$3 isn't a bad price for food, but yeah cheaper is definitely possible. I can make an 8-person meal (taters, mince, peas for instance) for about €10. So having a 1-dollar mealprice seems like a good target to aim for.
In regards to taste, well that can be artificial, right? It's not like we need a lot of additives to give something a nice flavor. The process could be similar to how McDonalds and such make milkshakes.
I think it could definitely work for a sizeable market, even if it doesn't become the majority food. Keep in mind only about 10% of people are vegetarian/vegan to some degree (some only eat fish, some eat no animals at all, some consider wool to be vegan but others don't) and that is actually quite a marketable space these days. Vegans moreso than vegetarians, but still.
And people are lazy, so if you can just grab a pack of somewhat tasty food and be done with it, awesome. It's why things like fast-food are rather popular, too: low effort.
"If you could have a machine that analyzed your body, and prepared a mix of perfect nutrients that would fuel your body and maximize your health/lifespan, but wouldn't be normal or especially tasty food anymore, would you use/drink/eat it?"
if you spend a week planning your diet so it would consist of delicious and nutritious foods that would fuel your body and maximize your lifespan, but it would take time to cook at the cost of being incredibly delicious, would you do that?
your post frankly gives me an impression that one doesn't come with the other, which is untrue. delicious healthy foods don't come packed with sodium and msg - they come packed with healthy fats, proteins, fiber, vitamins and amino acids.
I feel people romanticize food and place too much emphasis on the pleasure of eating, rather than its function. I'd wager that my hypothetical would find a lot more positive response in places where food (or just food diversity) is less plentiful, and this is a cultural bias.
endorphines bb
and our tongue can sense five tastes for a reason too.
if we wouldn't need something, evolutionary process would have left it out long ago.
I think it could definitely work for a sizeable market, even if it doesn't become the majority food. Keep in mind only about 10% of people are vegetarian/vegan to some degree (some only eat fish, some eat no animals at all, some consider wool to be vegan but others don't) and that is actually quite a marketable space these days. Vegans moreso than vegetarians, but still.
vegans are ocd/delusional/mentally wretched, but its certainly is a market.
so the shakes out but what would a daily repeatable diet look like? http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/10/mf-fueling-your-body/
or possibly something else?
i think this want to have an easy to use solution stems from so many answers, with many of the bad ones being significantly easier. And while the goal is noble, nothing really replaces the actual food.
it would be nice to have a DV tracker that uses standards of measurements. Seriously ever try using the USDA myplate http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/vegetables-counts.html#
it uses cups (for solid food) and ounces with no indication as to whether its weight or fl oz. which makes the whole thing confusing as all hell. and to top it off a serving on USDA is not the same size serving on the packaging label so which one do you go with?
I long for the day when food is just in pill form, with exactly the nutrients I need. I hate cooking, buying groceries, and all things that go with food prep. I would miss bacon though......
Garagebay9 - Good point, but in this culture of excess I think we are overloading. Designing flavors that super saturate our experience with food and cheapen it. I think we should be grateful everyday that we aren't starving and also reflect on our bodies relationship with the world as much as possible.
I think that last part's a bit more touchy-feely than most people are interested in, honestly. And I get the distinct impression you've never had to kill your food before you ate it. Kind of shifts your entire perspective on sustenance and eating. :poly121:
Vestigial tail (a.k.a. coccyx), the appendix, male nipples, ear muscles, etcetera etcetera.
Coccyx is important in sexual stimulation during intercourse (and therefore crucial to reproduction), actually. And the appendix does have a function - it repopulates crucial gut fauna after your normal intestinal tract bacteria gets wiped out.
Can't speak to the other two, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were subtle reasons behind them too that we just haven't figured out yet.
fyi: I've killed and eaten. I've fished, raised and killed chickens and hunted. Very grateful for meat. Touchy feely is what we need to get back to, I'd like to see how emotional you are when you're starving. Or get diagnosed with the myriad of health problems from eating shitty food.
Fair enough. "Life-world-food meditation" is usually stuff I hear from inner city hipster vegans that think buying stuff of the shelf at PCC or Whole Foods is eating wild food. :poly142:
how much of these powders and additives started out as foodstuffs that are mechanically processed. Is protein powder cheaper than the milk or soy it started out as? Most of the worlds poor gets by on a dollar a day, so his $150 a month budget is a little too high.
I can also imagine a 10 year study of soylent drinkers finding out "whoops, it turns out this vitamin supplement actually increased their risk of cancer". That's why I'm wary of supplements in general
I'm gonna go emo here and declare to have gradually reduced my intake of meat over the past several months and I'm loving it. It feels so much lighter...
I have nothing against killing animals for food, but the way they live (and die, ultimately) is quite tragic. That's a lot of negative energy (ye ye) cramped into this little being.. ..and then consumed by us. U r what u eat... and then what?
