Rude Health is a small London-based food and drinks company co-founded by Nick and Camilla Barnard. They celebrated 10 years of business in 2016 and they aren’t afraid of speaking up about real, honest food. Their ethos is about providing high-quality ingredients and products to the public and they have spent years perfecting all of their recipes. Their bright, loud, and exciting brand really sparks an interest in their healthy snacks and nutrition, but they stay humble by only using the kind of ingredients that you’d use in your home, with nothing artificial or refined. I was lucky enough to be able to try a generous offering of their products and I was not disappointed!

Almond Drink

Made from spring water, rice, Italian almonds, organic cold-pressed sunflower oil, and sea salt. That’s it! Just five organic ingredients which make it vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free. It has complex flavours, with the depth of the rice hitting you after the freshness of the spring water. The almonds provide a nice sweetness without the aid of nasty artificial sweeteners or other additives. It would be perfect pre- or post-workout, especially after a heavy triathlon training session. It tastes delicious on its own or partnered with their ultimate muesli. I’m definitely a big fan of this drink and I would happily have it every day!

Spiced Apple/Honey & Nuts Granola

Like the drink, the granola manages to be perfectly sweet without the help of chemicals or processed additives. The fruit adds a lovely touch, with the spiced apple providing a little tang in the background. The texture is perfect, not too crunchy, and feels fresh. You can tell this has been made with real ingredients without compromising any of the flavour.

Hazelnut Butter Porridge

The porridge comes in a super cute individual pot, with a handy guide written up the side of the packaging so that you know how much water to add. It’s very easy to make, just add boiling water! You could easily take this to work with you and either have it as breakfast at your desk or as an afternoon snack to keep you going through a long day. The hazelnuts add a lovely crunchy texture and the cacao is rich and indulgent without being unhealthy! Winner!

Verdict

I love the Rude Health brand and all that it stands for. Their humble roots have blossomed into a really exciting brand with strong ethics just like Sundried. Their products taste fantastic and it’s good to know that there’s nothing artificial in what you’re eating. It’s a 10 from me!

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Vega is a well-established plant based protein company in the USA, so when I was asked to try some of their products as they start to make waves in the UK, I was thrilled! Vega was co-founded by Brendan Brazier, a vegan former professional Ironman triathlete, so Sundried and Vega share some common ground in our passion for ethical consumption and triathlon. Vega’s products boast organic ingredients which are all gluten-free, non-dairy, and high protein. What’s not to love?

Vanilla Flavour Essentials Nutritional Powder

The vanilla flavour essentials nutritional powder is made from a blend of pea, flaxseed, and hemp. Its wholesome vegetable ingredients provide you with the nutritional building blocks to start your day strong and are high in protein, fibre, and omega-3. Vega says that it’s great as a smoothie, but I decided to try out their recipe for Cashew Vanilla and Coconut Balls, which turned out to be amazing!

They are really easy to make - trust me, I am a terrible cook! They smell phenomenal and they are lovely and light with a sweet taste. They make the perfect post-workout snack, and knowing that they are raw vegan and organic means they are totally guilt-free! If you want to have a go yourself, you can find the recipe on the Vega website.

Chocolate Flavour Clean Protein

I also got to try to chocolate flavour clean protein, which is a protein powder made from pea, hemp, alfalfa, and pumpkin seed. It’s naturally high in protein and low in sugar which makes it the perfect clean vegan protein powder! It tastes great mixed with water over ice but there are also recipes on the Vega website which you can try.

Verdict

So, the verdict. I must say I am impressed! Anyone who has tried several different vegan protein powders has probably had the same experience as me in having to endure thick, lumpy, powdery protein shakes which taste awful! Well, no longer. Vega’s products are light and mix well, and are perfect in tasty recipes so that you can stay nourished and happy all day long. I was really pleasantly surprised by these products as past experiences have made me dubious about plant-based protein, but the nutritional value of these products is excellent. It’s a 10 from me!

Vega on Social

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