If you’re like most athletes, you adhere to a strict diet of energy bars, energy bars, and more energy bars. Even non-athletes are scarfing down Clif Bars and Power Bars at lunch in order to obtain the long lasting energy they need to get through a hard day of sitting. After a while, this consistent diet of prepackaged, machine-molded bars can make you feel like Charlton Heston in Soylent Green.

Are there other options?
It’s important to find foods with a low Glycemic Index (GI). Basically, the Glycemic Index (GI) ranks how quickly carbohydrates digest. Foods with a low GI (like most energy bars) contain carbs that digest slowly, giving you long lasting energy. Foods with a high GI (think Snickers) contain carbs that digest quickly, causing a sharp rise in blood sugar levels, a quick burst of energy, and a nasty crash.

Franca Alphin, chief dietician for the Duke Sports Performance Program, says energy bars aren’t the only place to find that low GI and long lasting energy.

“Believe it or not, dried fruit is a great source of sustained energy,” Alphin says, adding that dried apricots are perhaps the best energy snack you can find. Apples and pears with the peels still on are also a low GI food that gives you the fuel you need for a long workout or day at the desk. Also, consider eating an under-ripe banana. “You want to avoid any fruit that’s over ripe,” Alphin says, “because the riper the fruit, the more sugar it contains.”

As part of a Penn State University study, dried plums (a.k.a. prunes) were given to participants 30 minutes before a 3-mile run. Compared with eating an energy bar before the run, participants reported no difference in intestinal discomfort with dried plums, and also claimed to have increased energy levels after eating the dried plums.

And if you’re looking for an energy drink, look no further than chocolate milk. “The mixture of sugar and protein keeps the GI index low,” Alphin says.

So how do you pick a quality energy snack without obtaining a Masters in Sports Nutrition? According to Alphin, make sure the food you’re eating has a balance of protein, carbs, and fat. It’s this balance that keeps the GI low and the snack wholesome. And of course, avoid any snack that’s high in sugar.

“If your snack tastes like a candy bar,” Alphin says, “it’s probably not a good source of sustained energy.”

-Graham Averill