The Huel Essential Formula Explained
Huel Essential Powder is a nutritionally complete powdered food that is high in protein and fibre, and low in sugars. It contains all 27 essential vitamins and minerals, as well as a balanced macronutrient split of 56:20:20:4 (carbohydrate, protein, fat, fiber) i.e., 56% of the energy comes from carbohydrates, 20% from fats, 20% from protein and 4% from fiber.
As with all Huel products, Huel Essential contains no lactose or any animal products, no soy, and no GMOs.
The Huel Essential Powder works to meet the HHS and USDA's Dietary Guidelines and Daily Value (DV) requirements for all macro- and micronutrients, and proportion them to provide what you need from a meal[1].
The Huel Essential Powder Formula Explained
Carbohydrate in Huel Essential Powder: Oats and Tapioca
The carbohydrate content of Huel Essential Powder is higher than that of regular Huel Powder, whilst still maintaining a well-balanced macro split. About 56% of the calories in Huel Essential comes from carbohydrates.
There are two main sources of carbohydrates in Huel Essential: oats and tapioca. Tapioca, a starch that comes from the roots of the cassava plant. We’ve used this as a source of carbohydrates, and because it provides a smooth, rounded mouthfeel.
Oats have shown to be a low glycemic index (GI) ingredient [2]. The Glycemic Index refers to the rate after which we ingest a carbohydrate source to the resulting rise in blood sugar[3]. Plus, oats provide so much more than just carbohydrates; they also provide vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. Macronutrients like fiber, protein and fat help to slow the digestion of carbohydrates, and therefore helps to create a slower, stable release of glucose into the blood rather than a “spike”.
Fat in Huel Essential Powder: Flaxseed and Sunflower
The fats in Huel Essential Powder provide 20% of the total energy, and are made up of both flaxseed and sunflower seeds to ensure an optimum inclusion level of the essential fatty acids.
There are two completely essential fatty acids (EFAs) that humans require: linoleic acid (LA – an omega-6 fatty acid) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA - an Omega-3 fatty acid)[5]. Using our blend of flaxseed and sunflower oil powder, we’ve ensured that Huel Essential Powder contains adequate amounts of both essential fatty acids as well as other forms of fat.
Huel Essential Powder is High protein: Peas and Rice
For healthy adults, the DRI recommends that 10-35% of calories should come from protein, or a minimum of 0.8g of protein per kg body weight per day[1]. The recommendation of 0.8g of protein per kg body weight per day is the recommendation to prevent deficiency. We combine plant based sources of protein to ensure Huel Essential Powder provides all of the essential amino acids, including BCAA's (Branched chain amino acids), which is important for maintaining a healthy body and building muscle.
Most of the protein is supplied by pea and brown rice protein, with smaller amounts coming from other ingredients like flaxseed. Furthermore, protein is more satiating than other macronutrients[6], helping you to feel satisfied after your meal.
Amino Acid Profile of Huel Essential Powder
Protein is made up of amino acids. There are over 500 amino acids in nature, 20 of which are known as the standard amino acids as these are the ones that are coded genetically and are subsequently involved in primary protein synthesis. Of these 20, nine are essential as they cannot be synthesized from other amino acids.
The nine essential amino acids are:
Histidine
Isoleucine
Leucine
Lysine
Methionine
Phenylalanine
Threonine
Tryptophan
Valine
The other 11 are:
Alanine
Arginine
Asparagine
Aspartic acid
Cysteine
Glutamine
Glutamic acid
Glycine
Proline
Serine
Tyrosine
Generally, proteins derived from animal foods (meats, fish, poultry, milk, and eggs) are considered complete proteins because they provide all nine essential amino acids. Some plant foods are also complete proteins, including quinoa, buckwheat, and soy. You can also combine plant foods (legumes, seeds, grains, and vegetables) to get all nine amino acids. Many plant foods have insufficient amounts or one or more of the essential amino acids.
The protein in Huel Essential comes primarily from pea protein and brown rice protein. This ensures the inclusion of all essential amino acids in sufficient amounts. The protein from brown rice is high in the sulphur-containing amino acids cysteine and methionine, plus it contains good amounts of all the others, but is very low in lysine. Pea protein is low in cysteine and methionine but high in lysine. Plus there’s additional protein in smaller amounts from the flaxseed. Combining ingredients, Huel Essential Powder is both high in protein and vegan.
