The Huel Hot & Savory Formula Explained

Huel Hot & Savory is a nutritionally complete meal option that’s rich in protein, fiber, and essential fats, phytonutrients and all 27 essential vitamins and minerals

Additionally, it contains no lactose, any animal products or GMO.

Huel Hot & Savory 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] 

There are three types of Huel Huel Hot & Savory:

• Grains - e.g. Thai Green Curry and Mexican Chili
• Pasta - e.g. Chick’n & Mushroom and Cajun Pasta
• Noodles - e.g. Korean BBQ Noodles and Spicy Gochujang Noodles

While the nutrition varies between the three categories, the basic principles of nutrition that are explained throughout this article apply to all hot and savory options. 

Quick Links

• Carbohydrate in Huel Hot & Savory
• Fat in Huel Hot & Savory
• Huel Hot & Savory is Protein Rich
• Huel Hot & Savory is Fiber Rich
• Vitamins and Minerals in Huel Hot & Savory
• Phytonutrients in Huel Hot & Savory
• Ingredients and Nutritional Profile of Huel Hot & Savory 
• Huel Hot & Savory Cautions and Allergen Advice
  

Carbohydrate in Huel Hot & Savory

The carbohydrates in Huel Hot & Savory vary depending on the category. For the grains range, carbohydrates are mainly provided by the brown rice. For the pasta range and noodles range, they are predominantly provided by pasta and noodles. We’ve chosen these forms as they’re ideal for a tasty meal and, in combination with the other ingredients, the fiber allows for a slower release of energy[2]. Plus they provide so much more than just carbohydrates, such as vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

Fat in Huel Hot & Savory

The fats in Huel Hot & Savory are principally provided by flaxseeds and sunflower oil to ensure that essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are in optimum amounts. We’ve included medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) from coconut. MCTs are treated much like carbs, i.e. they provide an energy-rich, sustained fuel and are perfect for those of us with busy lifestyles[3].

There are two essential fatty acids: linoleic acid (LA – an omega-6 fatty acid) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA – an omega-3)[4]. Using our blend of flaxseeds and sunflower oil powder, we’ve ensured Huel Hot & Savory contains sufficient amounts of both of these EFAs as well as other omega-3 and -6 fatty acids. 

Huel Hot & Savory is Protein Rich

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]. We combine plant based sources of protein to ensure each Hot & Savory meal provides all of the essential amino acids, including BCAA's (Branched chain amino acids). Most of the protein is supplied by pea protein and the pulses, with a significant amount provided by the brown rice, and flaxseeds and smaller amounts coming from several of the other ingredients depending on the variety. Furthermore, protein is more satiating than other macronutrients[6], helping you to feel satisfied after your meal.  

Amino Acids and Huel Hot & Savory

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 eleven 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 Hot & Savory comes from pea protein, pulses, brown rice, and flaxseeds. This ensures a range of all essential amino acids in sufficient amounts. The protein from 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. Combining ingredients ensures everything is covered while maintaining Huel Hot & Savory as a vegan.

Huel Hot & Savory is Fiber Rich

The vast majority of Americans do not consume adequate amounts of fiber, with just 5% of the population meeting fiber intake recommendations[21].Healthy adults require anywhere from 25-38g of fiber per day (14g of fiber for every 1,000 calories). One serving of Huel Hot & Savory contains anywhere from 5 to 14g of fiber per serving, depending on which meal option you choose.

The fiber in Huel Hot & Savory is a mixture of soluble and insoluble forms of fiber. These are both naturally supplied from plant based ingredients such as brown rice, pulses and vegetables. The fiber content helps to ensure the formation of normal, solid stools in healthy users[7]. Fiber can act like a sponge, so be sure to consume adequate amounts of water when consuming fiber rich meals like Huel Hot & Savory[8]. 

Vitamins and Minerals in Huel Hot & Savory

The majority of the vitamins and minerals (also known as micronutrients) in Huel Hot & Savory 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 certain  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, so we've reflected this in the Huel Hot & Savory formula. Benefits of consuming more vitamin C include a healthy immune system and antioxidant properties[10, 11].

With some of the trace elements, the levels are higher than the recommended amounts. This is because we only need tiny amounts of them, but the natural ingredients in Huel Hot and Savory are a rich source.

Choline is a conditionally essential B vitamin, and although, strictly speaking, it can be synthesized in our bodies, it’s more efficient to obtain it from our diets[12]. It’s of particular importance for post-menopause[12,13].

Phytonutrients in Huel Hot & Savory

Phytonutrients are compounds found in plant foods that may exhibit some health benefits like disease risk prevention. Huel Hot & Savory’s fundamental ingredients are plant-based foods, which are already phytonutrient-rich and so the benefits are passed onto anyone consuming Huel Hot & Savory. Additionally, we've also included some extra phytonutrients to optimize the Huel Hot & Savory formula and to complement the antioxidant nutrients such as vitamins C, vitamin E and selenium. Antioxidants are important because they reduce the amount of free radicals in the body. Free radicals cause oxidative stress that can have adverse effects on our health, such as triggering disease or adverse effects on DNA, so it is important to have a balance of antioxidants in our diet[5].

