1500 Days to Freedom

Think different and escape the rat race.

Ask the Readers: Would you try Soylent?

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Hello there! I actually have two questions for you today. Besides the Soylent question, I’d also like to know if you’ll be at FinCon this week. To better help you find the Mrs. and I at the conference, I’ve included a rare picture of us below. First, let’s talk about last week’s question; Did you go to college?

Rory (From Welfare to Well-Off) had a good point that many echoed:

That said, without college I wouldn’t have even been interviewed for any of the positions I have held in my life. Period.

Rory has a good thought here. No matter who you are, an awful lot of companies want a degree. It may not be related to the work you’ll do, but no degree = no job.

Michelle from Making Sense of Cents says:

 I do think that it has helped shape me into who I am today.

And AuntBeulah notes:

Moving away from home to go to college broadened my world view, enriched my life, and gave me a career in education that fulfilled me.

For them, college is about more than just education. Perhap these life lessons are just as important as the educational aspect?

Ree from Escaping Dodge was one of the few commentors that didn’t have a degree:

As for me, I’ve done quite well without one, but I do feel that “disadvantage” caused me to push myself very hard to prove my worth.

Lucas had one of my favorite comments which pretty much echos what I was thinking when I first asked the question:

I think fostering a desire to learn and creativity of thinking is going to be far more valuable going forward than it ever has been, especially with all the focus on the “common core” and trying to get all students to know the same stuff – not a good idea in my book even though I understand some of the desires pushing this are good.

"appetizing" is not a word that I would use to describe Soylent
“Appetizing” is not a word that I would use to describe Soylent

In any case, I have a bit more to say on the topic, but I’ll save that for Tuesday. Now, on to this week’s question. Would you try Soylent?

What is Soylent you say? Soylent is a food substitute developed by a software engineer, Robert Rhinehart. Robert wanted to simplify food preparation and intake, so he came up with this shake thing that takes the place of all other food.

I’m intrigued and slightly disturbed by Soylent, but in the interest of pushing my comfort zone and broadening my horizons a bit (and hopefully narrowing my waistline), I’ve ordered a week’s supply of this stuff. For that week, I’ll eat nothing but Soylent. I must admit that I’m cringing a bit just typing that last sentence. No chewing solid food for a week? What will it do to my bathroom habits? What will it smell like (Soylent, not my bathroom habits)? Yikes, what have I gotten myself into.

Regarding diets, I have no tolerance for cleanses, detox or any other fads. Cleansing and detox diets have no basis in truth. Long term health is not gained with a short term fad diet. The best way to live is to eat a whole lot of vegetables.

However, Soylent is more than a diet. It’s about de-emphasizing the whole process of food preparation and eating. It’s a lifestyle change and I’m curious to see how it will shake out (get it, “shake?”). Stay tuned for a full report when my packets of powder show up. Again, uggh. (Mrs. 1500 note: I will NOT be joining Mr. 1500 on his little taste adventure.)

That's me with the red shirt on. The Mrs. was feeling a bit shy.
That’s me with the red shirt on. The Mrs. was feeling a bit shy. See ya’ll at FinCon!

Finally, the Mrs. and I will be at FinCon this week. Will you? If so, please look us up! We’d love to talk to each and every one of you.

Join the 10s who have signed up already!

Subscribing will improve your life in incredible ways*.

*Only if your life is pretty bad to begin with.

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    • Very cool and can’t wait to meet! Spending time with a bunch of like-minded people should be an awesome experience.

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  2. Ugh, I would not consider Soylent as a legit food replacement. I’m all about eating fresh stuff as much as possible and cooking for myself. And let’s be honest, I need that “chew.” Smoothies and shakes as meals have never been satisfying for me. Good luck though, and I’m interested to see how it works for you!
    Allie recently posted…Book Report: 365 Slow Cooker SuppersMy Profile

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    • I researched it a bit before taking the plunge and Soylent was evaluated by scientists and the sort. However, I do wonder how a human would do if they did nothing buy Soylent for 5 years straight.

      “I’m all about eating fresh stuff as much as possible and cooking for myself.”

      Right on!

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  4. Soylent green is people! (Anyone see the movie????) Is this for real? Or is it some kind of joke? If it’s for real, then just the reference to cannibalism would make me never eat it. Plus, eating is one of the pleasures of life and no way would I give that up.

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    • I read an article about this, and he purposefully named it soylent because of the book/movie. I would not eat this, would not even try it. It looks disgusting. I don’t eat those Gatorade Goo packs, either because the consistency is too weird for me. Good luck, Mr. 1500. No need to share any leftovers…

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      • Oh, Mrs. 1500 can be so ridiculously stubborn. If it was scientifically proven that Soylent could extend your life by 50 years, increase your IQ by 100 and pump your car’s gas, she still wouldn’t drink it. On second thought, she just might if it could pump gas.

        *Anyone have a couch that I can sleep on?

