I swapped my breakfast for Huel for two weeks – this is what happened

It’s been a while since I played with my diet. I tried all kinds of tricks, from the keto diet and intermittent fasting to quitting drinking two liters of water a day. I always enjoyed seeing the effect changes in my diet had on my body and mind. That’s why I jumped at the chance when Huel asked if I wanted to exchange my Black Edition Ready-to-drink breakfast for a few weeks.

It’s not the first time I’ve tried Huel. I used to cover nutrition at T3 (now mostly done by my colleague Bryony) and have tried many protein powders And mass gainer varieties. By the way, I have the Huel black edition a few years ago, during the pandemic, when many of us were looking for alternative ways to consume our daily diets (while the stores were empty due to panic buying).

While I have always been a bigger fan of whey-based products, I appreciate the environmental impact of using milk-based supplements. Vegan foods, like Huel, are better for the planet – that’s for sure. My biggest gripe with them was the slightly grainy taste and the fact that they often repeat themselves.

The Ready-to-drink Huel is a little different. It is premixed and has a smooth consistency. Plus, it comes in a bottle so you can take it with you anywhere, adding to the Huel RTD’s already well-rounded convenience factor. I certainly appreciated this aspect, although I couldn’t help but feel that those bottles, even though they are recyclable, are probably not as sustainable as reusing your own mixing bottle.

On a more positive note, I liked the nutritionally complete nature of the drink. It contains a whopping 400 calories per bottle and contains 35 grams of protein and all 27 essential vitamins and minerals. The brand claims the blend has 151 proven health benefits, from improved muscle function to better cognitive performance.

These benefits obviously relate to Huel’s ingredients. For example, vitamin C is beneficial for collagen production, and the Huel RTD contains it; therefore, the argument is that the drink itself helps increase collagen levels. I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that the product contains these ingredients, but neither is the Huel RTD a magic potion that will turn you into the healthiest person overnight.

Huel Black Edition Ready to Drink press images

(Image credit: Huel)

That said, drinking Huel in the morning trumps many other ‘breakfast’ options, including most cereals, toast or whatever you can get from Greggs (although I’m sure you can buy healthier stuff from them these days). Drinking Huel RTD delivers vitamins and especially protein to your system in the morning.

I got the Iced coffee flavor, which I thought was only coffee flavored. It turns out that it contains a healthy dose of caffeine (about 100 mg), which did make me feel a little hyper in the morning. You see, I gave up regular caffeine earlier this year; I only drink coffee occasionally. When I started drinking Huel RTD, I could definitely feel the caffeine in my system!

You can of course also choose other flavors that do not contain caffeine. I think the Iced coffee option is an interesting choice. I don’t see coffee drinkers swapping their hot morning drink for the Huel RTD, but then they drink an extra cup of caffeine every morning. Or, if you’re not a coffee drinker, add a regular source of caffeine to your diet, which may not be optimal for most people.

Other than that, I got used to drinking Huel RTD pretty quickly. Initially I was concerned about how well it would fill me up, but I didn’t feel any hungrier than any other type of breakfast I’ve had in the past. I love the convenience factor – I often threw one in my bag when I had to go to the office or catch a flight.

Huel Black Edition Ready to Drink press images

(Image credit: Huel)

The taste isn’t that bad either. It comes in a few different flavors which is excellent and makes it less likely to get boring as you can always cycle through the different flavors. All flavors have a distinct Huel taste, but the different options make it feel fresh.

Would I continue to use Huel every morning? It wouldn’t be the worst idea, but I think the Ready-to-Drink version is best suited as an occasional option due to the construction of plastic bottles. A more sustainable option would be to mix your own mixture and use RTD, when taking the water and the powder separately is not an option.

You can purchase Ready-to-Drink bottles at Huel UK And Huel USA (the brand does not appear to have an Australian website). A box of 12 costs £45.50/$72.50 (about AU$83). You can save 10% in the UK (or 20% in the US) when you subscribe, with the shortest delivery frequency being two weeks and going up to eight weeks.