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I Replaced My Lunch With This Superfood Shake For 1 Full Week — Here's How I Felt
- I tend to snack a lot between lunch and dinner, but during the week I replaced my lunch with Huel. I felt satisfied until my next full meal (likely thanks to the blend’s 6 grams of fiber).*
- I’m currently prioritizing a higher protein intake, so I appreciated that each Huel serving has 25 grams of protein—but I’ll caveat that since the powder is plant-based, it’s not as bioavailable (nor as complete) as a whey powder.
- I tried both the vanilla and chocolate varieties, but the chocolate was my favorite. The thick, creamy drink tastes like a chocolate milkshake and the brand uses monk fruit extract as a sweetener, which is a plus.
- Huel’s Daily Superblend has 87+ vitamins, minerals and wholefood-sourced nutrients and adaptogens to support “whole body nutrition,” with ingredients for immune support, cognitive function, beauty benefits, energy levels, heart health, sleep support, gut health, muscle function, and more.*
Life is busy, and it’s not always easy to stick to a healthy diet—especially on busy workdays. I often find myself reaching for quick (read: less nutritious) options for lunch that rarely satisfy my taste buds or my appetite.
But not this week. Instead I replaced lunch with Huel’s Daily Superblend. While I’m not typically a fan of meal replacements shake, this plant-based option managed to change my mind.
Along with tasting like a creamy milkshake, Huel's Daily Superblend kept me full for hours—and the advantages go beyond that. Keep scrolling for my full review on Huel (and a full break-down on whether it's healthy).
What is Huel?
Huel (or Human Fuel) was founded in 2015 with a mission to provide nutritionally complete and convenient food at a more affordable price, with minimal impact on animals and the environment. The brand makes a range of meals (including shakes, instant meals, daily greens, and snacks), each with at least 27 essential vitamins and minerals, protein, fats, carbohydrates, fiber and phytonutrients.
Every Huel meal is plant-based and gluten-free, with sustainable ingredients such as oats, peas, rice, flaxseed, coconut, and sunflower. Alls meals are developed by a team of nutritionists and specialists.
Huel’s pricing is lower than others in the market, starting at about $1.50 per meal—and each product has a long shelf life, which minimizes food waste.
How I tested Huel
What you need to know about the Huel Daily Superblend
Huel’s Daily Superblend is formulated to support your total nutrition needs, and the brand lists a whopping 154 health benefits on its site. Most notably, Huel Daily Superbelnd is meant to promote a healthy metabolism, immune health, digestive support, cognitive function, muscle function, and healthier skin, hair, and nails.*
The Daily Superblend is made with more than 87 vitamins, minerals, and whole-food sourced nutrients. You can find a full image of the nutrition label below, where you’ll see nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, Folate, and Biotin; an organic superfruit blend with apple, elderberry, raspberry, tart cherry, and more.
The brand also uses organic adaptogens such as ashwagandha, reishi, cordyceps, lion’s mane, lemon balm root, and maca; along with an organic greens blend containing broccoli, carrot root, spinach, and other antioxidant-rich greens; and an organic botanical blend with ingredients such as cinnamon bark, burdock root, and dandelion root. While the brand does say the product contains probiotics, the strain source of the included probiotics is not clear.
I also appreciate what isn't in this powder, since many protein powders contain a much longer excipient list.
One single serving of Huel delivers 25 grams of protein, 7 grams of fat, and 26 grams of carbohydrates, including 6 grams of dietary fiber (technically making it an "excellent source"). One serving doesn't meet your daily needs for any of the nutrients included, but the brand’s recommendation is multiple servings per day. Admittedly, I love food too much to ever permanently replace meals with shakes.
The Daily Superblend gets its 25 grams of protein from a plant-based protein and superfood blend made with pea protein, gluten-free oats, flaxseed, tapioca starch, inulin, faba bean protein, and hemp seed protein. Knowing adults should get at least 100 grams of protein per day, I liked knowing I was knocking out 25 grams with just this shake. (Just remember you might want to pair this shake with leucine to maximize the proteins bioavailability.)
