THE ATHLETE’S CARB SNACK GUIDE
STOP PICKING. START FUELLING.
As an athlete, fuelling can feel like a full-time job.
And honestly… I used to make it SO much harder for myself.
I’d pick the low-cal option every time.
A little snack.
A tiny portion.
Something “light”.
Then I’d be hungry again 20 minutes later.
So I’d have another snack.
Then another.
Then another.
And the food noise just kept going.
Especially those post-ride munchies where you're constantly back in the kitchen looking for something else.
I used to think:
“I’ve eaten so much today.”
But really, I’d just spent the whole day grazing because I never actually gave my body enough.
And this is something I see athletes doing all the time.
Not because they don't care about fuelling.
Because so many of the snacks we're surrounded by are designed for a completely different purpose.
THE PROBLEM WITH “SNACKS”
Walk into any supermarket and you'll find hundreds of snack options.
But look at how many are marketed around:
LOW CALORIE
LIGHT
SKINNY
LOW SUGAR
SMALL PORTION
ONLY X CALORIES
For someone looking for a small snack, that might be exactly what they want.
But athletes aren't always looking for the smallest possible snack.
You're training.
You're using carbohydrate.
You're replacing glycogen.
You're recovering.
You're potentially training again later.
And sometimes you simply need more food.
So the question shouldn't always be:
“What's the lowest-calorie snack I can have?”
Try:
“What will actually fuel me and satisfy me?”
WHY RED-SCUE IS DIFFERENT
RED-Scue wasn't designed as a diet snack.
It wasn't designed to help you eat as little as possible.
It was designed around a completely different question:
How can we make it easier for athletes to get meaningful carbohydrate into their day?
Because sometimes a banana isn't enough.
Sometimes a rice cake isn't enough.
Sometimes a tiny cereal bar isn't enough.
Sometimes you don't need another little snack.
You need a proper snack.
That's where RED-Scue comes in.
RED-SCUE VS THE “TINY SNACK” MINDSET
THE OLD WAY
❌ Choose the smallest option
❌ Pick the lowest calories
❌ Have a tiny portion
❌ Still hungry
❌ Go looking for something else
❌ Have another snack
❌ Then another
❌ End up grazing all evening
THE RED-SCUE APPROACH
✅ Recognise that training increases fuel needs
✅ Choose a meaningful carbohydrate snack
✅ Eat something substantial
✅ Actually enjoy it
✅ Move on with your day
Less picking.
More fuelling.
THE POST-SESSION GRAZE
This is the one I really want athletes to recognise.
You've finished your ride.
Or your long run.
Or your gym session.
Or your double training day.
You get home.
You're hungry.
You open the cupboard.
A few crackers.
Then some fruit.
Then a yoghurt.
Then some cereal.
Then you go back for toast.
Then you're still thinking about food.
And suddenly you've spent the next two hours eating bits and pieces.
You weren't “greedy”.
You weren't lacking willpower.
You may simply have under-fuelled the session and then tried to compensate with tiny snacks afterwards.
Your body was asking for fuel.
TRY THIS INSTEAD
POST-RIDE GRAZING
❌ Picking at whatever is available
↓
PROPER RECOVERY
✅ Sit down and eat a proper meal
OR
✅ Have a substantial carbohydrate snack while you prepare your meal
For example:
RED-Scue bar + yoghurt + fruit
or
RED-Scue bar + milk
or
RED-Scue bar followed by your proper meal
The bar isn't designed to replace a meal.
It's there to make fuelling more practical.
WHAT MAKES A RED-SCUE BAR DIFFERENT?
70g
This isn't a tiny bite-sized snack.
It's a proper bar.
~35g CARBOHYDRATE
Enough carbohydrate to make a meaningful contribution to your daily intake or your fuelling strategy.
ROOT PLANT CARBOHYDRATES
Cassava and plantain fufu form the carbohydrate base.
DENSE + FUDGE-LIKE
Not a light, airy bar that disappears in a few bites.
It actually feels like food.
NO CRUMBS
Smooth, portable and easy to take with you.
DIFFERENT FLAVOURS
Because fuelling shouldn't have to taste the same every day.
Chocolate Chip
Orange Choc
Vanilla Cinnamon
Lemon Drizzle
Salted Caramel
CARBS ARE FUEL
Your carbohydrate needs change with your training.
A commonly used sports-nutrition framework gives approximately:
| Training load | Carbohydrate |
|---|---|
| Up to 1 hour/day | 5–7 g/kg/day |
| 1–3 hours/day | 6–10 g/kg/day |
| 3–5+ hours/day | 8–12 g/kg/day |
These are general sports-nutrition guidelines, not individual prescriptions.
The message is simple:
More training generally means more fuel.
And carbohydrate isn't something athletes should automatically try to minimise.
The 2023 IOC RED-S consensus highlights low carbohydrate availability as a factor that may compound the consequences of low energy availability.
So if you're training hard, consistently choosing the smallest possible snack isn't necessarily helping you.
YOUR CARB OPTIONS
There isn't one “perfect” carbohydrate snack.
Use different foods for different situations.