Huel Essential Powder is High fiber: Oats and Flaxseed
The vast majority of Americans do not consume adequate amounts of fiber, with just 5% of the population meeting fiber intake recommendations[4]. Healthy adults require anywhere from 25-38g of fiber per day (14g of fiber for every 1,000 calories). Huel Essential Powder contains 7-8g of fiber per serving (depending on the flavor selected). The fiber in Huel Essential Powder is a combination of soluble and insoluble forms. These are naturally supplied from the food ingredients, mainly from oats and flaxseed.
The high-fiber content of Huel Essential Powder helps to ensure the formation of normal, solid stools in healthy users[7]. Fiber can act like a sponge, so it’s important to consume adequate water when using Huel Essential Powder[8].
Vitamins and Minerals in Huel Essential Powder
The majority of the vitamins and minerals (also known as micronutrients) in Huel Essential Powder are from natural ingredients. We then use a micronutrient blend to fortify the product to ensure we are providing all the vitamins and minerals you need from a meal.
There have been numerous studies in the past 20 years demonstrating that, for many micronutrients, levels higher than the DRI may have beneficial effects to health. For example, it’s widely considered that the amount of vitamin C we’re recommended to consume is too low[9,10], so we've reflected this in the Huel Essential Powder formula. The benefits of consuming more vitamin C include supporting our immune system, antioxidant properties and helps with the absorption of other minerals like iron[11].
With some of the trace elements, the levels are far higher than the recommended amounts. This is because we only need tiny amounts of them, but the natural ingredients in Huel Essential Powder are a rich source.
There has been some concern about phytic acid: a naturally occurring substance in some cereals including oats. Phytic acid can chelate (bind) some minerals meaning that they are less bioavailable[12]. As oat powder is a fundamental ingredient of Huel Essential Powder, we've ensured the levels of some minerals, like iron and zinc, are higher, to accommodate any issues with phytic acid chelation. Furthermore, the high level of vitamin C in Huel Essential Powder will also further promote iron absorption[13].
Ingredients & Nutritional Information
Allergen Advice
We thoroughly assess our ingredients and the processes we use to make Huel and whenever we identify potential routes of allergen contamination we will first take steps to eliminate the possibility of any contamination of our product. However, where it is not possible to remove the risk we will clearly highlight any allergens that might be present on our product packaging in line with current US food safety guidelines.
However, we recognize that individuals can have allergies to any protein in any ingredient therefore if you have a specific allergy that is outside of the remit above, please contact us directly and we will do our best to guide you on which products are suitable.
References
Office of Dietary Supplements. (n.d.). Nutrient recommendations. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://ods.od.nih.gov/HealthInformation/nutrientrecommendations.aspx.
2. Tosh, S., & Chu, Y. (2015). Systematic review of the effect of processing of whole-grain oat cereals on glycaemic response. British Journal of Nutrition, 114(8), 1256-1262. doi:10.1017/S0007114515002895\
Atkinson FS, et al. International Tables of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values: 2008. Diabetes Care. 2008; 31:2281 - 3.
Quagliani, D., & Felt-Gunderson, P. (2016). Closing America’s fiber intake gap: Communication strategies from a food and fiber summit. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 11(1), 80–85. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6124841/
Institute LP. Oregon State University Essential Fatty Acids. Date Accessed: 24/10/19. [Available from: https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/other-nutrients/essential-fatty-acids
Weigle DS, et al. A high-protein diet induces sustained reductions in appetite, ad libitum caloric intake, and body weight despite compensatory changes in diurnal plasma leptin and ghrelin concentrations. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005; 82(1):41-8.
D G. ILSI Europe Dietary Fibre. Date Accessed: 01/06/2022. [Available from: https://ilsi.eu/publication/dietary-fibre/]
Anderson JW, et al. Health benefits of dietary fiber. Nutr Rev. 2009; 67(4):188-205.
Deruelle F, et al. Vitamin C: is supplementation necessary for optimal health? J Altern Complement Med. 2008; 14(10):1291-8.
Hathcock JN, et al. Vitamins E and C are safe across a broad range of intakes. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005; 81(4):736-45.
University ILOS. Vitamin C. Date Accessed: 06/06/2022. [Available from: https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins]
Schlemmer U, et al. Phytate in foods and significance for humans: food sources, intake, processing, bioavailability, protective role and analysis. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2009; 53 Suppl 2:S330-75.
Teucher B, et al. Enhancers of iron absorption: ascorbic acid and other organic acids. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2004; 74(6):403-19.
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