{"id":10988,"date":"2026-01-11T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/?p=10988"},"modified":"2026-01-14T21:33:46","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T21:33:46","slug":"i-tried-an-nhs-style-soup-and-shake-diet-but-is-it-still-relevant-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/11\/i-tried-an-nhs-style-soup-and-shake-diet-but-is-it-still-relevant-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"I tried an NHS-style \u2018soup and shake\u2019 diet \u2013 but is it still relevant in 2026?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\t\t\"Soup\t<\/div>
My meal plan for a month (Picture: Jen Mills\/Metro\/Yuichiro Chino)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Powdered porridge, mint chocolate milkshake, dehydrated Thai green curry, and 200-calorie lemon bars.<\/p>\n

For a month, these were what I reached for in place of crisps, sandwiches or salmon salad. <\/p>\n

Mostly in sachets, they looked like something an astronaut might tuck into on the International Space Station, but this type of diet is what thousands of patients have been prescribed on the NHS, as a new way of managing \u2013 or even reversing \u2013 Type 2 Diabetes. <\/p>\n

\u2018Total meal replacement\u2019 (aka sipping from your flask of liquid Soylent Green), might sound like a miserable way of existing but as I found out, it can be a practical alternative if you struggle with food control – especially if, like me, you don\u2019t want to resort to injections like Mounjaro<\/a> or Ozempic, which you might have to take for life, at great expense. <\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Soup\t<\/div>
A (not flattering, admittedly) photo taken just before I started the meal plan (Picture: Jen Mills)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What is the \u2018Soup and Shake\u2019 diet?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The nutrition plan became famous when studies showed that 12 weeks of totally replacing normal food with specially formulated \u2018products\u2019, followed by gradually reintroducing normal food, could potentially reverse Type 2 diabetes<\/a> due to the dramatic weight loss. <\/p>\n

And just like the jabs – it’s been adopted outside the diabetes community, by people who simply want to lose weight.<\/p>\n

Of course, meal replacement products for dieting are not a new concept, with SlimFast and the Cambridge Weight Plan being around for decades, but they have gained more attention since the NHS adopted them in 2020. Record numbers<\/a> of patients are now prescribed such products by the health service, with over 13,000 enrolled in 2024-5.<\/p>\n

Writing about it for Metro<\/strong><\/a>, I was sceptical of how easy ‘total meal replacement’ would be to follow, saying you\u2019d probably get fed up after a week or two.<\/p>\n

But, I’ll admit, the notion stayed with me. With a young child and a busy job, I don’t have time to follow a traditional diet plan (I’ve tried). The extra shopping and food prep always had me reaching for a bag of tortilla chips for an easy snack, and even if I had time, measuring out grams of cereal and squares of cheese is depressing and anxiety-inducing.  <\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Soup\t<\/div>
I lost 8kg after around a month on the diet. This photo was taken five months after finishing, so I kept most of it off too (Picture: Jen Mills)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As I don’t have Type 2 diabetes, it meant that I wouldn’t qualify for a prescription, so instead I used products from the 1:1 Diet by Cambridge<\/a> Weight Plan (formerly known as the Cambridge Diet), which provided products for the clinical studies the NHS <\/a>programme was based on.<\/p>\n

With enough of the long-life meals to feed me for a month, I opted for Step 2 of the diet plan, which allows for one \u2018real\u2019 200-calorie dinner as part of an 800 calorie total daily allowance.<\/p>\n

Joining me was my husband too, as he was keen to give it a go after slowly beginning to replace all of his shirts with bigger sizes. <\/p>\n

Is the \u2018Soup and Shake\u2019 diet<\/strong> healthy?<\/h2>\n

Nichola Ludlam-Raine, a nutritionist who worked in the NHS for over 13 years, says the soup and shake plan is fine if it’s used for a limited time as a reset.<\/p>\n

