting 1/8th of the fiber you should be.  

    • Josh

       

      Fiber is to help with digestion… with Soylent you haven't much to digest, so the regular recommended amount probably isn't necessary.

  • Cass

    i am intruiged by your experiment and interested in possibly creating a version for myself…

    my primary concern with your recipe is the use of whey protein. i am a vegan for ethical reasons and thus would not be willing to consume this. do you see a reason why a vegan protein powder (probably soy/pea protein based) would not be a viable subsititute?

    • J

      I have similar concerns; I would probably use hemp protein or yellow pea protein. 

  • John V

    While I am interested in the long term use of such a product, I would also be interested in using this as sort of a kickoff for the day.

    I always feel that my diet leaves me obviously lacking essentials to my body (such as potassium like you mentioned above) and it would be great to have something to down as a breakfast drink that wasn't just a sugary glop.

    I've looked into protein shakes but I'm not a bodybuilder; I'm a business professional who uses his brain for most of the day.  Where are the supplements for us?

  • Andrew Mooney

    Do you get bored consuming this stuff every day? Do you miss food?

  • Tyler

    This is fantastic! I've been waiting for a single food source for ever. After struggling with weight issues for my entire life I got off the couch and did something. I lost the weight and became healthy but now I struggle with food decisions every day. This could be my cure. I find the process of dealing with daily meals very tiring. I hope that my comment doesn’t find its way to the bottom of the sea of comments you’ve gotten, I’d like to request that you make a youtube video on how you concoct this magic potion. You would help a lot of people who seem to have similar questions of you could get with someone and come up with a quick educational video. Thank you for sharing! This is an inspiration.

    • Tyler

      I should mention, I will be signing up for your test as well. I live in Oregon, so not that close but I'm willing to travel and meet up if you're interested in taking another volunteer.

    • Bob

      This idea and people who 'are annoyed with food' disgust me. I am not saying that this product won't be successful, but it is another step away from humanity. I do not have power to stop it, but I have power, and no longer moral issue, to create artificial intelligent system and call it 'true human'. The difference between evolutionary developed humans drinking soylent and artificially build creatures using electricity is approaching zero. Robots is what you shapeless and mindless creatures are turning into, enjoy! 

  • Dschlan

    I noticed a lot of the main vitamins can be found (and at your recommended doses or close to) in just a multivitamin. Would you recommend just crushing one up and adding the multivit to the mix? Then adding what the multivit doesn't cover?

    • Joel Bryan Juliano

      That is what I am thinking too, put the multivitamin, iron, biotin, fiber, salt, starch and soymilk in a blender and you have Soylent.

  • Terra

    Seeing as my current diet consists of maybe half of what is specificied there, I'm willing to give this a go in moderation with my current diet, just in case I'm missing some trace elemnt I might not be getting.
    Like, I'm pretty sure in my current diet I'm getting next to no Vitamins, yet I'm still standing, so I think at least a combination of the two wouldn't be too extreme, especially seeing as my nutritionalist is recommending me to eat 5-6 meals a day to combat my being underweight. 

  • Cassidy

    Hi Rob,

    Like you, I find that thinking about what to eat for a healthy diet is mentally taxing and incredibly time consuming. This is an exciting solution that I intend to incorporate into my life.

    It's obvious that you have done a lot of l research and are very educated on the complex subject of nutrition. I'm curious if you have any formalized education or training in this field? Also, have you consulted with medical professionals (dieticians, nutritionists, Doctors etc) on this experiment as part of your research?

    Thank you for you for bringing such an incredible concept to light.

    Cassidy

    • Jarrod

      There simply aren't good experts in this field.

      Ben Goldacre has a lot of things to say about nutritionists, a dietician will only help address hopeless situations and restore to normal, and doctors simply don't care about food.

      Research in the field is incredibly difficult, and unfortunately Rob all successful research has come back to simply eating less overall and increasing your proportion of fresh whole foods.

      There are a lot of counter-intuitive, poorly understood factors in diet and until we know more a diverse diet with unprocessed naturally occuring foods seems to be the best bet.

      Having said that, I think there is huge potential in this, especially as a 80/20 proportion with normal foods. Most people around the world, in developed and developing countries eat incredibly badly and this only seems to be an improvement.

      • Dominick

        all successful research has come back to simply eating less overall and increasing your proportion of fresh whole foods.

        I might call that unsuccessful research, Jarrod. The plain simple fact is that billions of people, while they do have nutritionally complete foods *available to them*, the vast majority have no idea what their eating tonight, and simple "wing it".

        If we can all "wing it" and be living longer, inventing and creating more, going further into space, deeper under ground, and have all areas of science expanding, then I have a hard time believing that not "winging it" will be unsuccessful.

        – D

        You've been spoken to.

  • Leigh

    Just curious, is there a reason you decided to "invent" your own mixture? There are several meal replacement solutions there, some previously mentioned, as well as Medi-Fast and Opti-Fast. I realize many of them are for weight loss, but it seems that you could reswizzle the amounts ingested if you are not interested in losing weight. Very interesting topic!

  • Noah

    I just wanted to let you know, Rob: you inspired me to formulate my own shake. I've bought the maltodextrin, soy protien, olive oil, vitamins, and minerals. Should be an interesting experiment! (I like food too much to stop eating altogether, though.)

    The vitamins and minerals were the hard part. I ended up getting most of them in a pre-mixed powder. That just left a few gaps to fill (Potassium, Calcium, Phosphorous, Magnesium, and Choline.)

    I'll let you know how it turns out.

    • Chris

      Noah, 

      Can you elaborate?  I wanna try this too and Rob doesn't seem to be posting much other than the dosages and ingredients.

       

      THanks,

      chirs

      • Chris

        please reply to this so I get an email notification.  thanks

      • Efraim

        You can easily find pre-prepared vitamin powders on supermarkets. They won't have all the ingredients listed here, which you'll probably have to buy separately.

  • http://fabmetheus.crsndoo.com/ Enric

    I did not see boron or silicon in your soylent ingredients. Lack of boron eventually leads to osteoporosis and arthritis. Lack of silicon leads to weak hair, nails, skin, and arteries.

    A cheap source of boron is borax:

    http://www.health-science-spirit.com/borax.htm

    Silicon is very bioavailable in water, but not in food. So you could get silicon from a high silica mineral water, like Vitiblu:

    http://www.vitiblu.com/silica_miracle.html

    High silica mineral water can also me made cheaply with diatomaceous earth:

    http://mountainmistbotanicals.com/info/Silica_Diatomaceous%20Earth%20vs%20Horsetail%20Grass.htm

     

    Also, I didn't see sulfur in your list of elements, but it may be some in some in your proteins, fats or extras. Sulfur is required for the production of collagen, keratin, and bile.

    • http://vulturepiano.tumblr.com Greg

      No one REALLY knows why you need silica and borate.  The amounts you 'need' are super small and are probably already in Soylent.  I bet you would find them if you tested for it.

      Regarding Sulfur, if there's plenty of Methionine and Cysteine in your protein source there's nothing to worry about.  He might be using Sulfate as a counterion to one of the minerals anyway.

  • stefan

    my only question is, if this is everything your body needs there should be a 100% absorbtion rate, right? what are you pooping then?

    • rob

      Fiber is not absorbed, it merely aids with digestion. Also I doubt absorption will ever be completely 100%, every system has some amount of waste.

    • Marty

      A fairly large proportion of feces' weight is actually composed of dead gut bacteria and their products, so provided the gut flora is present and working properly there would continue to be some feces even absent the fiber.

      • Melinda

        The body also sluffs off dead cells through feces.

    • Jenrose

      A fetus in utero is getting all nutrients through the placenta directly into its blood supply. The only "eating" a fetus does is to gulp amniotic fluid, which then gets peed back out into the amniotic fluid in an endless cycle. There is a trace of "stuff" in the amniotic fluid, skin cells, lanugo, vernix… the residue from this accumulates for the majority of the time the baby is in the womb, and usually does not come out until the baby does. This "residue poop" is called meconium, and is thick, tarry, and as soon as the infant starts eating food, quicly replaced. But every single thing in the amniotic fluid is basically manufactured by the baby and placenta, and that is all that is consumed for 9 months orally, and there is still residue… 

  • Jotto

    Would this not have a high glycemic index? Has that been tested?

  • torey

    Have you looked into MFP factor?  From what I know it helps the body absorb iron. 

  • Jamie D

    Very interested in Soylent. I signed up to be a tester, when will you be sending it out?

  • http://nowaydesign.com Goran

    Why call it "Soy-Lent", has it got anything to do with Soy at all?

     

    • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA

      Soylent is from the book Make Room! Make Room!, in which soylent is a mixture of SOYbeans and LENTils. You may have heard of the movie based on the book in which Soylent Green is made of humans. This is not so in the book, nor in Rob's concoction. Rob doesn't make his from lentil or soy either, as far as I can tell. 

  • Nick

    Is this a joke? Soylent is the name of a fictional product marketed as being healthful but actually being made of humans. It's slang for any old scam out there. 

    This can't be serious. 

    • Allison

      Yeah, I was thinking the same, and finding it hilarious. However, Rob sounds like a smart guy who is genuinely experimenting with something to improve himself (and perhaps others); too much information presented on here to not be so. I just wish he'd change the name. 

      • Chris

        read the replies.  Soylent is ACTUALLY from the book that the movie was based on.  In the book Make Room! Make Room!, soylent is a mixture of SOYbeans + LENTils.

    • Chris

      read the replies.  Soylent is ACTUALLY from the book that the movie was based on.  In the book Make Room! Make Room!, soylent is a mixture of SOYbeans + LENTils.

  • Bryce

    I'd love to be a guinea pig. Please let me know if you want my help!!

  • Spencer

    When you say you take 3.5 g of potassium, do you take into account the fact that potassium gluconate is 16.69% potassium by mass, and therefore you would need to take roughly 21 g of potassium gluconate to get the 3.5 g for your daily requirement?

    • rob

      Yes, of course

      • Jonathan

        If that's the case, you must have found a really cheap source of potassium gluconate. The cheapest I've found would add up to over $300/month.

        • decker

          Nature Made potassium gluconate tablets are $0.03 each on Amazon. You'd need 38 a day for 3.5g of potassium. My math shows just over $34/month. If you buy the chemical straight from a supplier rather than in capsule form, I'd assume it would be even less.

          • Jonathan

            You're right. I obviously did my math incorrectly.

  • nick

    I know I speak for a lot of people when I ask for a short follow up

  • Spencer

    Iron can be chelated with a variety of different agents. Most of the chelated iron I see being sold is designed to be used in gardening, while the supplements are mostly in pill form. Most also mention they are water soluble, rather than fat soluble. Which chelating agent is used in the iron you take? Is it not water soluble, or is there some reason why you prefer to dissole it in fat?

  • http://www.isamuel.com Samuel

    Forgive me if this has been asked (too many comments to read) – but what scale do you use to measure your ingredients?

  • Ed

    What type of Vitamin K you use? K3 sucks.

  • Pingback: Wird unser Essen optional? :: 1337core()

    • Ben

      He said:

      "I am looking forward to hearing how the experiment develops. The recipe is available here (?). It would be nice if I simply had to drink a shake and then wouldn't have to eat unless I (want to?)."

  • Mags

    I signed up for your e-mail list since I'm sure you've been flooded with requests from people about being test subjects. I think this is extremely interesting and thought provoking, and also tempting to try, and I love food, especially making it (I'm a cook)! 

    A few thoughts or suggestions: Your study does need more control and data. Someone else suggested 30 days on and 30 days off which I think sounds like a good starting point on checking just how well your blood levels and such are doing on the soylent and off. I'm glad you're also starting with a small local test group to gauge how well other people, and specifically how other genders/age groups/fitness levels, do on it. I also think doing before and afters photos, and daily journals of how people felt while on the soylent, would be very helpful for everyone. 

    I can't wait to see where this leads and how it turns out. Hopefully our work with this will help lead to more knowledge of what the human body truly needs to fuction in the most optimal way. Thanks and good luck!

  • Kharissa

    When do you plan to send out samples to conduct your week-long study?

  • http://edopeno.com Ed Penano

    I live close to SF (South Bay) and would be willing to give this a go. Let me know and thank you for sharing your experience with Soylent!

  • JeffJeff

    Have you considered using rice and hemp proteins instead of whey isolate?  They combine to form a full spectrum protein that has a steadier absorption rate.  Whey also has the risk of agitating digestion for those who are sensative to it.  If the rice and hemp are not heavily processed (for example, simply freeze dried and powedered rather than heavily rendered and chemically isolated) they'll have a range of additional phytonutrients as well.  It's mostly tasteless, perhaps a bit earthy, so I'm not sure how it would affect overall flavor.

    Also, here is a great article from io9 that includes links to research and studies on some promising non-essential supplements you don't mention above:

    http://io9.com/5962870/10-supplements-you-can-take-today-to-enhance-your-intelligence

  • Allison

    Just a word of warning– soy protein contains isoflavones that are capable of binding to the estrogen receptor (like BPA and other estrogen mimetics). Not a big deal if you occasionally eat soy protein, but could become a problem if you eat it day-in-day-out. Variety is important to avoid the hazards of summed small effects. 

    See, for example, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22254003

  • http://twitter.com/mulderc cameron

    This is something I have wanted for years.  I have no idea why someone hasn't done this already.  I am currious if you have thought about professionalizing the project.  Which I mean raising funds, hiring scientists, ect. to help get a final product.  I am positive this could raise a large amount on kickstarter.

  • Jarrod

    A couple things:

    You've written off dietary fiber here which I suppose is fine, but soluble fibre is food for your gut bacteria. Don't forget the organisms that live off you! Chicory is a good source but you can do your own research.

    The other thing is that some different nutrients and ingredients react with each other, either in your drink or in your stomach. I would look into any possible absorbtion or oxidation issues between your ingredients. A solution could be to have a different shake for different meals to avoid conflicts.

    I want to say something about cholesterol but I don't know enough. As a vegetarian I try and get more cholesterol, only because my blood tests had it as extremely low – I don't think I was making enough by myself.

    Good luck!

  • Erica

    I see that K2 is missing. I know it's not considered essential, but it is believed to be the Factor X nutrient in Weston Price's research on why tribal people didn't/rarely got cavities. 
    Something to consider.
    Also, I know you live CA, and I'm sure you have your Vit D levels tested… but you might want to watch them and consider taking a higher level. You do want your levels to be much higher than what most doctors assume is OK. Like at least 50ng/ml versus the assumption that 30ng/ml is OK.

    This is fascinating though…. I wish I could try this out, but for now I'm not confident in my ability to get the correct measurements for me. I also don't have the money to get blood tests and genetic.. though I would love to. I'm excited to continue to see how you're progressing. Good luck. :)

  • G

    Since you're only taking this in a smaller quantity than the amount of food you usually digest, won't you still feel hungry even after drinking this stuff? or does the ingredients already prevent this from happening (similar when you eat chips or chocolate before a meal) ?

  • Jan

    Absolutely love the idea but as others have pointed out it may be to good to be true.

    This Article raises some very valid points in my opinion…

    http://www.bulletproofexec.com/optimize-your-supplements/

    Whole foods behave differently from their individual parts.  The nutrients from a piece of meat are more bioavailable than consuming the equivalent nutrients from a pill.  Studies have shown that grass-fed meat boosts plasma omega-3 levels far more than what could be explained by the actual omega-3 content of the meat.  Antioxidants from food are usually beneficial, but taking mega-doses of some synthetic antioxidants increases your risk of death.  The nutrients in food work together in a process known as food synergy.  In short, this means food is more powerful than the sum of its parts.

    …

    Artificial forms of nutrients are not as effective as the real thing.  When you do supplement, you should still try to get them from whole food sources.  Isolated nutrients often compete for the same absorption pathways.  For example, iron and calcium inhibit the absorption of one another, but  synthetic nutrients are often damaging.  For these reasons, nutrients should be consumed in their most natural form possible.

    …

    There is always a risk with supplements.  Even the most natural forms can contain high levels of heavy metals, contaminants, and byproducts from processing.  Food is not guaranteed to be free from these substances, but it’s far less likely to contain them.  In many cases, the biggest downside to taking supplements you don’t need is simply expensive urine, but in other cases it’s better to go without than to take something you shouldn’t have.

  • Ryan

    It's possible that some long term effects may occur for organs excreting digestive juices.

    Pancreas and spleen come to mind, and there may be sections of the small intestine that are not absorbing certain fat/protein combinations and athropy in some nutrient-absorbing metric.

    • Art

      Spleen?  What are you talking about?  The spleen has no direct involvement with digestion, unless you have a bigger problem than temporary nutrition deficiency.  If you quote 'acupuncture' in support of your statement, please cite something from the NE J Med, Lancet, or JAMA.

  • Nim

    “the brain can only use Glucose for energy”
    Wrong. You do not need to eat cabs. Ever. The brain can adapt to derive only 25% of it’s energy from glucose, and the other 75% from ketone bodies produced in the liver.

    This requires about three weeks of continuous carbohydrate restriction before the brain fully adapts. Before this time more glucose is required.

    Your brain will convert protein into glucose to meet it’s glucose requirements if carbohydrates are restricted.

    http://books.google.com/books?id=JtCZBe-2XVIC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

    • Cory Salvesen

      I totally agree. One could probably make the argument that ketogenic diets are closer to the diet humans evolved to eat. There were no major sources of dense carbohydrates before agriculture.  I think you perhaps have your fat and carbs reversed in your formula. (btw, I'd been on mainly fat based diet for over a year and I've lost 60 lbs.  I dont eat few enough carbs to be in ketosis, but I'm definitely a low carb believer)

      • http://www.eet.nu Gerard

        a LOT of food sources would have been carbohydrates. ie all the plants that were consumed. Even from before argriculture (that started around 10000 BC) they have found evidence of processed grains (dated 30000 BC) and modern hunter-gatherers also eat a lot of plant based food. (except for a few where it is not feasible due to their enviroment reasons). Besides that it does not have be a dense source to be a used source. You just have to eat more.

        Ofcourse there is no " the diet humans evolved to eat." simply because we have evolved over such great geographical and temporal spans.

    • decker

      As you correctly quote, Rob didn't say the brain could only use carbs, he said "the brain can only use glucose for energy." You then go on to demonstrate that, in the absence of dietary carbs providing readily available glucose, the brain will, out of necessity, convert protein into glucose because the brain can only use glucose for energy. Your "Wrong" is unfounded.

      • Alan

        No, most of the brain will happilly, even preferentialy, run on ketone bodies. The heart also runs 33% better on ketones. The small amount of brain cells that require glucose get it via gluconeogenesis. Gluconeogenesis (abbreviated GNG) is a metabolic pathway that results in the generation of glucose from non-carbohydrate carbon substrates such as pyruvate, lactate, glycerol, glucogenic amino acids, and odd-chain fatty acid. 

  • Olivia

    Would you be posting some before and after pictures? That would definitely help convince people of the effectiveness of the drink.

