I tried ‘boy kibble’, the viral gym bro meal trend, so you don’t have to 

Gym-going TikTokers looking for a quick post-workout hit of protein and carbs have popularised ‘boy kibble’, so named for its visual resemblance to dog food. Having cooked and tasted this heap of white rice and mince, I can say the similarities don’t end there. 

That’s not to say the kibble bros aren’t on to something. This cheap meal takes minutes to cook, is low in fat and you can easily adapt it to meet your macronutritional needs, ie by increasing the ratio of rice to meat or vice versa. However, I found it an unappetizing and unimaginative way to refuel following my morning training, when tastier and more nutritious alternatives take a similar time to prepare. 

How to cook boy kibble

Unsurprisingly, the ingredient list and cooking instructions are short. I bought a packet of 7% fat turkey mince to stay with the fat-reducing theme and a pouch of white microwave rice. I heated a little oil in a large pan, dropped in the mince, stirred occasionally and waited until the juices ran clear. True kibble bros consider seasoning to be optional, but I added salt and pepper to mine. As the mince finished off, I pinged the rice in the microwave for two minutes. 

To serve, I fluffed up the rice, poured it into a bowl and spooned 150g of turkey on top for a solid protein serving. From start to finish, preparation took merely 10 minutes. 

What does boy kibble taste like?

As you can see from the photos, it looks as austere as it sounds. Taste-wise, it’s one of the blandest meals I’ve ever tried. There’s nothing to sugarcoat the gritty texture and minimal flavour of low-fat mince either. A masochistic experience that filled me with reget. I cheated half way through my bowl by dabbing on Dark Fire hot sauce. 

What are alternatives to boy kibble?

Boy kibble has attracted criticism for being a nutritional desert besides its protein and carbohydrates. A strict interpretation of the recipe incorporates little fibre, vitamins, minerals or antioxidants due to the lack of wholegrains or vegetables. Nutritionists have also warned that preparing it obsessively could trigger eating disorders. 

To me, that critique seems valid. But boy kibble’s bigger crime is its blandness. This gastronomic equivalent of ‘raw-dogging’ (enduring an unstimulating experience without external entertainment) ignores that healthy food can be pleasurable. Because I combine full-time work with a pretty high training volume, sometimes I do treat food as fuel. Still, when during a tough interval session or long bike ride, I like to have something to look forward to eating at the end. Boy kibble falls far short of this. 

From veg and protein-packed meals you can cook in 20 minutes to nutrient-rich dinner recipes for time-crunched athletes, there are stacks of more flavoursome alternatives. They only take slightly longer to cook and have far better nutritional diversity. What’s more, many high-protein sources require little or no cooking. Another time-saving option is to batch cook something enjoyable the night before. 

There’s nothing wrong with eating boy kibble occasionally. In terms of helping you refuel and recover after a session, it can do the job. But to the kibble bros, I’d say do your wider health and taste buds a favour and mix things up.