She has seen diabetes patients go into remission with meal replacement products, and still uses them now with patients preparing for or recovering from bariatric surgery. <\/p>\n

‘It gives fast, predictable weight loss, which quickly improves blood glucose,’ she told Metro<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t{“@context”:”https:\/\/schema.org”,”@type”:”VideoObject”,”name”:”Dietitian Nichola Ludlam Raine on benefits of meal replacement products for weight loss”,”duration”:”T2M48S”,”thumbnailUrl”:”https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/01\/06\/15\/105277053-0-image-a-94_1767712747874.jpg”,”uploadDate”:”2026-01-06T15:06:06+0000″,”description”:”The soup and shake diet became famous when studies showed that three months of totally replacing normal food with specially formulated ‘products’, followed by a gradual reintroduction of normal food, could potentially reverse Type 2 diabetes.”,”contentUrl”:”https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2026\/01\/06\/7549810694481294568\/480x270_MP4_7549810694481294568.mp4″,”height”:270,”width”:480}<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbrowser that
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsupports HTML5
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvideo<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t<\/video>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n

Up Next<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPrevious Page<\/title>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__page\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__page\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__page\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__page\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__arrow metro-related-video-carousel__arrow--right disabled\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<title>Next Page<\/title>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-videos-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\twindow.addEventListener(‘metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded’, function(data) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tif (typeof(data.detail) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === ‘undefined’) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\treturn;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar player = data.detail.carousel.el_;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar container = player.closest(‘.metro-video-player’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar placeholder = container.querySelector(‘.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tif (placeholder) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.removeChild(placeholder);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.classList.add(‘metro-video-player–related-videos-loaded’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>‘So it helps with motivation and then they are more likely to continue making other lifestyle related changes, such as feeling more confident to go back to the gym.’<\/p>\n<p>Nichola also explained that having ready-made meals can help people stick to a calorie deficit, because they don’t have the ‘decision fatigue’ of working out what to cook – which was certainly true for me. <\/p>\n<p>I didn’t have to think about what was for lunch; it was just whatever long-life sachet I fancied mixing up, and knowing I was only doing it for a month helped keep me motivated, as I knew it wasn’t forever.<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tHow did I get on? \t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<p><strong>Keeping a track of the pros and cons, here’s what my month of soup and shakes was like.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Day 1<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"695\" src=\"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SEI_278092360-8256-e1765835129832.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-25501876\" alt=\"Soup and Shake Diet\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Drinking a ‘vanilla latte’: it was actually quite tasty (Picture: Jen Mills)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>With a few days of nothing important planned, I start with a \u2018vanilla latte\u2019: an espresso shot mixed with vanilla shake and 300ml of hot water, recommended by my consultant, Gemma Renwick.<\/p>\n<p>(As a direct selling business, the 1:1 products are only sold by self-employed \u2018consultants\u2019, often women who have done the plan before, whose role is also to motivate you and keep you accountable).<\/p>\n<p>In a video consultation, Gemma says the first few days are the hardest, and after that you feel energised even as your weight drops off. <\/p>\n<p>It seems unlikely, but I\u2019m ready to believe it\u2026<\/p>\n<p>After this, I have chicken noodle soup, or should I say chicken<em> flavour. <\/em>I was taken aback by the badge that said it\u2019s suitable for vegetarians, but then again, so is chicken Pot Noodle.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"485\" src=\"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SEI_278092358-2920.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-25501882\" alt=\"Soup and Shake Diet\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>My first proper meal (Picture: Jen Mills)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Day 2<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My husband starts the diet a day later. Fuelled by black tea alone, all goes well until lunchtime and his first product, in place of a cheese toastie or meal deal. From this point things decline, and by dinner time he says he feels so weak he can\u2019t stand up. <\/p>\n<p>Being less of a dieting amateur, I diagnose he is <em>hungry,<\/em> which he denies until I give him an <a data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/apple\/\">Apple<\/a> and Cinnamon porridge sachet and cook a 200-calorie prawn stir fry for dinner, followed by a Chocolate Mug Cake sachet. After that, he is suddenly fine again. <\/p>\n<p>Not the most encouraging start, but it\u2019s early days. