Rokit Fuel Cereal Cup-Review

This spring is off to a great start.  We’ve already reviewed a new pair of Newtons, a GelBot from Hydrapak, and we have some more fun stuff coming soon, including some great products from Nathan and Honey Stinger.

Today, we’re going to take a look at some nutrition products, specifically the Cereal Cups from Rokit Fuel.  If you’re looking for a lowfat breakfast, you’re not going to find it here.  What you will find is a balanced and nutritious breakfast that is made of natural, whole ingredients.

About Rokit Fuel:

Rokit Fuel’s founding is a neat story.  Bernell Taylor, the company founder, made cereal as a gift for his neighbors in December of 2006. The gift recipients soon started calling Bernell asking how to get more of the cereal and when it would be on the market.  Quite a compliment.

March of 2008 was the first time Rokit Fuel was available to the public.  The hot cereal was included in the goodie bags for Canyonlands Half Marathon in Moab.

Rokit Fuel is founded on a pretty simple concept: active people need high quality food.  The cereals and energy mixes are made from natural whole foods, including grains, nuts, seeds, and fruit and natural additives, like bee pollen and herbs.  Here are a few examples of the ingredients lists for the cereal cups:

Pumpkin Chocolate:  Rolled Oats, Rye Flakes, Pure Cane Dark Brown Sugar, Semi Sweet Chocolate, Dates, Pecans, Whole and Milled Flax Seed, Sunflower Seeds, Sesame Seeds, Almonds, Pumpkin Flakes, Bee Pollen, Cinnamon, Real Salt, Gotu Kola, Maca Root, Nutmeg, Cloves

Stud Muffin: Rolled Oats, Rye Flakes, Pure Cane Dark Brown Sugar, Dates, Raisins, Whole and Milled Flax Seed, Sunflower Seeds, Figs, Pecans, Sesame Seeds, Almonds, Walnuts, Blueberries, Tart Cherries, Bee Pollen, Cinnamon, Real Salt, Gotu Kola, Maca Root, Nutmeg, Cloves.

The ingredients are awesome, but if you didn’t notice, adding the seeds can bump up the fat content a bit.  For Stud Muffin, you’re looking at 12g of fat, or 18% of your DV and for Pumpkin Chocolate it’s 14g or 22% of your DV.  This is significantly less fat than you’d get if you eat out or have bacon and eggs, but it’s worth noting. Rokit Fuel has a response:

We know that criticism of the Holy Grail called the Nutrition Facts Label is tantamount to nutritional heresy.  We’re game.  While Rokit Fuel complies with all regulations of the FDA including the nutrition facts label, we feel there is a simpler and more effective way to determine what you put into your body.  Rather than counting calories, carbs, fat, protein, fiber, sugar and etc, we recommend you count the whole foods in what you eat.  We think you’ll be surprised.  We urge you to enjoy whole foods that enhance health and provide strength, energy, endurance and recovery for a long and active life.

We generally agree with Rokit Fuel here: if you’re the type of person that’s putting whole foods in your body and exercising, you probably don’t need to worry about the fat and calories here.  As their packaging says, “Not for Wussies.”

Review of Rokit Fuel Cereal Cups:

We received 6 sample cups of Rokit Fuel Cereal, two each of Stud Muffin, Pumpkin Chocolate, and Chocolate Dream.

All three cereals were awesome, but our favorite was the Stud Muffin. We feel it had the best balance of sweet and savory, something we look for in breakfast.  However, if you’re a chocolate lover, you’re not going to be disappointed with Chocolate Dream or Pumpkin Chocolate, they’re both great tasting.

We’re currently training for a 200 mile relay race and a marathon and we just wrapped up our first triathlon of the season.  We only used Rokit Fuel on the days we had full training plans, that is, two to three workouts a day, or before races. On lesser days, we don’t like a large breakfast, normally just a serving of yogurt and fruit.

The first thing you’ll notice about Rokit Fuel is it’s pretty tasty.  Too many people associate health food with bland food, and that’s simply not the case here.  The cereals are full of flavor and packed with fruits and nuts.

The next thing you’ll notice is that you’re not going to be hungry for quite a while.  Even on our hardest workout days, the cereal cups kept us full and feeling strong until lunch.  If you’re worried about the fat and calories, consider not just what you eat for breakfast, but also any snacks you pick up before lunch.  There was only one time we felt our hunger arrive before lunch; Rokit Fuel is good at keeping you full and functioning.

Final Thoughts on Rokit Fuel Cereal Cups:

Ok, so here’s the bottom line for us: This is a great product, stuffed full of great ingredients, and it really keeps your energy levels up, but it’s not for everyone.

We don’t fully agree with Rokit Fuel’s take on whole food vs. calories and fat.  Then again, we don’t think Rokit Fuel has contributed to the obesity epidemic in America either.  The bottom line is that if you want whole foods like nuts, grains, berries, etc., you’re going to get some extra calories and fat.  For people with an active lifestyle, that’s not a problem, and Rokit Fuel is certainly designed for those of us with active lifestyles.

We are very impressed with the flavor and ingredients list for all three sample flavors we tried.  In each case, the cereal cup provided a great start to the morning and kept our energy levels up and hunger at bay. We’re used to having at least one snack, maybe two, before lunch, depending on our training load, but we didn’t feel the need for snacks while using Rokit Fuel.

If you’re a serious athlete, hiker, mountain biker, triathlete, or ultra-runner, this is a great addition to your nutrition plans.  Your body will be happy with the whole, unprocessed foods.