FRUIT
-
Banana
-
Apple
-
Orange
-
Grapes
-
Mango
-
Dates
-
Dried fruit
-
Fruit pouch
BREAD & BAKERY
-
Toast
-
Toast + jam
-
Bagel
-
Bagel + jam
-
Crumpets + honey
-
English muffin + jam
-
Malt loaf
-
Jam sandwich
CEREAL & GRAINS
-
Cereal + milk
-
Porridge
-
Porridge + banana + honey
-
Rice pudding
-
Rice
-
Pasta
-
Couscous
-
Potatoes
QUICK TRAINING FUELS
-
Sports drink
-
Carbohydrate drink
-
Gels
-
Chews
-
Jelly sweets
-
Energy bars
-
RED-Scue bars
MORE SUBSTANTIAL OPTIONS
-
Sandwich + fruit
-
Cereal + yoghurt
-
Porridge + toppings
-
Rice bowl
-
Pasta meal
-
RED-Scue Fuelling Jar
-
RED-Scue bar + yoghurt/fruit
BEFORE TRAINING
Ask:
Have I actually fuelled the session I'm about to do?
1–2 hours before
Try:
-
Toast + jam
-
Bagel + jam
-
Banana + cereal bar
-
Cereal + milk
-
Porridge
-
RED-Scue bar
-
RED-Scue Fuelling Jar
2–4 hours before
Have a proper carbohydrate-rich meal:
-
Porridge + fruit + honey
-
Cereal + milk + fruit
-
Rice + protein
-
Pasta + protein
-
Potato + protein
-
Bagel + eggs + fruit
DURING TRAINING
For longer or harder sessions, carbohydrate during training can help maintain fuel availability.
A common starting point:
30–60g carbohydrate/hour
For longer endurance sessions, some athletes can work towards:
60–90g/hour
with appropriate gut training and individualisation.
Options:
-
Sports drink
-
Gels
-
Chews
-
Jelly sweets
-
Banana
-
Dates
-
RED-Scue bar
-
Combination of carbohydrate sources
Don't wait until you're completely empty.
Start fuelling before you need rescuing.
AFTER TRAINING
This is where the snack can make a huge difference.
Instead of:
training → hunger → picking → picking → picking → dinner → still hungry
try:
training → carbohydrate + protein → proper meal
Examples:
RED-Scue bar + yoghurt
RED-Scue bar + milk
Fuelling Jar + fruit
Toast + eggs + fruit
Cereal + milk + banana
Rice/pasta meal
The exact choice depends on when your next meal or training session is.
BETWEEN SESSIONS
If you train twice in one day, your first recovery meal is also part of your preparation for the second session.
Don't leave yourself running on empty between sessions.
Options:
-
Bagel + jam
-
Sandwich + fruit
-
Cereal + milk
-
Rice pudding
-
Porridge
-
Smoothie + toast
-
RED-Scue Fuelling Jar
-
RED-Scue bar + fruit
-
Proper carbohydrate-rich meal
RACE WEEK
Race-day fuelling starts before race day.
As training reduces, don't automatically slash your food intake too.
Keep meals regular.
Increase carbohydrate where appropriate.
Keep snacks available.
Use foods you've practised with.
And don't suddenly try something completely new.
For carbohydrate-loading situations, higher carbohydrate intakes may be used in the days before an endurance event, depending on the event and athlete.
Race week isn't the time to “eat clean” and accidentally under-fuel.
It's time to arrive ready.
RACE DAY
BEFORE
Choose familiar carbohydrate-rich foods.
-
Porridge
-
Cereal
-
Toast + jam
-
Bagel + jam
-
Rice pudding
-
Fuelling Jar
-
RED-Scue bar
DURING
Match your carbohydrate intake to the event.
-
Gels
-
Sports drink
-
Chews
-
Jelly sweets
-
Banana
-
RED-Scue bar
AFTER
Start recovery as soon as practical.
-
RED-Scue bar
-
Fuelling Jar
-
Milk + cereal
-
Yoghurt + fruit
-
Sandwich
-
Proper meal
THE RED-SCUE RANGE
RED-SCUE BARS
For when you need portable, substantial carbohydrate.
Perfect for:
-
Before training
-
Longer sessions
-
Between meals
-
Between work and training
-
Travel
-
Race day
-
Post-training
-
Kit bags
70g | ~35g carbohydrate
RED-SCUE FUELLING JARS
For when you want something more substantial.
Useful:
-
At breakfast
-
Before training
-
After training
-
Between meals
-
Between sessions
-
On high-training-load days
They're not about replacing proper meals.
They're about making it easier to get enough fuel in.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO CHOOSE THE “LIGHT” OPTION
You are allowed to have:
the bigger bowl.
the extra slice.
the bagel.
the proper portion.
the carbohydrate snack.
the second helping.
Your training has a cost.
Your body needs energy to train.
Carbohydrate helps fuel that training.
And sometimes the reason you're constantly thinking about food isn't that you need more willpower.
You need more food.
STOP PICKING. START FUELLING.
You don't need 100 tiny snacks.
You might need:
one proper snack.
One proper meal.
A bigger portion.
More carbohydrate.
A planned recovery snack.
Fuel between sessions.
Something in your kit bag before you get hungry.
That's what RED-Scue is about.
Not eating less.
Not choosing the smallest option.
Not trying to make every snack as low-calorie as possible.
Making fuelling practical for athletes.
Because you're not training like someone who needs to eat as little as possible.
You're training like someone who needs fuel.
RED-Scue®
Fuel Without Fear.