I've also ceased milk intake completely for over a year now and it has improved my gastro function considerably (up to 2 times 'parachute dropping' a day now)
As for this superfood from the Matrix: I've always wondered about it, watching that scene. I'd try it out. Mind u this godly nectar exists:
Seeing all the food conscious folks popping up in this thread is really awesome. My wife Anuxi & I have tried the vegetarian thing, even right the way to vegan. Now we have added meat back into the diet... but VERY rarely. Like... maybe read meat once every few months. Everything else is nuts, pastas, fresh veggies, fruits, juices, protein shakes. Going to the states really kickstarted our education on food. I dont know why, but for some reason (prior to our healthier approach to life) eating the same / similar foods in the US caused us to gain weight considerably. Seriously, both of us were the heaviest we have ever been in our lives when we were in the states.
It doesnt take much, to just pick that food up and look at the label, do some research, hell even commonsense would surely dictate to the intelligent human being that any food that ticks as many nutritional boxes as possible, is going to be more beneficial to your body than the processed, frozen, or preserved with a bazillion mg of sodium stored on shelves for 6 months, or completely fat free yet saturated with (HFCS High Fructose Corn Syrup) options.
The one thing I will never argue over though, is often those shitty options taste dammmnnnned good.
But I dont regret giving them up at all, especially because I had various personal problems with skin and stress levels through the roof. If it was being constantly scratching my legs and arms, stressed to fuck and enjoying the fuck out of my meal that put me in a meat coma, and eating something that still tastes pretty good, and being skin problem and stress level free. I know which i would choose, every time.
Much better nowadays coming up to 3 years as a MOSTLY vegetarian and feeling all-round just much better for it, no more coma feeling after eating, barely ever get sick / flu colds etc etc - the thing that pisses me off is no doctor ever suggested nutrition to help me - just more creams and pills.
Thats why this soylent interests me greatly. I don't think I would ever use it to completely wipe out the eating of food, but I would definitely incorporate it into my daily diet as like an injection of everything one might need - like a super-multivitamin of sorts.
shotgun, interesting man, both the wife and I have given the Bovine Lactate a miss as well, 3 years now P.S I think that Odwalla drink if I remember correctly is absolutely loaded with sugar (to increase shelflife) along with all that good stuff. Buy up some fruit and veggies and a juicer and make your own for a real awakening, especially if you get a kick out of that stuff!
Hey! We deserve better than the A1 treatment. Only the best can be used to marinate us! You sir, lack a refined pallete.
I'm a former starving artist, I'm stingy. A1 is cheap.
On the occasions when I get lucky and fill my tag with a full-fledged PETA protestor, I break out my great aunt's marinade recipe. It brings out the delicate opposing flavors of guilt and smug superiority. :poly121:
Coccyx is important in sexual stimulation during intercourse (and therefore crucial to reproduction), actually. And the appendix does have a function - it repopulates crucial gut fauna after your normal intestinal tract bacteria gets wiped out.
Can't speak to the other two, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were subtle reasons behind them too that we just haven't figured out yet.
It actively influences the sex drive? I can imagine it being painful when it's broken or missing, but not that it actually stimulates...
The muscles in our ears are simply remnants from when we needed to rotate our ears towards sound like horses and dogs do but they're underdeveloped and useless in us. Male nipples exist because as a fetus we all start out female and then our Y chromosome changes us. In fact, we even have very tiny milk glands if I recall correctly. (so in fact, Schwarzenegger's movie "Junior" is sci-fi?)
Also, to get back on topic, human breast milk is the only substance in existence that offers all the nutrients a human needs.
evolution doesn't optimize, and not every trait has a purpose. some are mutations that might become something in the future after a few more point replacements, some are old stuff fading out, still others are just nothing. if it doesn't keep you from having children that can have children, then it stays in the mix.
I've cut out almost all dairy (occasional cheese or yogurt) and gluten over the last year and I feel much better overall. I just end up eating more veg, meats etc.
I had bad acne when I was a teenager and have to be really careful about it now even as an adult. I stopped eating dairy about 6 years ago because of a tidbit I found on the internet that it may be causing your skin to break out. Sure enough... within a few weeks my skin was noticeably better. If I eat any dairy within a couple days I will have some breakouts. Might just be a placebo effect... might not.. but limiting your dairy is still great IMO. There is all sorts of bad stuff in cows milk.
It's not about giving up food, it's about being able to get away from having to eat a meal every time you are hungry.
Plus a theoretical benefit is getting an ideal amount of nutrients. I can tell you know that i eat pretty badly and am probably missing out on a ton of nutrients.
Have you ever tried to do a large shop for food in the rain when the shopping center is 2 train stations and 10 min walk away? it fucking sucks! My arms are still sore from doing it earlier today.