  • WRussell

    First of all, I love the idea. However, I think as a one-stop shop for dietary needs it is probably going to be detrimental in the long-run. Limiting yourself to things that are purely 'essential' is far from optimal. As a supplement, it is probably fine though.

    Creatine, for example, is shown to benefit the cogntive function of vegetarians – omnivores get some dietarily through meat (muscle tissue) consumption. Taurine, carnosine, carnitine might show similar effects although I haven't researched these. There are many more things I'd include before I'd add ginkgo and ginseng.

    As someone else mentioned, choline supplementation is definitely recommended.
    And again, as another poster pointed out there are numerous interactions that effect the bioavailability of minerals. In particular, divalent cations often compete for the same transporters. You definitely need more than one formulation and then you start to lose some of the time-saving benefits of this approach to nutrition.
     

    Finally, synthetic forms are frequently inferior. A good example is Vitamin E, which is actually a family of tocopherols and tocotrienols. You're just adding one type, I presume. Folate and Vitamin K are also less straight-forward.

    I would supplement your Soylent formula with some whole foods that can be blended, just as an insurance policy. I know it's more expensive but it's your health on the line.

  • matt

    How do you feel when you get drunk?  Do you feel like you have a lower tolerance to alcochol?  If you smoke weed do you get the "soylent-chies?"

  • Melanie

    That's awesome!! I would like to see a long-term study done with more subjects since nothing like this has been tested on a large scale. Your recipe needs a little tweeking though, although as a base, it's good. For example, you use 5g fiber (recommendation = 25-35g), 2400mg sodium (which I assume you thought was how much you're supposed to have, but really this is just an upper limit. You’d be much healthier at say 1500 mg, assuming it didn't sacrifice too much taste). You also used the female recommendation for iron (18g) when, as a male, you only need 8g and actually eating that much extra iron can be a risk factor for cancer… One fundamental problem that I see with this though: Nutrient-nutrient interactions. Many micronutrients (vitamins/minerals) compete with each other for absorption into the small intestine, so having all required micronutrients at once may not be the best idea since certain minerals may not be absorbed in high enough quantities. This isn't a problem with normal food because people generally eat a variety of different sources throughout the day with different nutrient compositions. A way to solve this would be to have a "breakfast", "lunch", and "dinner" drink each with different combinations of micronutrients that don't compete with each other, but that add up from the whole day to the recommended doses. Additionally, some vitamins are more poorly absorbed when they're made synthetically (because of missing chemical groups that are unnecessary physiologically to the body's cells but help them to be absorbed), so the RDAs may not be the best thing to use in this application for some vitamins… All in all though, if it's fully studied and there are no un-fixable issues, I think it's an awesome idea! Could really help with world hunger.

  • Eric

    I think maybe you should have researched the "fat" component a little more thoroughly.  PUFA goes rancid instantly in our bodies.  You should replace your fats with a saturated Coconut Oil instead.

    • David

      can you post reputable sources for this?  I have heard stuff about PUFAs before, but I want to look into it more.

  • John

    I doubt this is a potential solution for world hunger.  It's all derived from food (corn, milk, olive oil for carbohydrates, protein and fat) with the majority of the food discarded and high energy inputs for the processing.

    • Frantisek Potapka

      not really true I think. The idea is i think:

      1) you do not transport unnessesary parts of the food

      2) you do not transport water usually contained in the food, if there is local source of water (usually is)

      3) you do not have trouble when digesting and no digestion illnesses

      4) food stays eatable for longer time, so again less problems with old food.

      • Frantisek Potapka

        5) you do not have to trasport large energies needed to cook the food. (food cooking is done in the factory close to resources)

    • decker

      Certainly not a silver bullet, but a lot of what stands in the way of hunger solutions is the cost of transporting the full range of nutrients to hunger starved regions. The cost savings in delivering a powder and a water purifier vs. large quantities of produce, grains, and proteins would not be insignificant, probably at least enough to compete with production costs. Waste material from the extraction process could also stay local to its source and be composted right back into the farm it came from rather than into a chemical latrine on the other side of the globe. Definite possibilities. Too soon to judge.

  • http://seoforstartups.org leo

    I suggest you run this by Tim Ferris. Dude is a genius when it comes to stuff like this. I like that you're playing with nootropics!

  • Marius

    You missed out glyconutrients and the "essential sugars". Check out Ambrotose. I'm also heavily in to the 12 tissuesalts. Salt and sugar is the true superfood!

  • DrMobs

    I also am a little concerned at the very low fibre content. Fibre is not just to aid digestion, but to feed the git miroorganisms. The type of bacteria you have in your gut depends on what fibre you eat. Different bacteria process different types of fibre and the products produced by the bacteria are used by your colon cells for health. Some of these products are cancer preventatives. If you don't eat the right mix of fibre, the wrong bacteria will take over and produce the wrong food for the bowel cells.

    You need a mix of insoluble and soluble fibres, including oligosaccarides. it will do you no good to consume probiotics if you don't eat any good quality fibre (prebiotics) to feed them.

  • http://writtens-jen.blogspot.com Jenifer

    "Yep, it’s just whey, though I buy a really cheap brand to lower cost."

    Good job.  Lower cost, lower quality.

    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/23/ori-hofmekler-on-whey-protein.aspx

    Whey Isolate

    There are a number of whey products on the market, but unfortunately many of them will not give you the health benefits associated with high-quality whey.

    Most commercial whey products are derived from pasteurized dairy and are processed with heat and acid. Many are also artificially sweetened. All of these factors render them completely useless from a health perspective.

    Whey isolate is one such inferior product, because when you remove the fat, you actually remove important components of itsimmunological properties, such as phospholipids, phosphatidylserine and cortisol.

    Additionally, all of the IgG immunoglobulins, which are an excellent source of glutamine and cysteine, are also bound to the fat globule. Fat provides not just calories. In fact, most food rich in healthful fat, including nuts, seeds, chia and almonds are carriers of antioxidants, such as vitamin E and phytosterols.

    Dairy also contains lipoic acid, which is a carrier of enzymes and immunoglobulin.

    Therefore, if you take the fat out you're left with a clearly inferior whey protein.

    "I'm totally against whey isolate," Ori says. "I think it's just the wrong whey."

  • Anders

    An interesting experiment to be sure, but in an experiment like this you need to research each and every supplement for side effects and dangers.

    Calcium for example (copied from Chris Kessers website): "A large study of 24,000 men and women aged 35–64 years published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 2012 found that those who used calcium supplements had a 139% greater risk of heart attack during the 11-year study period, while intake of calcium from food did not increase the risk. (4) A meta-analysis of studies involving more than 12,000 participants also published in BMJ found that calcium supplementation increases the risk of heart attack by 31%, stroke by 20% and death from all causes by 9%. (5)

     

  • Anna K.

    I'm with Allison who commented on March 14, 2013 at 12:58 am

    Unfermented soy contains phytoestrogens. Plant molecules that act like exactly like human estrogens in our bodies. So if you want breasts and PMS, eat lots of unfermented soy.

    • http://www.eet.nu Gerard

      Actually your body prefers these phytoestrogens over its own regular estrogen, but the phytoestrogens are a lot less potent. So it lowers all estrogen effects including, but not limited to breast cancer and prostate cancer.

      • Louis

        fascinating.  that's news to me.  Thanks Gerard.  Keep it coming.  I've heard such different views on this topic but so little research presented.  Gary Null is a big proponent of soy, but Mercola says to ferment it & use it in small ammounts.  Gary says he has a 10-page (or so) report on it w/ all research available, but I've never been able to find it.

      • Mario

        I would like to see some references to this please.  It may look like your body prefers phytoestrogens but realize they are not part of the human diet up until recently with big soy marketing.  Unfermented soy and other grains have phytic acid which chelates minerals and lowers their bioavailability. 

        Fermented soy has a funny smell that may take getting used to for many of us Westerners, but it may have true health benefits for example vitamin K2 Mk4 in miso.

      • http://writtens-jen.blogspot.com Jenifer

        Actually that's not true.  Unfermented soy, especially when consumed on a regular basis, is bad news.  Google "unfermented soy dangers." About 12,500 results.

        • http://www.eet.nu Gerard

          Fermenting, cooking and soaking all do the same. Taking the lectine out of the bean. Soymilk for example is created by soaking (to get rid of the outer layer) and cooking (to get rid of the 'beany' flavor) the beans, so no (or hardly any) lectin there.

          Not all lectins are harmful to humans. Lectin found in green peas and lentils for example are very safe. So in theory you could eat those raw.

  • Anna K.

    PS. have to say, I LOVE how the amount of fats is higher than the amount of proteine. Fats are good for you.

    • Stephen

      This reads a bit like the first 1/3 of The Fly, where Jeff Goldblum feels awesome just before things start getting… interesting.

    • http://writtens-jen.blogspot.com Jenifer

      Olive oil is tricky actually and we shouldn't eat very much of it.

      Google "olive oil dangers."

      • http://writtens-jen.blogspot.com Jenifer
        • Roger

          I don't see how your referenced article has any significance. The article is not pointing out any dangers with olive oil itself, rather with manufacturers, suppliers and packaging of certain olive oil products that are misguiding the end user. Although this is something to be aware of, it is in fact something to be aware of with everything.

          The fact that some olive oils might be less than pure as they are mixed with other lesser grade oils is hardly a big issue and doesn't make them dangerous (until you cook with it). Oils are great for the body, inside and out. Optimally you'd have some variety, but the same could be said of all the major ingredients of Rob's concoction.

          • Robert J

            I agree that the article in the New Yorker does not address the real dangers of using olive oil as your only source of oil.

            Most mainstream nutritional experts like olive oil because it is high in monounsaturated fat and lowers cholesterol.

            In the context of Rob's diet, the issue is totally different. Olive oil is dangerous because it is too high in Omega 6 and too low in Omega 3.

            Humans evolved eating roughly equal amounts of Omega 6 and Omega 3. Olive oil has 12 times more Omega 6, so it is totally unbalanced, and not appropriate to use as your only source of oil.

            As I said in a previous post (where is that wiki when you need it, LOL), fish oil gives you the Omega 3 you need to be healthy, and (as many have posted) coconut oil gives you the energy you need without dumping a boatload of Omega 6 into your bloodstream.

            You could use olive oil as long as you balanced it out with fish oil and coconut oil, but why bother? I did the math. If using olive oil is important to you, use 32 grams of olive oil, 60 grams of coconut oil, and 0.5 grams of fish oil for every 10 pounds of body weight. Fish oil tablets vary widely in EPA and DHA content, so read the labels.

            Flaxseed oil also has a good Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio, but it is ALA, which has to be converted to EPA and DHA. A lot of people cannot do that efficiently, so a lot of the ALA is just wasted. Walnut oil also has a lot of ALA, but it has four times as much Omega 6, so you are back to the olive oil problem.

            My investigation has revealed a serious problem with Rob’s all-liquid diet. While he may end up with a super nutritional supplement or an energy drink that is actually good for you, I don’t think his concept can provide the Omega 3 that we all need.

            If you don’t eat roasted salmon, tuna sashimi, sardines, mackerel, or anchovies, you have to swallow an awful lot of fish oil tablets. For example, a 180-pound man would need 18 high quality gel tabs! If you buy the cheap tablets, you would need even more!

            This got me thinking. Since there are no salmon in the Rift Valley of Africa, what did our ancestors eat? We would not be here today if they had not regularly met that nutritional need, right? So I did some research. You’re not going to like the answer. If you are easily grossed out, just skip the rest of this post.

            Hunter Gatherers get around 65% of their calories from animal products. The animal product highest in EPA and DHA is beef brain. You can get smaller amounts from kidney and lung, and a little from liver. I know, major bummer.

            Hmm, I need to leave now. I think I smell some wild Atlantic salmon roasting, or is that beef brain?

  • Luis

    This is an interesting experiment, but I think you are both over-simplying and over-complicating things.

    You just cannot know what your body needs. Macro, vits and some minerals will not do it. A simple coffee bean has more than one thousand chemical compounds, but using your reasoning, coffee would be just caffeine. We already did this mistake in the past with early infant formulas and we paid the price with some deaths.

    If your main driver to do this is save you cooking time, go ahead and eat once per day. Making a huge dinner will not take more than 15 minutes. You can also boil some eggs and eat them the next day for a quick lunch with a pice of fruit or some nuts.

  • Mike G

    There is already such product on the market, I have been on it for years, it's called Vega, and it's all plant based and has everything you need in it:   http://myvega.com/products/vega-one-shake/features-benefits

    • http://writtens-jen.blogspot.com Jenifer

      That does look great, thanks for sharing. 

  • Tania P.

    Is this a April fools joke? No wait,.. looks like you've posted it on Valentines Day.

  • Pi

    Rob, what about giving that all an optimization for availability of components, cost and conservation? You could, for example, substitute maltodextrin with bread or breadsticks. Refined ingredients are more pure but also higher in cost, while some common ingedients may also help adding "random" components, i.e. fibers, amino acids, elements, … That's not going to hurt, anyway.
    After a few calculations, considering we mainly have lower bounds, the problem is solved using breadsticks, olive oil, whey and a vitamin/mineral salt integrator. That's a bit low on fibers (although they are contained in breadsticks), which You can anyway integrate somehow if needed. Just four easy to find components. Do you think this is a wrong approach?
    By the way, have a nice Pi day!

  • Frantisek Potapka

    Hi Rob and others,

    I would like to ask:

    1.) is it possible that eating only such simple food will make you digestion lazy and forbid you to return to normal food in future?

    2.) Are your body waste products very different? Are there some specific changes in the way you dump waste on the toilet?

    thx people. I like the general idea, but still. I am skeptical since if it was so simple why it is not used in space or somewhere else?

    • http://tiredAcademic.tumblr.com TA

      I can't address the first question, and I would very much like to know the answer. That is one aspect of the diet that rather concerns me. 

      However, Rob stated that he excretes considerably less – in small quantities and much less often. He is absorbing almost all of what he takes in, and so he excretes pretty much just the fiber which he consumes to keep his digestive system healthy. I wonder if consuming more fiber, similar in quantity to what normal people consume to stay healthy might mitigate the negative effects of not using his digestive system much (he consumes less because he has little to digest). 

      As to why it hasn't been tried elsewhere: it has. There are various commercial formulas mentioned elsewhere in the comments that are used in hospitals for people who have trouble feeding. They, however, were designed to keep hospital patients alive and to make money for the companies, different than Rob's goals of minimizing time spent on food by replacing it with a nutritionally complete, easy to prepare food source. Rob's formula is also personalized, where as the hospital formulas are not to my knowledge, though I know there are different versions for different conditions and such. 

      • Reg’

        Something just strikes me here:
        What happens to all those organisms that live in symbiosis with us (especially in our digestive system) and depend on the production of certain waste-products as well as average motility to fulfil their partly protective tasks ?

        • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA*

          I agree – the community of organisms in our gut isn't all that well understood and using a diet that ignores them is likely bad for us. Some have suggested probiotics and others nutrients that target these organisms. Before I try this diet, I'll definitely try to look into keeping these bacteria healthy, and I think that eating the occasional regular meal will do a lot for this.

  • Jeremy

    Did you find all of these ingredients in liquid/powder form to add them together?  Or did you use capsules and open them up?  Very curious.  I would like to make this as a supplement!

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  • RM

    Rob's total cholesterol at 146 is mildly troubling.  It's too low (pdf).  I suspect that olive oil, as the sole lipid in this diet, is insufficient.  Check Google for associations between all-cause mortality and total serum cholesterol.

  • http://www.everydaydetox.org Michael Perrine

    This is fascinating Rob. I read in the vice interview that you don't like the comments that criticize you for not eating fresh food and trying to live on powders. My only comment would be not to intellectualize the biochemistry of the body too much. There is a symbiotic relationship we have with the earth, particularily with food that is more complex than basic nutrient chemistry. There are many subtleties in the quality of foods and where they come from. Your experiment is fascinating though. I look forward to reading your findings in the time to come. 

  • http://facebook.com/yakk0 Michael

    Have you considered the implications for the military?   A soldier could carry an entire day's supply of this in a camelback, probably a years supply of the powder in the space he currently uses to pack MREs, and can adjust the ingredients based on medical advice and energy expenditure.  He never has to stop and rest, he never has to sit and eat, he doesn't even have to take his eyes off what he's doing.  He'd have a tactical edge over any enemy.   The Army should get a hold of this stuff.  I bet the SEALs that would LOVE to give this thing a test drive, and they'd make ideal test subjects, too… Carefully monitored physical and cognitive health, thanks to the military medical program, they're all in peak physical condition and put under intense physical and mental stress regularly.  I'm seriously thinking of getting you in touch with SPECWAR command.

    UFC fighters could use it as a healthy alternative to cutting and other risky weight control measures, and to maintain an energetic edge over their opponent.

     The possibilities are endless, you've turned the human body into a chemistry set with an idiot-proof instruction manual…  Kudos.

  • Gwen

    Hi Rob,

    I'd be quite interested in trying this for you. I'm a female powerlifter, don't know if you have any other of us volunteering yet?

    I have two questions/concerns:

    -Because of my strength training, I would be concerned about dropping down to 50g of protein a day. I usually aim for 100g. You said earlier that you use whey protein in your recipe, which I have plenty of! Would we be able to make an adjustment for this? A week on 50g a day probably wouldn't be a huge problem for me, but if it can be avoided… 

    -I admit it, I'm a total coffee addict. Should I grab some caffeine pills for the week, or would it be okay to have a couple cups a day (with artificial sweetener and skim milk)?

  • Jean

    Hey, I am actually very interested in this product, and am considering it…I am a 20-something electrical engineer and I really don't have that much interest in food to begin with, because I have food allergies so just finding things that don't kill me on a regular basis to eat makes my diet pretty monotonous. And I exercise a lot, so I need a lot of monotonous food. Boring. Anyhow, I would like to inquire, (this might be a stupid question), does Soylent contain soy protien or gluten? I am allergic to those. If not, then I'll try, but if  the name is what it is, then it ain't happenin. Thanks!

  • lucas

    Hey man, I'm from Argentina and I totally support your idea, I actually thought about it several times, but I came into a question that I couldn't answer. Your body is prepared to eat regular food, so what's going to happen to the organs in your body that you will stop using or decrease it's usage a lot, like the liver or your kidney? At a certain point I even think humanity might evolve and future generations will not come with these organs, but what happens with someone that has them and dont make proper use of them. Think about Prostate Cancer which risk gets reduced by masturbation. What you are doing is really interesting I'll be following your blog and experiment.

  • bonehead

    This might be a weird question but I'm very interested in trying: How does the poo look like?

  • Jesse

    KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.  The fact that you're doing this is awesome.  But if you use your powers for evil, patents, and become an equivalent to monsanto i will hate you for all of eternity.

  • Mario

    Rob this looks like a great idea, and you're going about it properly, measuring levels and taking tests to see what your physiology is doing.

