In Search of Soy Free Soylent Substitutes

March 7, 2016 1:03 PM

I am having a hard time getting enough calories and nutrients in my body each day. Part of the issue involves inconsistent access to food due to family stuff; the rest involves a loss of appetite as I progress through treatment for bipolar II. I'd love to be able to keep something in my room that can help me stop going to sleep hungry, but I need it to be soy, walnut, and coconut free. What might be a good interim solution as I work back towards eating proper meals every day?
posted by Hermione Granger to Food & Drink (16 answers total)

Nuts, like unsalted almonds or cashews. Oranges have a long shelf life, apples even longer. There are certainly bars along the lines of Luna bars or Clif bars that have no soy or walnuts. Water, too, is important to make an effort to consume.
posted by DarlingBri at 1:06 PM on March 7, 2016

Avocados. Cut in half, sprinkle with salt, eat with spoon.
posted by deludingmyself at 1:09 PM on March 7, 2016 [4 favorites]

Larabars are mostly made from fruit and nuts. This page shows the flavors that are soy free. You can check the ingredients to see which ones are also walnut and coconut free. They can be pricey when bought individually, so I order them in bulk from Vitacost.
posted by FencingGal at 1:19 PM on March 7, 2016

Best answer: Does it need to be liquid? If so, maybe shelf-stable (ultrapateurized) chocolate milk like Horizon Organic (they have other flavors, too) or regular juice boxes might help. Also, no experience with them but Orgain protein/meal replacement shakes are marketed as soy free. In my experience with appetite issues, it can be easier to get down liquids (for me, that's bottled fruit smoothies) than solids since I can just drink them when I'm thirsty rather than waiting to feel hungry.

If it doesn't have to be liquid, you have plenty of granola-bar-type options that fit your requirements. I won't bother listing them because there are so many, but you can buy big multipacks on amazon or similar websites (I find jet.com to have some good deals on those). Also: nuts, trail mix, fruit (fresh and dried), boxed cereal, granola - if you search specifically for soy-free options, it should be easy enough to weed out walnuts and coconut.
posted by R a c h e l at 1:19 PM on March 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

I'd get some extra protein almond milk. No soy. They come in individual packages which are shelf-stable but of course almond milk is best cold.

Also, single serve applesauce is also shelf stable (again, better cold) I drink mine with a straw. (+1 for larabars +1 for whole-grain bread +1 for fruits.)

To better snack in your room, I'd get a small mini-fridge. (I have a chronic illness and if we ever move anywhere larger or with another floor I will have a fridge filled with snacks because it can be difficult for me when I'm feeling sick.)
ETA: Milk is also good - I'm off lactose which is why I didn't think of it.
posted by Crystalinne at 1:28 PM on March 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

Cashews, sunflower seeds, raisins, dates, dried apricots.

I agree with the previous suggestion of avocados, but I like soy sauce better than plain salt.
posted by Bruce H. at 1:41 PM on March 7, 2016

When I was recovering from a long hospital stay due to IBD, I got extra calories from drinking Ensure. It's pretty much perfect for this, as it's filled with actual nutrients and doesn't cause stomach problems like soylent or similar products do. It also doesn't have the ill effects that whey protein can have. They also make higher calorie ones too, if you are looking to replace a lot of calories.

This is basically what they use in hospitals to help patients maintain a healthy weight/calorie intake.
posted by InkDrinker at 1:53 PM on March 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Ensure is a great suggestion but it definitely contains soy and I have to avoid every form of it because it deactivates two of the medications I'm on. I will look into other protein shakes to see if there are soy free alternatives.

I am hoping for a powder, bar, or drink -- stuff I don't have to cook. Nuts are certainly doable, apples and bananas are a good choice; things like avocados aren't because they require a knife. A mini fridge isn't doable at this time because I don't have the space. Thanks for the suggestion, though.
posted by Hermione Granger at 2:05 PM on March 7, 2016

Response by poster: Orgain! I didn't realize there was a soy free version now -- that is exactly what I need. I used to drink it all the time in grad school. Thank you so much for bringing it up.
posted by Hermione Granger at 2:15 PM on March 7, 2016

Protein shakes work well as meal substitutes, especially if they also contain fat and fiber, like Soylent does. You can search for whey MRPs (meal replacement products). I haven't tried these (I prefer Soylent to the usually sweetener-loaded protein shakes), but here and here are examples.
posted by FiveSecondRule at 2:24 PM on March 7, 2016

Vega One Nutritional Shakes are pretty tasty, soy free, and have a bunch of powdered veggies and fruit in them, as well as probiotics.
posted by burntflowers at 2:55 PM on March 7, 2016

Breakfast cookies. Get some with fiber. You can get ultra pasteurized shelf stable milk, or juice boxes to keep at bedside.
posted by Oyéah at 5:23 PM on March 7, 2016

I'm vegetarian and have celiac, and have had trouble keeping weight on.

I keep almonds in my backpack all the time, as well as keeping around various other nuts and peanut butter.

Chia seeds have a great nutritional profile (fat/protein/carb)

Fat/oil is useful too. When I'm feeling bottomless-pit hungry these days, I have a tablespoon or two of oil (instead of french fries, which used to be my solution for that.) Hemp oil is nice and gets you fancy omegas (though expensive and needs refridgeration.) Extra virgin olive oil is great and yummy, too.

You could have crackers or bread.

Didn't say if you have a fridge, but I make scrambled or soft/medium boiled eggs in the microwave at work (in a mug)
Cheese? Get a hard one like Parm if you don't have access to a fridge.
Can microwave potatoes.
Butter.
posted by spbmp at 7:46 PM on March 7, 2016

> things like avocados aren't because they require a knife.

It won't last forever out of the fridge, but you can buy small (1/2 pint) containers of guacamole and eat half for dinner, the other half for breakfast. It's an option, anyway.
posted by rtha at 6:03 AM on March 8, 2016

I depend heavily on Quest bars to help with my special snowflake dietary needs. They are high protein, low sugar, and tasty. They are also shelf-stable and require no preparation other than opening a wrapper. They contain milk/whey proteins, not soy proteins. They do have certain flavors that contain coconut, but most don't.

You can buy individual bars at places like GNC to try out the flavors, but once you learn the ones you like it's better value to buy boxes online. The best price I have seen is around $25 for a box of 12, straight from the manufacturer (questnutrition.com).

My preferred flavors are Cookies and Cream, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Double Chocolate Chunk, and White Chocolate Raspberry. Second tier favorites are the mint chocolate one and the S'mores one. But they have lots of other flavors too.
posted by oblique red at 2:20 PM on March 8, 2016

I'd suggest a look at DIY Soylent, which despite the name, includes a number of recipes that are based around alternative protein sources, including some that are specifically soy-free.
posted by Halloween Jack at 11:46 AM on March 9, 2016