All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
An underreported phenomenon in modern culture is the slow degradation of our collective optimism about the future. Look no further than the delta between the 1962 Hanna-Barbera cartoon The Jetsons—which predicted a space-age utopia replete with flying cars, automated kitchens, and robot maids—and Ridley Scott’s 1982 dystopian sci-fi hallmark Blade Runner, which portrays Los Angeles as a dreary urban hellscape overrun with crime, pollution, and android slaves gone rogue. Throw in Gattaca, The Matrix, and Her and you’re presented with a fairly certain conclusion that the technology is making things worse, not better.
Alas, technocrats keep grinding away at products that aim to increase your quality of life by a few percentage points by cutting out friction and inconvenience. ZIRP-era luminaries “solved” problems like last-mile transit, the need for pesky humans to operate taxis, and the lack of true market influence on housing costs. And with liquid full-meal replacement products, they even solved the problem of cooking and chewing food!
While many of these time-saving products look like protein shakes at first glance, the key difference is the addition of vitamins, plant fiber, and other “proprietary nutrient blends” that will keep your body functioning while also making you un-hungry in the morning. Enjoying a bowl of cereal or a slice of avocado toast is a time-consuming and expensive endeavor that is now obsolete, so you can get back to coding without the fear of malnutrition hanging over your head. You’re welcome.
Be sure to check out our related guides, like the Best Greens Powders, Best Protein Powders, Best Energy Drinks, and Best Mushroom Coffee.
-
Best Overall
Huel
Black Edition RTD High-Protein Meal
Flavor Texture Satiety TOTAL 8.3 8.1 9.4 8.6 Before we even get to the product itself, the folks who run Huel deserve a fist bump for operating a website that’s easy to navigate, light on the pop-ups, and honest with its pricing. It’s a sad state of affairs when a commerce website is exemplary for simply allowing people to type in a URL, click a few buttons, and buy a thing without being bombarded with subscriptions, sign-up pages, and other chicanery, yet here we are.
If you drink Huel out of a glass like a weirdo (or someone who has to photograph the liquid in its naked state), then the first thing you’ll notice is that this drink is “dummy thicc,” as the kids would say. It’s only a tad less viscous than pancake batter, but the sip is shockingly smooth once you get over the impulse to chew on it as it slides past your tongue. The cocoa flavor is rich and delightful, with only a mild smack of “diet” flavor from the “steviol glycocides” hitting on the finish. Aside from the stevia aftertaste, I have zero complaints about the process of ingesting this product.
Around 11 am, some very gentle hunger pangs kicked in, but they were easy to shake off by refocusing on some rote Email Job tasks that required my full attention. No weird shakes or wobbles to speak of, and my head felt relatively clear during the mornings that were Fueled by Huel™ (this is not a real slogan yet, but it can be for the right price!).
Cost per serving: Around $4 Other flavors available: Vanilla, Iced Coffee, Strawberry Banana Allergens: Vegan, gluten-free, kosher certified, contains tree nuts Protein: 35 g Calories: 400 (16.9 oz read-to-drink bottle) Carbs: 30 g Fat: 17 g Caffeine: No -
Best Entry-Level
Photograph: Pete Cottell
Hlth Code
Complete Meal Replacement Shake
Flavor Texture Satiety TOTAL 8.1 7.8 9.2 8.4 Whenever we do one of these shootouts of ingestible products that come in weird flavors, we always try to suss out which tastes the least like anything. That way there’s something to recommend to squeamish noobies who are interested in dipping their toe in the waters. HLTH Code’s two-scoop dose packs in 400 calories and 27 grams of protein, and it tastes as close to nothing as you will find, which is a net positive in this context when you consider how wacky and off-putting some of the other entrants are. A fluffy mouthfeel with bits of cocoa hits on the front of the sip, and a subtle, inoffensive tickle of macadamia and diet flavor slides in from the light dusting of stevia and monk fruit on the finish.
The suggested dose calls for only 8 ounces of water, which seemed low the first time I dosed this in my BlenderBottle. HLTH Code consistently kept my hunger at bay until noon most days, making this one of the most reliable entrants in this list for accomplishing the thankless task of becoming un-hungry.
Cost per serving: Around $5 Other flavors available: Creamy Vanilla Allergens: Milk, eggs, coconut oil Protein: 27 g Calories: 400 Carbs: 13 g Fat: 27 g Caffeine: No