    Your triglycerides are nice and low and your HDL is probably going up.  I question the low vitamin D intake, check out the vitamin d council for that.  1,000 IU per every 25 lbs you weigh, every day is approximately the correct dose based on the fact we are diurnal in nature and if we didn't work indoors we would be producing upwards of 10,000 IU daily in a good lattitude.

    That aside, the other concern is soy itself. Sure it is touted as a wonder food etc etc.  However it has isoflavones which are regarded as a miracle, but in reality they are very similar to our own estrogen.  Our bodies don't like to give over the control to exogenous hormones as hormones are what regulate us and our metabolism and many other functions.  Thus consuming phytoestrogens in soy as a primary source of protein could potentially result in gynecomastia.  This has been recorded in medical literature before:

    Look into this, below is an example:

    An Unusual Case of Gynecomastia Associated With Soy Product Consumption
    Jorge Martinez, MD, Jack E. Lewi, MD, FACP, FACE
    Endocr Pract. 2008;14(4):415-418. 

  • Dominick

    Bro! This is EXACTLY what I have been waiting for! Hallelujah!

  • Kel

    I'd love to be a tester but unfortunately I don't have health insurance to take the tests before and after.  Do you have any suggestions?  I live in the NYC area.

  • VO2MAX

    My god, please throw in some anthocyanin and other flavanoids/polyphenols. Could do with more fiber too. Because it is in liquid form, those compounds would be more quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, leading to glucose, insulin, and IGF-1 spikes. The fiber will help to slow down the process for a more steady, gentler metabolism. Might want to add in charantin too, and like what some of the other comments mention, a few probiotic microflora cultures.

  • Jorge Valenzuela

    Hey, i just want to ask a few things, so if you could just email me or something. hopefully you can see the emil. If not just comment and ill post it up.

  • Kat

    Hi Rob, awesome article. due to the huge number of comments, I didn't really find the recipe to make Soylent, could you post a link please? Thanks so much!

    • http://tiredAcademic.tumblr.com TA

      Rob hasn't posted a recipe yet, nor has anyone else. It would be irresponsible to make it too easy for people who don't understand the nutrition well enough to just follow a recipe and replace their diet with it – they would get proportions wrong and mess up their body, likely without knowing how they're doing it. If you can educate yourself enough to create a personalized formula from what he's given us and understand the risks, go for it. Otherwise, I'd wait for others to do so – Rob's testing with a limited set of people and himself and everything will become safer and clearer with more data. 

  • Alex

    Well, when you said some of these ingredients are hard to find, I decided to do some for-funsies hunting. Excluding the non-essential ingredients, I found most of the required ingredients in my Flintstones Chewables, and the rest from various internet vendors I found on the first page of each Google search. I think the Flintstones were $10-ish, and the rest of my purchased stuff was $111.12, excluding shipping (I found most of this stuff on Amazon though, which means I get free shipping with my Prime account). I followed the RDAs a little more closely, as well as adjusting some amounts to be closer to the RDA for a 21 year old woman. I figure I can live without ginko and stuff, and if I ate some tomato and flax, I'd have the Lycopene and the Omega 3's. All in all, I think it's pretty reasonable for most of a month's worth of meals. I already signed up for your trial, but I think I might just try my concoction (while still eating some food) for a bit until I hear back from you. I'm a scatterbrained college student, and my diet fluctuates from uber-healthy to pizza and ramen to forgetting to eat all day and cramming down a bowl of Rasin Bran at 11pm. I figure, even if my Soylent knockoff isn't perfect, it's gotta be better than how I'm eating now :P

  • Mackenzie K.

    Hi, this is incredible. I do crew, and I was wondering if these nutrient proportions are safe to combine with rigorous exercise, or do they need some adjustment. I would love to try this out. 

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  • Keepitsimple

    Rob, I think your experiment is a great!!! I'm all for it and want to keep up with your ongoing results. 

    What I tell people who are excited about a diet or energy elixir, who want me to sign up to some multilevel marketing scheme, is let me know after three months how it is going for you. I NEVER get a response back. 

    I'm optimistic with your experiment. I think it's an intelligent endeavor and hope you keep us informed.

  • Marsha

    Good luck with this.  I will follow with great interest as I've always thought that I'd be just fine eating a "People Chow" day in, day out – food simply doesn't interest me and I wish I could shake-a-box or stir-a-drink and have a good balanced diet. However, I think the time to make this right would take the same amount of time it takes me to toss a tortilla w/cheese in the microwave for 40 secs, which is all I have time for right now.  But if you ever get this to a pre-mixed stage, I'd be happy to buy it, volunteer to test it… whatever.  I hope you get the publicity & support you need to continue this – good job.

  • Rachel

    I just filled out your form, but I would definitely be able to dedicate a few weeks to exclusively soylent. Wasn't sure if I had made that clear on my form and wanted to let you know! I'm on the east coast, by the way!

  • Tyler

    Wow! This is really cool. Since not everyones' bodies are the same due to genetics and environmental factors, is there a good way to apply this to different body types?

    On another note: To all of you people saying he should "sell" this: REALLY!? So you're telling me because someone has a great idea which can better the human race as a whole they should use it to make money? See, this is why people today are so materialistic and our society is so messed up. "OH! I discovered something great! Now I'm going to use it to screw over billions of others in order to get rich!" Disgusting…

    • James

      Everything globally beneficial to humanity should be made open source, or else capitalism will eventually corrupt and defile it.

      • joe bob

        Evil capitalists, yea corrupt it like it did making the computers you use, and cars you drive.. and food you eat, those evil capitalists.. internet and boats and tv's.. bastards.. so young and uninformed.

  • Antonio G.

    What about using Alfalfa to boost the protein content? (http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/997.pdf) or Chia for the Omega 3s? They are both pretty cheap and easy to grow.

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  • Lindsey

    I found most of these ingredients in Whey protein and an all in one multivitamin.  Then I am just getting a few other supplements (iron, carb, fiber, potassium).  I'm going to try it and hopefully I'll have enough evergy to exercise more and focus in school.  I'll let know how it goes!

  • Phantom Hoover

    Using a lab supplier is potentially very dangerous. Lab-grade reagents are not suited for human consumption; you can have impurities which are fine in an experiment but toxic when eaten.

    • Esone

      He went over that by the way. Please read everything.

  • JLatos

    Can't wait for the next update!  I'd love to see this work out well for you (and hence for many of us). I'll be reading. :)

  • Chris Cee

    A fascinating experiment, congratulations! Perhaps you considered these nutrients and rejected them, but if not you might look into lithium, strontium and inorganic nitrate. (Boron and silicon were already mentioned and I second that.)

    "The available experimental evidence now appears to be sufficient to accept lithium as essential; a provisional RDA for a 70 kg adult of 1000 μg/day is suggested."  http://www.jacn.org/content/21/1/14.full

    I haven't seen indications that strontium is essential, but it does appear to be beneficial for bone mineralization.

    Inorganic nitrate is still controversial in many circles but there has been a lot of research lately into its effects on blood pressure, and NO synthesis generally.I don't know if it's essential but it seems beneficial.

    Thanks for publishing this, keep up the good work!

    • http://vulturepiano.tumblr.com Greg

      If you use tap water there's nothing to worry.  Plenty of trace ions like nitrate and strontium.

  • Nicky

    As someone who has a busy lifestyle and am in need of losing weight, I was interested in volunteering to try Soylent out- however I was wondering if it was gluten free?

    Not because of supposed benefits from living a gluten free lifestyle, but because I am terribly gluten intolerant (possibly allergic?) to gluten products.

    • Peter

      I think it would be really easy to make it gluten-free. I mean, it’s made to be solid nutrients so gluten shouldn’tfactor in or at least beeasy to factor out

      • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA*

        I agree – it all depends on the source of nutrients (particularly carbohydrates) that you choose. It is certainly possible to find gluten-free whey powder.

        • http://harshbatra.com Harsh

          I read that Whey Protein Isolate is actually gluten free.

  • Giorgos G.

    Did you really do all this work and forget Choline? If you did it really goes to saw how you can feel great and have no ill effects while missing something essential for a whole month. Great experiment and it really makes me want to try something similar though.

    • Greg

      I agree 100%.  I have been vegetarian for 4 years. for the first 2 I didn't know I needed choline.  Once I started taking it I felt 10000x better.  Adding some inositol wouldn't be a bad idea either. They're both dirt cheap.  You could also consider Lecithin since it contains Choline and should help solubilize the olive oil.

  • http://www.jkhoffman.com/ J K Hoffman

    I have to admit, I'm kind of fascinated by this for a number of reasons.  My concern, however, is what would happen phsyiologically over the long-term by being on an almost entirely liquid diet.

    Have you had any issues physiologically by being on a primarily liquid diet?  How are your teeth and gums holding up without chewing?

  • http://www.futureestablishment.com Jeremy Electronic

    Hi, just wanted to say that I've had the same dream for a long time though not the determination to embark on it… kudos, man !

    One thing worth noting that I haven't seen here: our digestive system  evolved to process some pretty tough things over the millenia.  

    It's worth considering that the stomach / muscularis mucosae  may weaken over a long period time to some unknown [potentially detrimental] effect in the absence of any regular rigorous work… I'm not sure how one could quantify this (is there a biopsy for such a thing?), but I think it absolutely warrants some research.

  • Andrés Gómez Emilsson

    Please sell soylent in bulk in developing countries. It may not be tasty but it would provide better nutrition at ridiculously low prices to people who would *otherwise starve*. 

  • Stephanie

    I seriously hope no one actually attempts this. It is completely unadvisable by any health professional to go on a liquid diet for any length of time unless you can't swallow. 900 kcals per day is absolutely insane. Your body requires a MINIMUM of 1300 kcals just for your organs to function. You are playing with fire here. You could start to see organs shut down from lack of kacls alone. Not to mention nutrients have different degrees of bioavailability and supplements usually are way less bioavailable than getting it from the actual food source. You are a human, you were born with the instinct to eat for a reason. This whole thing is asinine and it's going to hurt someone. Stop looking for a quick fix to everything people, eat whole healthy foods and exercise regularly. 

     

    • http://forestbear.net Michael

      This 1300C/day which is allegedly a "minium" for your organs to function is based off a solid food diet. Going right to the source for nutrients reduces the energy required for metabolism. By how much, I do not know, but if Rob has been doing this for 7 weeks and has maintained his weight, AND his calculations on his energy input is correct, it is thermodynamically impossible that a 190lb male requires 1300Cal/day.

      It seems a lot of the dissent on this page is that this is somewhow "unnatural" and thus cannot possibly be "good" for you. There is no such thing as "natural", it's such a broad definition of a word that it loses its meaning completely… We are human, and what defines us better than any "natural" species is that we push the limits imposed upon us to and find creative solutions and different ways of solving problems.

      Rob, and any adult, has the full right to put into their body whatever they choose. At best, he could have come across the easiest solution to nutrition ever. At worst, he could end up with some ill health effects, but that would certainly be noticeable whether he would start to feel ill, or it will come up in a blood panel. And then we would know that this is indeed a bad thing to do be doing. For science!

      In any case, thank you, Rob!

      • Aidan

        I agree with this comment more than any other comment on this thread, Michael. Rob seems to know what he's doing (albeit he has made a few goofs, namely the Iron and Calcium interactions, and low levels of vitamin C (See Linus Pauling: http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/ps/access/MMBBKT.pdf)) Rob is open to suggestions and is performing conventional scientific methods to test a "new" product that isn't actually all that new. Several comments address Rob's irresponsibility for initiating a trial phase after only 30 days of testing. These are volunteers, they can do whatever the hell they want. Furthermore, Rob makes no guarantees. Arguably the most irresponsible thing Rob has done is not run this trial opportunity through a legal team to protect himself against any liabilities (although maybe he has already, I can't say).

        Call me biased but I am in full support of what Rob is doing, not only because of what the product is, but also because of his process. Rob had a "Eureka" moment and followed through by formulating a hypothesis and so far (as far we know at this point) has maintained a remarkable standard for his data collection and analysis, which is admittedly lacking due only to the arguably negligible time elapsed thus far. Some of the opposition in this thread have made well-informed, constructive criticism and feedback that will only further Rob's research. Everyone else is just jealous they didn't think of it first (but then again, neither did Rob).

  • Brice Callahan

    Where can I look to find somewhere to get those tests done? I'm really interested in how nutritious people soylent is.

  • Ian

    I know that 30 days is a short time for such things, but have you noticed any changes in your dental health?

  • Jeff

    I'd be interested in knowing the full list of ingredients.  Where'd you get the fat?  Is it all olive oil?  What protein are you using that covers all 9 essential amino acides?  How do you measure the ug portions? Would it be okay to include a multivitamin supplement into the blend to cover the nutrients and focus mostly on calories?  Where do you get 21.4g (!) of potassium gluconate?

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  • Drew

    @Rob:  I have two questions for you.

     

    1)  It's my understanding that chewing solid food is important to the long-term health of teeth and the jaw.  The chewing and resistance stimulate mineralization of the bone.  Have you spoken with any dentists about this diet?

    2)  Did you try prison loaf before starting this experiment?

  • Sue

    Don't you miss the taste of chocolate? Are you planning on making these taste differently so you don't get bored of the taste? How many times is your intake?

  • http://www.gano2u.com.au Guru

    Hi,

    Did you ever come across the terms like "Spirulina" or "Ganoderma"?

    Spirulina, known as super food, with numbers off the charts for all the nutrients you are talking about in your article. Its natural, and in existance on our beautiful planet since its birth. Currently being consumed around the planet by millions of people and been helping solve hunger problems in 3rd world countries.
    http://iimsam.org/index.php

    Ganoderma, known to the humans for about 2000 years. Contains up to 400 nutrients.
    Polysaccharides: Beta-D-Glucan, FA, F1, F1-1a, D6, A, B, C-2, D, G-A Betaglucan, G-Z.
    Organic Germanium (highest plant source)
    Anti-Oxidants (23,500 I.U's)
    Various Enzymes. Essential Fatty Acids. Adenosine.
    Triterpenes (up to 137 types including cytotoxic triterpenes)
    110 Amino Acids (including all the essential Amino Acids)
    Vitamin C and B group, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin.
    Minerals (Selenium, Zinc, Iron, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium and Copper)
    Complete Proteins & Glycoproteins. Plant Sterols.
    Rich in complex Phyto-chemicals.
    Ganoderic acids (B, D, F, H, K, Mf, R, S, T- 0, Y)
    Alkaloids. Lingzhi 8 (broad spectrum allergen).  Mannitol.  Oleic Acid. Fibre. Lipids.

    When you have natural options available around, who and why would go for non natural, chemical based food?

    – Guru.
    http://www.gano2u.com.au

    • http://harshbatra.com Harsh

      Guru I've had spirulina. It is a good supplement but it certainly is not a meal replacement. Rob wanted to get a cheap and effective way to replace meals. Soylent does that. Spirulina does not.

      • Guru

        Hi Harsh, I understand that Spirulina is not a meal replacement. Reading Rob's article, the list of nutrients he is showing align very well with the nutrients in Spirulina. I have never seen the use of Spirulina as a meal replacement, but instead most people consume it because they are not getting the vital nutrients in their daily diet from consuming meat and fast food products (due to their lifestyle choices they have made). Living in a country with less vegetable options, I consume it everyday to make sure my body gets all the essential nutrients. I have never thought of replacing my daily meals with spirulina (well now I am tempted to give it a try)

        I have always inclined over natural foods over lab produced chemicals. Well I dont want my kitchen to look like a labortary, thinking of the idea makes me sick :(

        As far as the pricing is concerned, there is a guy in San Francisco, who grows his own spirulina everyday for free (well almost). The only ingredient in producing spirulina is,  circulating water and sunlight! Search youtube and you will find some videos:

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfVmsUHJWaw

    • Josh

      While spirulina contains many nutrients, it also looks like it's slightly inflammatory and doesn't contain a complete nutrient balance: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2765/2

      I wasn't able to find as much information on ganoderma.

       

      Non-natural, chemical based foods always have the possibility to be better (or worse, of course) than natural foods. You might as well be asking, why don't people leave air delivery to birds? Instead of trying to make non-natural, metal-based birds?

  • http://growingliberty.com LeifOfLiberty

    If you are worried about chewing, perhaps you could freeze some of it and chew the frozen Soylent-sicles?

    • http://forestbear.net Michael

      Brilliant!

  • HappyHarry

    If I put a vitamin pill in a blender, what else do I need to add to it to get the equivalent of Soylent?

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  • Josh

    Have you considered that certain nutrients could have non-constant effects? Or that effects could change with exposure with different enviornments?

    Please work on setting up as scientific a test as possible. I hope something really deliscious come out of this!

  • http://albamatters.blogspot.com Doug Daniel

    I don't mean to be dismissive here, but attempting to condense our essential nutrients into an easy-to-drink shake is hardly groundbreaking stuff. This is essentially just the same idea as diet milkshakes, protein shakes, and space food. It's just that no one has really made much effort to market shakes as a time-saving measure before.

    What no one has really done yet is make shakes that are truly nice to drink. Some are bearable, but usually only if you're adding milk instead of water. Crack that, and then you're getting somewhere!

    The day there is a shake that tastes exactly like smoked bacon is the day the world will stop eating normal food. Not before.

    • Peter

      That's what I was talking to a couple of my friends about when I discovered this. We kept asking ourselves "hasn't this been done before" and came up with some scenarios where it has been.

      Honestly, I think this may be a little bit better only because its done in a way that you can actually sustain yourself on it. There's hardly any real meal replacement shakes out there that are really popular. And it seems like Soylent is getting pretty huge… I mean, just look at the support for it and the backlash.

  • James

    The macronutrient proportions would not work for someone who is lifting weights regularly.  Fat should be kept to 15 to 20% while protein should be equal to or higher than carbs.  I'll try to make a version more suited to body building and maintaining 10% body fat.  I also think that FDA's recommendations aren't very good.   65 grams of fat a day is a lot!  Good work though.

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  • Frank Müller

    I definitly will try that for a few weeks. It will need a while to find all the ingrediances on the german market, but i am sure it will be worth it. I am very busy and it would be greate to have the option to spare the time for cooking or going out for lunch once or if nessesary twice a day.

  • Interested

    Hey just heard of your project on the german news, keep up the great work! This is truly something we need

  • Patrick

    This is interesting. If the base components last a long time in dry form, they could be supplied in things like printer ink cartridges that would then be plugged into a mixer. The mixer can then verify a chip on the cartridge and deal out the ingredients in the correct portions allowing you to adjust each one individually as needed and saving it into your own profile. Then it just needs to add water and blend.

    I'd like to see something like that, where you just buy the appropriate cartridges at the grocery store whenever they start to run low, plug it in, turn it on, and your meal is ready in under a minute.

  • Jude

    I'm very interested in this so I went to my local healthfood store and made up a batch with a couple of changes – glucose for carbs and hemp protein to get away from lactose.  Hemp protein is DISGUSTING. Like drinking sand. I'm going to try whey powder next time.  Otherwise, so far so good.

