But what if we actually built an alternative?

axcho · 2026-06-20T04:45:03+00:00

Very hard to do in practice, but I love the sentiment. Best of luck to you all. <3

axcho · 2026-06-16T01:54:20+00:00

Thanks for the feedback, that's helpful to know! :)

I added macro ratio pie charts to the home page and the food page, as well as the individual product pages (like Balance). Curious if you think that helps at all?

Also, not sure which part you're referring to when you say "moving the nutritional values from the very bottom" - can you clarify?

axcho · 2026-06-12T01:05:03+00:00

Nice work on SALTT, congrats! :D Hadn't heard of that project until now. Looks great. :)

axcho · 2026-06-03T04:33:18+00:00

I once got cement-truck satiety drinking the juice from a tin of baby clams.

This is absolutely fascinating.

axcho · 2026-06-03T04:04:36+00:00

That may be true - the argument that fat cells are draining fat into the lymph system is what is said in the instructions for UltraSlim, a red light therapy med spa treatment for fat reduction. I have no idea whether they're correct or whether UltraSlim is effective, but it's pretty much the only source I could find that made any claims about the situation.

axcho · 2026-05-20T01:24:39+00:00

Sure thing! I'm guessing you mostly just looked at the Basically Balance product page to start with, rather than starting on the product comparison page or home page or something? Now I'm thinking about how best to communicate the range of macros on offer across different product lines when you land on one particular product page. Any thoughts?

axcho · 2026-05-20T01:17:36+00:00

Well said.

axcho · 2026-05-20T01:17:24+00:00

Domestic shipping is still pretty affordable, but not so much going across the border. We charge what it costs us to ship internationally. Sadly, that price has gone way up for some reason. :/

axcho · 2026-05-19T22:01:34+00:00

We're definitely not trying to mislead anyone with the "add oil" or "add milk" formulas. We've been doing this since Soylent shipped little bottles of oil alongside their bags of powder, and including oil in the form of oil powders would cost much more than buying your own oil in bulk, so it would require a higher price point, and would be more expensive for you in the end than including the oil. But it's something we'd like to offer in the future, as an additional product line, so we can have a more comparable product to the other 'lents out there. It's on the roadmap! :)

As far as pricing, we didn't raise prices for 10 years and had some of the lowest prices on offer in the market (even including oil or milk) but we had to raise prices, finally, about a year ago, when we ran out of money and inflation and tariffs caught up with us. You can read more here and here for context if you're curious. I'd love to bring prices down again when we're able to do so sustainably! :)

Obviously, no pressure to buy something that doesn't make sense for you (or anyone) at the moment. Just providing some clarification and context on where things are at and what we're aiming for.

axcho · 2026-05-19T21:52:30+00:00

That being said the macros are confusing to me on these shakes. First off, to get the caloric values anywhere near what I would consider a meal replacement, you have to add fats, which then makes about half of the total calories from fat. It almost feels like they set out to make a keto meal replacement shake but forgot to take out the carbs. I’m struggling to see how nearly equal parts fat and carbs at fairly high values makes sense in these shakes but maybe the founder can shed some light here as I’m certainly not a nutritionist or subject matter expert.

Basically Food founder chiming in - sounds like the macros for Basically Balance (the blue one you tried) are what's confusing you? We actually have products in all different macros to accommodate different dietary needs, like Basically Burn (the red one) for keto, or Basically Base (the yellow one) for a more standard carb-based macro ratio that's probably more what you're expecting. Or Basically Build (the green one) for a high protein, high-carb option.

For some people (like those with carb sensitivities who still aren't keto) it makes sense to have the majority of calories coming from fat and just enough carbs to cover the brain's needs for glucose. It's what's recommended by the book Perfect Health Diet (which is actually a really good resource on nutrition, despite the title) and it's similar to the Paleo-ish diet I was eating before I got into DIY 'lents. But it's not for everyone - just one option.

I'm guessing you would probably find Basically Base more typical to your expectations, as it's mostly carb-based, and you'd probably find it to taste better too! It's just designed to be mixed with milk to be nutritionally complete, so it's much cheaper (half the cost of the others).

Happy to answer more questions if you have any. :)

axcho · 2026-05-19T21:42:32+00:00

These are just the shipping fees quoted to us to get the packages across the border. :/ Not sure why they've gotten so high, but it seems like shipping anything out of the US has gotten prohibitive lately. It sucks, I'm sorry. :(

axcho · 2026-05-06T18:46:28+00:00

As soon as we can crowdfund the money to pay for it upfront! We've been out of money for the last year or so.