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Day 3<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I have little energy and while I don\u2019t exactly feel hungry, I feel lethargic and constantly thirsty due to the concentrated vitamins and minerals in the products. <\/p>\n<p>We have been warned to drink much more water than usual, so I\u2019ve been carrying around a massive bottle of water infused with cucumber slices, which I sip all day while trying not to down the cucumber as well. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"547\" src=\"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SEI_278092366-8945-e1765804708546.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-25501873\" alt=\"Soup and Shake Diet\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>How the Chicken Noodle Soup looked once mixed and microwaved (Picture: Jen Mills)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Day 5<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My husband is clinging on, although he looks more like he is recovering from food poisoning than cutting back on Nutella biscuits. <\/p>\n<p>This could be the day I\u2019ve felt most hungry and distracted. Up until now, I\u2019ve found it bizarrely easy to cut out food almost entirely. It is nice to have one less thing to think about.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Day 6<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s quite liberating to think \u2018I want to lose weight\u2019 and then\u2026 just do it. I feel I\u2019ve got momentum having struggled to lose weight with more traditional diets for over five years. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Day 9<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m down 3kg, don\u2019t feel especially hungry, and my resolve is strong! Losing weight isn\u2019t so important that I would be willing to carry on if it didn\u2019t feel manageable, but so far the \u2018products\u2019 genuinely fill me up more than the equivalent amount of normal food would if I was counting calories.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"613\" src=\"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SEI_278092356-cb4c-e1765835339529.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-25501878\" alt=\"Soup and Shake Diet\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Completing Metro’s Lifeline charity challenge a couple of months after going back onto real food (Picture: Jen Mills)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Day 18<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m starting to find the diet more difficult. I have had some cheats which are the most pathetic acts of naughtiness, such as a splash of milk in my Americano, or a packet of 99 calorie Pop Squares, not included in my allowance.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve already dropped over 5kg, so I might just be getting complacent. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Day 21<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Managed a trip away for the weekend, including going out for fish and chips, all staying within the allowance (or maybe just a tiny bit over).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Day 25<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We are both down 8kg, which is well over a stone, and feels ridiculous in less than a month.  <\/p>\n<p>Eating real food like chickpeas or grilled chicken feels like a treat though; I\u2019m quite ready for the \u2018reverse diet\u2019 aspect of maintenance, when you gradually add more real food back in. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"485\" src=\"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_0021-338f.jpeg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-25512696\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>‘Spaghetti bolognese’, but beware the exploding bowl in the microwave (Picture: Jen Mills)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Day 30<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I was so pleased with the results I had decided to carry on for longer, with more real food and a less extreme calorie deficit, but then had to stop completely due to getting a nasty virus and feeling terrible. <\/p>\n<p>Disappointing, but I\u2019m happy with what we\u2019ve achieved. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Was it worth it?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>After a month, we had both lost over a stone, 8kg. But I felt run down and came down with a cold that was so hard to shake that I needed antibiotics.<\/p>\n<p>Nichola assures me this wouldn’t have only been down to the sudden change in diet, but does say that she would have suggested a higher calorie intake from the off.<\/p>\n<p>Another issue I had was the ingredients. Yes, the products were surprisingly tasty and filling, but part of me still felt iffy, having written about ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) and <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/04\/28\/thousands-uk-deaths-linked-ultra-processed-foods-22982272\/\">their negative effects on health<\/a>, including from ingredients like emulsifiers which may affect the gut lining.<\/p>\n<p>With so little fibre in this diet, digestive issues are common; you can even buy a branded \u2018Cambridge Fibre\u2019 supplement to sprinkle on the products and help your bowels move things along. