Ongoing Q & A

Last Updated on 06-10-14 @ 1:35 AM CST

This post is where I'll store inquiries (and valid comments worth replying to) from friends and family, collected from Facebook, Twitter and real life discussions.

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Q: Does Soylent have Folic Acid?
A: Yup. Here are the Nutritional Facts: http://www.soylent.me/#nutrition
More specific breakdown here: http://blog.soylent.me/.../soylent-micronutrient-breakdown

On Folic Acid - "Vitamin B9 (400ug) as Folic Acid - Acts as a coenzyme in the form of tetrahydrofolate (THF) which is important for the formation of nucleotides and amino acids. Due to its importance in the formation of nucleotides, it is especially needed during times of cell division such as pregnancy and infancy. People lacking sufficient levels of Folic Acid often suffer from anemia and/or improper absorption of nutrients. Pregnant women lacking Folic Acid may give birth to infants with spina bifida at a higher than normal incidence."

Follow-up response from my friend:
Dang it! My body can't process inactive folic acid. It just builds up in my kidneys, and causes all sorts of problems. Folic acid is only needed by pregnant women in that amount, I wish they'd leave it out, and let folks supplement.

My response:
That's too bad. But you can build your own! http://diy.soylent.me/

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Q: What about the soy? Is that an estrogen concern?
A: Actually, it's 6g of Soy Lecithin.
"While derived from soy, lecithin is completely isolated from proteins and phytoestrogens from the plant and thus is safe for consumption by those with a soy allergy." 
Basically, doesn't even register on the scale I guess.
Source: http://blog.soylent.me/post/73232819517/there-is-more-to-food-than-nutrition-even-a

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C: That sounds boring as hell, and completely joyless. Who wants to turn a fun socially healthy thing into (essentially) a medical injection?
A: Joyless, yeah. It likely will be. But you don't have to give up eating socially. In fact, you shouldn't! But many (myself included) consider it a viable alternative to occasions when eating is expensive, time sensitive and devoid of social stimulation.

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Q: Where can I buy some?
A: http://www.soylent.me/

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Q: What does it taste like?
A: A lamo protein shake. Slightly sweet, slightly vanilla flavored, a little watery. Nothing exciting. Adding cinnamon and ice cubes gave it an almost iced latte taste.

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Q: I gotta know this. Why would ANY company name their protein drink Soylent? The name itself drives 98% of the people away right?
A:  The developer did an Ask Me Anything on Reddit awhile back and someone asked this question, and his answer was pretty awesome, imo.

He said the reason he liked the title is because it exposes the prejudice in people who are unwilling to look beyond the front page anyway. If you're inclined to allow Hollywood to influence your judgments in the real world, then an idea as innovative as this is probably not something you'd be comfortable trying. (Perhaps you'd better wait for a celebrity endorsement.) The title weeds those folks out pretty quickly. For those who can separate the two, the nod to the movie allowed for a quick and easy explanation about what Soylent is, as it's essentially the same idea. Only, you know, not touched by the government and not made of people.

Greg and I hated the name too, until we read that. Ha.

Update: Found the AMA. I guess I read more into it than was actually there, but I stand by it anyway.

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More to come, I'm sure.