As a Sports Dietitian I am constantly on the hunt for pre workout snacks that fuel my body, but also ones that nourish my body while are also affordable and convenient. Let’s all be clear, there are different snack needs for different days! So to help us out, I started a list of my favorite go to pre workout snacks that fuel. These are ideal for a training that is less than an hour from happening. When I am looking at snacks here are some things that matter to me. It is important to me to find ones in the small town that I live in, not having to travel to a different town to get food. Being practical with our food helps make life a little easier.
Before we start naming off snacks I want you to know what to look for in a pre workout snack.
-CARBS!
-low in fiber
-Very low in fat
-low in protein
Those are the parameters that we are following! We are getting carbs to provide more energy for the body to easily digest. This energy will go to the brain to help us feel better for longer, keeping you sprinting harder, jumping higher and reacting quicker.
These 15 pre workout snacks are going to be compartmentalized for you… We will have cheap snacks (for those frugal Franny’s out there, convenience items, and then ones that may be a little out there 🙂
I am also going to rank this on affordability, convenience, and transportableness, because let’s be real how they do in your sports bag matters.
Frugal Frannys Pre workout snack
- Banana: this one is about as cheap as it comes, bananas are a quick digesting fruit that is cheap and pretty easy to find, even most gas stations have started having bananas that you can grab. Cheap: 5 stars Transportable: 3 stars Convenience: 5 stars
- Bulk container of Raisins or dried fruit: okay, this one is a little more of an investment cost, but if you look at the cost of dried fruit/serving for carbs needed for training we are looking at around .35 cents per serving. Now I do live in Kentucky, so it may be more in other areas. Cheap: 4 stars (cheap per serving) T: 5 stars, Convenience: 3 stars because it has to be put in a bag
- Dried cereal: having about ¾ cup of dried honey nut Cheerios is another great easy to grab digestible carb that actually taste good, it’s easy to pack in the morning before heading out the door. Cheap: 5 stars (cheap per serving) Transportable: 4 it may get crunched Convenience: 3 stars because it has to be put in a bag
- Fruit leather: When looking at the different varieties these bad boys average out to being about .50 cents a piece. Leaving them still to be an affordable, easy to transport and convenient grab! Cheap: 5 stars (cheap per serving) Transportable: 5 stars Convenience: 5 stars
- Bulk Crackers: Goldfish, Pretzels, Cheeze its! All of these items are straight carbs, they are easy to digest and provide the easy digestion you need. Buying bulk makes them cheaper, but it does require a little extra prep to put them into a baggy. Cheap: 5 stars (cheap per serving) Transportable: 3.5 stars Convenience: 5 stars
Convenience Pre Workout Snacks:
- Applesauce pouches! Keep them in your car, in your workout bag or even in your locker room! These are about as easy as it gets, and they come in different flavor so they keep giving you more variety C: 3 T: 5 Conv: 5
- Fruit cups: These can go easily in your lunch box for after school but you may want a spoon, but to make it more convenient, growing up I just opened the top and poured it in 🙂 Cheap: 3 stars Transportable: 3 stars( be careful not to put them next to a pencil in your back pack), Convenience: 4 stars
- Nature valley/kind bas/lara bars/luna bars: all great options all super convenient and easy to grab. They won’t go bad in your car or locker room : Cheap: 3-4 stars, Transportable: 4.5 sometimes those crunchy ones get broken Convenience: 5 stars
- Freeze dried strawberries or individually packaged dried fruit. These fruits are still delicious, but because they are prepackaged or had more work on them they cost a bit more. Cheap: 3 stars Transportable: 5 stars Convenience: 5 stars
- Individually wrapped: Gold fish/cheeze its/pretzels: These are going to be more expensive than the bulk, but to be fair they are still extremely cheap, but they come with the convenience of just grabbing them. Still easy to digest and work great for providing energy Cheap: 3 stars Transportable: 5 stars Convenience: 5 stars
Random, still affordable, and pretty convenient pre workout snack:
- Sour worms: great quick grab at the gas station when you forgot your pre-workout fuel! So convenient in a sense that you can get this in a convenience store. Cheap: 3 stars Transportable: 5 stars, Convenience: 5 stars
- Rice krispie treats: great item that is convenient, easy to digest, and is also affordable.
- Cuties: these are a little more expensive of a fruit item, but the ease of peeling them for me goes a LONG way. They are easy to transport and can handle a good beating in a sports bag. But don’t forget they are in there! Cheap: 3 stars, Transportable: 3.5, Convenience: 4 (they do have to be peeled)
- Gatorade or Powerade, these drinks are great for hydration and electrolytes but they also include carbs. Having part of the beverage before and sipping on it during training will also help you keep your energy levels up higher: Cheap 3 stars, Transportable 5 stars, Convenience: 5 stars
- Fruit snacks! These individually packed snacks are cheap and convenient! Cheap: 5 stars, Transportable: 5 stars, Convenience: 5 stars
Variety in Pre Workout snack
When it comes to pre-workout snacks, as a dietitian that is wanting athletes to also aim to get more produce in their body. I would encourage getting a variety of these snacks. This helps the snack not get old; but also helps them meet their needs for produce for the day in a way that is going to help them physically feel good and perform better. If you would like help with other fueling snacks check out my blog on A Snack for Performance. Here we talk through pre-workout, during workout, and post workout snacking.
Understand, though if you training is longer than an hour, you should be packing two of these snacks because you also should be fueling during training!
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That’s not all though.. want more help to work on your fueling? Let’s work together 🙂
