EMPOWERING ALL ATHLETES TO FUEL WITHOUT FEAR.
Global REDs Awareness Day

Fuel first.
Know REDs.

Global REDs Awareness Day is about making Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport easier to recognise, understand and talk about.

21 November · 16–22 November awareness week
Global REDs Awareness Day
Start here

So, what actually is REDs?

REDs stands for Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport. It can happen when the energy available to your body is not enough to support training, recovery, everyday life and the many things your body needs to do.

01

It isn't just about sport

REDs can affect athletes across different sports, levels and stages of life. You don't have to be an elite athlete for fuelling and recovery to matter.

02

It's about energy availability

Your body needs energy not just for exercise, but for hormones, bones, immunity, metabolism, recovery and everyday life too.

03

It can be easy to miss

Feeling tired, struggling to recover, getting injured or seeing performance change can easily be put down to simply training hard.

The bigger picture

REDs can affect more than performance.

Low energy availability can affect multiple areas of health and performance. That's why REDs is about much more than whether you have a good or bad training session.

Performance Training quality, consistency and ability to adapt can be affected.
Recovery Your body needs enough energy to repair and recover between sessions.
Bone health Energy availability and nutrition are important for maintaining bone health.
Hormonal health Low energy availability can affect normal reproductive and hormonal function.
Look a little closer

What can under-fuelling look like?

There isn't one single REDs symptom. These are some signs worth paying attention to, particularly when several start appearing together.

✓
Training feels harder Sessions feel unusually difficult or you constantly feel like you're running on empty.
✓
Poor recovery You aren't bouncing back between sessions as expected or soreness and fatigue keep hanging around.
✓
Repeated injuries or niggles You keep picking up injuries or your body is struggling to cope with the training load.
✓
Performance starts to change You are training consistently but progress, performance or endurance starts moving in the wrong direction.
✓
Changes in normal body function This can include changes to menstrual function, libido or other normal physiological processes.
✓
Mood or concentration changes Irritability, low mood, difficulty concentrating or feeling constantly exhausted can all be worth paying attention to.

Why does REDs matter?

11 body systems have been identified as potentially affected by low energy availability
CARBS are an important fuel source for training and can help support glycogen stores and recovery
RECOVERY matters just as much as the session itself when supporting long-term health and performance
Carbohydrate availability

Let's talk about low carbohydrate availability.

One part of the fuelling conversation we really want to change is the idea that carbohydrates are something athletes should automatically cut back on.

Low carbohydrate availability can contribute to low energy availability when carbohydrate intake does not keep up with the demands of training. It can be surprisingly easy to miss because someone may still be eating regularly while not providing enough carbohydrate for the work they are asking their body to do.

Training harder? Your fuelling needs need to be considered alongside the training you are doing.
Carbs are fuel. Carbohydrate provides an important source of energy for many types of exercise.
It can be subtle. Low carbohydrate availability doesn't necessarily mean skipping meals or obviously restricting food.
Think beyond training. Fuelling is about supporting your whole day, not simply getting through one workout.
Athletes competing during a race
Quality carbohydrate matters

Carbs aren't the enemy.

Carbohydrate is a key fuel source for exercise, particularly for endurance and higher-intensity training. How much you need depends on the individual, the activity and the training load.

We want to move the conversation away from fearing carbohydrates and towards understanding what they can actually do for an athlete.

→ Fuel before. Start sessions with energy available.
→ Fuel during. Longer and harder sessions need ongoing fuel.
→ Fuel after. Carbohydrate can contribute to replenishing glycogen after exercise.
→ Fuel the whole day. Your body doesn't switch off when your workout ends.
Why RED-Scue exists

Changing the way we talk about fuelling.

RED-Scue started because too many athletes are surrounded by messages about training harder, eating less, cutting carbs or prioritising protein, while enough energy and carbohydrate can get pushed into the background.

We want to make fuelling feel normal, practical and enjoyable. Not something to fear. Not something to earn. And not something that needs to come with guilt.

Quality carbohydrates

We want to put carbohydrate back at the centre of the conversation. Carbohydrate provides energy for active bodies and can support glycogen replenishment after exercise.

Carbohydrate diversity

There isn't one perfect carbohydrate. Different foods bring different flavours, textures, nutrients and ways of fuelling. Variety matters.

Removing the stigma

We want to move away from fear around food and carbohydrates and towards conversations about fuelling, health, performance and enjoying the sport you love.

Food first

Sports nutrition doesn't always have to mean powders, gels or highly engineered products. There is a place for practical, carbohydrate-rich foods too.

Rooted in tradition. Made for performance.

Elite endurance athletes have long relied on everyday carbohydrate staples. Kenyan distance-running diets, including food served in Eliud Kipchoge's training environment, have been documented featuring staples such as ugali, alongside foods including potatoes, rice, bread, beans and vegetables.

Across different cultures, foods such as cassava, plantain, fufu, maize and sorghum are also familiar sources of carbohydrate.

