MealSquares
Consumer and social
meal replacement food
SHOW HN2014
51points
86comments
#624of 2,272 in 2014
Top 28%of 2014 by points
How HN took it
DebatedReal support and real criticism
15 positive, 12 neutral or asking, 5 mixed, 15 critical, out of 47 comments about the project. Thread score -0.03.
Design: 6 for, 8 againstIdea: 7 for, 2 againstExecution: 0 for, 2 againstPricing: 0 for, 1 againstPerformance: 0 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Looks more appealing than Soylent
From 1 comment
I think you guys have an edge over Soylent in that this actually looks somewhat appealing, as opposed to a generic beige liquid.
zhemao on HN
Better ingredient profile than convenience store meal bars
From 1 comment
What I love about this is it's less an alternative of Soylent and more an alternative for the terrible meal replacement bars at the convenience store. Those are packed with sugar…
jonathanjaeger on HN
Prototype tastes good, like a cinnamon bran muffin
From 1 comment
We're still working on shelf life, we're within reach of a month and might be able to do significantly better. Texture/taste wise they are like a cinnamon bran muffin. We were…
nazgulnarsil on HN
Objections
Too much sugar and carbs
From 4 comments
Hi Romeo, something to keep in mind. Most "Meal replacement" type bars (cliff, power bar) etc.. are super sweet, lots of sugar. I'm actually not a fan of sugar in general and…
kenrikm on HNThis. Although I have a bit of a sweet tooth, for a meal replacement (as opposed to a treat) 25grams (two tablespoons) is quite a bit of sugar. The fiber might offset it a bit…
aashay on HN+1 to this. I would be very much in the market for meal replacements like MealSquares or Soylent, but they both have lots of sugar and carbs. I try to follow a paleo diet, I…
freefrancisco on HNThese have quite a lot of sugar and cholesterol. And are a bit higher on sodium than Soylent. Maybe I've not been following the recent recommendations but aren't these things…
jack-r-abbit on HN
No nutrition expertise on the team
From 1 comment
I have the same reaction to this as I did to Soylent: I'd be a lot more inclined to try it if there was somebody involved with it who had some demonstrable background or…
smacktoward on HN
Uses animal-based foods and eggs, not vegan
From 2 comments
It's unfortunate to see that the product uses animal-based foods, and eggs at that. Something like Soylent should in my opinion be vegan (for the environment and the animals). If…
nawitus on HNThis looks great! I'm currently vegan and have known for a while that it is not the best I could be doing nutritionally or morally. Rather than make my diet more complicated,…
SyncTheory13 on HN
Whole food does not guarantee good nutrition or variety
From 1 comment
Just because its whole foods doesn't make it inherently nutritious. Additionally -- just because I eat all of the ingredients in a MealSquare every day, that doesn't mean that I…
baugarten on HN
Contains eggs and tree nuts, unsuitable for allergies
From 1 comment
I like the concept, but unfortunately people like me cannot eat it because of food allergies (eggs and tree nuts). Why is <50% of carbs listed as an advantage?
rpedela on HN
Requests
Lower sugar or a less sweet flavour
From 2 comments
Hi Romeo, something to keep in mind. Most "Meal replacement" type bars (cliff, power bar) etc.. are super sweet, lots of sugar. I'm actually not a fan of sugar in general and…
kenrikm on HNThis. Although I have a bit of a sweet tooth, for a meal replacement (as opposed to a treat) 25grams (two tablespoons) is quite a bit of sugar. The fiber might offset it a bit…
aashay on HN
Low carb or paleo version
From 2 comments
I'm usually on a low carb diet and I jog/weightlift a lot. Normally, I aim for about 4000-5000 calories/day, so I may be atypical of your average American. Also, my nutritional…
neilsharma on HN+1 to this. I would be very much in the market for meal replacements like MealSquares or Soylent, but they both have lots of sugar and carbs. I try to follow a paleo diet, I…
freefrancisco on HN
Vegan version
From 2 comments
It's unfortunate to see that the product uses animal-based foods, and eggs at that. Something like Soylent should in my opinion be vegan (for the environment and the animals). If…
nawitus on HNThis looks great! I'm currently vegan and have known for a while that it is not the best I could be doing nutritionally or morally. Rather than make my diet more complicated,…
SyncTheory13 on HN
Beta samples to buy
From 1 comment
Very interested. If there is a way for me to buy some early samples for beta testing, I would love to know.
frakkingcylons on HN
Clearer website with video and stronger call to action
From 1 comment
Feedback on the website. It's too much text and the "action" is not well defined or prominent. Do a video. Give just links to the extra info, prominent not hidden in the link…
conductr on HN
Questions
Shelf life and how long they last
From 1 comment
It would be good to have more information on what these taste like, what the mouthfeel is, and, possibly most importantly (since it's a prereq in my mind to ever buying any at…
zyxley on HN
Bulk pricing
From 1 comment
Hey Romeo, This is incredible. I love this idea and hope it can come to light. Quick question, I took a look at the price in the FAQ: "We're looking at $12/day as our absolute…
wasd on HN
Why rice protein is excluded
From 1 comment
Is there any reason that your compare page adds the qualifier "not from soy/rice"? I get the soy part, even if I don't agree about its significance. But why does rice as a source…
livingparadox on HN
Alternatives named
Soylent
From 3 comments
I have the same reaction to this as I did to Soylent: I'd be a lot more inclined to try it if there was somebody involved with it who had some demonstrable background or…
smacktoward on HNIt's unfortunate to see that the product uses animal-based foods, and eggs at that. Something like Soylent should in my opinion be vegan (for the environment and the animals). If…
nawitus on HNDespite all the controversy, soylent did show there is a market for this. If MealSquare can actually deliver to early adopters in a timely fashion, I'd imagine they could capture…
wc- on HN
One Square Meal
From 1 comment
There's a product in the Australia and NZ market called One Square Meal which seems exactly this (which would seem to raise the spectre of trademark conflict).…
paragraft on HN
Cliff and Power Bar meal replacement bars
From 2 comments
Hi Romeo, something to keep in mind. Most "Meal replacement" type bars (cliff, power bar) etc.. are super sweet, lots of sugar. I'm actually not a fan of sugar in general and…
kenrikm on HNWhat I love about this is it's less an alternative of Soylent and more an alternative for the terrible meal replacement bars at the convenience store. Those are packed with sugar…
jonathanjaeger on HN
PediaSure
From 1 comment
I can understand the effort and I can support it if the main idea is to prevent people from starving. But I cannot understand people reacting whole foods as it is invented couple…
bbayer on HN