Kelsey HigginsonSports Nutrition Coach and Founder at Clutch Day Coaching

This food is better than most energy drinks!

30 Jul 2026 · 1 min

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0:45

In this segment, the speaker advises athletes—especially high school students—to replace pre‑workout energy drinks with a simple whole‑food combo: fruit, a bagel, and fluids (ideally with electrolytes) consumed 1–2 hours before training. The explanation covers how carbohydrates from the food act as fuel for muscles, how proper hydration and electrolytes prevent brain fog and maintain performance, and why caffeine, while sometimes useful, is generally not advisable for most young athletes who may already be lacking sleep, hydration, and nutrition.

Chapters

If you pair fruit with some fluids and a bagel, you have just built better energy than most energy drinks. Most athletes are trying to get energy through an energy drink as a Band-Aid for not sleeping enough, not drinking enough, and not eating enough food. So instead of pounding an energy drink before your workout, eat this 1 to 2 hours before your workout because here's what it's going to do. These are full of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates go into your body and act as gas in your muscle gas tanks. These are going to be what gets you through practice without hitting the wall, without feeling sluggish or gross. Fluids— bonus points if you have electrolytes ice in here are going to keep you hydrated, making sure that you don't have brain fog throughout practice so that you can also stay on top of your A-game. Caffeine can be awesome for some athletes, but for 99% of you, especially if you're in high school, you need to be focusing on this.