Summary
How does the Huel Daily Superblend taste?
Huel shines on taste. I’m on a journey to increase my protein intake. While I’d prefer all my nutrients to come from whole foods, I’ve tried at least a dozen protein powders in the past year alone. Huel tastes better than all of them (and I don’t give that praise lightly)!
Plant-based protein in particular is tough to get right. It often tastes “green,” doesn’t mix in well, and requires me to chug quickly in order to get it down.
To be clear, though: I have found other protein powders that I love, both plant-based and whey—but Huel’s stands out. Thanks to coconut milk powder, the texture is creamy (not chalky!). Even mixed with just water the drink has milkshake consistency.
I’ll caveat that I do prefer monk fruit extract (which is what Huel uses) over other sweeteners, so I may be biased, but the flavor is rich and sweet. When given the choice, I’d always go with chocolate, but I also enjoyed the vanilla flavor.
Both blends had no artificial aftertaste—and I actually wanted to savor the drink instead of gulp it down with my nose plugged.
Summary
How I felt when testing the Huel Daily Superblend
A drink that tastes good doesn’t do me much good if it isn’t also keeping me full and supporting my health. We’ve covered Huel’s ingredients, but let’s get into how I felt while testing the Hule Daily Superblend.
I typically eat lunch around 1 p.m. and my standard options are avocado toast with an egg, leftovers from dinner (typically a protein, grain, and vegetables), or a smoothie and a protein bar when I’m really rushing.
You could choose to mix Huel with a smoothie, but for the purpose of a true, honest review I mixed the powder only with water. This also made things as quick and easy as possible; to make my shakes I simply poured 1.5 cups of water and two scoops of the powder into the Huel shaker and shook it for about ten seconds.
The two biggest differences I felt when testing Huel was more energy and less hunger between meals.* Going into this, I was doubtful that one shake would satisfy my hunger—but thanks to the combination of protein and fiber, Huel kept me full for three to four hours.*
Summary
Is Huel actually good for you?
We’ve discussed Huel’s ingredients and how they could support your well-being, but there are a few caveats to keep in mind when deciding if Huel is right for you.
There are a few threads online from people who say they’ve experienced stomach pains and gas while taking Huel, of course mixed in with rave reviews from those who claim skin improvements, better sleep, and more energy.*
When it comes down to it, everyone’s dietary needs are unique. While the brand markets its products as a replacement for your typical diet, I’d strongly recommend speaking with a health care professional before making such a drastic change.
It’s also worth considering that, because this is a plant-based supplement, it’s not as bioavailable as animal protein—and it’s also not as complete a protein source. And while the brand does note gut health benefits, the exact probiotic strains are not shared on Huel’s label.
Lastly, the Daily Superblend does contain flavoring chemicals (they are natural, but still something to be aware of).
Summary
FAQ:
What is the negative of Huel?
We noted a few negatives above, including plant protein’s lower bioavailability, Huel’s use of flavoring chemicals, and a lack of clarity on some ingredients. Each person will have their own positives and negatives, depending on their nutritional gaps and needs.
Is Huel good for losing weight?
Weight loss is not a goal for me, so I cannot speak to this personally—and weight loss is not one of the benefits listed on Huel’s website.
At mindbodygreen, we recommend an overall healthy diet and movement to support your health goals.
The takeaway
If you also struggle to make every meal a nutritious one when life gets busy, Huel’s Daily Superblend is a great option. I won’t be replacing my meals long term, but I do like knowing I have this shelf-stable, healthy option in my back pocket when I’m in a lunchtime pinch. The creamy blend tastes like a chocolate milkshake and delivers 26 grams of protein, no added sugar, and 6 grams of fiber—which was enough to keep me full until dinner.*
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