Review: Rude Health Cereals and Snacks

"You're reviewing cereals on your blog now?!" is the response that I expect many of you had when you saw the title of this post. Yes. Yes I am. Because, cereals and healthy snacks are just as important to a cyclist's diet as the energy bars, drinks and recovery products that you use. What you have for breakfast before your training ride, will undoubtedly have an effect on how well you perform out on the bike.

Rude Health is a UK based company, who produce a wide range of products from cereals to snack bars; all of which seek to taste great, but also provide you with an easy and convenient healthy option. I've been trying out a selection of their products over the last few weeks, and I think they tie in very well with the demands of a cyclist's diet. They're natural, low in fat, high in complex carbohydrates, and most of all, they taste rather good.

Here's what I thought of the range...

Breakfast! Rude Health Daily Oats Porridge, Ultimate Granola and Ultimate Muesli

Breakfast is quite possibly my favourite meal of the day, particularly when you're just about to head out on the bike. I really don't understand the inclination of some to skip breakfast; it provides you with a much needed kick-start to the day, and will fuel you in your activities.

The best kind of fuel for endurance activities is low-GI carbohydrates. Possibly the best known and most effective source of these is oats. Oats are a simple yet highly effective fuel source, and will slowly release energy into your system as they break down over time; this makes them the ultimate endurance fuel.

Rude Health produce three great breakfast products, which all revolve around the wonder oat. First up, there is the Daily Oats Porridge, which uses a combined mix of jumbo oats and finer ground porridge oats. The result is a quick cooking mixture, which will be ready in just three minutes in the microwave. It has a great texture, and mixed with a few plump raisins or dates, it makes a seriously tasty and warming bowl of fuel. I'm a bit of a porridge addict, and have it year-round, and this is one of the nicest oat mixes I've tried.

Next up, is the Rude Health Ultimate Granola. Like the porridge, this is a healthy organic option. It is made of multiple grains, and contains a mixture of oats, spelt and barley, stuck together with a blend of honey and date syrup. There are also crunchy seeds, puffed rice and an ancient ingredient called amaranth, which contains an incredibly high protein content for a grain. There is no fruit in the mixture, so you're free to mix it with fresh banana or berries, and it is an incredibly tasty and high protein snack when combined with greek style yoghurt.

The final breakfast table option (or healthy afternoon snack option, for that matter), is The Ultimate Muesli. This has 23 ingredients, but they're all healthy and low-fat components. Quinoa, oats, barley and rye flakes provide the staple carbohydrates, whilst flavour and nutrients are added by other components like blueberries, apricots, brazil nuts, almonds and seeds. It's a mix that provides a great taste and texture, and will set you up for any long ride or long day.

Dip, Dunk and Snack - Rude Health Oaty Biscuits

There's no point in having a healthy breakfast if your diet deteriorates thereafter, and your mid-morning snack is a doughnut or packet of crisps. The Oaty biscuit range from Rude Health are effectively a mixture of tasty oat cakes, which could provide you with a sustaining snack or a healthy lunchtime carbohydrate replenish.

Oats continue to be the ultimate fuel source here, and whether you opt for the plain "The Oaty" or the other varieties with Rye and Spelt blended in, these are a very tasty and healthy option. I've tried them dunked in hummus for lunch, with peanut butter as a mid-morning snack, or with banana and honey as a late-night fuel booster. They're tasty, have a great texture and for coeliacs, they're wheat-free too.

Snack Time! Rude Health Drinking Oats, Thins, and Nutritious Energy Bars 

The final set of products that I tried from Rude Health was the "snack range", comprising drinking oats, corn and rice thins, and beetroot and pumpkin cereal bars. If some of those sound unusual to you, then don't knock them before you've tried them.

The Beetroot and Pumpkin bars are a different take on snack bars. Made almost completely from fruit, vegetables and seeds; they're wheat-free, gluten-free and contain no refined sugar. They have a unique fudge-like texture, and the beetroot bar is a somewhat acquired taste, but they certainly taste and feel healthy, as well as being rich in fibre and nutrients.

The Corn and Rice Thins, are the modern and ultimate solution to a crisps craving. They're little puffed circles of cereal, and provide a great snack dipped in sauce or conserves. Tasty!

Last of all, there are the Rude Health Drinking Oats; possibly the most convenient form of oats yet. These fine milled oats can be added to a cold or hot drink and dissolve within a few minutes. Pop them in a post-workout shake, smoothie or glass of orange juice, and they provide a great slow-release energy source without the need to munch down on a handful of oats. A great solution if you're pushed for time before setting out on the bike in the morning.


The Rude Health range is well worth a look then, especially if you're a cyclist that pays particular attention to what you put into your body (which you should!). Some of the products are quite a price, but then you get what you pay for... these are organic, simple, healthy and effective sources of energy, and they'll leave you feeling great. Bow down to the oats, and get involved.

View the range at RudeHealth.com (Link)