    • Iain

      In addition to being a dairy isolate, therefore highly acidic, many whey powders have been found to contain heavy metals such as (mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic). Just something to think about before you make the switch.

  • Gabe

    Very interesting stuff. Do you find that your tastebuds are more sensitive now that you are eating traditionally only twice a week?

  • Jenny

    Hi! I didn't read all the comments so I am not sure if someone else had already mentioned this. Your idea is amazing but I was wondering if fibre would still be necessary in your daily diet. Insoluble fibre helps bowel movement. And soluble fibres is thought to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood. Soluble fibre binds the cholesterol from food or from bile acids, preventing it from being absorbed into the bloodstream.

    I do understand that your diet is composed of complete liquid (mostly) so…I do wonder if fibre is necessary at all. But I thought I would bring it up anyway!

     

    • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA*

      Because insoluble fiber isn't absorbed and has its role in digestion, Rob did reduce his intake of fiber a great deal to far below the recommended daily minimum. However, he does want to maintain a functional digestive system so he has not cut it out entirely, and he does consume regualar meals occasionally. Some comments have suggested that fiber could slow down the absorption of nutrients (in a good way) and keep the gut bacteria healthy, so cutting it out entirely may have negative side-effects. And, of course, there may be other effects we don't know about and it certainly doesn't harm him to have a little fiber in his diet.

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  • Peter

    I forgot to mention on the sign-up form that I’m fairly close to the bay and willing to drive to pick up some Soylemt! Haha.

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  • Jessica

    I'm impressed that you would do this experiment. I find it interesting and somewhat informative. I'm sure some good things have come about as a result.

    It sounds so appealing, especiallly to me. Still I know better. There's so much I have to say. I'm sure I'll miss some; unless I want to write a 5 page paper.

    First of all, I think the best way to get our nourishment is from foods. It's more beneficial to our bodies, and to the earth and it's creatures. Every time man decides it can do better by cheating nature, it ends up being harmful in some way. Now it's necessary that people get additional nutrients from supplements. If people had never neglected nature, this would never have been necessary. We live in a different world now.

    I lived for a month on a medical food shake alone; and supplemented with it for years. I gave it up to avoid the risk of exposing myself to food sensitivities.

    You fail to give the exact source of each of these ingredients, and their forms. That is important. Food sensitivities can be an issue. Table salt contains aluminum. Do you really want that in your body? I would choose fermented cod liver oil and virgin coconut oil over olive oil any day. Personally, I value omega 3s in my diet. From my experience, magnesium glycinate is the most absorbable. Oligosaccarides can be harmful for those with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.

    The tests you ordered were a good idea, but it seems you've neglected some other informative measurements. I be interested to know how your adrenals fared, what you body fat percentage was, and it's ratio to you muscle mass.

    You mention the social implications. I think food is a form of love; and love makes the world go around. So why deny food?

    Of course you felt better. You were eating refined foods and foods that are common food allergens/sensitivities; and you gave your body a break from that. I'm guessing that after several months or so, your body would have some difficulties. We can't know that because you've given up "soylent" as your only source of nourishment.

    By the way, I refuse to use the FDA as a trusted source of information considering they've been in the pockets of Big Pharma and Big Ag for years at the expense of the welfare of humanity.

    • Hein

      "Every time a  man decides it can do better by cheating nature, it ends up being harmful in some way"

      Yeah, because prosthetic limbs, wheel-chairs, escalators and supplements have proven to be harmful indeed.

      "I think food is a form of love, and love makes the world go around"

      Ok, I'll stop reading now. Bye.

      • Jessica

        Hein,

        The things you listed would rarely be needed if humans were living one with nature throughout the years; and they can still be harmful.

        I'm sorry that you don't get that love and food make the world go round.

        I'm ready to stop reading myself. I gave praise for some things and gave caution for others. Now I must get back to my own experimentation and research.

  • Absurdist

    Nope.  Like food waaaaay too much.

  • Greyhawk

    I just had a wonderful dinner of sesame seeded potatoes, blue cheese-quark-chervil dip and a tomato salad.

    It was delicious.

    • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA*

      Very nice, but how often do you have a nice meal like that? Unless you love to cook or have the money to eat out all the time, most of your meals are simple meals eaten just to get by. These are what Soylent is meant to replace, not the nice meals that you enjoy and have with family and friends.

      • Greyhawk

        How often? All day every day. Cooking takes much less time and effort once you've learned how to cook.

        Here an awesome protein rich vitamin-laden breakfast done at a preparation time of less than 1 minute:

        I just had a whole rye bread roll with quark & strawberry jam, as well as a whole rye bread roll with quark, honey & bananas.

        It was awesome. 

        • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA*

          Well, I'm glad you take such joy in cooking. I'm very fond of the idea of having a nutritionally complete default meal, but I won't argue that it's the best solution for everyone. 

    • Chimchimchimchim

      That sounds amazing, I'm totally craving some blue cheese right now.

  • Laurie

    Excellent article, and a very interesting thought provoking experiment. Good luck with the "food substitute", and before we critiscise the gentleman, let's remember that he tried this on himself after research. Many big pharma-companies prefer to test on animals and then desperate humans before requiring massive profits. They don't share their findings because they don't want to share profits.

  • Chimchimchimchim

    For breakfast I'm having left over chilli, it tastes amazing on the second day. Later I'll be making icecream using a 580g mango grown in my back garden. For dinner perhaps a tasty salad with some chicken.

    Enjoy your Soylent ;D

    • ThB

      Just quoting TA*–

      "Very nice, but how often do you have a nice meal like that? Unless you love to cook or have the money to eat out all the time, most of your meals are simple meals eaten just to get by. These are what Soylent is meant to replace, not the nice meals that you enjoy and have with family and friends."

  • Deanne

    Last night I went out for dinner and had house made frites with aioli, buttery corn on the cob, chorizo with lemon and lamb pizza. You enjoy consuming your weird beige powder because you're too lazy to chew, mofo. I'll stick with delicious food. 

    • Peter

      When Making Soylent Is Easier Than Dinner: The Deanne Debacle

      You make like other titles such as Absolutely Misinformed: What Commenters Have To Say About Science, and Consumption: What Makes Food, Well, Food?

      • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA*

        And:

        Missing the Point Completely: How Soylent is a Default Meal, Not Every Meal

        Rob lived a month on just Soylent to prove/make sure that it was nutritionally complete. After that, he switched to what most people would use it as: a default meal when they don't have the urge to cook or go out to eat – a simple, nutritious, default option.  

    • Art

      Good lord, woman.  You must feel drenched in grease after that.  I hope you found room for a salad or at least a sprig of parsley.

  • Dora Glasberg

    I know all about suppliments.

    I would like to know what provides the delicious taste and texture

  • Joss Delage

    That's an interesting idea.  Have you thought about the benefits of having some randomization from day to day?  I would tend to think that the body needs things to be a bit less predictable.  Maybe having regular food a few times a week is enough to get that.

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  • Dean in Des Moines

    Sure, but how does it taste?

    • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA*

      Quoting Rob:

      "It tastes great! Very sweet, like thin cake batter. I usually add a bit of Vanilla just to give it a familiar taste, but have also made a tasteless version that has roughly the consistency of melted ice cream."

      in reply to someone asking the same question, almost a month ago. Easily found by using thr Find in Page function for taste

  • James

    Hey guys,

     

    I just made my own batch of Soylent. I used one cup of water, and drinking the first gulp, I thought it tasted rather savory but extremely thick. So I added some more water and took a couple more gulps…this time it didn't taste as good. After a couple minutes, I rushed to the toilet and almost vomited. Then I smelled my Soylent again and was repulsed by it.

     

    What gives? Did I do something wrong? I have a few concerns with my own preparation methods:

    -I used lecithin granules for my phosphorous source. Is this a poor choice? If so, why? If I had to guess what component of my mixture repulsed me, I'd say it was this.

    -For my carbohydrate source, I used Cyto Carb that I purchased from GNC. Under ingredients, the 2 lb. container simply says "Maltodextrin" so I assumed I was good to go. I was a little alarmed when I figured that the 200g of carbs I need was essentially a quarter of the entire container…does this sound about right?

    -I used Acacia Fiber

    -The potassium gluconate I got comes in 550mg tablets, so its mass composition of potassium for each tablet is 90mg. It even said on the container that this would be 3%DV. Since my lecithin granules already had 10%DV potassium, I needed 90%DV more of potassium. This meant THIRTY tablets…I was alarmed at this but crushed thirty tablets anyway and added them to my mixture.

     

    Anyone have any ideas? Are there any things I did that obviously lend themselves to idiocy? Rob, does my experience so far sound off? What did I do wrong?

     

    Thanks!

    James

    • Avery

      I made my own today too.  I decided to start small and do a trial before buying lots of ingredients, so I bought Spiru-tein, Cytocarb (on sale!) and used olive oil from around the house.  The Spiru-tein is more of a meal replacement protein powder, so while I would want to supplement the vitamin holes it has in the long run, it seemed like a good place to start.  

      The first mistake I see in what you did is that you tried to mix an entire day's worth of calories into a cup of water.  That first gulp probably had 500-600 calories in it, which would make me puke too.  I had trouble drinking more than a few sips of my concoction, and I tried to make a meal-sized 28oz beverage.  For your reference, I did 1 scoop (theoretically 34g – I know, I should weigh everything) of Spiru-tein, 2 scoops Cytocarb, 1.5 tbsp olive oil.  I combined everything in a blender ball 28oz bottle, filled it the rest of the way with water, and shook it up.  I was pleasantly surprised by the taste, and also very surprised by the fact that I could only drink about a third of it.  That was about 2 hours ago and I have had more energy since than in the last 3 days combined.  My math puts the calories at about 571 and roughly a third of what Rob was aiming for in total grams of fat, carbs and protein.  

      Whenever I do my next batch, I'm going to use less olive oil, maybe 1 tbsp – and buy new oil, you can really tell if it's a little rancid.  I'm going to get a pure protein isolate so I don't OD on the myriad vitamins the Spiru-tein has 100% of, too.  I really like the flavor of the vanilla Spiru-tein.  And it turns green!  Just like real Soylent!

      • folkefiende

        Did the same today w/ Vega-One's plant-based supplement powder. Added whey protein + olive oil, and it did me good all day. Need to get to GNC, though, for the CytoCarb. (Felt shaky an hour ago, like I was experiencing low-blood sugar, so I put down a banana. Felt good 15 minutes later.) Thanks for your research, Rob, and thanks for the heads-up on CytoCarb, Avery!

    • http://codeoptimism.com Christopher Galpin

      Dude, what? A single cup of water? For an entire day's batch? Are you crazy?

      That much potassium is not good for you all at once, there's a reason why there's more or less a limit on supplement pill size, because a pill is swalled all at once and that would be dangerous. The same is probably true for all the other ingredients. This is to be diluted and drunk over the entire day.

      There's an image of Rob's on the Vice article: http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/rob-rhinehart-no-longer-requires-food

      As for the rest, you definitely have to check labels. Sorry I could give a much more detailed answer but I'm currently putting together my own batch. 

      I use my full name on blog posts because I'm cool like that,

      Chris

    • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA*

      Your math on the carbs and potassium seem to be correct, and on the latter it matches calculations done by someone else in the comments. You don't seem to have all the components or you didn't list them all (protein? fat? Most smaller-quantity items?). I don't have specific knowledge about the ingredients you used and their tastes. Lacking pieces would certainly affect the taste. Rob says he often adds vanilla to vary the taste, but that it does taste fine without it. 

    • http://mostlymeatiswhatieat.blogspot.com DePaw

      Maybe try potassium chloride aka sodium-free salt? And try out the lecithin for now. See if that doesn't make you throw up.

  • Thomas

    Hello, just wondering what site you would be able to learn some of this information more in depth, or do you think it would be too difficult to learn online? I have learned advanced electronics online and am interested in this field too, so any advise would be helpful thank you :D

  • blabla

    I am a huge fan of fish oil, but I am aware that iron supplements will oxidize fish oil, leading to free radical damage to the cells. I just wanted to know if this is something that you are aware of and considered?

  • Fred

    I was wondering if you have looked into Veterinary production medicine to help further your model for soylent?  Being a veterinarian myself (small animal emergency medicine with some more extensive training in dairy medicine back in the day), we, as an industry, have been working on such single, affordable, balanced, palatable diets for decades in animals.  It may be a good source of research on general guidance for creating such a balanced diet in a scaled environment (and avoiding some of the pitfalls discovered along the way) in an area of nutrition not extensively explored in human research.  Best of luck to you!

  • http://www.lelala.de Lelala

    Very nice idea! It reminds to all that supplements and nutrition-tech's that bodybuilders are using – if you can live with that, why not? Sure, cooking, eating, buying all the stuff takes a lot of time and energy & effort, but hey: Preparing a cool meal with your girlfriend & friends is also very nice? I would not skip that just for saving some minutes. And i think you can also optimize normal "food procedure" in your daily life. But you should bring the idea to market, and in the long run you will get rich – so go for it :-)

  • James

    Esophagus cancer treatment required me to get an esophagectomy (removed my esophagus). This has resulted in my vagas nerve being severed (communicates food/brain), my stomach now begins in my throat and does not act as a normal stomach – food just falls through into small intestine. This makes eating, digestion, food nutrient balance very difficult for me. 

    Would I be the ideal candidate to see how one's body can handle this knowing that I cannot pre-digest it in my (missing) stomach? Or just the opposite-would I be the worst, riskiest candidate NOT knowing how my body might react, and my frailty would cause me harm? 

    I would be interested to know. 

    • Art

      Out of curiosity, did you have Barrett's?  I come from a Barrett's "family" and my father is where you are. Not so healthily, he get much of the fat portion of his diet from liquids/colloids. I'm interested in a healthier liquid meal primarily as a preventative (as measured by GERD) and secondarily as a low-effort replacement for breakfast, snacking, etc.

      • James

        By the time I was diagnosed it was cancer. It's possible it might have begun as Barrett's Esophagus. 

        • Art

          Congrats on kicking cancer's ass.  A lot of people are too afraid of that surgery.

          • James

            Thanks Art. It is daunting. It was Hell. If I were older, and my kids were fully grown, I might have given it a second thought. As it were, they told me I had to wait a month in line for the surgery. I told them let me know of any openings, I wanted it out of me asap. They called one day and I barely had time to (bowel) prep. The hardest, most grown-up decision was willingly walking to sit down on the surgery table. Puts a lot of things in perspective at that moment. Blessed to be here!

  • Rasmus

    Hi I have a quick question, if you start on this diet and stay on it for a longer time period, won't the body be unable to digest normal food?
    I have problems myself with digesting food, and while i think this soylent would definitely work, see no reason why, I do think it would diminish the body's capabilities to process solid foods, as a result as there's a distinct difference. What are your thoughts about this? How do you feel after eating a regular meal?

  • Dave

    What are the gastrointestinal effects ?

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  • Doodily Do

    Rob, you've now passed the 60-day mark of your no-eating test, but given no report since Day 30.

    Have you gone back to eating solid food again? If so, why? And if not, are you still healthy? Are you in the hospital? How are your teeth and gums doing? Your mouth and throat and salivary glands? The rest of your gastrointestinal tract? How about your jaw and facial muscles involved with chewing? Your strength and stamina? Your mental health and general well-being? Are things going as well as they were on Day 30?

  • Michelle Stephens

    I've been reading quite a bit about Soylent in the last few days and I think it's interesting. There are a few concerns which I'm sure have been brought up in the last 398 comments, and some of which you addressed in the post, but I didn't read through all of them.
    That being said, I have one major concern: you're posting a list of all the ingredients here, with amounts, and some people might get the idea to just throw them all together in those amounts. You might want to mention that calculated your specific daily requirements based on (I'm assuming) your weight, body fat percentage, blood profile, etc. and that these are constantly evolving quantities. Too much of certain essential nutrients can also be far more damaging than a deficiency … iron, Vitamin A, and Vitamin E come to mind, in particular. I'm sure you've researched and know what you're doing with the chemistry, but you might want to mention a few of the specifics that can go wrong so no one ends up killing themselves by trying to reproduce the mix.

  • Michelle Stephens

    One more thing: I don't know much on this myself, just snippets from what I've read in various articles, textbooks, and seen in documentaries and the like. But based on that, a specific nutrient in isolation is far less useful to the body than getting it within the context of its natural source. I'm saying that whole foods act synergistically, e.g. if you break down a carrot into its base components and then consume those, it's not necessarily the same as eating the carrot.

    Why is that so? Well, our bodies have evolved and adapted to eating foods that were naturally available over millions of years. That's not to say that we have to eat like cavement, just that our physiology hasn't yet caught up with our industrialized civilization. But we are, if anything, incredibly adaptable…so I'm guessing that if Soylent caught on and was the primary source of food for many generations, our physiology would certainly start to respond.

    Good luck with your experiment, I'll be following it with interest.

  • Greyhawk

    Hello.

    I just had whole grain bread with greek olive spread, Edam cheese, tomato, cress and as a side some Concord grapes.

    It was like an orgasm. In my mouth.

    • decker

      I am a single artist who spends the majority of my time either working or commuting. I have yet to make it to the end of a loaf of whole grain bread before it begins to mold or harden, or a full tomato or bunch of grapes before they begin to spoil. I'm generally good at finishing off a piece of cheese but probably shouldn't be consuming that much dairy/saturated fat. You can imagine the amount of food-waste I produce in attempting to have a decent variety of foods throughout the week.  It's nice that you have either the leisure time to devote to variety in your meals or the financial freedom to pay a premium for smaller, high-quality quantities, but not all of us do.

      As for an orgasm in my mouth, I don't generally turn to food for that pleasure. :)

  • http://betawriter.livejournal.com/ Susan Szews

    Hi, I would be interested in Soylent, as I am highly non-food-motivated and am always talking about wanting a 'food pill' or a 'food loaf' to get my necessary nutrients in and to get the process of eating over with. And! I've definitely got my blood panels available due to having a very rare vasculitic condition called Behcets Disease.

    However, due to that unfortunate condition, I can't be part of your informal study, because your Soylant contains certain nutrients that don't play nice with the drugs that I'm on, specifically Coumadin, for the massive pulmonary embolism I had last year. I mention this because if/when you *do* perform more tests with people, you may want to be careful about pharmaceutical drug interactions and, well, what they may or may not tell you about what they're on – or what they even know or don't know about the drugs they take and the interactions.

    I'm also on a large dose of immunosuppressent, which may preclude me from ever taking Soylent, much to my dismay.

    Good luck! I may try making some Soylant of my own, only without the Omega-3s (in pill or powder form), ginkgo, and ginsing, all of which are on the Do Not Fly list for Coumadin. I'm not sure of the other things right off the bat.

  • Greyhawk

    I am now eating spaghetti in a tomato apricot sauce topped with a boatload of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

    You know how Hannibal loves it when a plan comes together? This is how this tastes like.

