£24.95
HR Labs Cream of Carbs is a complete daily carbohydrate source made from a 50/50 blend of cream of rice and cream of oats.
It’s designed to be easy to use, easy to digest and more enjoyable than standard cream of rice. The oat flour gives it more body and texture, while the rice flour keeps it simple and practical around training.
Each 28.5g scoop provides 20g of carbohydrates, or you can use 2 scoops for 40g carbohydrates depending on your calorie needs, training demands and daily intake.
Nutrition Breakdown: (per 28.5g serving)
Calories – 102kcal
Protein – 2.3g
Carbohydrates – 20g
Fat – 1.1g
Fibre – 1.3g
Salt – 0.28g
Ingredients:
Vanilla Ice Cream, Salted Caramel and Custard Creams:
Oat Flour, from finely milled oats
Rice Flour
Flavouring
Salt
Sweetener, Sucralose
Double Choc Chunk:
Oat Flour, from finely milled oats
Rice Flour
Cocoa Powder
Flavouring
Salt
Sweetener, Sucralose
Is it suitable for vegans/vegetarians?
Vegetarian: Yes
Vegan: Yes
Halal: No official certification stated on the HR Labs product page
Allergen Information:
Manufactured in a facility that also handles cereals containing gluten, egg, soya and milk.
Directions:
Serving size – 1 to 2 scoops
Mix 1 to 2 scoops in a bowl, add boiling water and stir until your desired consistency is achieved.
You can use a whisk on the hob with cold water if you want a smoother texture.
Individual requirements will vary depending on training goals, calorie needs and carbohydrate targets.
Cream of Carbs is in principle a simple product, but it solves a very real problem.
Standard cream of rice does the job, but let’s be honest, it can be bland, boring and a bit like eating wallpaper paste if the texture isn’t right or you’re not adding much to it.
HR Labs have done something clever…. by blending rice flour with oat flour, you still get an easy carbohydrate source, but with a bit more body, taste and texture.
For me, this is the kind of product that makes sense for people who train hard, struggle to get enough carbohydrates in, or need something easy around their sessions.
You can use 1 scoop for a lighter 20g carb serving, or 2 scoops for a more substantial 40g serving. That makes it flexible, which is important because not everyone needs the same amount.
I also like that it comes in a large 2.28kg tub with 80 single scoop servings or 40 double scoop servings. That makes it good value, especially if you’re using it regularly as part of your pre-workout meal, post-workout meal or daily carb intake.
I’d personally use this pre-workout if I wanted easy fuel without feeling too heavy, post-workout if I needed to get carbohydrates back in quickly, or even during the day when appetite is low but calories still need to be hit.
The Science:
Carbohydrate intake during exercise and performance
Study: This review looked at carbohydrate feeding during exercise and its impact on endurance capacity and exercise performance.
Nutrition, 2004
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15212750/
This study supports the use of carbohydrates around training, particularly when performance, energy output and longer training sessions are the goal.
Effect of serving size and addition of sugar on the glycemic response elicited by oatmeal: a randomised clinical trial
Study: This study compared glycaemic responses to oatmeal and cream of rice, looking at how serving size and added sugar affected blood glucose response.
Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, 2017
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28531455/
Oatmeal produced a lower glycaemic response than matched servings of cream of rice, which helps explain why adding oats to a rice-based carb product may make it feel slightly steadier and more versatile across the day.
