What does Nutritionally Complete mean?
A meal that provides the right amount of protein, essential fats, carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins & minerals. And provides a good amount of each essential nutrient for optimum levels of nutrition.
An essential nutrient is one that can’t be made within the body in a sufficient quantity so we have to get it through your diet. Nutrients that are proportional to what you require in a day. 2,000 Calories is the level you would at least meet the recommended daily amounts (RDAs) of all essential nutrients.
What are RDAs?
Recommended dietary allowance (RDA) is a generic term that refers to a reference value for a particular nutrient in a specific nation or region, e.g. in the EU the terms are Reference Intake (RI) or Nutrient Reference Value (NRV); in the US it’s DV (Daily Value); in Japan, it’s the Nutritional Standards.
RDAs have been set to ensure people are getting a minimum intake amount of each nutrient that’s sufficient for the vast majority of a population (typically, at least 97.5%).
Essential nutrients
However, there’s a lot more to “nutritionally complete” than merely hitting the RDAs. There are further nutrient intake levels that products need to have to make the nutritionally complete claim. This is so we can make sure they provide not just basic nutrition, but optimal nutrition in a convenient and sustainable form.
Products that provide optimum amounts of all essential vitamins and minerals, protein, essential fats, carbohydrate and fibre. By optimum, we mean, as well as meeting the RDAs, Huel products contain higher levels for those nutrients where it has been demonstrated by sound science that achieving a certain intake level has a health benefit. Examples of these include vitamins C, D and B12, folate and zinc.
Non-essential beneficial nutrients
As well as nutrients that have been identified as being essential, look for products that provide several other beneficial non-essential nutrients, like, choline, phytonutrients (substances found in plants that have a role in optimum health), vitamin K2 and medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). Whilst, for example, choline can be synthesised within the body, to get the amount required for optimum health, you also benefit from consuming it. In the US, choline is considered “essential” for this very reason and has been ascribed a DV.
Minimum levels of nutrients
For some nutrients, although in some regions there are no legal minimum values, there are defined minimum values for good health by formal nutrition advisory bodies. For example, fibre in the EU, omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids and the nine essential amino acids. Huel products meet adequate levels at 2,000 Calories.
Maximum levels of nutrients
There are some population sub-groups that are advised to keep to a maximum intake level. If this advice is aligned with what current science deems as correct for optimal health, the Huel products have been designed to stay within these limits based on a 2,000-calorie-intake. Examples of this are saturated fat, sugar and salt.
If this is not achievable due to palatability or processing limitations, or because a product has purposely been designed to have a macronutritional profile that doesn’t allow for these limits, then it’s fine as long as this level is achievable at a 2,000-calorie intake when the product in question is consumed in combination with other compliant products.
Antinutrients
Some constituents of food, in particular plant-based foods, have been shown to interact with some of the nutrients. These are known as antinutrients. Examples of this are phytic acid, a naturally-occurring antioxidant found in many plant foods which has been shown to reduce the bioavailability of some minerals like iron and zinc, and calcium which hinders the absorption of iron.
References
1. Food Drink Europe. Guidance on the Provision of Food Information to Consumers. 2013. Available from: https://www.fooddrinkeurope.eu/uploads/publications_documents/FDE_Guidance_WEB.pdf.
2. FDA. Nutrition Labeling of Food. 2018.