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  6. That is funny. Makes me think back to a research trip I was on. We were camping/backpacking for a month and food was a bit on the sketchy side some of the time. One of the leaders would always just mix his breakfast together in a big mug and down it that way (his quote was “it is all going to the same place anyway!”). I saw eggs, pancakes, and coffee in there one time together. I don’t think he ever mixed any meat in, but don’t remember exactly.

    Maybe as i am an engineer as well I totally get the concept and it doesn’t gross me out too much. However I do get a good bit of enjoyment out of different types of food, and I think the little bit of “down” time eating affords me is a good thing for me and my family, so I don’t think this is something i would seriously consider as a lifestyle change.
    Lucas recently posted…Case Study: What if the Unthinkable Happens?My Profile

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  7. Mr. 1500, you’re buff! I wish I were that ripped (or, equipped with the ability to transform into a badass truck).

    The main problem with soylent is, and always had been, the ability to sneak people into the mix. Like veal, it’s delicious, but the guilty feeling you get afterwards is worse than heartburn.
    Done by Forty recently posted…Do It Now!My Profile

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  8. I spent a few years in the military and a good chunk of the year lived on MRE’s (meals rejected by everyone) which were the army’s version of meal replacements.
    I’ll stick to things that need to be peeled, washed or grow on trees…

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    • Thanks for the encouragement Anna! What I really hope to see are some positive health benefits. People always rave about certain diets; oh ‘I had so much more energy’ or ‘I lost 10 pounds’. Blah blah blah. I’m a skeptic always and am the same way about Soylent. We shall see…

      Reply

  11. Won’t be at Fincon. I didn’t really know much about it until I saw it popping up on the blogs everywhere. Perhaps I’ll look into it next year. That said, I don’t think I will ever try Soylent. I will line right up when I mention that I have many lazy days where I don’t feel like cooking. That said, I feel a lot of our health issues can be traced back to the fact that what we are eating really isn’t food. A lot of it is cooked and processed to make it easier for us. In addition, the dinner conversation used to be the main time a lot of families could actually come together and talk.

    Good luck with the trial though. You will have to let us know how the experiment turns out.
    Micro recently posted…Need Halloween costume ideas: 5 household items that can helpMy Profile

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    • Oh, if I”m drinking this stuff, I’m definitely going to write about it. Wish me luck.

      I agree that our diets are terrible. The best food is the simplest.

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  13. That inventor scientist guy better come up for a better name than Soylent.
    Those of us who love science fiction remember what was in Soylent Green and I am not eating anything like that. Has he got a sick sense of humour or are there some secret ingredients in it that the inventor doesn’t want us to know about?

    Fincon is on my wish list once the debt is gone and I have an emergency fund built up.
    Jane Savers @ Solving The Money Puzzle recently posted…Are Your Finances Prepared For Your Death?My Profile

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  14. I think I’d try a cup of Soylent if I had more than 5 pints in a night. Perhaps all the nutrients would help the next day. But as far as any substitutes for real, whole, nutritious foods – no.

    I would fear that once I were done with Soylent, I’d go right back to whatever poor dining habits I had. And I did have many. Now I simply eat healthy foods that I love every meal, every day, no exceptions. Have a dilly of a Tuesday!!!
    cj recently posted…Modified MeditationMy Profile

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    • “I think I’d try a cup of Soylent if I had more than 5 pints in a night.”

      Perhaps, you have hit on something? Beerlent! Drink it and nothing else!

      Reply

  15. Haha, more power to you Mr. 1500! I say that you should try anything once. But I also have a strong distaste for this particular idea. I believe they food is such a powerful transmitter of culture, love, and tradition. But there’s plenty of “food” (I’m looking at you McNuggets) that we probably should replace with Soylent…
    Cash Rebel recently posted…Finishing the Chicago Marathon and September 2013 GoalsMy Profile

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    • Ha, thanks CR and I like the McNugget comment. Americans eat so much crap, Soylent would probably be a big improvement over the average diet.

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  16. Ugh, the Soylent kind of freaks me out, I have to say. Scientists have also come up with lots of other “good” ideas for food, like Doritos, Twinkies, and the frozen pizza, all of which have a laundry list of ingredients I’ve never heard of and can’t pronounce, so as far as I’m concerned, you can trust them as far as you can through them, not in the food industry, at least. If you want to try an all-around inclusive food, try the Mean Green Juice Diet. At least it’s real food. You’re awfully brave, though, Mr. 1500. I’ll give you that. 🙂
    Laurie @thefrugalfarmer recently posted…How to Save Money on Thanksgiving DinnerMy Profile

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  19. Talk about late to the party. Just wanted to comment because some friends around here in Vancouver are going a little too crazy over this.

    Replace “soylent” with “kickass-nutritious-veggie-fruits-nuts-seeds-smoothie” and that’s most of my diet. I understand the theory with soylent that you can get most of your calories/nutrients through it, but I’m all about diversification when it comes to getting my nutrient overload – the smoothies provide all the nutrients good ol’ mother nature has brewed up over the ages.

    How has/did the soylent experiment go??
    Steve recently posted…The Weekly InternationalMy Profile

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