Does Huel Work for Weight Loss? A Comprehensive Review

Huel produces meal replacements designed to simplify healthy eating by supplying all of the nutrients you need, with no cooking or cleanup required.

While many enjoy Huel for its ease and convenience, others claim that relying on meal replacements to meet your nutritional needs may not be healthy or sustainable.

This article evaluates the benefits, safety, and side effects of Huel and whether it can promote weight loss.

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Huel is a company that provides a variety of ready-to-eat meal replacements and snacks that can help save you time while providing the vitamins and minerals you need.

All of their products are nutritionally balanced and rich in plant-based protein, fiber, and heart-healthy fats. They’re also vegan and free of lactose, soy, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Some of the products that they offer include:

• powdered meal replacements
• ready-to-drink smoothies
• premade meals
• snack bars

Detailed nutrition information and full lists of ingredients are available for each item on their menu.

While the most popular way to use Huel involves replacing your breakfast and lunch meals with their products, Huel notes that the way you use their meal replacements is entirely up to you.

However, they recommend starting with one Huel meal per day and increasing your intake slowly over several days.

You can order items individually or sign up for a recurring subscription for additional savings.

summary

Huel is a company that provides meal replacements and snacks designed to save you time and provide the nutrients your body needs.

Huel products are designed to provide all of the nutrients your body needs.

For example, the Huel Ready-to-Drink chocolate shake contains the following nutrients (1):

• Calories: 400
• Protein: 20 grams
• Fat: 19 grams
• Carbs: 41 grams
• Fiber: 8 grams
• Vitamin C: 67% of the Daily Value (DV)
• Vitamin B12: 33% of the DV
• Vitamin K: 28% of the DV
• Iron: 28% of the DV
• Vitamin D: 25% of the DV
• Thiamin: 25% of the DV

Huel shakes are also rich in various other vitamins and minerals, including calcium, vitamin A, vitamin E, phosphorus, zinc, and B vitamins.

Huel powders contain a similar set of nutrients as the ready-to-drink shakes, with 400 calories and 29–31 grams of protein per serving.

Their prepared meals also contain 400 calories each, along with 23–25 grams of plant-based protein.

Meanwhile, the Huel nutrition bars, which are designed to be enjoyed between meals as a filling snack, contain around 200 calories and 12 grams of protein.

summary

Huel shakes, powders, and meals typically contain 400 calories and 20–31 grams of protein per serving, along with an assortment of vitamins and minerals. Huel nutrition bars provide 200 calories and 12 grams of protein each.

Huel offers calorie controlled meal replacements that may support weight loss.

All Huel products include in-depth nutritional information, which you can use to adjust your daily calorie intake to support weight loss (2).

Huel meal replacements are also high in protein, with around 20–30 grams in each serving.

Increasing your protein intake can help keep you feeling full for longer and support appetite control (3).

Their products are also rich in dietary fiber, a natural plant compound that passes slowly through your digestive tract (4).

Some studies suggest that eating high fiber foods may enhance feelings of fullness and increase weight loss (5, 6).

Furthermore, one review of 23 studies found that weight loss programs that used meal replacements led to significantly greater weight loss after 1 year than programs that did not incorporate meal replacements (7).

That said, it may be difficult to maintain weight loss once you’ve transitioned back to your typical diet or decide to stop using Huel products.

summary

Huel products are high in protein and fiber, which may support weight loss. Some research shows that meal replacements may be effective for weight loss, but weight regain may occur once you resume your typical diet.

Huel meal replacements may offer other benefits, too.

Convenient

Huel products require little to no preparation and can be enjoyed in minutes, which may be appealing for people who are short on time.

All Huel meals and snacks are also nutritionally balanced, providing a good mix of protein, fiber, healthy fats, and essential vitamins and minerals.

This can help take the guesswork out of healthy eating and ensure that you’re getting the nutrients your body needs.

Enjoying a well-balanced diet may help improve your blood sugar control, reduce food cravings, and protect against conditions like heart disease or obesity (8, 9, 10).

