The man behind the 'recipe' for Huel: Former NHS dietitian who created meal replacement formula was inspired to study nutrition after his mother got breast cancer when he was 8
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If you've ever been to the gym you may have seen muscle-bound legging clad athletes carrying sleek, white bottles of 'Huel', adorned with a futuristically minimal font. The meal replacement brand - aimed at providing 'all 26 essential vitamins and minerals, protein, essential fats, carbs, fibre and phytonutrients' in one portion - has become a must for social media savvy influencers; but has a heartwarming story at its origins.
![[Speaking to The Guardian , the registered nutritionist revealed how studying health - and getting into sports - helped him through his upbringing]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/14/12/94072427-14282017-Speaking_to_The_Guardian_the_registered_nutritionist_revealed_ho-a-25_1736856940691.jpg)
The recipe for the plant-based, protein rich shakes came from former NHS dietician James Collier, whose passion from nutrition stemmed from seeing his mother's food habits shift after she was diagnosed with breast cancer when he was a child. James, 52, a former bodybuilder, worked with entrepreneur Julian Hearn - who would go on to become the business's CEO - to develop the formula behind the offering, which made more than £200 million in revenue last year.
![[At 16, he got into the gym at the recommendation of an older friend, and started lifting weights to transform himself from the 'wimpy kid who got sand kicked in his face' into a pillar of strength. James pictured aged 21]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/14/12/94070051-14282017-At_16_he_got_into_the_gym_at_the_recommendation_of_an_older_frie-a-24_1736856931582.jpg)
Speaking to The Guardian, the registered nutritionist revealed how studying health - and getting into sports - helped him through his upbringing. He had a 'good childhood' despite being a 'sensitive kid', but endured 'quite a lot' of bullying after going to a private school in Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire from the age of eight.
![[James now lives in Corby, Northamptonshire, with his wife of ten years, Melanie. Both pictured together]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/14/12/94072423-14282017-James_now_lives_in_Corby_Northamptonshire_with_his_wife_of_ten_y-a-19_1736856896677.jpg)
Amid battling 'putdowns' from his peers, James then shortly after saw his mother diagnosed with breast cancer. The illness made her shift her diet, and she became a vegetarian. James, 52, a former bodybuilder, worked with entrepreneur Julian Hearn - who would go on to become the business's CEO - to develop the formula behind the offering, which made more than £200 million in revenue last year.
![[Eventually, James - partially inspired by his mother's health journey - decided to study nutrition at the University of Surrey. Pictured on holiday]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/14/12/94072421-14282017-Eventually_James_partially_inspired_by_his_mother_s_health_journ-a-20_1736856901444.jpg)
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