Queal Recipe Update Questions

[Floris_Queal]

In an ever-changing world, we are working hard behind the scenes to improve our products. Much of the research for Queal is done with nutritionists and sometimes things go very much into detail. But at other times I would love to hear what you're thinking about certain topics.

We will be testing everything in the coming months and when we get closer we might do some beta-testing. For now, here are a few things I would love to hear your opinion on.

Sources of protein

The main sources of protein in Queal are Whey Protein, Oat Flour, and Soy Flour. The latter two are also (main) sources of carbohydrates and fats. So I want to primarily discuss whey protein.

• Whey protein has a complete amino acid profile (the building blocks of protein)
• Whey protein is a by-product when you make cheese (in other words, it would otherwise be thrown away)
• But at the same time, it is from an animal source and because it isn't thrown away leads to profits in that industry
• It also has lactose (4%) in it
• There are alternatives like protein from rice, lupine (other allergen), soy protein, hemp, pea
• Some don't have a complete nutritional profile, but when mixed can provide you with all amino acids
• Most have an aftertaste (sour) that you don't have with the very neutral whey protein
• Some may be more expensive than whey protein

Given this information (and using what you might know already), what is your opinion on choosing a protein source?

Sources of carbohydrates

The main sources of carbohydrates in Queal are Oat Flour and Maltodextrin. Oat Flour is what you see in almost all complete foods.

• Maltodextrin is a processed food made from starch (corn, or otherwise wheat)
• It has a high Glycemic Index (120) and in the overall mix Queal has a GI of below 70
• Maltodextrin is a complex carbohydrate (so not a sugar), but is quickly processed by the body (fast-release)
• Isomaltulose may be another source of carbohydrates
• It is classified as a sugar but has a lower GI (32) than Maltodextrin
• This could give Queal a very low GI and we are curious to find out what it would do the available energy right after drinking it (versus long-term energy-release)

Given this information (and using what you might know already), what is your opinion on choosing a carbohydrate source? And are there other sources you would suggest?

Strongness of flavours

And as a final question, what is your experience with the strongness of our flavours? Some people find them very bland. Others say they are stronger than they would like.

• We will be doing some polling via the Dashboard, but here is a great place to elaborate on your opinion

---

Thank you in advance for the feedback!

[jbenneballe]

Sources of protein:
I don't mind the use of whey in queal. Have no issue with supporting the animal farming industry. I even love the idea of using waste products.
That said. Switching to a plant products have some advantages.
It would (i think) make queal vegan and thereby accessible to more people.
It would also help your sustainability. especially if you choose a crop that is easy to grow like hemp or rice.

But if you change anything in your recipe your main focus should be to make sure it don't impact taste in any negative way.

[Skymirrh]

Sources of protein

I actually prefer Whey Protein. On the contrary: if Queal was using plant-sourced protein, I wouldn't have settled with Queal in the first place. You said it yourself: Whey is one of the overall best quality one can get. As a weightlifter, I care about getting quality protein.

My only gripe would be that getting 100% of your daily proteins from Whey is, to the extent of my knowledge, sub-optimal. A mix of Casein and Whey, as found in cheese, is reputedly superior.

However, since I use Queal only for lunch, and still have regular meals otherwise (and me being French: with plenty of cheese), I don't mind it being only Whey.

Sources of carbohydrates

No opinion -- I would have to try a low GI version to be able to compare. I lift 6 times a week at lunch and run 3 times a week in the evening, but I always do it fasted, before eating, so the current short term energy release doesn't really benefit my workouts. Perhaps a lower GI might net a small energy gain, but I honestly doubt it.

Strongness of flavours

Heh, it's a tricky question, and I think it depends on what you like. For flavours I love (Chocolate, Chocolate Hazelnut, and RIP Chocolate Peanut), I wouldn't mind a stronger flavour. For flavours I only "like" (Vanilla, Strawberry), I would prefer a milder flavour. And for flavours I don't like (all the others), I wouldn't care.

I would much prefer more options. As you might recall, I've had a completely bland Bacon batch, which left me unsatisfied. To quote myself:

What did you think of the savoury Limited Edition flavours? :thought_balloon:

Summing it 'up:

* Was really excited for Bacon, but it's too damn bland! Wouldn't buy.
* Was not so hot for Tomato, but it was okay and very much felt like powdered tomato soup. Loved the small touch with herbs. Wouldn't buy because I dislike tomato, but would probably buy if I liked tomato soup.

I am still really interested in new flavors (not only salty ones). If Bacon was reworked, I would try it again. I don't know if that's even feasible but I'd definitely want to try other crazy stuff like Beef Jerky Queal, Spicy Rum Queal, or Roquefort Queal.

