When you think about what you’re going to have for lunch today, your mind might wander to sushi, falafel or even a simple salad. You probably won’t be thinking about a bottle of light brown liquid, no matter how many probiotics and vitamins it claims to have.

But that’s exactly what the makers of Ample Meal, a new meal-replacement drink, want you to do.

Remember Soylent? The liquid goo meal replacement touted by its creator as the next big way to feed yourself sustainably? Ample Meal is similar in concept, but is non-GMO, gluten-free and tastes like someone put a peanut butter Balance Bar in a Ninja blender (it smells like one too).

You make the drink by adding water or milk to a bottle of powder, then you shake it up. The powder dissolves, for the most part, and you’re left with a light brown liquid and a couple stray clumps of powder.


If you’re used to protein shakes, you’ll probably enjoy this stuff. If you prefer actual solid food? Not so much.

The ingredients list reads like the entire supplement aisle at Whole Foods, with a couple of produce items thrown in: pumpkin, grass-fed whey concentrate, peas, grass-fed collagen, coconut oil, chia seed, sunflower lecithin, algae oil, macadamia nut oil, tapioca, green banana, sweet potato, psyllium husk, acacia fiber, chicory root inulin, organic cacao powder, organic wheat grass, organic barley grass, organic alfalfa, organic chlorella, organic spirulina and a probiotic blend.

“I see so many people feel challenged to incorporate healthy meals into their busy lives or even understand what is ‘healthy,’” said Ample Meal founder and Chief Executive Connor Young in a statement.


Young studied biology at St. Olaf College, founded a CrossFit gym, advised surgeons on intraoperative device usage for a couple of years and created a physical therapy startup before creating Ample Meal.

He launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise money to expand production and distribution of Ample Meal. He’s already raised more than $76,000; his original goal was $50,000.

The retail price for a 16-ounce bottle of Ample Meal is $4.50, and $6 for the 20-ounce size. The drink can be pre-ordered from the Ample Meal Indiegogo page, and is scheduled to be available in September.

This will most likely not replace your weekly trips to Night + Market. But considering that the drink is non-GMO, gluten-free and organic, it might catch on, at least in Los Angeles.


I tried a juice cleanse once. It didn’t take. Follow me on Twitter @Jenn_Harris_

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