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by k_sh 3228 days ago
I'm going to need some citations on that one...
1 comments

It's full of maltodextrin which is about as healthy as pounding sugar.
They've addressed this many times. There are different "grades" of maltodextrin with different glycemic indexes. Soylent uses a higher grade with a low glycemic index. Google "low DE maltodextrin." Soylent also uses other low-glycemic carbs such as isomaltulose.
I am a type 2 diabetic using 2000mg of Metformin.

Of anything I've tried that is a "meal", nothing has spiked my blood sugar as much as a bottle of Soylent.

I really wanted to use Soylent but when my BS spiked to 350 after multiple 2h post meal tests, on multiple days, I just had to give up on the idea.

To give you an example, my BS will hit about 200 2h after a big bowl of Oatmeal and then settle back to 130-150 range.

If I eat just vegetables for a week, for example, my BS will move to the 90-120 range.

The glycemic index of a carbohydrate is a bad measure of its quality. A better measure is the degree to which it is fermented by bacteria in the intestines. Furthermore, there is research demonstrating that carbohydrates consumed without the phytonutrients that normally accompany them in whole food increase markers of oxidative stress and inflamation.

Soylent might be better than a frozen pizza or fast food, but in the big picture it's still shit compared to real food.

Hm, so for someone who eats frozen pizza and fast food on a daily basis (because of the convenience), would Soylent be a step up from that based on your comment?
Absolutely, but for just a tiny amount more work you can throw a bunch of lentils, frozen vegetables and meat in a slow cooker and get very close to an optimal diet.
As a type 1 diabetic I think your concerns are overblown. Soylent has a pretty low glycemic index which makes it ideal for a quick breakfast.

My only concern about Soylent is if I should be ingesting this much soy as a male of European descent.

I find I have to combine it with a fat/protein like a serving of peanuts to make it not spike me hard. It may not have a high glycemic index, but it is already in liquid form and is thus available for digestion.
Isn't cereal quick? Just how busy are people?
> My only concern about Soylent is if I should be ingesting this much soy as a male of European descent.

Afraid it's going to make you impotent?

I invest in starch instead and use sucralose as a sweetener.
This seems like it would result in sub-optimal insulin spikes.
AFAIK, cellulose in oats prevents quick digestion of starch so its glycemic index is in 50s.
Supposedly, "instant" lack this feature, be careful which oats you use.
Have you tried Soylent? It's barely sweet. It's not like the maltodextrin in energy gels.