I am one of those people who faint if they don’t have breakfast, so I take it quite seriously. Some ‘energy cereal’ landed on Frost’s doorstep and we put it to the test.
Most important thing first: taste. It tastes great. Really good. Like muesli, but better. Fuel is made for sport and fitness enthusiasts. It based on the 10k hours principle (see below) and has been developed for those interested in marathons and triathlons to sustain them through training and the race. This isn’t me, but my life is busy and I exercise most days.
It comes in two flavours: Real Fruit and Chocolate Chunks. Both flavours taste great. Does it give me more energy? Yes. It is a good healthy breakfast that gets you through the day. I would buy Fuel. There is £1 off the normal RSP of £3.29 at Sainsbury from now until August 14th.
Barney Mauleverer, 37, is one of the creators of FUEL and a devotee of extreme sporting challenges having completed the gruelling Marathon des Sables across the Sahara Desert, the Himalayan Marathon and, most recently, the Jungle Marathon in the Amazon.
Barney said: “We have created FUEL because we were bored with what was on offer in the cereals category and specifically to meet the needs of today’s active people taking part in marathons, triathlons, mountain climbing as well as more traditional pastimes such as rugby, tennis and squash.
“An energy-packed cereal like FUEL will help give them the edge in their training regimes and in competition.”
Containing only natural ingredients, FUEL is rich in Vitamin B and E, high in fibre and contains guarana extract. It is a blend of both slow release and fast release energy providing an ideal start to the day.
FUEL is available in 400g packs and has a retail price of £3.29.
The 10,000 hours rule was developed by psychologist Anders Ericsson of Florida State University and made famous by Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers. Basically, Ericsson’s theory suggests that sufficient practice in a particular skill can take anyone to the level of proficiency equivalent to that heard on the playing of a top concert pianist. Gladwell took this theory further and said it could apply to the best sports people, business leaders and performers. He cited the 10,00 hours spent programming by Bill Gates at the age of 13 – long before the majority of his peers knew what a computer was. 10,000 hour works out at 90 minutes of practice ever day for 20 years.