For me the hassle isn't the cooking, its the needing to go to the shopping center.
Also the benefits of not needing anywhere near as much plastic packaging.
there is a fairly good article in the telegraph that debunked this. i have read some other opinion to the same effect. there is no shortage of health gurus with wonder products in california.
supplements and vitamin are a good idea. doing a very strict diet like vegan can also be good 'if' you see a dietitian / nutritionists that can make sure you have the proper balance. i have done that at various points and know people into that sort of thing.
none of these guys have any sort of training or degrees in health medicine. the ceo is a y-combinator comp sci type. ie, a startup guy. and the others are marketers. im fairly certain if they had found anything new that was viable people would be throwing millions at them.
im fairly cretin if they had found anything new that was viable people would be throwing millions at them.
I don't know if you looked at the link or not but people kinda are. 100k in 3 hours is kinda a lot of money.
I've also got a friend doing it and is saying good things about it. Need to ask him more about it though.
If nothing else we will have a few hundred test cases to see if this is actually worth looking into. It's good to be skeptical, but on the surface i see no reason to call them frauds, or call it illogical. besides, it has to be better than my terrible diet.
i would try it for a few days for fun just because i'm into supplements and that sort of thing. and its 'probably' not harmful in the short term. but if you tried it for 5+ years you would probably end up with some serious deficiencies. i have seen that happen even with people who sink a lot of money into vegan diets etc. its very hard to replace all the nutrient you get from nature. and the suppliants are fairly expensive because they have to harvest all sorts of exotic ingredients.
if you do try it then just be mindful to watch yourself and if you start to get exhaustion or mood swings or any other problems that do not feel right then stop and possibly go to the doctor.
all in all it does not seem harmful. and its not illegal unless they try to sell it and make health claims. so i don't think people are to worried about it. there are far worse things out there that people are trying to promote.
@ambershee
i have a happy trigger finger with the spell check sometimes.
Replies
In regards to taste, well that can be artificial, right? It's not like we need a lot of additives to give something a nice flavor. The process could be similar to how McDonalds and such make milkshakes.
I think it could definitely work for a sizeable market, even if it doesn't become the majority food. Keep in mind only about 10% of people are vegetarian/vegan to some degree (some only eat fish, some eat no animals at all, some consider wool to be vegan but others don't) and that is actually quite a marketable space these days. Vegans moreso than vegetarians, but still.
And people are lazy, so if you can just grab a pack of somewhat tasty food and be done with it, awesome. It's why things like fast-food are rather popular, too: low effort.
your post frankly gives me an impression that one doesn't come with the other, which is untrue. delicious healthy foods don't come packed with sodium and msg - they come packed with healthy fats, proteins, fiber, vitamins and amino acids.
endorphines bb
and our tongue can sense five tastes for a reason too.
if we wouldn't need something, evolutionary process would have left it out long ago.
vegans are ocd/delusional/mentally wretched, but its certainly is a market.
Hey! I resemble that remark!
No words, just signing out.
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/10/mf-fueling-your-body/
or possibly something else?
i think this want to have an easy to use solution stems from so many answers, with many of the bad ones being significantly easier. And while the goal is noble, nothing really replaces the actual food.
it would be nice to have a DV tracker that uses standards of measurements. Seriously ever try using the USDA myplate http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/vegetables-counts.html#
it uses cups (for solid food) and ounces with no indication as to whether its weight or fl oz. which makes the whole thing confusing as all hell. and to top it off a serving on USDA is not the same size serving on the packaging label so which one do you go with?
I think that last part's a bit more touchy-feely than most people are interested in, honestly. And I get the distinct impression you've never had to kill your food before you ate it. Kind of shifts your entire perspective on sustenance and eating. :poly121:
Vestigial tail (a.k.a. coccyx), the appendix, male nipples, ear muscles, etcetera etcetera.
Coccyx is important in sexual stimulation during intercourse (and therefore crucial to reproduction), actually. And the appendix does have a function - it repopulates crucial gut fauna after your normal intestinal tract bacteria gets wiped out.
Can't speak to the other two, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were subtle reasons behind them too that we just haven't figured out yet.
Fair enough. "Life-world-food meditation" is usually stuff I hear from inner city hipster vegans that think buying stuff of the shelf at PCC or Whole Foods is eating wild food. :poly142:
Hipsters though, feel free!
Hey, I love vegans!
With all those leafy greens and grains, you go great with baked potatoes and a good layer of A1 steak sauce... :poly124:
Hey! We deserve better than the A1 treatment. Only the best can be used to marinate us! You sir, lack a refined pallete.
I have nothing against killing animals for food, but the way they live (and die, ultimately) is quite tragic. That's a lot of negative energy (ye ye) cramped into this little being.. ..and then consumed by us. U r what u eat... and then what?