  • Shez

    Hey I'm super interested in this. I'd even be so far as to do the full test, only have soylent for however long, and taking as many tests as I can find. I signed up with the form. Can't wait to hear back. I live in Canada so hopefully shipping wont be too much trouble. I would love to go to San Fran eventually though!

  • http://amzn.com/w/32KLUKHJSE4CQ Cory
    • Zach

      That list looks a lot like the one I came up with too. I'd be interested to see Rob's input on it before purchasing, though.

    • Richard

      I did my own independently and then crossed it with yours (which yielded several improvements). Result: http://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/1VATIWOH9VE6R/ref=cm_wl_rlist_go_o_T1-3

       

      Comments:

      You have two sources of potassium and chloride. Why?

      The salt has iodine in it. I have neither salt nor iodine on my list since I already have both.

      (I also have olive oil, which I also omitted)

      Your zinc is pretty potent (50mg, vs 15mg). Normally extra nutrients are mostly harmless, but excess zinc can interfere with iron absorption (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_toxicity)

      Vitamin C is also not on the list; I'm buying it here

      I'm getting my vitamin E from the cod liver oil; this also gives you some vitamin A (but not enough) and some omega-3's.

    • Jason

      Damn, beat me to it. I think you got everything. Bodybuilders and athletes have been doing this in some form for a long time (replacing meals with supplements). It has been postulated you could survive solely off of supplements, though the general sentiment seemed to be it was a "bad idea." However, no one I spoke with could actually say why.

    • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA*

      Why I didn't find (but may have missed): Phosphorus, Vitamin K, Alpha Carotene (extra), vanadium (extra), choline (mentioned in comments), boron (mentioned in comments)

      Others talked about using probiotics or adding more fiber because of the worry about gut bacteria

      What's the Psyllium Husk for?

      I've been thinking about creating a wiki for those of us who want to try making this so that we can discuss the nutrients needed, how to proportion them, possible dangers to avoid (like the calcium-iron interference), etc. Would you be interested in that?

      • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA*

        *what I didn't find, not why

        And the bit about probiotics is something you may consider, not something you need to add

      • Evan

        I would be very interested in a wiki. This is a project that I would like to try.

        • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA*

          Alright, I created a subreddit and post to discuss making a wiki. Let's head over there and hammer out the details. If you don't have a Reddit account, it takes about 5 seconds to create.

      • Martin

        Very, very interested.

        • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA*

          See my reply to Evan

      • Stephen

        i would be interested in a wiki. help oraganize everything :}

        • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA*

          See my reply to Evan

      • Hearn

        A wiki would be a neato idea!

        • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA*

          See my reply to Evan

      • Art

        Psyllium husks are basically Metamucil.  It's nature's broom.  If you believe that constipation increases your risk of colon cancer[1], it may make a worthwhile addition to the drink.  Balance that with the scenario involving inadequate sanitation, of course.  Living to five years old is more important than living to 60.

         

        [1] American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) (2012, October 22). Chronic constipation linked to increased risk of colorectal cancer.

    • Anon

      Cory,

       

      Do you plan on opening up these pills and using just the contents mixed in water, or taking them in their pill form?

  • David White

    I do understand you reluctance to probide exact brand names and instructions you might reconsider.    Some of us might not be smart/thorough/patient enough.  It would be easy for someone to pick an ingredient they thought was close enough and make something horrible.  I see one of the posters tried his batch and nearly wretched.  It could be it just tastes nasty though.  With a little wiki self education I think I found it all easy enough on Amazon.  I think I will try and learn more before I try it, however. 

  • Dave

    What's the big deal? Make a smoothie with enough carbs, fat, and protein to sustain you (froot, veggies, protein powder, almond butter, etc). Then add a few multi-vitamin capsules, herbs, and whatever else you want…and you've got all the essentials Rob lists.

  • https://plus.google.com/107830600622665864580/posts Tanath

    The sugar rush is a myth. It’s caused by artificial food colouring.

    • Art

      [citation needed]

  • Adrian

    Hi, first of all, i really like the idea of what you are doing.I would really like to try it. I am a Personal Trainer and would like to see how it effects me. But i am asking how can you be sure this wont have any bad long term effect? You are talking about buying only f.e. the cheapest protein sources, but there is something called biological value, and if you would be concerned about that i think it would become more expensive. And on the other hand are you vitamines produced chemically oder are they from natural sources? have you tested all ingredients about purity? Would be very nice to get an answer so that i can figure out if i gonna give this a try our not. Sorry for my bad spelling^^ i am not a nativ. Greetz

  • Alex

    Some posters claimed a need to drink 8 glasses of water each day. This is not an accurate statement. See this British Medical Journal publication: http://www.bmj.com/content/335/7633/1288. However, you might need to drink more water than you put into the Soylent. 

    Take a look at The Snake Oil Chart: http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snake-oil-supplements/. Make sure to look at the Google Docs spreadsheet with all the citations. You should be able to find some reliable information for some of these supplements, such as probiotics. 

  • http://www.nextlevelmma.com Darius137

    Have you accounted for the reaction between specific things? For example, I've heard that calcium blocks absorption of other things.

    • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA*

      Calcium-iron interaction is probably what you're talking about and it has been mentioned a few other times. However, Rob has yet to provide an answer to this as far as I've seen.

  • Iain

    After reading your post about Soylent here's a few questions that arose. 
    -why did you call it soylent? 
    -I may have missed it but I did not notice any mention of water consumption?
    -is it possible to overvitamize on certain elements if one was to eat a normal meal while ingesting soylent?
    -the running results are very impressive do you believe this is solely a by product of soylent or does it have anything to do with running more frequently or running in general being a new routine for you?
    -are you confident in the sources of your raw ingredients petaining to their purity ?
    – do you believe there is any sub conscious pyschological benefit to eating real food due to evolution?
    – It seems like such an amazing idea albeit extremely obvious. Have you found any evidence of a similiar experiment being carried out before?
    -this one has been brought up before but benefits/detriments from a dental standpoint?
    -is it possible that any of these elemnts could react with eachother in a negative fashion when combined in thier raw form? 

    • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA*

      1. Soylent is from the book Make Room! Make Room!, in which soylent is a mixture of SOYbeans and LENTils. You may have heard of the movie based on the book in which Soylent Green is made of humans. This is not so in the book, nor in Rob's concoction. Rob doesn't make his from lentil or soy either, as far as I can tell. 

      2. Water consumption is implied, as it's necessary to make Soylent drinkable as many of the components come in powder/other solid forms. He also presumably drinks water straight as well as other liquids.

      3. Yes

      4. He's implied that upon switching to a new diet, he saw immediate improvements in his physical abilities. I would not be surprised if he already had the habit of running and thus a past record to compare to. This doesn't mean that the new diet caused his "running results" but it implies that it had something to do with it.

      5. He buys all his supplements from quality-checked sources; that's all I can say here.

      6. …

      7. There are existing formulas like this, mostly for hospital use to keep people alive who cannot feed themselves. This is novel because it is meant to replace normal meals for a healthy person in order to sustain and fully nourish them.

      8. This has been mentioned elsewhere, though Rob hasn't given his input. There was some discussion on this comment.

      9. He doesn't combine them in their raw form. As he mentioned, raw potassium in a mixture with water would be a terrible idea (explosive reaction), so he uses potassium gluconate. 

  • Scott Miller

    I just read the list of ingredients and IMO it's tragically deficient. It's missing so many key nutrients that I would rate this diet inferior to a fast food only diet.  At best, this is an occasional meal replacement concoction. But as a full-time diet it will lead to health issues.

  • Avery

    I'd definitely be interested in pooling our efforts on a wiki.  

     

    Also you seem to be missing protein, carbohydrates and fat.  

    • Art

      Also you seem to be missing protein, carbohydrates and fat.

      I assume you mean other than the parts about protein, carbohydrates, and fat?

      • Avery

        Sorry, I was trying to reply to Cory's Amazon list but apparently that didn't work out right.

    • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA*

      Wiki is here. Feel free to help, but be careful when you try to put it into practice.

  • Suzu

    Out of all the comments posted here so far, I see none which show their author to have a comprehensive picture of the nutritional needs of the body — and this opinion includes Rob Rhinehart.

    Just for starters, common table salt is as refined as white sugar and as dangerous. Our distant ancestors came from the sea, and now, billions of years later, we still require all of the elements contained in seawater for proper health. These elements — all 92 of them — are found in unrefined salt, and in sea vegetables, and nowhere else. The soil has been stripped of them by millenia of erosion, which has, unfortunately for us, also changed the makeup of seawater, making it much higher in certain elements today than when it was closer to the beginning of terrestrial life.

    The excess of certain elements is one of the reasons people started refining salt in the first place. It is too rich in magnesium if left completely unrefined. Long ago in Japan, the use of unrefined salt caused problems which they ultimately solved by boiling seawater in specially made clay pots with ground oyster shells embedded prior to firing. In this manner the excess magnesium was at least balanced by calcium leached into the water (and final product) from the oyster shells.

    It was still an imperfect method, but the end product was much less harmful than completely natural salt. Over time, other methods of removing the bittern were employed, however these methods also stripped out essential trace elements.

    The loss of trace elements from their salt did not have a damaging an effect on the people of the Far East as it has had on Westerners, due to the fact that most Oriental people regularly consumed sea vegetables rich in the elements missing from their salt. Soylent would be far more supportive of continued good health over the long term if, say, powdered kelp was part of the recipe.

    But the lack of essential trace elements is far from the only problem I see with the product. We humans need to chew, and not consume only liquids.

    Chewing solid food stimulates every nerve and muscle in the body, and some will cease functioning properly after a long enough period of disuse, rendering one's digestion and assimilation less than optimal.

    The ill effects of not chewing could, I suppose, be offset through the use of gum — if a safe one exists. It would need to be free of refined and artificial sweeteners and chemical flavors, colors and preservatives, and yet be pleasing to the taste.

    • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA*

      I'd be interested to see what your sources are. It is entirely possible for someone to subsist on a purely liquid diet, and I have an expert source for you: Jay Mirtallo: professor of pharmacy at Ohio State.

      (In response to a question about people who are on IV or feeding tubes with similar medical foods.)

      The liquid still keeps the gastrointestinal secretions stimulated, and so gastrointestinal function is normal,” Mirtallo says. “There used to be trouble maintaining normal bowel movements, but now that they have formulas that have fiber, so that gets normalized as well.” 

      Elsewhere, asked if it was safe to subsist on Soylent, he responded "Yeah, probably"

      Full article here

       

  • Robert J

    Rob, I'm fascinated by your experiment, and have been doing some research on essential fatty acids and how they contribute to robust human health. Loren Cordain has a wonderful explanation at:

    http://thepaleodiet.com/fats-and-fatty-acids/

    He points out that most of us consume the wrong ratio of omega 3 to omega 6. Olive oil, while rich in monounsaturated fats, contributes to this imbalance. And that imbalance has serious health implications.

    Since you don't want to use whole foods, I think you should consider using unrefined coconut oil instead of olive oil. It has a tiny amount of omega 6 and no omega 3. But if you get your daily omega 3 requirements from fish oil as you indicated, your ratio should be excellent.

    For complete details on the dangers of the wrong omega 3 to 6 ratio (and more science than most people want), go to the last two paragraphs found at:

    http://thepaleodiet.com/polyunsaturated-fatty-acids/

    If you get the science right on this, I think you will have a highly marketable product that will benefit millions of people who are currently destroying their health with junk food, sugary snacks, and unbalanced energy drinks.

  • David

    I think the list is pretty short to cover the many nutrients and substances our body process and utilize.

    Interactions and possible blockings is also a concern

    My thought is that it is another scam, although i always dreamed of this coming true…

  • Eataly

    My question concerns our intestinal bacteria because they are very important for our health and for the proper functioning of the immune system. You think Soylent food properly to the bacteria of the intestine?
     

  • Lab Maiden

    If Rob could only anonymously post his ingredients somewhere online then many, many young people coulud benefit from increased health, decreased food bills & waste…..Rob, please consider doing this as humanty collectively NEEDS this food solution you are working on.

  • Lab Maiden

    ps: Famed nutritionist-food science expert Adelle Davis wrote ground breaking (in 1950s) books about food. Her shake was revolutionary at the time. I've tried her shake and it is filling.

    http://adelledavis.org/press/adelle-davis-pep-up-recipe/

  • Lab Maiden

    Even more info: Here are the various harder-to-find ingredients in the Adelle Davis 'Pep Up' shake & how this one person obtained them.

    http://www.examiner.com/article/the-queen-of-nutrition-rides-again

  • Alan

    Interesting but you have a few things quite wrong.

    While Protein is essential and Fats are essential there is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate. You say the brain needs glucose but this is only partly true. It is true that some parts of the brain can only operate on glucose but most of it operates very well on Ketone Bodies derived from fat metabolism , if fact much more effeciantly than on glucose. The glucose that is needed can be much more effectively provided by the body via gluconeogenisis. Fibre is also totally unneeded in the body. That myth has been destroyed long ago.

    I'd also suggest swapping the olive oil for coconut oil to help with ketone production and health. 

    Good luck.

  • Hanna

    Hey rob! When do you think you'll get to sending out this stuff to try for non US volunteers? I'm really dying to try this :D.

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  • Bill F

    Hey Rob, just sent an email, but to say I am computer stupid would be an understatment of the year.(  First time using Outlook,) please let me know if it did get to ya. Thanks.

  • DevilWorld

    I am learning about this idea for make the same

    I checked this page http://nutritiondata.self.com/tools/calories-burned# and it says we need Fluoride (4mg for me)

    I don't find it on your list maybe I miss something?

    Fluoride or fluorine deficiency is a disorder which may cause increased dental caries and possibly osteoporosis due to a lack of fluoride in the diet

     

    —-

    How the second month is going? :D I want news!

    • http://www.zachalexander.com Zach Alexander

      As far as I can tell, we don't actually need fluoride for nutrition strictly speaking – it's just beneficial for teeth when applied topically. This is the reason we still put it in public drinking water and toothpaste, and everyone in the developed world who brushes their teeth probably gets plenty.

      • DevilWorld

        Nice

  • bchangco

    I want to try this soylent only diet I'm from the philippines i would like to make it on my own…buying it in processed ready to drink form would require adding preservatives and other nasties…hope to get list of exact ingredients and proportions…thanks

  • Alessandro

    soylent is a tipical meal replecement, but looks good e complete. I produce a similar meal replacement since 5 years ago…are you on the book of a big company of food supplements?

  • Amanda

    For some of these hard to find nutrients, could you just take a multivitamin with all of the necessary nutrients?

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  • Sarah

    I think you should look into Taurine. It's essential for cardiovascular  and retina health. It's an animal protein but without it you run the risk of going blind and having heart issues.

  • Ren Howell

    Practical Breakdown

    I went over the components list item by item. It became clear to me that if you want to follow the diet 100% as stated, you're going to need to buy a lot of individual supplements and components.  Most of the items will come as powder which you will have to mix-together with your base substance.

    However, if you're willing to approximate on a few items, I found a practical way of getting pretty close to the things above. I did some research and came up with a way to get as close as possible without needing to go “full chemistry” with things. Mixing in several whole foods eliminates the need to acquire over 25 components in their pure form.

    Multi-Vitamin Supplement: 1 multi-vitamin men's one-a-day pill (http://www.oneaday.com/mens.html) will knock out the lions share of 16 components (VB-12, VD, Selenium, VB6, Zinc, Copper, Manganese, Chromium, VC, Riboflavin, Folate, Niacin, Thiamin, VE, VA), and provide a smaller dose of others (Lycopene, Panth-Acid, Magnesium, VK, Calcium, Biotin).

    Dark Greens: A dose of Dark Leafy greens like Spinach, Kale, and/or Chard provide a substantive amount of many of the chemical components not covered by the vitamin suppliment (Panth-Acid, Magnesium, VK, Calcium, Potassium, Iron, Molybdenum, Lutein). Aldo good source of fiber.

    Salt(iodized), Yogurt, Beans, Nuts, Seeds: A small dose of yogurt, beans, nuts, and seeds each day will fill in many of the remaining components (Chloride, Sodium, Iodine,Biotin, Iron, Molybdenum, Phosphorous) and overlap others already partially provided (Path-Acid, Lycopene, VK, Lutein). Perhaps even more importantly, they provide support for your intestinal gut flora (as many of pointed out already, this is one hypothesized shortcoming of the pure-chemistry mixture of soylent).  These items will use some of your carb, fat, and protein grams as well, so make sure to track them before you count out your “big 3” at the end.

    Additional Supplements: Several essential supplements (Iron, Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium, Fiber) I suggest getting a separate supplement which contains 40-70% of your daily dose. While provided partially in the previous ingredients, you will likely need some additional supplementation to get the full amount. You will also need to use supplements if you wish to obtain the optional components (Ginseng, Ginko Biloba, Vanadium, Alpha Carotene, Omega 3)
     

    Sample Shopping List so Far: So, to summarize what I have so far (the complex part), I made a sample shopping list.

    1 Container Men’s One-a-Day
    1 Container Iron Supplement
    1 Container Calcium Supplement
    1 Container Potassium Supplement
    1 Container Magnesium Supplement
    1 Container Fiber Supplement
    3 Bags of Kale
    3 Bags of Swiss Chard
    3 Bags of Spinach
    2 – 20oz container Greek Yogurt
    1 Can Garbanzo Beans
    1 Container Sesame Seeds and/or Flax Seeds
    1 Container Pine Nuts
    1 Container Pistachios and/or Pecans

    Fill in Remaining “Big 3” Substances: From here, you simply need to fill in the “big 3” substances; Carbohydrates, Fats, and Protein.  There are lots of protein powders, just find one with all the necessary amino acids (unless your vegan, whey protein works great).  Olive Oil is probably the best fat substance, but you can mix in others to get some variety if you like.  Given the name “soylent” I imagine soy milk is the base for carbohydrates, but given that 200g of carbs would mean drinking over 1 gallon of soy-milk a day, I imagine a more purified sugar and/or starch mixture is added as well.  This is the part most impacted by personal taste and preference, which is why I did not add anything to the sample shopping list.
     

    Haven’t tried this yet, but I did take the time to math it out.  Any input?

    • Ren Howell

      Forgot iodized salt from the shoping list, just a note.

    • Max

      An oligosaccharide, such as maltodextrin, is used for the carb component

    • Chris Soylent

      Ren,

       

      Been doing something similar to (almost all whole foods blended) this for over a month now..see above. Love to have you critique my recipe.

       

      Chris Soylent

  • George

    Sound good but to maximise total asimulatiom micro nutrient you must consume the whole food based on a whole foods plant based diet, vitamins are chemicals and there are thousand and more which react in different reactions which the body utilises in many different ways plus antioxidants and phytonutrients in there natural form. Blood results might looks good but does not paint the real picture to long term health. It is natural to eat and going back thousands of year ago the human race where starchivors and what you are trying to do is by past the real natural food that was created for us for  long term survival 

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  • carmen

    donde este un buen cocido, el chorizo, la morcilla el queso el jamoncito serrano el pan de pueblo el aceite de olivita el buen vino tinto que le den por culo a las dietas de batidos . Comer es un gran placer y el placer es salud… y si te sobran grasas , las quemas echando tres polvos de los buenos y buena siesta. Chao

     

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  • Luke

    What kind of proteins are you using in the mix?