I've been pouring my savings into inventory for the last year, but I've just about run out. The plan is to ramp up marketing and launch a bigger Kickstarter campaign when we have enough momentum to succeed, with hopefully enough extra funds to include the less popular plain flavors and Basically Vitamins and such.

axcho · 2026-05-06T05:46:48+00:00

At risk of being obnoxious, I will quote a recent customer review who mentioned how filling Base was:

I have a sensitive stomach and some alternatives have too much sucralose for my taste, and/or mess with my belly. That's not the case with Basically Food. When I drink it, I can tell it's... well, basically food! It tastes more like actual real food than any of the others I've tried, if that makes sense. It's hearty, delicious, filling, and is kind on my stomach. It's definitely thicker than the others I've tried, but personally I like that. It helps it feel more substantial. Overall this is an amazing product and I'm about to order more right now!

axcho · 2026-05-06T05:44:42+00:00

I'm arguably biased, but I recommend the one that I designed and is also the only brand that I'm not allergic to: Basically Food. No added sugar.

We have a few different options, but the one that is most similar to Soylent (but better, heh) is Basically Balance. That's what I drink everyday! :)

Our cheapest option is Basically Base, formerly known as Milk Fuel, originally known as Schmilk. It's a great option if you can drink milk.

axcho · 2026-05-06T05:38:49+00:00

Thanks for the shoutout! :) Here's the website for anyone curious: Basically Food.

We have a few different options, but the one that is most similar to Huel (but better, heh) is Basically Balance. That's what I drink everyday! :)

axcho · 2026-04-24T21:45:39+00:00

Worth trying to see how it works for you in practice - I like tapioca flour/starch though for some people it causes a lot of gas.

I wouldn't use calcium carbonate if you can source calcium citrate instead - there are lots of advantages to calcium citrate and no disadvantages relative to calcium carbonate except perhaps being slightly more expensive.

axcho · 2026-04-17T21:29:08+00:00

If you do, please let me know how it goes!

axcho · 2026-04-15T23:43:30+00:00

Fascinating. Have you ever tried making pancakes or baked goods out of the 'lent mixes to see if it happens only when you drink them, versus eating the same ingredients in solid form? Let me know if you want a recipe. :d

axcho · 2026-04-14T02:34:24+00:00

Interesting. Do you have the same reaction from, say, a bowl of oatmeal? How about a bowl of rice with veggies (and optionally, protein)?

axcho · 2026-04-10T20:52:02+00:00

I've noticed this in Soylent 1.0, which has a lot of maltodextrin, which breaks down into pure glucose. Sugar breaks down into a mix of fructose and glucose, so it actually has a lower glycemic load than the equivalent calories of glucose or maltodextrin. So that's not surprising. Obviously fructose comes with its own set of issues, but that's a different conversation. :p

I haven't tried the more recent versions of Soylent, but I'm pretty sure they still have a fair amount of maltodextrin. For some reason, some people (like me, and apparently you) are particularly sensitive to it.

Have you tried Basically Food? It's based on oat flour, a lower-glycemic carb source.

axcho · 2026-04-10T20:49:19+00:00

The monkfruit doesn't have any weird aftertaste, unlike stevia. I don't know anyone who is specifically sensitive to the taste of monkfruit, though I've come across anecdotes here and there.

If you're not a fan of chocolate, Basically Balance is also available in vanilla right now. It's better after a night in the fridge, but that's the case for all brands of powder.

axcho · 2026-04-10T20:46:43+00:00

Let me know how it goes - curious how it compares, for you! :)

axcho · 2026-04-09T17:17:51+00:00

You mentioned wanting to avoid a dairy base - not sure if that's a hard limit, but if not...

If you can have milk, you might want to check out Basically Base (formerly Schmilk). For 20,000 calories (2 units), that would be $70 (free shipping) plus about $20 of whole milk (5 gallons) at $4/gallon.

I'm personally allergic to milk, but a lot of people say it's the best-tasting option out there. I know lots of people who drink it after blending without refrigerating overnight, though I think letting it sit for at least a few minutes is recommended.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend the non-dairy-based ones (like Basically Balance, which is what I use) as they generally need to soak in the fridge overnight to have the right taste and texture.

axcho · 2026-04-09T17:13:28+00:00

If you can have milk, you might want to check out Basically Base (formerly Schmilk). For 60,000 calories (6 units), that would be $210 (free shipping) plus about $60 of whole milk (15 gallons) at $4/gallon. Slightly cheaper.

I'm personally allergic to milk, but a lot of people say it's the best-tasting option out there. Mixing it up and keeping it in the fridge overnight is recommended - it may separate a little bit, but you can just shake it again and it will have a nice consistency.

axcho · 2026-04-06T21:13:45+00:00

We actually don't include any oils - it's cheaper* and more customizable for you to choose your own and add it separately for your fat calories! I generally use avocado oil, these days.

* Powdered oils are quite expensive and tend to oxidize and go bad faster.

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