What’s more, all meals are delivered directly to your door, and subscription plans are available for added convenience throughout the week.

Sustainable

Huel is committed to sustainability and produces high quality products with a long shelf life to help minimize food waste.

All products are also vegan and thereby free of animal products. Studies have shown that plant-based foods require fewer natural resources, produce less greenhouse gas emissions, and have a smaller carbon footprint than animal-derived foods (11).

Additionally, all bottles are made from 51% recycled materials and 100% recyclable.

Furthermore, the company has committed to switching to 100% recyclable packaging by 2025 to reduce its environmental impact.

summary

Huel meal replacements are very convenient for those short on time, and the company employs sustainable practices. Notably, their products can help reduce food waste and promote sustainability.

Huel costs a fraction of the price of prepared meal delivery services, with their signature Huel powder starting at just $2.12 per serving.

That said, Huel offers packaged food — not fresh or frozen. Their offerings are limited and not directly comparable to those of many meal delivery services, such as Dinnerly or Factor, which are significantly more expensive and cost $5–$15 per serving.

Other Huel products range in price, such as the nutrition bars, which start at $2.08 per serving, or the prepared meals, which cost $3.65 each.

Keep in mind that although it may be a cheaper option than other meal delivery services, it’s expensive compared with many other meal replacement options.

SlimFast, for example, offers a variety of meal replacement shakes, smoothie mixes, and snacks, which start at around $0.49 per serving.

Similarly, Soylent offers meal replacement powders starting at just $1.82 per serving.

Finally, some of their products, such as the nutrition bars, are more expensive than store-bought snacks like trail mixes, yogurt, or protein bars, which usually cost $1–$2 per serving.

However, many Huel products can still help save you money, time, and energy compared with buying ingredients individually and preparing your own meals at home.

summary

Huel is cheaper than most meal delivery services but more expensive than some other meal replacement options.

Although Huel can be a convenient alternative to cooking, there are several drawbacks to consider.

For starters, consuming meal replacement powders and drinks instead of real foods may feel boring, repetitive, and unappetizing over time.

It could also be challenging during social situations, such as dining out or eating with family or friends.

In fact, studies that involve the use of low calorie meal replacements typically have high dropout rates, which may be because they can be difficult to stick to in the long term (12).

What’s more, rather than encouraging long-term, sustainable dietary and lifestyle changes, Huel depends on prepackaged meals and snacks to promote health.

Research suggests that using meal replacements may lead to greater weight regain in the long run, compared with other dietary and behavioral modifications (13, 14, 15).

For this reason, it may be difficult to maintain any changes in your weight or health once you discontinue the products and resume your typical diet.

Finally, while the products may be more cost-effective than grocery shopping and preparing your own meals at home, they’re pricier than other similar meal replacement programs.

summary

Meal replacement diets can feel repetitive, make social situations more challenging, and be difficult to maintain long term. Huel is also more expensive than other meal replacement options.

Rather than relying on Huel for all of your daily meals and snacks, consider using it to complement a healthy, well-rounded diet.

For example, you could keep some of the powdered, ready-to-drink, or prepared meals on hand for days when you’re running low on time as a healthy alternative to fast food or delivery.

However, the rest of your diet should preferably consist of balanced meals that are rich in nutrient-dense whole foods, such as fruits, veggies, whole grains, and healthy fats.

Using Huel just a few times per week instead of relying on the products to meet your nutritional needs can help you build healthy habits to support your long-term health.

Additionally, it may increase the likelihood of maintaining weight loss over time, especially once you decide to discontinue the products.

summary

Using Huel to complement a well-rounded diet can help you build healthy habits and maintain weight loss long term.

Huel is a company that produces meal replacements and snacks to help save you time in the kitchen.

Although Huel is a convenient alternative to cooking and can promote short-term weight loss, you shouldn’t depend on it alone to meet your nutritional needs.

Instead, try enjoying it as part of a nutritious diet as a convenient meal or snack option to help maintain weight loss long term.

Get started with Huel here.