    Whey? Casein? Meat? Egg?

    My first choice would be whey just because I am familiar with it but using the casein gives you a slower release which might be benificial.  Also, do you use flavoured protein and maltodextrin or do you leave it all plain?

    • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA*

      He uses whey. From what he's said about flavor, I'd guess he doesn't use any flavored products (which is why he would initially expect it to taste horrible). He did mention that he sometimes flavor it with vanilla extract to vary the taste. Otherwise, it tastes like cake batter.

  • klelia

    im sorry, i wanna be a nutritionist-dietetician and i am passionate about food! how can you stand not feeling the tastes?

    this is boring! food is delight, happiness!

    and i am talking about real food, not junk, not pre-cooked!

    • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA*

      You don't need to apologize, but you're not quite getting the point of Soylent. What you call "real food", while nice to eat, comes with a significant cost and preparation time, which many people cannot afford or wish to put in every day. Because of this, most meals are significantly less healthy and pleasurable than they could be. Consuming Soylent for most of your meals frees up more time and cash for when you have the chance to have a nice meal of "real food".

      • klelia

        ok i understand the financial parameter but I insist that there are ways to eat healthy and tasty without spending a lot of money,there are ingredients very nutritious and cheap at the same time, meals that can make you happy

    • Roger

      Klelia, something to consider when you make those steps towards becoming a nutritionist or dietitian is that being passionate about food and loving how food tastes, has nothing to do with those job descriptions. You might be better off looking at becoming a cook.

      As a nutritionist, you would be considering the functional value of the ingredients Rob has included in his drink, levels of consumption, how different nutrients act together etc. This would be helpful discussion here and to any cleint who comes to you for advice.

      There is a lot of science to nutrition.

      • klelia

        I believe in science of course but I can see that food is something that can make you happy and energetic because of the colours,the taste and the whole procedure of cooking and eating
        and with soylent alla of these feeelings are off just because you drink something and you are ready
        this way our nature, our habits will become extinct
        do you wanna be a robot?

  • Ben Hay

    I'm totally sold on this. Eating has become a chore and something I really don't particlularly look forward to. Get this on the market!

  • Lou

    Water contains many elements. Since I believe you still need to drink while on Soylent – should one compensate for that in the Soylent? (if I don't get selected for the testing, I'm going to try creating this myself)

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  • Emily

    How has consuming soylent exclusively affected your Bowl Movements?

    • http://tiredacademic.tumblr.com TA*

      I almost forgot to mention, when everything going in to your body is diffused in to the bloodstream, you don't poop. I only have to remove a few grams of fiber from my system per week.

      -Rob, in his first post, How I Stopped Eating Food

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  • Dan

    200g of carbs seems pretty excessive.  Needs more fat and protein, and about 75-100g of carbohydrates.  Unless you up the fiber intake, that amount of carbohydrates is excessive.

  • tarnrevick

    Hi Rob. I didn't read the entire blog so I don't know if this has already been mentioned, but maybe Kickstarter could be helpful here? It sounds like there are plenty of people willing to put a little money in to do some more research? And do you have an association with a university or two yet? It would be kool to get some scientists on board if you haven't already? Anyhow, I signed up to volunteer. I will continue to watch this spcae for more info.

    Thanks

    • tarnrevick

      *space* – dang I thought I had corrected all the spelling :(

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  • Delaney

    I haven't read through everyone's posts but I didn't see choline in the ingredents. choline is essensial to pretty much every part of your body. Choline citrate or choline bitartrate would be the easiest to add to your cocktail and with the calories you are having probably 550mg a day is what you require.

    • rob

      You’re right. I state in my latest post that I now include Choline.

  • Delaney

    heh just read your new post. Choline and pramiracetam which is funny because that is how I found out about choline, lol and I ordered some pramiracetam on the 17th which is so wierd, I remembered reading about nootripics a couple of years ago but didn't have the money to try them. so we'll see how they are when they get here. cheers

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  • Nathan

    Rob, I used to work in a health food store in the vitamin section. We were given training developed by the company I worked for. One of the things we were encouraged to tell customers looking for Vitamin C supplements was that a Vitamin C complex that included "bioflavonoids" (typically something with rosehips in it) would be better absorbed by the body. I don't have a science background and I haven't spent any time rigorously researching this kind of information (doing anything beyond a google search). It is, in my opinion, an anguish of modern society that we are given so much information and so little time to thoroughly question much of it. My questions to you are: How are you considering absorption of the nutrients? Are you using something else in your Soylent that is helping you absorb the Vitamin C if it is not just pseudo science dictating we need helping processing this vitamin? Sorry if you've already been asked this and answered! Thanks for your time!

  • Jim

    Or you could just get yourself a pack of infant formula milk from your favorite drugstore…

    Also, you really should consider Omega-3 fatty acids an essential ingredient. They are called essential fatty acids for a reason.

  • Gabe Hernandez

    Love the entire idea and can't wait to try and replicate it myself, but if you're going to want to market this to the world, I sincerely hope you're planning change the name to something with a more optimistic connotation in the public consciousness. Marketing 101.

  • Aaron

    I might be in San Francisco towards the end of April. Would you be willing to make me a batch with a vegan protein and what could I expect to pay for per 1 month batch of Soylent?

  • Leigh Taylor

    Wow!! I’ve just read about Rob’s foodless nutrition. How I think about this is as follows.
    “Well done Rob! You’ve started upon something which will help humanity to save money, energy, time. Plus everyone will live happier, longer and healthier. Who can odds this development? How isn’t this the beginning of something so wonderful over what there was previously? This is inspired.
    I have a feeling more breakthroughs like this one will be heading in humanities direction in the near, near future.

  • Cat

    I have been on a liquid only diet for quite a while.  It is made of all natural ingredients.  I find it amusing that all these people are wetting their pants over a chemical version LOL

  • klelia

    i still dont get it! could you explain me just this simple thing? 

    you really dont mind for the taste? the textures? the smell of food?

     

  • William

    I just made a soylent to the best of my abilities, can't say it tastes very good though, I suspect it's the olive oil. Really makes it hard to get down. I hope I'll get used to it soon otherwise this is going to be a difficult alternative to "real" food.

    • rob

      Try adding an emulsifier.

  • christian

    >>Interesting fact: a shortage of molybdenum held back eukaryote evolution for 2 billion years.

    Implying evolution is real! LOL.

  • Nan M

    Add some Benger’s food to complete the picture – after all, why go to the fuss of getting your pancreas to actually convert the starches to immediately usable glucose?

    Nutrition isn’t nutrients.
    It’s all the real food eaten between tossing down what seems to be a fairly innocuous replacement to stave off hunger.

    It looks like the pseudo-science that equates nutrition with the list of things on processed food packs has got a little too much notice from a biology student who should know better.

    The better health is easy to explain: refraining from excesses of whatever the author was eating when he was alone – possibly he hasn’t good enough culinary skills to handle a wide enough range of food preparations that would let him avoid intake of too much fat and sugar.
    Whatever, the beige drink could only be palatable when a person is really hungry, thus letting them avoid the excessive intake that possibly started the “trial”.
    As a fair way to reduce intake, it lines up with all the other “meal replacement” solutions sold as aids to reduction diets.

    Eat the shake exclusively for a few months and then report back for a more interesting discussion.
    I predict your colon will hate you and your immune function will be rock bottom.

    • Tygh

      For people with colitis or other bowel issues, sometimes a liquid diet is prescribed to give the colon a chance to heal – a "rest." Since this would probably be an effective treatment for a colon that already hates you, I somehow doubt that he's making things worse in that regard.

  • Danielle

    If you are going to be manufacturing this make sure you find the derivatives to each of the ingredients. I see on his website that he uses Maltodextrin. This has multiple derivations and someone with a food allergy or sensitivity may not be able to drink soylent or overlook that there may be something harming to them in it. (I'm sensitive to corn and wheat, it's extremley expensive and inconvienent for me to eat food as well)  so being able to use this as a food substitute would make my life a lot easier. Please and thank you. Love this idea btw. 

  • Hicket

    Not sure if this has been linked before but I'm finding it pretty helpful. Gives a lot of good info on all essential (currently reconized at least) nutrients.
    http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/Y2809E/y2809e00.htm

    Also, have you considered using some starch in place of some maltodextrin? Would help to stabilize blood glucose more than maltodextrin, would also make it not taste as sweet which might be a problem. If so what was your thinking in not using any? Just curious…

    • Hicket

      It actually seems that maltodextrin has a HIGHER GI than table sugar, so if your picking a carb based on blood sugar swings it seems maltodextrin is literally the worst choice. Looks like some mix of raw sugar, a little fructose (much sweeter but apparently can cause problems at high doses), and starch.

  • Jo

    Is there an age restriction on the trials?

  • Joseph

    Congratulations, you have invented Muscle Milk.

  • Mouser

    Sounds very interesting…BUT:

    Why would I trust a complete stranger from the internet to supply me with ingestibles when I won't even leave my drink unattended at a party (for common-sense reasons)?

    Who are you? Have you ever been convicted of any crime, poisoning, for example? Please help me trust you because I think the work you've done is impressive. I've been doing a similar regimen on my own for the past year (whey protein based) with surprising results.

    • Julian

      Wow, Mouser. Just … wow. Your world must be interesting.

  • Joseph

    Almost same ingredients as muscle milk

  • Ignacio Ramirez

    I commend you: I have gone into nutrition-focused diets whenever I've lived alone, but I have only gone as far as analyzing the nutritional content of foodstuff and then going into rice-intensive diets. You have gone to the next level. You are more of a man than I am.

    BTW, I had no idea that the recommended daily dose for potassium was just so high! I'll go and buy 'salt substitute' immediately!

  • me

    Congrats, you invented Babymilk for Adults. You can buy it at your local store.

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  • http://jaredckelley.com Jared Kelley

    Are you using cyano, methyl, or hydroxo-cobalamin as your B12? Methyl is more readily absorbed and is ideal for oral consumption as opposed to cyano which can steal a methyl group when processed to neutralize the cyanide molecule.

  • Chelsea Jones

    Hi I am 16 in 2 months and I am thinking of trying soylent for about 1-3 week depending on how I can cope with it I don't think I would have any problems with it.

    What advice could you give me.

    And how much water should use for the soylent.

     

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/awesomelightning?feature=mhee ASHPoD69

    If I weren't 15 with stingy parents, I'd more than happy to be your test subject… lol 

  • Peter

    I am wondering if anyone is interested in making a low carbohydrate version of Soylent. Using some kind of emulsion, we could essentially eliminate all carbohydrates and simply increase the fat and protein. I think this would be ideal for those of us who cannot tolerate carbohydrates.

    • Ignacio Ramirez

      Dude: those 'low carb diets' are nothing but hogwash: they are meant for porkmen who want to think that not eating the buns will somehow make their half-pound burgers be less fattening. Kind of like my mother skipping her daily glass of (skim) milk because she says that she wants to loose weigth, yet she can't even consider going longer than three days without having something that was cooked with lard.

      If you want to go on a real diet, decrease your protein and fat intakes and don't compensate them with more carbs. I can loose a pound a week just by doing that.

  • http://facebook.com/anthonyhsiao Anthony Hsiao

    Hey, 

    I did a quick comparison / overview of some data that is in the same direction, to see what's in soylent, what's in similar products. Have a look

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aig2a09l-yV4dHUzQ1MxNERydkNsd3YzYWdtczdvOWc&usp=sharing

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  • RM

    Bodyfat dropped from around 20% to around 15% with a combination of low carbing and sitting on my ass. It works for some people whether you believe in it or not.

    • Joel

      I love how everybody is going gaga over this when it has essentially been in use for the longest time within the bodybuilding/fitness community in the form of weght gainers. Optimum Nutrition's Pro Complex Gainer has almost the exact same ingredients in the same proportions with the exception of Potassium, Vitamin D, and Vitamin K. What this man essentially did is a poor man's DIY of the product.

      • Tygh

        i'd say that if you are getting 100% if your intake from this stuff, you would be better off doing it Rob's way than to use Pro Complex Gainer. There are several items present here that are not covered in the weight gainer – or are covered in amounts that would need to be compensated for. As for being a poor-man's anything, I don't think Rob would be exactly saving a fortune here. Also, medical food is also not exactly the same thing either. It tends to be formulated for people with specific diseases and therefore the balances are not intended for an otherwise healthy person.

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  • Interested biologist

    Excuse my ignorance, but what exactly is the difference between Soylent and a substance administered by gavage, which you would e.g. get when you were comatoes (Apart from the fact that you probably won't need a high energy diet when you are comatoes, so this might not be the best example).

    The only difference I see, is that Soylent is "homebrewed" and (not yet?) commercial?

  • Roland

    I do not see what the big deal this is. It looks like whey protein, maltodextrin, olive oil, salt, fish oil, and a complete multivitamin+ from the VitaminShoppe. For a low carb version there are a lot of meal replacements out there that try to do the same. Also, big pharma have been producing medical food for people that cannot eat solid food for ages. This is no rocket science.

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  • Paul

    This is actually something interesting… 

    But, our teeth are there to help break down solids into softs and semi liquids in order to create salivation which in turn starts our digestive process. (thank you mister wizard and every science channel show about food for the sources.)

    Watching the Discovery channel daily diaries about the trial they were on, it seemed like the act of eating rather than drinking was causing the actual mental strains.

    Now as a suggestion, take it or leave it.

    I have stopped smoking and as an alternative, have vaped and am an avid vaper. I have found that those who stop cold turkey and then proceed to use the patch will eventually come back to smoking because it is not the physical act of putting something to your lips and taking a puff and exhailing.

    If your product was made in a solid form which could be chewed and broken down by actual eating. Then it owuld help in the easing process of switching to soylent.

    The muscle use of chewing causes our mouths to water as we break down the solid. The solids we chew help to clean our teeth of build up and the physical act of chewing causes our bodies to begin the digestion process. 

    Suddenly, I am thinking of bachlor chow from futurama… Yet, we evolved with teeth in order to break down solids… If we didnt chew then we wouldnt have teeth and would be accustomed to drinking or slurping food. 

  • Willem

    Rob, 

     

    Your "recipe" gives me 1590 Calories (200 * 4 + 50 * 4 + 66 * 9). That's way not enough to sustain your weight, Do you add carbs/protein/fat to get to your daily intake ? (like double what you stated above, without doubling all the other additives ?)

    And if you're not and you're losing weight all sorts of good things will happen to your body, but you won't know if that's because of the soilent, or the lower fat percentage. So keeping your weigth (minus the colon volume) the same seems like paramoint to me.

  • ramiro

    quuiero consumir el producto..

    desde Venezuela

    • Ignacio Ramirez

      Este no es un producto, sino una receta. Preparala si quieres, y si puedes obtener los componentes en Venezuela.

  • http://caseyharrison.zealforlife.com Casey Harrison

    There's already a few supplements of this type on the market. Zeal being the most nutrient dense "food" on the planet. 115 vitamins and minerals, and you can get it free with a little work.

  • Julian Rai

    Hi Rob;

    Honestly, I'm really four steps away from attempting to make my own soylent from your list of ingredients and my own personal experience and experiments from the past about my own nutritional quirks. I'd really like to try your version, first, though.

    I did sign up for your guineapig trial, and I know you're swamped; must be. I'm still really interested and make an excellent test subject. I know how to track my results and would be happy to report. So yeah; really interested and would (of course) be happy to send you cash for the raw materials if need be.

    Let me know, if you can.

  • http://naotenho Eduardo Vilibor

    Olá….gostaria da formulaçao passo a passo, assim como a diferença entre gramas, ue etc…………..

  • Chris

    I am concerned with they glycemic index. I did a little research and it looks like you can pretty much do all of this with coconut flour and a daily vitamin.

     

    I am concerned about the protein quality of the coconut flour. I don't know if it has the nine essentials, but it has the protein and carbohydrates in near perfect proportion.

    Someone let me know if I am way off base here.

    Chris

    • http://www.eet.nu Gerard

      Almost every plant contains 'complete' protein. The essentials are just in different quantities available. Some proteins are preferred by the body and if that one happens to be abundant in the plant, the others do not get a chance and you might miss out on some. Thats why you need to diversify your food.

      • Chris

        Thank you for your input.

        I want to use this for breakfast and lunches and then eat dinner with my family. BTW Coconut flour as way too much fiber. It made for an interesting few days.

        Moderation in all things – including moderation. :)
        Chris

  • WILLOBIE

    He is far from reticent, but he may be reluctant to disclose certain things.

  • Jason

    The whole premise is way too reductionistic. To think that you can buy in bulk macro/micro nutrients from whatever source and mix them together to get all your body needs! I actually tried this a couple of years ago. I bought a vitamix and started blending my food. I wanted to save time and consume nutrients throughout the day in liquid form. BUT…your body needs fiber, it needs a variety of nutrients from a variety of sources to function optimally. Optimal health includes CHEWING because amylase is released when you chew and your digestive system begins secreting other enzymes. WHOLE food in it's most natural form (non GMO) is best

  • buster

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketone_bodies

    The brain gets energy from sources other than glucose. The body is a roaming chemistry set, the byproducts of which have wholistic consequences. 

  • Will

    How about Silica ( or silicon ) ???

  • Jason Serpico

    Rob,

    Have you taken postprandial glucose readings and compared them to your fasting glucose levels? The maltodextrin concerns me somewhat; it is essentially equivalent to glucose in terms of how quickly it elevates blood sugar (in other words, very high glycemic index), and your current recipe calls for 406 grams of it each day.

    But of course, you don't eat the maltodextrin in isolation. Each meal is packed with nutrients — in fact, each meal is packed with all the nutrients that you eat — and I'm sure this has a significant moderating effect on the absorption rate of the maltodextrin.

    Thus the question. I'd be very interested to see a glucose log over a couple of days, with fasting levels as well as postprandial levels taken at hourly intervals after meals (something like 1, 2, and 3 hours post meal). I also wonder how you split up your meals — how many servings per day, how much Soylent per serving, that kind of thing.

    My hope is that the balanced nature of each meal results in postprandial glucose levels no worse than, and perhaps even better than, a "normal" meal consisting of excessive (but complex) carbohydrates and insufficient fats and proteins.

    Aside from that potential issue, maltodextrin is a good choice because it is cleaved into pure glucose. Most of the commercially-available Soylent knockoffs (Jevity, Ensure, etc.) contain fructose, the metabolism of which has some nasty effects if more than a relatively small amount is ingested (i.e. more than what can be ingested by eating some actual fruits). 

    Be safe, listen to your body, and keep us updated on your progress!

