After a recent vacation that included very minimal physical activity and a whole lot of eating, I was determined to find a detoxifying diet that would get me back to a lighter and healthier self. For the past few days, I have been perusing various food blogs and magazines looking for one that looks feasible. A juice cleanse was out of the question, since I enjoy actually eating my food.

My cousin told me about a three-week diet plan that consisted mostly of legumes, nuts, fruits and veggies. This diet I considered, mainly because at the start of the second week you can incorporate eggs, which are one of my favorite foods. Although the diet included smoothies for breakfast, I told myself I could handle one of three liquid meals a day. I decided I would start next week and am currently eating Chipotle in preparation for the arduous weeks ahead.

One of the more interesting diets I came across, although I guess it would be considered more of a lifestyle, was a food substitute called soylent. Soylent is made from powdered starch, whey protein, olive oil, raw chemical powders, and it is said to provide you with all the nutrition you could ever need. Despite its less than appealing appearance, soylent has received rave reviews and was able to raise $800,000 in under 30 days through crowdfunding. Even still the product has also been highly criticized. It does attempt to fully replace whole foods and has the potential to contribute to eating disorders and distorting our relationship with food.

With all this, its maker, Rob Rhinehart, may still be onto something.

For people who have demanding work schedules, and often find themselves eating fast-food, or people who simply can not afford to eat high quality health foods, soylent may be a supplement to some of their problems. Soylent is both cost and time effective, saving you time spent cooking, and money spent on groceries. On top of that, consuming soylent vastly reduces your environmental impact by eliminating much of the waste and harm coming from agriculture, livestock, and food-related trash.

Soylent also seems to be another potential solution for world hunger. And what about all of the people out there who are limited to a liquid diet? Soylent could be the answer to their prayers too, as its flavor has been described as slightly sweet and earthy. The more I read about the product the more appealing it starts to sound as an additive (not that I would want to survive on this alone and do enjoy solid food).

With all of the potential soylent possesses, it seems only natural that the company was able to raise almost $800,000 in 30 days. The company used a promotional video to spread the word about their product, and then raised the money through crowdfunding.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSkOVkgd8hY

So, while the thought of surviving off soylent seems not so appetizing, the concept itself has vast potential. What are your thoughts on soylent? Leave us a comment below, or tweet us @socialmediaweek with your thoughts.

Kira Byczek is an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Communications and English at Rollins College.