[SilentException]

Sources of protein
I would like to see if some decent protein blends like MultiPower Formula 80 or All Stars Hy-Pro 85 could be incorporated in any way. It's still mostly whey but with other slower-acting protein sources.

Carbohydrates
It would be cool to at least have a trial-run of a lower GI version without or with less Maltodextrin. Isomaltulose, while technically not sugar, would probably put sugars on nutrition label through the roof, which would certainly put (some) people off. Dunno. I'm also fine with what we have now.

Strongness of flavours
I think you pretty much nailed it here. While yes, in some variants flavor is stronger than in others, all in all it's pretty much well balanced. I'm also the person who can pretty much gulp anything so I wouldn't really care that much if you decide going down or up in flavor strength

[ElectroDan]

How about considering egg whites as a source of protein? You can buy egg white protein powder, which I've tried, but it gets very foamy when you shake it!

I'd like it if you did a non-whey option. I'm trying to cut down on dairy as I don't trust what farmers are feeding the animals. Saying that, who knows what they are spraying crops with!

[Floris_Queal]

Thank you all very much for your feedback.

These are already actionable things we can include in our research and testing.

Good to also hear your opinions on the flavours too!

And lastly, keep the comments coming

[n.kira]

Protein
I am in favour of trying out vegan sources. If Queal was completely vegan, it'd very much simplify my mental notes of how many animal products I have in my diet. Also, I'm lactose intolerant, so the little discomfort I get from the intake would also disappear.

Carbs
I like the idea of trying a lower GI carb course. One of my issues with Queal use is that I tend to perk up quickly after but then feel hungry and slow again within 3 hours, which is not a problem I've had with other meal shakes before. This could be one of the reasons, but I never cared enough to make the comparison.

Not much to report on the flavour strength. Some of them are strong enough to make the shake a treat, others are a little bland. It tends to be the fruity flavours that I don't get much of a taste out of, but that might be just an impression that lagged behind from the weak Forest Fruits blend that got updated. Haven't tried the new one yet, at any rate.

Thanks for setting up this thread. I've been meaning to voice some support for vegan Queal for a while now, but nothing came up about it.

[Skymirrh]

I'd like it if you did a non-whey option. I'm trying to cut down on dairy as I don't trust what farmers are feeding the animals. Saying that, who knows what they are spraying crops with!

Just FYI, since it probably won't be widely available for quite a while, the guys over there are trying to make animal-free milk (and thus, animal-free dairy products).

If they deliver on their promises, it's going to be massive

[Floris_Queal]

@Skymirrh that looks really interesting, I see lots of approaches with Soy-based drinks but this is a truly novel approach, hope they get to release a product this year.

[ElectroDan]

Thanks for that, let's see what materialises.

[wmertens]

Protein:

• soy protein scares me because of the estrogen (see e.g. Soy protein isolate increases urinary estrogens). I'd rather see you use pea protein.
• I like that whey is used, if you use only plant proteins I would like to see some chemical analysis of the resulting protein profile
• I would be happier with a lower-protein version that instead has more fat

Carbs:

• GI index drops in the presence of protein and fat because they slow the release of carbs. Ice cream is lower GI than milk or sugar. So did you measure the overall mix GI, or did you just calculate it?
• Complex carbs are nice but if they get too complex they give me gas and other toxic byproducts of non-optimal gut biome. Too much queal and I sleep badly + feel badly.
• Question, do you process the oats so they are easier to digest?
  • I'm asking because e.g. cooked potato starch is way easier to absorb than raw potato starch
  • Also, heated + cooled potato starch crystallizes into resistant starch with low GI and lots of good fiber for the gut
• BTW, would be awesome if you could also sell some probiotics that can handle Queal well, pop a capsule before drinking queal and adjust gut biome like that

Now some stuff you don't mention but I think is also very important:

Fiber:

• Fiber is really just carbs that we can't digest
• Soluble fiber is fiber that our gut can digest, if you have a good gut biome that means nice butyrate fats and protection from bad gut bacteria
• Insoluble fiber is just stuff we can't digest at all, and if it's too sharp it can even damage our intestines a little bit, scraping the insides. I don't like insoluble fiber.

Fats:

• I believe that polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) should be <4% of total calories, in a 1:1 - 3:1 Omega-6:Omega-3 ratio. It would be awesome if you could achieve that. Note that PUFA are fragile, so add some e.g. VitE to stabilize them
• The rest of fat should be a 1:1 mix of saturated and mono-unsaturated fats, just like we store them in our body and how we find them in nature on animal food.

[Floris_Queal]

Thank you so much for your suggestions!

We will definitively take this with us!

The oats are kilned, steam cooked and finely milled. (so yes )

And awesome suggestion for probiotics!

[Floris_Queal]

This topic was automatically closed 14 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.