Vegan-Connections_Nov18_V3

20 What’s in it?
Surprisingly, it tastes pretty damn good, and it went down 21
Taste It, Don’t Waste It
Words: Isabelle Thul
Is it just me or has 2018 been the year that
has shaken up everyone’s reality? All of a
sudden, the nation seems to be... turning
to bamboo toothbrushes, metal straws and
reusable coffee cups. I could be wrong but
I feel like the past year has triggered both
businesses’ and the public’s moral compass,
with us all beginning to acknowledge the
damage done to our planet. As always, there
is continual room for improvement when it
comes to the environment, because as they
say - there is no Planet B. I am so happy to be
living in a world where the progress in recycling
is evident. Yet, while it is incredible to watch
businesses use biodegradable materials and
so on, there seems to be less attention given
to the simpler things - for example, what
about food waste?
The effects of food waste fall into three
main camps: economic loss, hunger, and
environmental damage. To put it bluntly, food
waste is a very expensive way to unnecessarily
produce 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases.
In 2007, The Telegraph recorded that people
in Britain were throwing away every third bag
of shopping they bought. And in 2015, The
Guardian estimated that UK households
had binned an average of £13bn worth of
food that still could have been eaten. Once
we waste food the majority of it
The main culprits of food
waste are of course those
businesses working within
the hospitality industry
goes straight to landfill and thereafter
decays. The effect of this carbon footprint
is enormous; surely there is more we can do
to help prevent its consequences?
The main culprits of food waste are of
course those businesses working within the
hospitality industry, as well as households. In
an attempt to understand this issue further, I
interviewed a random group of anonymous
individuals who have worked for businesses
in this industry. Each person revealed that the
matter of food waste is severely important.
When I asked how food waste made them
feel, some individuals explained how, in the
past, they had had difficulties with finances so
when witnessing businesses throw food away
because of a sticker, it made them feel extremely
angry. After speaking to these people I was
shocked to hear that a lot of waste comes from
catering companies and shops that sell meal
deals. One individual explained how in her
place of work, a local restaurant, food waste
recycling had not been part of the business
until she spoke up and voiced her passion for
the matter. Because of that, the restaurant
now has designated bins for each individual
type of waste. Some individuals explained
that their place of work allowed employees
to take wasted items home. However, when
waste is rife in an organisation there is only
so much one person can eat!
I finally asked these individuals if they felt
that their workplaces were doing enough to
tackle this environmental issue. One girl who
worked for a large supermarket cafe admitted
that she felt that the company was lacking in
its efforts. She further explained that these
sorts of businesses could team up with food
organisation charities to help do something
useful with the food waste. This is of course
easier said done, but a step in the right direction
would be appreciated.
Another way that restaurants and shops
can help tackle the issue of food waste is via
a Smartphone App called Too Good to Go.
Too Good to Go aims to tackle food waste
in a profitable and ethical way. The app acts
as a middleman by allowing businesses to
advertise their surplus food at a reduced price
for customers to buy. It launched in January
2016 and has since been operating in eight
European countries. The company has said
that within the last two and a half years, over
three million people have downloaded the
app. There are lots of smaller businesses using
Too Good to Go as well as larger companies
such as Yo Sushi. It is brilliant to see that this
problem is beginning to be solved, or at least
have attention drawn to it.
All in all, food waste is still a big problem
within our society. Evidently this problem will
not be solved overnight but it is fantastic to
hear that businesses and individuals are becoming
so passionate and proactive about
the matter. Too Good to Go is a simple but
effective solution. It is a great platform for
firms to make a difference whilst making some
money on the items they would otherwise be
throwing away. Not only that, but the app is
free! So there is no excuse for individuals not
to download it. We should all try and make
a conscious effort to taste and not to waste.
Huel review
Words: Josh Graham
Images: Huel
Before I went vegan and ever since, eating food has
remained one of life’s greatest pleasures, and I don’t
think I’d be met with a whole lot of counter arguments on
that front.
That said, I don’t think my relationship with food
has historically been the healthiest. I’ve always been
an impulsive eater, and although veganism curbed that
impulse in a big way due to its relative inconvenience on
the day to day, I still wouldn’t say I’m exactly where I’d
like to be. People who only view food as a necessary fuel
amaze me, and I think being able to adopt that attitude
from time to time could be beneficial. Late one night, I
had a sort of forced epiphany. I’ve received ads on social
media for a company called Huel for years. Essentially, it’s
a powdered food substitute with an aesthetically pleasing
ad campaign, and although I had toyed with the idea of
giving it a go in the past for the novelty factor of having
the diet of a science fiction character, that night I finally
caved into my curiosity and got in touch.
For full disclosure, Huel were kind enough to give me
a full introductory package, which included a 14 meal bag
of Huel powder (Huel’s minimum order being two of these
bags at £40.50), a selection of flavour boosters, a shaker,
a tote bag, and a nice little booklet to get me started, which
was very nice of them. I’m not someone who is particularly
interested in food tech or exercise and I don’t really keep an
eye on my weight too often, but for reference I’m a 5’11 24
year old male, I’m twelve stone and seven pounds (which
according to the Body Mass Index is on the heavier end of
healthy), and although I don’t exercise regularly I work in
retail and I like to walk as much as I can so I’m on my feet
for most of the day. My aim in reviewing this was not to
look into too much of the food science behind it, not least
because I don’t know enough about it and I don’t care to,
but also because that isn’t necessarily who Huel is aimed
at. Despite its appearance, Huel is advertised as being
a meal replacement, not a supplement, so my question
going into this was: how would I fair living with Huel, and
what changes, if any, would it make to my life? Here’s my
interview with me, to tell you more.
