At Soylent, we’re always looking for ways to support your goals and improve your focus. We used to mix powder with coffee. Then there was Cafe Mocha, which leveraged the beneficial L-theanine to take the edge off of caffeine.
But then we said, what if?
What if we could improve on energy, by adding food nutrients that support brain function, focus, and mental clarity?
So we came up with Soylent Complete Energy™ (formerly called Soylent Stacked)
Complete Energy is a protein and essential nutrient-rich drink that supports your focus with brain-building blocks and nootropic nutrients.
So what’s the Complete Energy formula?
- 15 grams of essential amino acid rich soy protein (30% DV)
- L-theanine and caffeine in a 2:1 ratio, for focused, calm, sustained energy
- Choline, an essential nutrient and brain cell building block (30% DV)
- L-tyrosine, an amino acid that’s considered nootropic, used for focus
- 28 vitamins & minerals including an excellent source (100% DV) of B-vitamins B6 and B12, all required cofactors for cell energy processes
- Healthy fats: omega-3 known to promote brain health and omega-6
What are nootropic nutrients?
Nootropics are defined as any ingredient that supports brain function. But when we looked at nootropic products, we found a lot with ingredients that are foreign to the body, and not found in food.
So we decided to look at nootropic nutrients, the stuff found in food, especially essential nutrients that are used as building blocks for the brain.
Soy Protein: The unsung nootropic protein.
Soy protein is one of the richest sources of amino acids to support the brain, including tyrosine and phenylalanine, the building blocks of the important neurotransmitter dopamine.
Soy protein isolate is one of the richest food sources of tyrosine and phenylalanine, which each comprise about 3-4% of the protein.
So it may be no surprise that emerging evidence supports the consumption of soy protein for cognitive benefits. Recently, separate studies in Korea and Japan found that older people consuming soy protein in their diet were shown to have improved resilience to cognitive decline.
And, some benefit for cognitive function of soy protein isolate (the same type used in Complete Energy) was shown in both a recent study in older adults and in a separate study as part of a high-protein snack in adolescents.
L-Tyrosine: The building block for dopamine.
Tyrosine is part of soy protein, and the body produces it from the essential amino acid phenylalanine. It’s found in many protein-rich foods, such as cheese and other dairy products, meat, poultry, and fish.
So, why is it so important?
Tyrosine helps produce several important neurotransmitters, including dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine, melanin, and hormones that regulate metabolism. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter responsible for the sensation of pleasure—basically, your mood. Stress and diet both play a role in the regulation and depletion of dopamine.
The brain does not synthesize tyrosine and essential amino acids, so these must be supplied in the diet. So, it’s no surprise that studies have found that lower consumption of tyrosine and phenylalanine depletes tyrosine levels, while lowering mood scores. And, tyrosine levels in vegans are lower compared to non-vegans, suggesting that supplementation of additional tyrosine may be helpful for people on vegan diets.
Choline: The recognized essential nutrient for the brain.
Choline is an essential nutrient that is naturally found in some foods. While it has been recognized as an essential nutrient by the Institutes of Medicine since 1998, food labeling has only now begun to require it’s labeling.
Dietary choline is metabolized to form acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter frequently used by the nerves controlling breathing, heart rate, and skeletal muscles. Acetylcholine is also important for the part of the brain responsible for memory and mood.
Consumption of higher amounts of choline is associated with better cognitive function.
Choline is rich in eggs, dairy and meat. Many people do not consume enough choline. Vegetarians and vegans are particularly susceptible to not meeting daily requirements for choline.
Theanine and caffeine: Happy together
Last, but not least, we have the combination of L-theanine with caffeine.
As many of us know, caffeine has its upsides for energy, but on its own can lower attention and resilience to stress.
Significant research has found that the addition of L-theanine, an amino acid found in green tea, can improve the cognitive effects of caffeine. For example, the combination of theanine and caffeine, but not caffeine alone, was shown to improve alertness and attention during cognitive tasks.
A 2:1 ratio of theanine to caffeine, and the clinically studied dosage of 200mg theanine, are supported by several studies. With the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee, Complete Energy maximizes the nutritional energy you need, without the downsides.
And don’t forget the B’s.
B-vitamins are essential nutrients required for the brain. They’re particularly important for people on vegan, vegetarian or restricted diets to keep a close eye on B-vitamin intake, especially B12.
And we could talk about their role in the brain for days. But we won’t.
So let’s just say that Complete Energy has 100% of the recommended value of the most important B-vitamins for cognitive function.
Complete nutrition + 5 brain boosters.
Soylent Complete Energy takes a thoughtful approach to supporting brain function in a simple, basic way—by giving it the “nootropic nutrients” it needs.
In Complete Energy, we bring together protein, amino acids, B-vitamins, and essential nutrients in a way that boosts focus, mental clarity and resilience to stress.
And that’s something we could all use a little more of.