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Add to SafariWhen comparing Soylent vs MealSquares, the Slant community recommends Soylent for most people. In the question“What are the best food substitutes?” Soylent is ranked 1st while MealSquares is ranked 5th. The most important reason people chose Soylent is:
Prepare multiple meals in minutes - no need to shop for individual ingredients or plan ahead.
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Saves time
Prepare multiple meals in minutes - no need to shop for individual ingredients or plan ahead.
Pro Saves money
Spend less than $10 per day on food, and less than $4 per meal - get more than a day’s worth of meals for less than the cost of takeout.
Pro Consists of all essential nutrients
Eat balanced and wholesome - get all of the essential nutrients required to fuel the human body.
Pro Pro GMO Policy
Pro Solid
Solid food requires chewing, which exercises muscles, stimulating saliva production which contains ions to remineralize teeth. It uses more calories to digest, and doesn't cause as much of an insulin spike as a liquid meal.
"In a 2012 study in the journal Obesity, researchers found that 80% of those consuming liquid meals were hungry after 2hrs of eating, compared to only 5% of those consuming a solid meal (with the same macronutrient composition)."
Pro Nutritionally complete
2000 Calories worth of MealSquares (5) has at least 100% DV of all essential vitamins an minerals.
Pro Made of whole foods
This allows for better nutrient absorption, instead of vitamin pills and powders with poor bioavailability.
Pro Natural ingredients
No preservatives or artificial dyes or artificial flavors or partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats).
Pro Fiber
2000 Calories worth of MealSquares (5) contains 110% DV of dietary fiber.
Pro Vegetarian
No meat or gelatin, but does have dairy and eggs.
Pro Easy to count calories
Each square is 400 calories.
Pro Balanced macronutrients
Calories come from a balance of complex carbs, healthy fats, and protein.
Pro Free of some common allergens
No wheat, soy, corn, or peanuts. Does contain eggs however. Unfortunately their current manufacturing facilities use equipment that processes some of these ingredients, so it's not safe for those with a severe peanut allergy. This may change in the future.
Pro Extra vitamins and minerals
Includes a higher dose than 100% DV of certain vitamins and minerals, but only where there is strong scientific evidence that this is safe and beneficial.
Pro 99% gluten-free
The recipe does not contain gluten, however their current manufacturing facilities use equipment that may be exposed to gluten, so for the hypersensitive (celiac disease), this is not good enough. They may change manufacturers in the future.
Pro 99% Lactose free
Includes lactase enzyme for the lactose intolerant.
Cons
Con Liquid
Con Doesn't have everything your body needs
Soylent does not have everything your body needs. Supplements only represent the current level of knowledge of nutrition requirements, which change and update all the time. It only includes stuff that's currently available in supplement form.
Con Multiple reports of gastrointestinal problems
In 2016, the company announced it would halt sales of the Soylent Bar due to reports of gastrointestinal illness, including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.[29] The company asked customers to discard any unconsumed bars and said it would offer full refunds.[30] On October 21, 2016, the company triggered a product recall.
On October 27, 2016, the company also halted sales of Soylent Powder.[31] The company said tests on the bar had not shown contamination[clarification needed] but also said that some powder users had reported stomach-related symptoms from consuming the powder.[32][33]
Both Manjoo and Ziegler said they had experienced some gastrointestinal problems from drinking it.[23][22] Lee Hutchinson of Ars Technica also reported a brief period of "adaptation gas" at the beginning of a four-day experiment.[15]
Con Carb heavy
The amount of carbs in soylent make it an unattractive option for many. People on low-carb diets or diabetics would not do well on Soylent.
Con Too much sugar
Con Official product not available outside US and Canada
Soylent is distributed only within US and Canada. They are however making efforts to bring it to other countries.
Con Tastes like the milk that's at the bottom of the cereal bowl
Con Not vegan
At least not yet, but they claim to be working on a vegan version. Contains milk and eggs.
Con Requires refrigeration
No preservatives. But should be good for about a month in the fridge.
Con Extremely bland flavor
The flavor is very bland. Only the chocolate chips have any flavor.
The instructions that come with the product suggest microwaving it and adding butter. Cinnamon and sugar/faux sugar maple syrup or honey additions are common to make it more palatable/edible.
Con Still in beta
You may be able to try a sample, but they currently only ship inside the USA.
Con Not enough marine omega-3s
Not enough EPA and DHA for optimal heath. The best option is to eat some oily fish also.
Con Contaminants
Their equipment is shared with other recipes that include gluten and peanuts. This may change in the future, since the recipe doesn't require them.