It’s a powdered mix of oats, pea protein, flax seeds, brown
rice protein, MCT powder (derived from coconut), sunflower
oil powder, sweetener (if like me you have opted for the
vanilla variety), xanthan and guar gums (thickeners) and
a micronutrient blend that contains a variety of vitamins
and minerals. But mainly oats.
Is it like a protein shake or something?
It does look an awful lot like a protein shake. Texturally, it’s
also very similar to a protein shake. It is a shake, but it’s not
a protein shake. Huel is a replacement, not a supplement,
claiming to give your body exactly what it needs to function
as opposed to a supplement for building muscle etc. It’s at
this juncture that I should mention that you will get asked
about it a lot. If you thought being vegan was a pain in the
arse for being constantly questioned about your lifestyle
choices, get ready to level up. This didn’t really bother
me too much initially as I’m happy to share my opinions
on almost any topic, but it did get a little grating after a
while. Sometimes you just want to eat/drink your lunch in
peace you know? Also if you don’t shake it properly the
chunks do tend to catch in your throat so I found myself
on several occasions choking while trying to explain what
it is to work colleagues.
Is it easy to use?
Yeah, it’s super easy to use! The official guidelines state
that for a full meal you should take three scoops, add
400ml of water, give it a shake, add another 200ml of
water, and shake again. It is also suggested adding ice
cubes but I didn’t always have them to hand so I rarely
did it and the difference was pretty minimal. Ice cubes
aside, this was completed in about 30 seconds. This was
incredibly convenient in the morning because of my bad
habit of not getting out of bed until I absolutely have to,
with breakfast often forgotten. Not only did it ensure I was
eating in the morning, but if I didn’t have time to consume
it at home, I could do it on the way to work, and if I was
in work, it meant I had more time to just sit and enjoy my
break as opposed to running about Glasgow city centre
looking for something to eat.
“Surprisingly, it tastes pretty damn
good, and it went down more easily
than I thought it would.”
What does it taste like?
more easily than I thought it would. This was mainly due
the fact that I was given the vanilla flavoured variety (unsweetened
allegedly, with an ‘earthy, neutral taste’) and
given that one of the main ingredients is oats, it was like
drinking liquid Ready Brek. The flavour was improved further
(for the most part) by the boosters I mentioned earlier little
sachets of white powder that gave a variety of tempting
flavours, my favourite of which were the delicious mocha
and chocolate varieties. My least favourite, somewhat
unsurprisingly, was mint choc chip, which tasted a bit
like normal Ready Brek straight after brushing your teeth.
Is it good for the environment/ethically sound?
Huel is made in the UK, and leaves zero food waste, which
is great, and is completely vegan and cruelty free. In terms
of packaging, Huel concede that although the plastic/foil
composite packaging is not recyclable (this is in order to
help maintain a better shelf life and prevent damage from
wear and tear), they point out that in relation to the food
industry, the amount of packaging required is negligible.
Huel demonstrate this on their site with a picture displaying
96 years worth of Huel packets, it looked about the height
and width of a chest of drawers. (pictured)
Is it cost effective?
Ish. A single purchase or subscription bag will cost £1.61
or £1.33 respectively. This might not seem like a lot, but
then, not everyone is in a position to shell out a minimum
of 40 pounds every few weeks on top of other food bills for
something that isn’t really intended to see you through a
whole day. This is especially true when you consider that
porridge oats will cost you pennies per meal, and meal
prepping a curry or pasta dish for the working week can also
be far cheaper. However, where it is effective is in stopping
impulse purchases and saving time on food preparation. If
you’re buying your lunch from Pret every day or every other
day, Huel is certainly more cost effective, and is likely to
be better for you. As I mentioned above, it takes under a
minute to make, so you’re paying for the convenience too.
Surely it can’t be good for you just having liquid?
I never had more than two Huel meals a day. According
to the website, Huel is best used when supplemented by
‘normal’ food. Based on what I’ve seen scattered across
the internet, you for all intents and purposes could live on
just Huel, but that just felt silly when I could easily cook
something for dinner when I arrived home. When using
it at work, I felt sufficiently full throughout the day (even
more so when I paced myself by having a few sips every so
often as opposed to consuming it one sitting), but looked
forward to eating a real meal by the end of the day. As
advertised, Huel is exactly what your body needs, which
granted me peace of mind, and made me drop about 4
pounds over the two weeks I had it, which was pretty cool!
Are you going to keep it up?
I think so. Whether I have it for two meals every day is
unlikely, especially on days off when I’m just sitting in the
house and have the time to make something delicious.
Where I think it will continue to benefit me is when I’m
pushed for time or when I just don’t have the energy to
cook something but still want to eat something that’s going
to be good for me.
Thank you for your time, Josh.
No, thank you.
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