Oat Cakes

As an alternative to specifically designed sports nutrition products, Tzero was offered the opportunity to sample something more traditional : Nairns Oat Bakes, Cakes and Biscuits.

These don’t boast the scientific formulation of energy gels and bars but because they are made from wholegrain oats, still manage to pack a good dose of carbs and protein. For example, the Stem Ginger Oat Biscuits contain 65g of carbohydrate per 100g and nearly 9g of protein, which compares favourable with some energy bars. On top of that, they taste good and are wonderfully satisfying to eat.

The Oat Biscuits probably work best if you do the type of training rides where you stop for a mug of tea and have time to open the packaging. While Nairns do make two-biscuit snack packs, which easily slip into the back pocket of a cycling jersey or the pouch of a running belt, they are not the easiest to open on the move. Also, because they are dry, they take time to chew and swallow. And, if you are breathing heavily, you’d want to be careful to avoid inhaling the crumbs.

We thought the Oat Cakes were particularly good on long training rides or runs when we started to crave savoury food, or for those days when you tire of the sickly sweet taste of gels and some other energy products. We thought they also worked well as snacks either between meals or pre-training. This is doubly true of the ‘Oat Bakes’, which come in 30g packets like crisps. The only downside might be if you are monitoring your sodium intake as some flavours are quite high in salt.

We tried and liked the following :

• Oat Cakes: Rough Oatmeal  (a bit dry, but great with soft cheese), Cheese
• Oat Biscuits: Stem Ginger, Fruit & Spice and Mixed Berries
• Oat Bakes: Sweet Chilli (our favourite), Tomato & Herb and Cheese

 For more info, see: www.nairns-oatcakes.co.uk

Nairns Oat Bakes

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