Polyphenols in Huel Hot & Savory have antioxidant activity. Huel Hot & Savory's beneficial phytonutrients include:

• Ferulic acid: from brown rice, a potent antioxidant and antibacterial agent[16, 17].
• Lutein: from the flaxseed and we've also added additional lutein in our vitamin and mineral blend. Although not essential, there is concern that diets low in lutein may lead to macular degeneration of the eye in the elderly, as lutein is involved in eye pigment development[18,19]. Lutein is also an antioxidant.
• Zeaxanthin: another antioxidant, this has been added as it also has a role in long-term eye health[20].
• Lycopene: added as it's a potent antioxidant[20].
• Several minor polyphenols that are naturally present from the pulses and vegetables.

Ingredients and Nutritional Information

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice

Huel Hot & Savory Cautions and Allergen Advice

• Diabetes mellitus: For those with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, please review the carbohydrate, sugar and other nutrition facts for Hot & Savory to see if it is suitable for your needs.
• Inborn errors of metabolism: If you have a glycogen storage disorder (GSD) or other inborn error of metabolism where you require dietary manipulation, you should consult your doctor or specialist clinician before using Huel Hot & Savory.
• Pregnancy & lactation: Hot & savory can be included in the diet of those who are pregnant or breast feeding, however it should be limited to one serving per day. You can review more information about Huel and pregnancy in our FAQ. If you have questions about suitability, we suggest you discuss with your doctor if there are any clinically specific reasons why they wouldn’t be suitable. 
• Children: Huel Hot & Savory is not suitable for children under 4 years of age. However, older children may include Huel Hot & Savory as part of a balanced diet that includes a variety of other foods. Huel Hot & Savory should not be their sole source of nutrition as they have different nutritional requirements to adults; for more information please see our Children, Adolescents and Huel article.
• Eating disorders: Huel Hot & Savory can be consumed by individuals with eating disorders as a useful source of complete nutrition if it is an appropriate fit for their current meal plan. However, we recommend that individuals with eating disorders only use Huel Hot & Savory after discussing it with their doctor or relevant clinician.
• FODMAP: Huel Hot & Savory is not low FODMAP.
• Phenylketonuria (PKU): Huel and Hot & Savory is not suitable for those who suffer from phenylketonuria (PKU).
• Medications: There may be specific drug-nutrient interactions relating to a particular medicine you're using, so we recommend you read the drug information provided with your prescription, and if you have any further concerns, please discuss them with your doctor.

Allergen Advice

All Huel products are vegan. 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

1. 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. Atkinson FS, et al. International Tables of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values: 2008. Diabetes Care. 2008; 31(12):2281.
3. Marten B, et al. Medium-chain triglycerides. International Dairy Journal. 2006; 16(11):1374-82.
4. Institute LP. Oregon State University Essential Fatty Acids. Date Accessed: 07/21/20. [Available from: https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/other-nutrients/essential-fatty-acids]
5. Lobo V, et al. Free radicals, antioxidants and functional foods: Impact on human health. Pharmacogn Rev. 2010; 4(8):118-26.
6. 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. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2005; 82(1):41-8.
7. Gallaher D. Dietary Fiber. Washington, D.C: ILSI Press; 2006.
8. Anderson JW, et al. Health benefits of dietary fiber. Nutrition Reviews. 2009; 67(4):188-205.
9. Hathcock JN, et al. Vitamins E and C are safe across a broad range of intakes. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2005; 81(4):736-45.
10. Institute LP. Oregon State University. Vitamin C. Date Accessed: 07/21/19. [Available from: https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-C]
11. Zeisel SH, et al. Choline: an essential nutrient for public health. Nutr Rev. 2009; 67(11):615-23.
12. Fischer LM, et al. Dietary choline requirements of women: effects of estrogen and genetic variation. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2010; 92(5):1113-9.
13. Fischer LM, et al. Sex and menopausal status influence human dietary requirements for the nutrient choline. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2007; 85(5):1275-85.
14. Tang Y, et al. Phytochemicals in quinoa and amaranth grains and their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and potential health beneficial effects: a review. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2017; 61(7).
15. Miguel MG. Betalains in Some Species of the Amaranthaceae Family: A Review. Antioxidants. 2018; 7(4).
16. Adom KK, et al. Antioxidant activity of grains. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2002; 50(21):6182-7.
17. Ravichanthiran K, et al. Phytochemical Profile of Brown Rice and Its Nutrigenomic Implications. Antioxidants (Basel). 2018; 7(6):71.
18. Semba RD, et al. Are lutein and zeaxanthin conditionally essential nutrients for eye health? Medical hypotheses. 2003; 61(4):465-72.
19. Richer S, et al. Double-masked, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of lutein and antioxidant supplementation in the intervention of atrophic age-related macular degeneration: the Veterans LAST study (Lutein Antioxidant Supplementation Trial). Optometry (St Louis, Mo). 2004; 75(4):216-30.
20. Institute LP. Oregon State University. Carotenoids. Date Accessed: 07/21/20. [Available from: https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals/carotenoids]
21. 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/