Are you tired of eating all the time? How about spending a ton of money? What about all the time it takes to buy and prepare your meals? No, this isn't some sleazy weight loss infomercial. This is a story about a man who has decided that he'd rather not eat anymore. What's most surprising is that he's feeling better than ever before.
His name is Rob Rhinehart, and his blog https://robrhinehart.com/?p=298 may soon become a haven for those among us who have decided that food isn't that necessary anymore. About two months ago he decided that he was simply fed up (I hate puns, but I had to) with the food industry and its multitude practices and products. So he did what any sensible person would do in that situation, and simply stopped eating.
Rhinehart devised a plan wherein he would make sure to take in the recommended doses of all required vitamins and minerals everyday, but get it from sources other than food. Instead, he started purchasing all required nutrients in raw chemical form and mixing them together with olive oil (fatty acids) and salt (sodium and chloride).
The resulting product: a beige, odorless mystery liquid he calls Soylent. Probably tastes like melted down chalk right? Well, apparently it's absolutely delicious. Rhinehart instantly started singing its praises:
"I felt like I'd just had the best breakfast of my life. It tasted like a sweet, succulent, hearty meal in a glass, which is what it is, I suppose. I immediately felt full, yet energized, and started my day. Several hours later I got hungry again. I quickly downed another glass and immediately felt relief. The next day I made another batch and felt even better. My energy level had skyrocketed at this point, I felt like a kid again."
That's not to say that the experiment didn't come without a few bumps along the way. On Day 3 he noticed that his heart was racing, indicating that he wasn't getting enough oxygen to his organs. At this point, Rhinehart realized that iron was completely absent from his concoction, and so he quickly made adjustments to the formula. While a seemingly silly mistake, this also shows the potential risks for others who wish to try such a method. Missing just one ingredient can have serious consequences.
On the whole though, his results have been impressive, with his energy level perhaps being the most astonishing. After only one week he went from not even being able to run one mile at the gym to running 3.5. On top of that, he has dropped 13 pounds to a comfortable 191. Rhinehart reports heightened awareness and attention span. He says he's learning things faster than ever before, and has a child-like exuberance most days. On average he only spends about $150 a month for nourishment. Further still, he's had a skin condition his whole life called Keratosis Pilaris, which causes bumps on the skin around hair follicles. Since Day 9 of his experiment he has been free of this condition.
Surely, this type of diet is not right for everyone, and there are some definitive dangers with it that need to be carefully monitored. On the whole though, Mr. Rhinehart's new diet might just be the next big thing. It's hard to imagine a product that offers more benefits, all at a price that is far lower than what most of us pay for food each month. For those interested, he has said that he will share his recipe in hopes that others can start trying it and reporting their results.