I've also ceased milk intake completely for over a year now and it has improved my gastro function considerably (up to 2 times 'parachute dropping' a day now)
As for this superfood from the Matrix: I've always wondered about it, watching that scene. I'd try it out. Mind u this godly nectar exists:
It doesnt take much, to just pick that food up and look at the label, do some research, hell even commonsense would surely dictate to the intelligent human being that any food that ticks as many nutritional boxes as possible, is going to be more beneficial to your body than the processed, frozen, or preserved with a bazillion mg of sodium stored on shelves for 6 months, or completely fat free yet saturated with (HFCS High Fructose Corn Syrup) options.
The one thing I will never argue over though, is often those shitty options taste dammmnnnned good.
But I dont regret giving them up at all, especially because I had various personal problems with skin and stress levels through the roof. If it was being constantly scratching my legs and arms, stressed to fuck and enjoying the fuck out of my meal that put me in a meat coma, and eating something that still tastes pretty good, and being skin problem and stress level free. I know which i would choose, every time.
Much better nowadays coming up to 3 years as a MOSTLY vegetarian and feeling all-round just much better for it, no more coma feeling after eating, barely ever get sick / flu colds etc etc - the thing that pisses me off is no doctor ever suggested nutrition to help me - just more creams and pills.
Thats why this soylent interests me greatly. I don't think I would ever use it to completely wipe out the eating of food, but I would definitely incorporate it into my daily diet as like an injection of everything one might need - like a super-multivitamin of sorts.
shotgun, interesting man, both the wife and I have given the Bovine Lactate a miss as well, 3 years now P.S I think that Odwalla drink if I remember correctly is absolutely loaded with sugar (to increase shelflife) along with all that good stuff. Buy up some fruit and veggies and a juicer and make your own for a real awakening, especially if you get a kick out of that stuff!
I'm a former starving artist, I'm stingy. A1 is cheap.
On the occasions when I get lucky and fill my tag with a full-fledged PETA protestor, I break out my great aunt's marinade recipe. It brings out the delicate opposing flavors of guilt and smug superiority. :poly121:
It actively influences the sex drive? I can imagine it being painful when it's broken or missing, but not that it actually stimulates...
The muscles in our ears are simply remnants from when we needed to rotate our ears towards sound like horses and dogs do but they're underdeveloped and useless in us. Male nipples exist because as a fetus we all start out female and then our Y chromosome changes us. In fact, we even have very tiny milk glands if I recall correctly. (so in fact, Schwarzenegger's movie "Junior" is sci-fi?)
Also, to get back on topic, human breast milk is the only substance in existence that offers all the nutrients a human needs.
evolution doesn't optimize, and not every trait has a purpose. some are mutations that might become something in the future after a few more point replacements, some are old stuff fading out, still others are just nothing. if it doesn't keep you from having children that can have children, then it stays in the mix.
I had bad acne when I was a teenager and have to be really careful about it now even as an adult. I stopped eating dairy about 6 years ago because of a tidbit I found on the internet that it may be causing your skin to break out. Sure enough... within a few weeks my skin was noticeably better. If I eat any dairy within a couple days I will have some breakouts. Might just be a placebo effect... might not.. but limiting your dairy is still great IMO. There is all sorts of bad stuff in cows milk.
Crowd sourcing for it. It was successful within the first few hours :O.
Plus a theoretical benefit is getting an ideal amount of nutrients. I can tell you know that i eat pretty badly and am probably missing out on a ton of nutrients.
I get what they're striving for here, I'm just poking fun because ... Yeah.
For me the hassle isn't the cooking, its the needing to go to the shopping center.
Also the benefits of not needing anywhere near as much plastic packaging.
supplements and vitamin are a good idea. doing a very strict diet like vegan can also be good 'if' you see a dietitian / nutritionists that can make sure you have the proper balance. i have done that at various points and know people into that sort of thing.
none of these guys have any sort of training or degrees in health medicine. the ceo is a y-combinator comp sci type. ie, a startup guy. and the others are marketers. im fairly certain if they had found anything new that was viable people would be throwing millions at them.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/active/10032594/The-man-who-lives-without-food.html
xD
But yes, it's probably complete guff.
I've also got a friend doing it and is saying good things about it. Need to ask him more about it though.
If nothing else we will have a few hundred test cases to see if this is actually worth looking into. It's good to be skeptical, but on the surface i see no reason to call them frauds, or call it illogical. besides, it has to be better than my terrible diet.
if you do try it then just be mindful to watch yourself and if you start to get exhaustion or mood swings or any other problems that do not feel right then stop and possibly go to the doctor.
All in all a good read.
@ambershee
i have a happy trigger finger with the spell check sometimes.