Jump to content

The Soylent Revolution (?)


SeanMike

Recommended Posts

So what do you think?

https://campaign.soylent.me/soylent-free-your-body

So I'll quote Warren Ellis, who posted this link on his Twitter feed: " 'I don't need 21 nice meals a week' - Soylent Corporation, epic trollers or beyond-food uberhipsters"

Disclaimer: I'm sitting in Pupatella having a pizza.

If this had any credibility, I wouldn't be finding out about it for the very first time on DonRockwell.com (no offense to Don Rockwell or anything, but "The Journal of Science" it ain't). :)

Not so much "über hipsters" as "über blow me."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I've heard of people trying to do stuff like this before, such as the various "prison loafs" or such. I seem to remember one of the Mythbusters (Jamie, if I remember their names correctly, the guy with the big mustache) had something like that he made.

What makes me suspicious on this one is a bit that they appear to be doing a Kickstarter campaign, but not with any site (that I can tell) that typically hosts them. Maybe because I don't feel like putting my credit card in to find out...the numbers have changed since I last looked at it.

(And, to be honest, if there was something like this I'd be interested in it, because many times I don't want to deal with breakfast, and I tend to eat too much fast food for lunch due to work - and I have no desire to do anything that would involve using the break room there, either.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Apparently, it's not a joke, or if it is, it's being very well-played.

Assuming this isn't a con job or a hoax, this is essentially an oral introduction of TPN.

The difference between living, and being kept alive.

This stuff is nothing more than a version of nutritionally complete enteral feeding products otherwise known as medical foods or foods for special dietary use. There are lots of them currently on the market, including Carnation Instant Breakfast, Ensure, Boost and Slim Fast. They're all essentially the same product at 1 calorie per mL. 2 liters a day, 2000 calories, is enough to meet average needs for an adult. 2-3 240mL cans or bottles of these are equivalent to a meal. Hence you lose weight drinking a shake for breakfast and a shake for lunch.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This stuff is nothing more than a version of nutritionally complete enteral feeding products otherwise known as medical foods or foods for special dietary use. There are lots of them currently on the market, including Carnation Instant Breakfast, Ensure, Boost and Slim Fast. They're all essentially the same product at 1 calorie per mL. 2 liters a day, 2000 calories, is enough to meet average needs for an adult. 2-3 240mL cans or bottles of these are equivalent to a meal. Hence you lose weight drinking a shake for breakfast and a shake for lunch.

Note also these two quotes from The Washington Post article:

1) "For those of us who generally don’t like food, consider it an annoyance, and yearn for a way to avoid eating it, Soylent sounds immensely promising."

2) Rhinehart is currently looking for volunteers to try Soylent and then conduct blood tests — and, full disclosure, I’ve offered to try it"

I'm not busting on the author - God love him, and he did make full disclosure - but the reader should be acutely aware of these two quotes; I originally missed the second one because I got pulled away mid-article.

I have friends who've used KickStarter, so I'd rather not criticize it, but had my (proud, depression-era, buy-only-what-you-can-afford (*)) parents ever found out I was essentially panhandling, they'd have urged me to rethink my position.

(*) My childhood home was purchased for $26,000 in 1955, and after getting ripped off by unscrupulous second-mortgage lenders (may the predators who peddled the Rule of 78s onto naive senior citizens be burning in hell right now) while desperately trying to put their three children through college, graduate school, and medical school, they finally paid everything off, about 40 years later. Mom, Dad, I'm proud of you, and hope that I can always live up to the commendable standards of honesty and hard work you set for all of your children.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Source: New York Times Dining & Wine

A powdered product that purports to obviate the need for eating traditional meals may offer nourishment, but does not deliver any of food's joys.mf.gif

Read full article >>

Holy crap! I just came across this article myself and then went to check out the Soylent website.

As much as I love food (too much judging from my belt notches moving to my left), I sometimes wish there was a substance that I could just funnel down my gullet to satisfy my bodies need for nutrients.

Does anyone want to give this a try? I may just do it.

PS-- Don, perhaps move this to another forum?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Holy crap! I just came across this article myself and then went to check out the Soylent website.

As much as I love food (too much judging from my belt notches moving to my left), I sometimes wish there was a substance that I could just funnel down my gullet to satisfy my bodies need for nutrients.

Does anyone want to give this a try? I may just do it.

PS-- Don, perhaps move this to another forum?

I could swear we've had this conversation before - either that or I dreamt it.

Because I remember bringing up TPN (Google it), and someone rebutting what I said.

---

ETA: Indeed we have (merged).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...