    -Jason 

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  • http://www.seriousstrength.com Fred Hahn

    Interesting experiment. You said "but the brain can only use Glucose for energy. In fact, the brain uses 25% of the body's glucose, though it accounts for only 2% of its weight." This is not true. The brain can use ketone bodies very effectively and it is argued preferrably. 200 grams of carbohydrate are excessive. There is, in fact, no need for carbohydrate intake at all. Up the fat instead to create a 70% fat, 30% protein mixture. Your body will produce the required glucose via gluconeogenesis. 

    My bill is in themail. ;) 

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  • http://heelspurs.com scott roberts

    The protein chosen is the "balance" amount which is not the same as optimum nutrition.  By choosing what is the minimum for "no observed adverse effects" for protein if not fat, carbohydrates are being chosen to make up the difference. This excess of carbs is known to coincide with a decrease in health.  Also, there is a big difference between carbs: if all fructose is removed, cholesterol drops in those with with 300 down to 170. This was published in the 1960's when they were studying various diets for inhabiting the moon.  So this experiment was conducted a long time ago in many different ways, but it's hard to get the papers since they were mostly for internal reading at NASA/military before we had so many journals. The amount of vitamin D provided is so low that it will double the amount of cancer (mainly prostate, colon, and breast) if the person does not get much sunlight. Said another way, if everyone took 2,000 IU a day these days, the rate of these cancers would be cut in half.  The amount of vitamin C is only enough to prevent obvious signs of scurvy, not to prevent scurvy.  Primates and guinea pigs (just about the only animals that don't make their own vit C) need about 2,000 mg when converted to people doses.  So this is a diet that mimiks western lifestyle too much.  It is the amounts needed to prevent obvious signs of bad nutrition, no the amounts needed to promote better health.  From my own experiments, I agree that probably not much fiber is needed because there is not any junk like bad fats that needs to be carried out. And an important point of the experiment is to test the effects of getting away from a food matrix of which fiber is a key in timing and release.  There are many plant nutrients not included in this that we have evolved to utilize.  There is a lot of gene signaling and beneficial effects that can't occur without these nutrients. Co-Q10 is also missing which is sometimes considered an essential vitamin. The low levels of B vitamins shown is also known to cause heart disease and cancer in the long term, not to mention earlier onset of dementia.  I say low levels of nutrients "cause cancer" because cancer should be viewed as unatural.  To say an increase in the nutrients would "prevent cancer" implies cancer is a natural and expected outcome and that higher levels of the nutrients is unatural.  When we had to forage for food, we had not genetically modifed the plants with special breeding programs to increase their size, and an increase in size means higher ratio of carbs to nutrients due to the skins containing most of the nutrition and surface area increasing as R^2 and volume increasing as R^3. It's impossible to find food these days that we were designed for. Not even heirlooms are paleo. Even those will have less nutrition per calorie.  Also, the brain functions better on glycogen than glucose, which can only happen when the carbs are low.  Grape seed extract would be more natural and less "manipulative" than ginko and gensing.  Vit A optimum nutrition is 30,000 IU.  400 IU vitamin E is better despite the scare stories.  To see some really detailed research on what nutrients are needed see this: http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10490#toc &nbsp; That web site has data for primates that I like to refer to since the nutrition for lab and zoo animals has been more objected and centered on optimum health and not least amount to prevent obvious signs of malnutrition.  They also have a diet for combat  on that web site.

    • http://www.tumblr.com/blog/chrissoylent Chris Soylent

      I get the sense you know what you're talking about. Any chance you could look at my recipe and make suggestions? I tried to the do the same thing with mostly 'real' food…excepting the whey protein.

       

      http://www.tumblr.com/blog/chrissoylent

       

      thanks!

  • http://heelspurs.com scott roberts

    PS, I am 65 kg and eat only 1,200 calories a day due to calorie restriction.  Whey protein mixed with coffee is my berakfast.  Blueberries, an apple, a lot of vitamins, olive oil, and a slab of meat make up the rest of my diet.  I start getting excess belly fat if I go to 1,400 calories and not exercise a lot more.

  • rh

    There is such a thing as enjoyment in the pure sensuality of eating, texture, flavour, smell.  But then again, I guess, us artsy people, still prefer sex, conception and birth to invitro fertilzation. Why so much convenience? 

  • Lincoln

    Doesn't decreased fat intake of saturated and monosaturated fats decrease testosterone?

    • Lincoln

      You may won't some more taurine or zinc in it

  • Thomas V

    Hi,

    Would it be possible to have an updated list ? (including msm etc… with quantities, and how much of each do you need / day). I would love to try but since getting picked on the "alpha-test" isn't for sure, I'd rather do it myself (I know about chemistry, no worries).

    It would be very nice to as well have attached price /lbs or /kg for each component. This is just to make sure I'm not getting something out of range when I buy.

    Thanks !

  • Devo

    Forgot the last ingredient: people!

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  • Rob

    Hey everyone :D

  • Kathleen

    Quick scan of your blog revealed how much about nutrition you DON'T know– glucose is converted to energy by glycolysis, TCA cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation. TCA cycle alone provides the body with NO ATP. And there are more fats in the body other than triglycerides, such as sterols. What are your credentials??

    And it is widely understood in nutriton that their are phytochemicals and other substances that contribute to the nature of foods and their impact on our health, though we do not fully understand what they are. Bottom line: supplementation through a product such as yours pales in comparison to eating a diet of whole foods. STOP SPREADING MISINFORMATION!

    • Tommy

      Pharmaceutical industry mole.   

      • Alice Harris

        How is Kathleen a "pharmaceutical industry mole"? She advocates "eating a diet of whole foods", not a diet containing pharmaceutical products. Think about what you're writing before you post it.

      • ohi

        First paragraph is true. He knows almost nothing about nutrition.

        • Imogen S.

          Perhaps be a bit more specific and cite your source, or why bother flinging empty ad hominems?

    • Alex

      I’m afraid I do not understand your argument. While it’s technically true that TCA cycle does not generate ATP by itself, the proton gradient created by TCA cycle does produce ATP. Soylent does include carbohydrates in it’s formulation. But carbohydrates are not essential to everyone’s diet. This is how people living in arctic conditions, where plant carbohydrates are not easily accessible, are able to survive. Ketosis and gluconeogenesis work in tandem to maintain blood glucose and provide energy in people subsisting mostly on fats in animal blubbers.
      As for phytochemicals, soylent includes those too. Vitamin K for example.
      All in all. If this diet works for him, or any other informed individuals, it seems like a very efficient diet. Though everyone should adjust any diet to meet metabolic needs.
      I am a doctor in chemistry and physics with a biochemical concentration, though I will provide cited sources should my credentials leave more to be desired.
      I look forward to your rebuttal and to a respectful discussion.
      Very truly yours,
      Dr. Alexander DeMilo

    • Stirling

      The Kreb’s Cycle is required in order for the electron transport chain to take place. Without the NADH and FADH2 molecules to be the electron donors in the cycle, you would be left with a small 6 ATP per glucose. (somebody check my facts on that?).

      Essentially, saying that the Kreb’s Cycle offers no ATP is like saying that getting up in the morning doesn’t affect getting to work.

    • stopthelies1

      Did you mean ‘stop spreading incorrect information’ or ‘…information that is incorrect’? One could also ask that people stop spreading i ncorrect grammar. ‘Misinformation’ is not a word, nor is it grammatically correct.

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  • Aya yolsen

    This is truly sad, you need to look into science, nutrition, biochemistry and neuroscience.

    This "soylent" thing will bring on infertility and a lot of hormonal issues to men and women. This will only make diseases and cancer more prevalent. kudos for spreading disease.

    • Pierre M.

      If you have serious concerns about this project then please tell me: how did you come to that conclusion?
       

  • Jenni Watson

    I can't help but wonder if this went so well because he was coming from a SAD (Standard American Diet) diet. In lifting we all know that the beginner time period is one where almost anything you do puts muscle on. You can't mess up. So while some programs are better than others beginners frequently start with crap and yet do ok because as long as they are in that golden period of  time we refer to as "untrained" it works. Diets can be the same way. If you've been eating McDonalds and Cokes and Cheetos and Little Debbies anything you do will work- at least in the beginning. Atkins will work, veganism will work, paleo will work and likely Soylent will too. The guy (Rob, I think I saw?) has also stated that he sees no reason for biceps so my guess is that he doesn't lift anything very heavy or do a lot of manual labor. Many of us Americans still do. (I'm sure it's the same in other first world countries.) So we not only have no idea how this Soylent stuff would work for someone coming from a place of already having a good diet nor do we know how it would work for someone with the large energy demands of say a powerlifting athlete or a low income manual laborer. I'd be interested to find out- it's a shame I lack the resources to provide the requested blood tests. Maybe some one else will come along who matches those categories and we can see. 

  • http://lanenadelbolirojo.blogspot.com/2006_08_13_archive.html natural home remedies cough remedies herbal remedy natural health remedies water retention remedies natural healing remedies natural anxiety remedies natural herbal remedies toothache remedies gout natural remedies homemade remedies herbal remedies heartb

    Solid write up. I study something similar here at Arizona State University.
    It’s really stimulating to discover writing from other writers and observe a little bit from their source. I’d love to utilize some of this information on my own webpage (if you don’t mind). Obviously, I’ll offer a hyperlink to %target_domain% on my blog. Thanks for posting.

    • Zoltanwelvart

      Hohokam cultivators of algae for fertilizer. Grown onmined plankton.like atlantis. Not biocrusts , mesquite dander, or nitesoil.they carried heavy green dirt.as far as ankorwat.all elements to food, makes food affect mentally, way more than turtle egg, snakeblood, rhinohorn, roastedrattlesnake, bulltesticles.nothing today, not since the mayans, miles of brite green canals.algae cultivators.i like , olmec , learned by watching ants.in planktonhill carry only water.to grow something underground on plankton.slime.likely, oreven fungus.whatever the colony is very robust.their little hillbrought up by backhoe, is part of billions of ship containers, but underground.tunnel below my town produced events by nutrition.7 pyramid building citystates.gardens of eden, babalonia, and certainly , atlantis. I’m from basin onfloodplane whales would wellcome your accidental runoff.they might talk well of yoj for a change.

  • Julian Rai

    That's %target_domain%.com to you, buddy.

  • Jarvis

    If Rob wants to profit from his own invention, I say we should just let him.

    I'd be prtty pissed if I invented something and then wasn't allowed to profit from it.

    Some of you are clearly just that blind and self-centered.

  • Adynaton

    No floride?

    • Fishy

      If he is using tap water it's common for most city water to have floride added to it.

  • Mr X

    I consumed only the lemon detox mix (1/4 lemon, 1 teaspoon syrup, 1 glass water, pinch cayenne pepper) for 1 month and lost 60lbs(from 240 down to 180lbs) without illness or any side effect(apart from a shrunk stomach when i started eating again). I would be curious to try your diet and see how it works. Feel free to msg me. as I may be eager to try this.

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  • Fishy

    I really love this idea. I'd be willing to either pay for a "how-to" or to have you ship me some for breakfasts and lunches? I'm a single mom with a full time job and I go to school at night. When I got out of the Marine Corps I wanted to keep in shape, but I've had no energy for anything. I'm 5'1" and would be happier to gain weight (my doctor suggested between 10-20# more) but don't have the time to make breakfast and lunch for myself. Dinner is a staple for my son and me though.

  • Jessica

    How do I get started on this? I am dieting right now and I would love to start being as healthy as I can.

  • Jennifer

    I am super interested in this. I have ulcerative colitis, and my digestion sucks balls – I can eat and eat and eat and it just all spews out the end and I don't absorb nutrition properly, especially protein (I am chronically underweight). Over the years I have grown an averson to food in general because I hate what often comes after eating, so I frequently skip meals and generally don't eat enough. I take a lot of vitamins to try to counteract this but I would much rather take it all in one dose via something like soylent. Also I hear soylent results in you having less poop, and my life would be so much better if I had less poop, let me tell you. I don't think I'm the only IBD sufferer who would love to turn to something like soylent to avoid the constant bathroom breaks and intestinal upset that comes with the condition.

    • Mike

      I have a malabsorption condition, history of colitis, villous blunting, flat mucosa, caused by immune problem, and am so "hungry" to try soylent.

    • doug

      jennifer did soylent work for you?  less poop?

  • Sophia (AKA Sofa)

    How did you find out what was required? Your "recipe" is for an average adult man plus your needs, but I would be average teen female. Where would/could I find information for my own Soylent? You needn't reply though I would like some help of some kind through email or something. Anything is appreciated.

  • lisa

    Lots of respect for Rob coming up with this. I wish he would be willing to ship a batch without the stipulation of getting the tests done. I understand he wants the results for the experiment but I don’t have the money for that on top of what he would charge for the Soylent.
    Yes, he lists the ingredients but I’m not a scientist not intelligent like him.
    I know I would benefit and life would be easier for me without worrying about what I going to eat every day.
    Again, I have a lot of respect for him taking the time and having the capability to come with it.

  • pam

    Hi, I signed up for testing Soylent, but haven't heard anything back yet.  I hope you got my registration form.  Thank you, Pam

  • Jessie Davis

    I have the skin condition Kerotis Pilaris as well, and just recently heard that Niacin helps to make it go away. I noticed that you consumed 20 mg of Niacin and you noted that your Kerotis Pilaris faded, which I thought may be a result from taking the Niacin. A common reaction to taking Niacin is 'flush', did you have any of the flush symptoms?

  • 笑笑

    interesting~~but if it's solid might looks better.

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  • Jake Hill

    So I bought a bunch of suppliements and have all of the vitamins and such covered. And I am eating 1 cup of uncooked white rice for my 200g carbhydrates. 

    Do I just have this once a day? or for every meal? So take 3 of the multivitamin pills, and other substitutes. The above vitamins and such are daily value right? so once you take that just need carbs right? 

    • Betty

      You going to have to cut your pills up. His list up there is a all day dose.

  • Earl

    Rob, the Institute of Medicine recommends that children and adults consume 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories of food they eat each day.   Assuming a guy with your height would consume 2000 cal/day, your fiber intake (5 g/day) is far below the recommended daily allowance.  Add inulin to your product (it’s a good fiber and a probiotic at the same time).  Fiber also creates a longer satiety. 

    As for K, P, Ca, Mg, these micronutrients' salt formation is important for absorption.  The body cannot absorb the nutrients as K, P, Ca, or Mg (therefore buying them from a lab supply store or university is NOT a good idea not to mention these most likely will not be food grade products)

    Finally, I will not be cavalier with sodium, although the daily allowance for sodium is 2,300 mg, people at high risk of health problems from salt should make 1,500 milligrams their limit. Who’s at high risk? Nearly 70% of U.S. adults!   The high-risk group includes people who are over age 40, people who have high blood pressure or slightly elevated blood pressure, people who have diabetes, and African Americans.

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  • Les Bonser

    This concept is nothing new. It's been around since at least the late 1950's. Several similar products exist and are available commerically. They are generally called "elemental diets" and are used for specific medical conditions like short-bowel syndrome and Crohn's Disease. Norvartis used to make Vivonex (I think Nestle Health Science make it now) that I was given when first diagnosed with Crohn's. It's ungodly expensive, but will sustain human life.

     

    Here's the link to Nestle's website: http://www.nestlehealthscience.us/products/Pages/VIVONEX%C2%AE-T-E-N.aspx

  • Nicola Anne Jones

    Worst name ever.  Unless it is made from people…because Soylent Green is PEOPLE! 

  • Marty Ford

    Rob,

    I saw your televison inrterview tonight. Can you send me a sample of your product which sounds interesting and innovative?

    Send me an e-mail and I will e-mail you back with my mailing address.

    Thanks,
    Marty Ford

     

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  • http://www.drlight.org Erik

    I'm curious if I will be able to order Soylent from you. And when. And also if you can pay for it with EBT (foodstamps). You should make sure to apply for that if you have not already.

  • Tim lundeen

    You might like the Jaminet's book, Perfect Health Diet. Best analysis of nutritional requirements I've seen anywhere. 

  • bernard

    is the whey, lactose free? any other ingredients that contain lactose? what about glutten?

  • Brady

    Your system charged me twice for $65. There was no support page so I didn't know where else to type it. I would only like to purchase a one week supply. Please help me to remove the charge from my card.

  • Alex Baranosky

    Hi Rob,  
     

    I'm in San Mateo and would like to know if I could meet up with you and buy some Soylent from you to try?

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  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzcHZevx8zo keygen for skyrim

    magnificent points altogether, you simply received a new reader.
    What would you suggest in regards to your post that you just made a few
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  • http://WhatsinSoylent? Jannie Garza

    Where do you find these ingredients anyways?

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  • Malivel

    Well, everyone get the soylent green reference, but is the "mostly harmless" refering to some douglas adams book? =)

    Another alternative, that I will try will be to use insects/rubisco protein extract/mycoprotein or even azolla for the protein source, as I will cultivate insects

    And maybe spiruline and yeast extract for some B vitamins.

    You might aswell use sunflower oil for the vitamin E.

    I will add some Shiitake too, if I manage to grow enough of them.

    Very interesting stuff, indeed.

  • Malivel

    just to get the follow up comment, you might want to moderate this post.

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  • fleks

    Вы тут все дебилы  попросту заебёте даже Эйнштейна!

     

    Не мешайте человеку с работающим мозгом помогать людям!

  • Personal Trainer in NTC

    I think this is a decent survival food as an nyc personal trainer I will reccomend this product. I have a few questions:

    What are the ingredients.

    What quality level are these ingredients are they organic?

    GMO?

    Genetically Modified?

    What kind of protein is used?

    Is it whey? or vegetable based protein?

    If it is whey what quality milk does it come from?

    Is there a vegitarian option?

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  • matt

    Vitamins, minerals, macro nutrients, elements,
    electrolytes, enzymes,
    essential and non essential amino acids, essential
    and non essential fatty
    acids, sugar, starch, fiber, protein, citric acid, salt,
    water. Some things you forgot.

  • Pavel.

    Uff, how terible mixture. What about the true meal made by the lovely wife?

  • Jaroslav Machovsky

    How is much cost product?

  • http://nopage MR. Anonym

    hello,

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    social groups

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  • Sarah

    Hi Rob, I was looking at your ingredients, and just thought I'd mention that grape seed oil has more polyunsaturated fat in it with the same total overall unsaturated fat content, so it's definitely another oil to consider using. It's said to be tasteless, unlike olive oil, which allows it to be used rather universally, and it tends to be significantly cheaper than olive oil. 

  • matt

    Can’t anyone make something like this with a blender, a multi vitamin, spirulina, milk, peanut butter, chocolate, enzyme tablet and corn starch and make something a lot more tasty and nutritious and for cheaper? Is this drink going to be really cheap?