These foods can contribute to glycogen replenishment after training and provide carbohydrate to support the next session when they are part of an athlete's overall fuelling plan.

That is part of the thinking behind RED-Scue. We use familiar, plant-powered carbohydrate sources and bring them into a practical format for active people.

Cassava Plantain Maize Sorghum Ugali Fufu
Cassava
Plantain
Maize
Sorghum

Real food. Plant-powered. Carb-first.

Across our products, we use ingredients such as cassava, plantain, maize and sorghum to bring more variety into sports fuelling.

Fuel to do the activity, not do the activity to earn the fuel.

This is at the heart of why we do what we do. Food isn't a reward for exercise. Carbohydrate isn't something you have to earn. And taking care of your body shouldn't have to come with guilt.

Where RED-Scue fits in

Making fuelling easier to actually do.

Knowing you need to fuel is one thing. Having food you actually want to eat, can carry with you and can fit around real life is another.

01

Before

Carbohydrate before training or racing can help you start with fuel available rather than trying to catch up later.

02

During

Longer sessions and endurance events require ongoing fuelling. Practical carbohydrate-rich foods can be part of that plan.

03

After

Recovery is another opportunity to eat enough carbohydrate and provide your body with the energy and nutrients it needs.

Fuel the sport you love for life.

RED-Scue is about more than one bar. It's about creating a culture where athletes can fuel without fear, train without guilt and keep enjoying their sport for years to come.

How to support

You don't have to be an expert to help.

Coaches, teammates, parents, clubs, friends and sporting communities can all help make fuelling conversations safer and more normal.

📚

Learn

Learn what REDs and low energy availability actually mean and share reliable information.

💬

Talk about food normally

Make regular fuelling a normal part of training without judgement or comments about bodies.

❤️

Check in

If someone seems exhausted, injured or struggling to recover, ask how they are rather than telling them to train harder.

🍞

Support enough food

Encourage athletes to match their fuelling to their training, including carbohydrate when sessions demand it.

📣

Share the campaign

Share REDs information and useful resources with athletes, coaches, clubs and sporting communities.

👥

Bring it to your club

Start a conversation at your running club, gym, university, team or coaching group.

Get involved

Make REDs awareness part of your community.

You can support Global REDs Awareness Week by starting a conversation, sharing reliable information, talking to your club or coach, or simply making fuelling a more normal part of training.

Share REDs information Help another athlete recognise the bigger picture.
Talk about fuelling Make enough food and carbohydrate part of everyday training talk.
Support your teammates Listen, check in and avoid judgement around food and bodies.
Educate your club Bring REDs awareness into your team, gym or running community.
Challenge the narrative More training isn't automatically better, and eating less isn't automatically healthier.
Normalise carbohydrates Carbs are part of fuelling an active body.
Questions we hear a lot

REDs, made a little easier to understand.

Tap a question to open the answer.

Is REDs only something elite athletes experience?
No. REDs can affect active people across many levels of sport and different types of training. Training load, nutrition, recovery and individual needs all matter.
Does REDs mean I have an eating disorder?
No. REDs and eating disorders are not the same thing. Low energy availability can happen for many different reasons, including high training loads, low appetite, busy schedules, lack of nutrition knowledge or beliefs around food and body composition. Eating disorders can also increase the risk of low energy availability.
Can REDs happen if I eat regularly?
Yes. Eating regularly does not necessarily mean that you are meeting the energy demands of your training and everyday life. Overall energy availability and individual requirements matter.
Does low carbohydrate availability cause REDs?
Low carbohydrate availability can contribute to low energy availability, particularly when carbohydrate intake does not match training demands. REDs is broader than carbohydrate intake alone, so total energy availability and the wider picture matter.
Do carbohydrates matter for performance?
Carbohydrate is an important fuel source for many forms of exercise, particularly endurance and higher-intensity training. Adequate carbohydrate availability can support training, glycogen stores and recovery.
Does fuelling mean I have to use sports products?
No. Everyday carbohydrate-rich foods can absolutely be part of an athlete's fuelling strategy. Sports products can simply offer convenience when carrying, eating or timing food around training is difficult.
How can I support someone I think may be struggling?
Start with a supportive conversation rather than commenting on their body or food choices. Encourage them to speak with an appropriately qualified healthcare or sports nutrition professional if they are concerned about their health, fuelling or recovery.
Can REDs improve?
REDs can improve with appropriate recognition, nutrition, training adjustments and professional support where needed. Getting the right support early can be important.

Start the conversation.

Global REDs Awareness Day is about more than one day. It's about helping athletes understand that food is fuel, recovery matters, carbohydrates matter and asking for help is okay.

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Fuel without fear ❤️

Enough food. Enough carbohydrate. Enough recovery. Because the goal isn't just to perform today. It's to fuel the sport you love for life.

RED-Scue provides education and practical fuelling nutrition, not medical diagnosis.

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