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"754\" src=\"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SEI_278092367-0579-e1765804686692.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-25501872\" alt=\"Soup and Shake Diet\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Reporting on a wine competition a few months after finishing the diet (Picture: Jen Mills)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The extensive list of industrial ingredients also troubled me: it seemed apt that the meals are referred to as ‘products’ rather than food. <\/p>\n<p>They are designed to include all the vitamins and minerals you need, as well as the right macronutrients to keep you feeling full with minimal calories. <\/p>\n<p>If you have the time and knowledge to prepare and eat the same nutrients in whole foods, while still being in a calorie deficit, it would no doubt be better for you. The problem is that I don\u2019t, and I don\u2019t think most people do. <\/p>\n<p>Nichola, who has written a book called <em>How Not to Eat Ultra-Processed<\/em>, said she would put meal replacements in the same category as foods formulated to be gluten free. They may technically be UPFs, but are engineered to be beneficial to health rather than hyper-palatable.<\/p>\n<p>‘The NHS wouldn’t do it unless it worked,’ she added. ‘It’s a case of risks versus benefits, so if someone is newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, that left to itself can cause a whole host of issues, from eye damage to nerve damage.<\/p>\n<p>‘If we know that they can go on this 12-week programme, lose a dramatic amount of weight, and then we build back in the fibre, their gut microbiome – if it has suffered in any way – will bounce back and they will be healthier.’<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Who is the \u2018Soup and Shake\u2019 diet suited for?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Very restrictive diets are best done under medical supervision for people with a specific clinical goal, like managing diabetes, or trying to get under a specific BMI for an operation or IVF, says <a href=\"https:\/\/nicsnutrition.com\/\">Nichola<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Meal replacement products can be used alongside weight loss drugs such as Mounjaro, or can be a cheaper option than the drugs if used as a replacement, though of course they still come at a cost. However, they should be avoided by anyone with a history of disordered eating, or who is pregnant, breastfeeding, or under 18. <\/p>\n<p>If someone has a lot of weight to lose, Nichola also recommends they start at a higher calorie limit so that when weight loss plateaus they can drop down further and still see results. <\/p>\n<p>Would I do it again? <\/p>\n<p>Well, it helped me look at my previous habits and realise I could survive with smaller portions. <\/p>\n<p>I also I wanted to see how easy ‘meal replacement’ really was to stick to – and it definitely wasn’t as awful as I imagined. I think I’d do it again \u2013 and probably will one day \u2013 but for now I’m still enjoying being able to actually chew pizza again, perhaps with some homemade soup on the side.<\/p>\n<p><em>Jen Mills was given 1:1 Diet meals by Cambridge Weight Plan as a review product. However, don\u2019t expect her to sugarcoat anything \u2013 our reviews are 100% independent.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tMy tips for trying a meal replacement diet\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Start on a week without anything crucial planned, because your body will take a while to adjust<\/li>\n<li>Get a variety of products so you don\u2019t get bored<\/li>\n<li>Guzzle water to avoid dehydration<\/li>\n<li>Get a stick or regular blender so your products aren\u2019t gross and lumpy<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"\"><strong><strong><strong>Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"mailto:webnews@metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\">webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>For more stories like this, <\/strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>check our news page<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<section id=\"share-buttons-bottom\" class=\"share-buttons share-buttons-bottom\"><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-comments\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span><title>Comment now<\/title><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-comments__label\">Comments<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-preferred-source\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span><title>Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google<\/title><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-preferred-source__label\">Add as preferred source<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My meal plan for a month (Picture: Jen Mills\/Metro\/Yuichiro Chino) Powdered porridge, mint chocolate milkshake, dehydrated Thai green curry, and 200-calorie lemon bars. For a month, these were what I reached for in place of crisps, sandwiches or salmon salad.  Mostly in sachets, they looked like something an astronaut might tuck into on the International […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10990,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10988"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10988"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10988\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11000,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10988\/revisions\/11000"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}