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  • Betty

    This is awesome! Rob keep up the great work and I hope you go far and fast. I'm young and have nerve damage that makes it hard for my body to digest. It could get to the point where they want me to have a feeding tube. Right now they just want me to cut out most foods, over cook everything so it's soft, blend it, stick to not really chucky soups, or make it into a shake. Just having something to drink that would fill my bodies needs that wouldn't make me sick would be like I said AWESOME because I can't get the things I need out of food anymore. Screw the haters. Some of us don't have a choice and you willing to be your own lab rat is great. Good Luck!

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  • Stephen F.

    What makes you think that the past 100 years or so of scientific experiments involving nutrition have uncovered all the nutrients that humans need for a healthy, long life? What are you consuming in your rather simple cocktail to supply those essential components that some experiments won't discover until next year or in 2035? The human race survived until the era of farming by consuming what was available in nature to hunt, catch, trap, and pick. Science won't be able to tell us all the essential molecules in a leaf of kale or other vegetable, fruit, and other natural foods for probably many more decades. You're not getting those unknown substances in your synthetic meals. You may want to buy a few mice and see how they do on your cocktail compared to how they do on their natural diet. You may want to follow their health and reproductive health for a few generations. Check out "Pottenger's Cats" experiments if you haven't already done so. Your cocktail may provide a superior diet to the typical modern American junk diet of mostly processed foods, which could explain why you are feeling better on it after only a relatively short time.

  • Lynn Peterson

    2 quick questions….1)  it is called Soylent…does it have soy in it?  I am terribly allergic to soy; 2) what is approximate cost per person/per month

  • Shaun

    Being a rather robust male weighing in @ 330 lbs., I am thinking about this as a weight loss/muscle enchanver endeavor. However, it sounds like these portions are geared more towards your average sized person. I would like to try it, but would need to tweak the formula to meet my specific mass needs. I think you are onto something good, but think it will require a few generations of products to dial it in. I would suggest including spirulina and probiotics to your ingredient list and dumping the soy.

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  • Shawn

    I tripped over this site while searching for an issue that I'm having concerning my diet.  I don't eat anything for 72 hours; afterwards, I eat for 24 hours, and then I start the cycle again.  I've been doing this for a while now; I've notice similar gains in energy, cognitive ability, etc….  However, I I find myself dealing with severe abdominal pain during the time period that I'm allowed to eat.  My question — Has anyone done your diet for a long period of time and tried to return to regular food?  If so, did they experience digestion issues?  I only ask because, I feel as though I'm somehow weakening my digestion system.  Therefore, I'm looking for an alternative to food.  However, I would love to be able to eat Christmas dinner with the family. :)   I apologize in advance if this topic was discussed earlier.

  • Jeff

    When projected this would be great for my backpacking gear. Mr. Rhinehart will sertainly have a built in consumer base with the "prepper" and " survivalist" crowd. And just think how much us USA tax payers will save if this proves to be a cheap alturnitive to our food drops in other countrys. Disaster relief, food shortages could be a much easier problem to deal with in the future. You go ROB! Make it rich, and put me down for a few orders while your at it.

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  • Megan

    I think this could have great application for people who already have diseases. Living with congenital heart disease (since birth) means that if I eat too much salt I retain water to the point I can't breathe, have too little potassium I develop atrial fib (which can cause a stroke), and too little protein I feel really weak. Plus all the energy required to shop and prepare food really takes it out of me. At the moment I added protein bars to my diet so I only have to prepare 2 meals instead of 3 but I'm not sure if this is 100% safe. This would also be really helpful for people who can't eat solids.

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  • Chris Soylent

    802bikeguy….thanks so much for your suggestion! You're the first to review the nutrients in the monster poo recipe. Looking into the B vitamins…there is some in the banana, peanut butter, yogurt, and my morning egg but I think you are correct – there is not enough.  Looking for a good source that won't detract from palatability. 

    • http://www.802bikeguy.com 802BIKEGUY

      Chris, I did some research on vitamin B and found that a great source for it is nutritional yeast (also called brewer's yeast or in Australia: savory yeast). It can be purchased in bulk at stores like Whole Foods. On tbsp gives you most of what you need. 

      I've modified your recipe notably in an effort to make it more complete/balanced. Trying to get the protein/fat/carbs ratio close to 33% each. Once I finalize it, I'll post it.

    • http://chrissoylent.tumblr.com/ Chris Soylent

      Ok, awesome. Hopefully the yeast doesn't affect palatability, I'm ordering some to try it. Is the 33/33/33 ratio that important to you…seems the jury is still out on what is best. 

      • http://www.802bikeguy.com 802BIKEGUY

        Chris, 

        I did some reading on the ratios and generally I read that what's more important is 1g of protein per pound of body weight, and .35 to .5g of fat per pound. Please share some links if you have other data. Then get the remaining in carbs up to your necessary calories which is based on age/weight/activity level, etc. 33/33/33-ish is just my starting point and open to modification. They say nutritional yeast is almost like a powdered cheese, lots of people love sprinkling it on popcorn. Fortunately for me I can chug anything regardless the taste or texture. I just discovered nutritional yeast last night and haven't had a chance to go buy some so I can't comment on the taste. 

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  • http://www.0gPuzNL5p9.com/0gPuzNL5p9 Armando Stakes

    Got my first letter yesterday! Loved it. I feel like I am a aspect of something excellent that is just starting to occur. Feeling a strange sensation of community around it all. Maybe you are on to something here! Who would have ever believed that folks would actually print out words on paper just to have it sent through the mail to another person’s mailbox. Next thing you know, peoe is going to be growing their own food and walking or riding bikes everywhere. It’ll by no means get the job done, damn progress.

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  • Peter M. Olsen

    This is really awesome. I'd like to try it. However, I'm bi-polar and wondering if this may conflict with thr meds that keep me normal. :) Anyone else with this issue?

    • http://mostlymeatiswhatieat.blogspot.com DePa

      I also have bipolar and need a ketogenic diet to help keep me stable so such a recipe would need to be different for me… Probably mostly based on cream and they with vitamins/minerals.

    • http://mostlymeatiswhatieat.blogspot.com DePa

      I also have bipolar and need a ketogenic diet to help keep me stable so such a recipe would need to be different for me… Probably mostly based on cream and whey with vitamins/minerals.

  • Felipe

    Replacing natural products by synthetic ones for nutrition has been 

    scientiffically demonstrated to be very dangerous for health. Be carefull

  • yam

    Hello! We living in suisse, where can we buy it? Can we sell it) thanks . Yam

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  • DaLiCaM

    This food is also designed for people with diabetes?

    • Stirling

      I believe that this diet could work for someone with diabetes as it is very controlled and easy to adjust if needed. but consult a doctor!

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  • Ulrich

    After having done your Kickstarter program and all the experimenting and trials, would you be willing to post a more updated version (ingrediants list) for Soylent?

    Perhaps a few different lists for people of different buiilds. I remember reading someplace that you're 6'3" tall. I'm about the same, 6'2" last I checked. I've never been one to hold a gym membership in the past, but I'm beginning to look at my own excercise routine to drop some belly fat that I've had since I was a kid.

  • Chris H.

    By the way, are you in the process of procuring a patent for your product? (Or several?) What about copyrighting the list and amounts of ingredients? You sound like the kind of person who would rather not have to go through a hellishly long process of proving you were the originator of this wonderful new food, much like the man who had his delayed-wiper circuit for autos' stolen by the Big Three.

    NO! I am NOT a Lawyer (Don't even work for one those… Anyway, I trim trees for a living.) Soylent sounds like something a big food industry or pharmaceutical giant would love to copy without permission and make a bundle on. There are people out there like that, unfortunately. Just sayin'…

  • http://www.dynamicstips.com/sharepoint/acute-kidney-failure/ max

    There are certainly lots of details like this to take into consideration. This is a great point to bring up. We offer the ideas above since general inspiration but plainly there are concerns like the one anyone bring up where the most important thing will be working in sincere good trust. I don?t determine best practices have emerged around things like that, on the other hand am sure that your job will be clearly defined as a fair video game. Both children feel the affect of just a moment’s pleasure, through out their lifestyles.

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  • jade

    What are the full chemical names for these ingredients? And where do you buy them from?

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  • Brandon

    Hey Rob,

    Thanks for being a guinea pig for science.

    You might want to consider that many food additives are derived from petroleum so if one of the intentions of Soylent is to lower our ecological footprint, you need to be confident that your ingredients come from sources that don't overshoot that carbon footprint.

    Also If you are concerned with longevity you might want to look into adding Resveratrol. Too much will lower blood sugar but it could be beneficial.

    Thanks.

  • Nilsern

    A good idea in general, although I`m not sure you can survive on it forever due to different needs for minerals etc during different lifestages. For instance, elderly people needs more vitamin D. Pregnant women may need more iron.

     

    Another thing is that the overall fatt-content is low. If I remember correctly, minimum fat-intake should be 25%. I think WHO recommends atleast 25-35% (soylent has about 21-22% fat). For people with metabolic syndromeDB2 (which accounts for up to 20% of the population) etc a far higher fat-content would be advisable. If I were you I would make a few different soylents to reach out to a broader audience. But as a general product, my only consern is the low fat-content which is below what about every expert recommends,

    • dailydumbdown

      Yes, but 25% of CALORIES, not grams of food. fat has 9 calories/gram, so this mix actually hits and exceeds the threshold.

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  • Juanito

    “The brain can only use Glucose for energy.” This is wrong. The brain can use ketones for energy; carbohydrates are in fact the least important nutrient to the body; you can live a healthy lifestyle without any carbohydrates at all.

    • Nate

      This is wrong…

    • Kat

      Ketones are acids and are the “emergency” food for the brain. That doesn’t mean you can just eliminate carbohydrates from your diet. Excess of acids on the bloodstream is very dangerous.

    • Stirling

      what?

    • Niti

      You need carbs or you will die. You have no idea what you are saying.

  • Jocob Knight

    Something I have often wondered about is how precise the food-craving mechanism of the body is. If you are into experimenting with your own body and you want to take this particular experiment to the next level, then you may want to see if it is possible to train yourself to crave exactly what you need. You could start by creating Soylent-versions that were borderline-deficient in all nutrients except for one and give them each a unique feature (color, taste, name, etc.). Each meal would then cycle through these nutrient-specialized versions while at the same time dedicating your mental activity to associating the said unique feature with that particular version. My (completely biased and totally hopeful) hypothesis is that your mind will learn how to crave the nutrients it needs. Then rather than cravings like “lightly salted corn on the cob with Tabasco sauce”, you would have cravings for the nutrients themselves. If my hypothesis is correct and training yourself is possible, then your problem of variable nutrient needs could be solved by a simple orientation period. Once established, any potential “Soylentian” would instinctively know how to formulate their drink to suit their bodily needs both from the start and as their age or circumstances changed. It’s all hypothetical, but then again great ideas start with courage and curiosity.

    • Stirling

      This intrigues me. I plan on starting a Soylent diet soon, and am very much willing to try this. I will report back with my findings.

    • eo2

      Brilliant!

      I’d hope Soylent would offer such a version set prepackaged, in the long term.
      You’d only need versions for nutrients with notable side-effects (when overconsumed (in reasonable amounts)). For the others, I guess you could just put in as much as anyone could possibly benefit from. (I think vitamin D is a suitable example of such a nutrient, of which you can (and should) take in a sizable amount (relative to the recommended daily dosage) without any problems.)

    • eo2

      It might speed up the training to have the unique features of each respective version resemble muggle food which contains particularly much of the nutrient, e.g. yellow lemon flavor for vitamin C.

    • James McManus

      I’m kind of skeptical if we can train ourselves to crave specific
      nutrients, but an experiment like that would certainly be interesting if
      you don’t mind the risks.

      My own hypothesis for cravings is that we crave sweet, salty, and greasy foods because, historically, those tastes were associated with foods that contributed to human survival (and/or our species adapted to the foods our ancestors craved). E.g., sweet->fruits, salty->coastal seafood, greasy->cooked meat. Sour and bitter might also fit in there, though I’m not sure if people really “crave” them.

      Now, the food industry has the ability to impart those tastes in abundance upon anything that is even remotely edible, so we have this cognitive dissonance of craving snacks that are terrible for our health but taste oh-so-good, while nutritious foods taste bland by comparison.

  • Daily Lomas

    This isn’t a new idea. Slimfast is meant to be a meal replacement. Giving it a name like Soylent is hardly going to sell it to me or anybody else who remembers the film.

    • phillipkslick

      Actually, the name is what makes me want to try it. It sounds like the future!

  • Gimmick

    Okay….So you’re claiming the greatness of your product and how it is both beneficial for you and will save you money…Yet you’re keeping it just out of reach for your everyday person and charging more than you claimed you spent on groceries previously. Seems legit.

  • KevinCease

    I’m a intermediate bodybuilder and I am tired of eating all the time. I would really like to know how I can include this in my daily diet.

  • Lisa

    its not essential for a human body to eat any carbohydrates!!! maybe better raise the protein and omega 3&6 fat acids.
    but the thing is really interesting, maybe i give it a try :)

    • Katherine

      So wrong….. you don’t know what you are talking about.

      • Mike

        Katherine,

        Lisa, is more correct than you seem to believe. The body can produce more than enough glucose for the brain from protein. The human body an synthesize everything it needs as long as it gets essential fatty acids and proteins.

        Carbs can be very damaging to the body in general. They are only needed as physical out put gets excessive.

  • tonal

    I had a very negative experience with this regime, which is outlined below.

    Important note: I did this with three friends, and two of them are doing just fine (and one is reporting she never felt better), while two of us had to give up. Basically, Soylent is great for some people and very bad for others. I don’t know why. In short, feel free to try, but be careful, listen to your body and consult with your doctor!

    So here’s my story, bullet-point style…

    Week 1: Taste is okay, but I feel hungry ALL THE TIME. I am slightly overweight, so I am assuming it’s just my body adjusting.

    Week 3: Lost a substantial amount of weight, probably too much. Feel okay, but hungry all the time.

    Week 5: I felt terrible after about a month on this regime. My body told me VERY clearly that this was dangerous for me. But I was not ready to give up just yet.

    Week 7: Could barely function mentally at this point. I got enough calories since my weight had been stable for three weeks. I decided to give up at this point.

    My doctor told me that the digestive system needs “resistance” to function properly, in the form of volume and real fibers. My system was basically shutting down slowly.

    Why my friends are okay is a bit of a puzzle since we did the exact same regime, the same amount of physical activity.

    • Ananana

      It seems premature to me to decide to jump into full replacement of eating food with this, or any other, product – no matter how nutritionally perfect it could be. Why not do 50% [or any other partial] approach at the start? If nothing else, our bodies are not used to receiving everything in liquid state. If so efficient – it seems clear that elimination of hhardly any surplus will be an issue for the proper use of the digestive tract, no? It seems well, almost, self explanatory that the gradual application should be the approach here. On the other hand, if done less abruptly, I could imagine that your conclusion would have value as it is also, kind of clear that there should, and probably will, be developed adjustments along possibly.gender lines, age groups etc. [good move with open source] a

  • Monica

    I am not a good english speaker, sorry if I commit any mistakes, I’m mexican. This is really interesting. I have anorexia, but with a lot of therapist I have reached the conclusion that is the food what bothers me, I’m not worried to get fat. So I think that this could be an amazing solution to all the people who’s being diagnosticated with problems like mine. Sometimes is very difficult eat any kind of food, and this could be the solution to avoid anemia or even worst conditions. I think that you could change millions of lifes. From hunger and malnutrition, to several medical conditions. So I will follow this project closely, and wait the best from it. Congratulations.

  • http://www.theclippingpathindia.com/ Clipping Path

    “The Institute of Medicine recommends that children and adults consume 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories of food they eat each day. Assuming a guy with your height would consume 2000 cal/day, your fiber intake (5 g/day) is far below the recommended daily allowance. Add insulin to your product (it’s a good fiber and a probiotic at the same time). Fiber also creates a longer satiety.”
    Truly your posts are very concerning and thanks for this useful post,
    Shuvo Rashed,
    Clipping Path India

  • smartpitch

    A lot of schools and colleges get there foods from aramark. The foods lack ingredients and nutritional value they need. I have posted some quick and healthy recipes on my blog. Take a look. http://www.domenickpucillorecipes.com/

    • Niti

      conventional food will kill you with GMO’s and all the petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and pesticides and herbicides. Find clean animals from a farm you know and boil their bones to make broth and add real mineral dense salt like himaliyan salts, ginger root and turmeric root with distilled water. Slow cook the soup in a coker for 10-14 hours and jar. You can make a gallons worth for about $10 and it will nourish you 5 times a day (6-8 oz. servings) for a week without missing a single noursihing need. Heal yourself and make a stronger you with bone broth.

  • Richard Vallée

    Ingredient list is really impressive! Only question is about the real absorption of minerals since science has proven that minerals in non-veggy or fruit form recrystallize in the small intestine thus inducing a ton of additional free radicals that do much more harm than good.

  • James Beaumont

    Hmmm. Rhinehart reportedly eats “a couple of regular meals” a day as well as Soylent. SO this Soylent scam is likely just a supplement if nothing more…

  • dogjudge

    Snake oil at it’s best.

    Omega 3s can’t be absorbed? Not what the FDA says.

    Quit doing tests. You weren’t doing scientific tests to begin with.

  • ellie

    What about k2 is this not needed for the body?

  • Pamela

    Are you still doing this? I am interested.

  • Robert Banks

    Could they have chosen a more creepy name? Somebody needs PR.

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    • Niti

      You need bone broth from healthy animals and to stop eating chemistry project foods. You will not conceive as long as your body is not healthy enough to give and sustain life.

  • Robin

    Is it gluten-dairy-soy free?

  • Michelle Kinnaird

    can you just give me a short list of stuff you need so i don’t have to read something that takes an hour to read. i don’t mean to sound rude and i apologize if you think i sound rude.

  • Wright Eva

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  • apricot kernel extract

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  • arydberg

    Do you use folate or folic acid. It sounds like you are using folic acid and mis-labeling it folate.

  • Niti

    Why is it called SOYLENT? Is it soy based? Soy is a tumor grower and a hormone disruptor. I think it is interesting you are doing this. I am however uncomfortable with the manmade food aspect of this project so therefore I would never participate nor would I ever allow my children to participate. Nature is more complex and though this is a good way to avoid many toxins, bone broth is natures answer to this problem you have addressed. If you get bones from farmers raising animals on correct Soy & GMO Free feed and on pasture you can use the bones to boil into broth, Broth can raise the dead. It is far simpler to make and NATURE ensures your body get the perfect balance of fats, essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, cholesterol and everything else you require for optimal health PLUS the benefits of micronutrition that the animals pass on in ways that you otherwise can not source in any other way. A months supply of bones, distilled water, real salt, ginger root and turmeric root would cost you $88.25 and you would not have to fear missing any essential elements. It is easier to make than PIE! Oh- and you can not mess it up so you won’t suffer any malnourishment. BONE BROTH fills your needs in exactly the way you desire AND MORE SO!! Be sure the bones you use are from healthy pasture based animals.