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| picture source: John Suder |
I know the header picture is misleading: I won't post about the movie Soylent Green (maybe another time), but rather about something that has a very similar name: Soylent. It's a "thick, odorless, beige liquid" which has the potential of stopping world hunger, saving the environment and turning humanity into healthy living-beings.
But let's start from the beginning: Rob Rhinehart (his blog: robrhinehart.com), an engineer from the U.S., counted up how much time, money and nerves buying and preparing food costs. The shocking result led him to the following question: is it really food we need to function and survive or the elements and chemicals in them? Is it, for example, the bread as a whole or the carbs in it? So he started an experiment: he would mix only the elements and chemicals itself and create a nutritious liquid, called "Soylent", which contains the perfect diet to gain all the energy, vitamins and everything else we need. And: he would not eat any other food for a minimum of 30 days.
He states on his blog:
He also explains how his mental performance improved, and how much money he saved while his diet consisted solely of Soylent (according to his blog, the average American spends $604/month for food while Soylent costs $154.82/month). If more people switched to the Soylent diet, we would not have to produce that huge amount of food on fields and in factories anymore. Also, people in the Third World Countries would benefit by having a perfectly nutritious meal without big effort (although clear water is essential for the preparation of Soylent).
It surely sounds like science-fiction: an odorless and low-cost liquid you drink a few times a day and you are perfectly healthy and energetic. I'm just wondering if humanity would really give up the joy and culture of eating when Soylent was established around the world (although Rhinehart stated that it can be combined with traditional food as well, but he doesn't crave it anymore). I personally like almost everything that helps deprived people and the environment. If it was available in stores I would most likely try it out.
However, I think preparing and eating food is deeply rooted in our culture(s) since hundred and thousands of years, so even if it is beneficial in many ways -- I don't think that it can replace food as a whole.
Sources:
http://robrhinehart.com/?p=298
http://www.vice.com/read/rob-rhinehart-no-longer-requires-food
But let's start from the beginning: Rob Rhinehart (his blog: robrhinehart.com), an engineer from the U.S., counted up how much time, money and nerves buying and preparing food costs. The shocking result led him to the following question: is it really food we need to function and survive or the elements and chemicals in them? Is it, for example, the bread as a whole or the carbs in it? So he started an experiment: he would mix only the elements and chemicals itself and create a nutritious liquid, called "Soylent", which contains the perfect diet to gain all the energy, vitamins and everything else we need. And: he would not eat any other food for a minimum of 30 days.
He states on his blog:
I feel like the six million dollar man. My physique has noticeably improved, my skin is clearer, my teeth whiter, my hair thicker and my dandruff gone. My resting heart rate is lower, I haven't felt the least bit sickly, rare for me this time of year. I've had a common skin condition called Keratosis Pilaris since birth. That was gone by day 9. I used to run less than a mile at the gym, now I can run 7. I have more energy than I know what to do with. On day 4 I caught myself balancing on the curb and jumping on and off the sidewalk when crossing the street like I used to do when I was a kid. People gave me strange looks but I just smiled back. Even my scars look better.
He also explains how his mental performance improved, and how much money he saved while his diet consisted solely of Soylent (according to his blog, the average American spends $604/month for food while Soylent costs $154.82/month). If more people switched to the Soylent diet, we would not have to produce that huge amount of food on fields and in factories anymore. Also, people in the Third World Countries would benefit by having a perfectly nutritious meal without big effort (although clear water is essential for the preparation of Soylent).
It surely sounds like science-fiction: an odorless and low-cost liquid you drink a few times a day and you are perfectly healthy and energetic. I'm just wondering if humanity would really give up the joy and culture of eating when Soylent was established around the world (although Rhinehart stated that it can be combined with traditional food as well, but he doesn't crave it anymore). I personally like almost everything that helps deprived people and the environment. If it was available in stores I would most likely try it out.
However, I think preparing and eating food is deeply rooted in our culture(s) since hundred and thousands of years, so even if it is beneficial in many ways -- I don't think that it can replace food as a whole.
Sources:
http://robrhinehart.com/?p=298
http://www.vice.com/read/rob-rhinehart-no-longer-requires-food
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