I am not going to stand here in front of God and Backpacker‘s readers and pretend I always, or even usually, eat healthy on my trips. I eat loose from my hipbelt pockets while I hike and wolf down instant ramen like I’m a broke college student and rent is due. I once stuffed an entire box of Honey Buns into a helicopter’s cargo box during an Editors’ Choice trip to Banff National Park (bad idea, those things do not travel well).

But as I’ve gotten older and words like “hypertension” and “arteriosclerosis” have gradually entered my peers’ vocabularies, I’ve gotten more and more interested in finding a compromise between convenience and health when it comes to meal planning for my hikes and backcountry tours. If you’re on the same path, then this roundup of our best hiking nutrition stories is for you. The following stories are a primer in how to eat on a hike, from the basics of nutrition to busting some of the most persistent dietary myths. Read on to learn more.

From processed ingredients to organic to specialty diets, it’s easy to get blinded by science when it comes to nutrition. The reality: Figuring out how to eat better on a backpacking trip doesn’t need to be complicated. We break down the basics of nutrition—eat for recovery, keep an eye on your electrolytes, and, whatever you do, don’t skip breakfast—in this easy explainer for beginners.

Sometimes the effects of a poor diet take a while to hit. Sometimes, however, they kick in faster, leading to problems from skinny legs to trail diarrhea. If you’re planning on going on a long hike—think two weeks or more—you need to keep a much closer eye on what you’re consuming than you might on a weekend trip. We consulted two backpacking dietitians to understand how the food hikers eat helps or hinders them.

There are few sciences as rife with misinformation as nutrition. Spend an hour googling, and you’ll find contradictory information, questionable supplements, and even downright dangerous diet plans on offer. Don’t get fooled: Learn to tell the BS from the valuable information with this round-up from Corey Buhay.

Let’s be real: Few to none of us are hiking with a pack full of fresh fruits and vegetables, or even a lot of dehydrated ones. Getting our meal bag down to a manageable size while still carrying enough calories to fuel days of hard hiking means making some compromises, from carrying processed food to prioritizing raw carbs over vitamins and minerals. How do your favorite hiking treats stack up? We asked a dietitian to evaluate everything from instant ramen to Pop-Tarts on the value to hungry hikers.

If you’re hoping to build up your hiking fitness, then protein is non-negotiable. It helps rebuild the day-to-day wear and tear you incur and locks in the muscular gains you earn over days and weeks on the trail. Protein bars and shakes are easy, but these are easier, cheaper, and tastier ways to get your daily dose.

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Food creator recipe has exploded in popularity on TikTok. The dish, which features white beans, chickpeas, and peppers, has racked up 12.5 million views on the social network so far and inspired a slew of spin-off recipes. I imagine all of the fanfare for this dish is due to the fact that it’s packed with tons of nutrients, is aesthetically pleasing, and is a nice change from your typical leafy green salad.

Even though beans are trending, a 2021 study published in concluded that most Americans aren’t even getting close to theÌęrecommended amount.ÌęThe latest , which are from an advisory committee to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), recommend that people eat at least 2.5 cups of beans and lentils per week. That’s a big increase from the current of legumes per week.

Beans, which are full of , aren’t just a good base for a salad—they may give you an athletic edge. They’re also easy to incorporate into your diet.

What’s Behind the Push to Eat More Beans?

“Beans are one of the healthiest foods to consume,” says , a certified sport specialist in dietetics at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

“They’re nutrient powerhouses, offering protein, iron, and B vitamins, all while being low in fat and highly sustainable to produce,” says , co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy, a practice that offers nutritional guidance for people with and without underlying health conditions.

Beans Are High in Protein

The small legumes are a significant source of plant-based protein, making them a good option for vegetarians, vegans, or anyone looking to lower their meat consumption, says Vavrek.

“Beans are lower in fat than red meat (yes, beans contain a very small amount of fat), and they are a good source of fiber,” says , a registered dietician at George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates. So, consistentlyÌęswapping a cut of steak for a cup of beans may .

They Help Boost Energy and Lower Disease Risk

The complex carbohydrates in beans are an excellent source of energy, says , an adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University. Complex carbohydrates like sweet potatoes and corn take longer to digest and provide more energy for a longer duration than simple carbohydrates such as white pasta or white bread. They also contain more nutrients, includingÌęfiber and vitamin B, than simple carbs.

A growing body of research links eating more legumes with better health, including a lowered risk of developing chronic diseases such as . One scientific review published in the journal in 2023 found that people who consistently included beans in their diets had a lower risk of death from any cause.

Still, beans aren’t a staple food in most American diets. “Beans really haven’t gotten the love they deserve,” says , a registered dietician and author of the healthy-living guide titled . Cording says the reason isn’t entirely clear, but it’s possible that Americans have simply gotten used to thinking of animal sources for protein. “Also, I find that often people don’t know what to do with them,” she says.

How Beans Can Optimize Athletic Performance

“Beans are high in carbohydrates, and, as we know, athletes need carbohydrates to help fuel performance,” Vavrek says. That, combined with their protein levels, “make them an excellent choice for fueling recovery,” Keatley says.

Keatley says that beans’ high-fiber content also helps regulate blood sugar to deliver consistent, sustained energy while you train. That fiber content also supports gut health and digestion, which makes it easier for your body to absorb nutrients, Metzger adds. It also may help your body recover after workouts, she says.

Beans even contain electrolytes like potassium, which are often found in sports drinks and are essential for hydration, muscle function, and preventing cramps, Young says.

Beans May Enhance Agility and Speed

There isn’t a lot of research directly looking at the impact of legumes on athletic performance, but there is some.

A small, randomized, double-blind study published in the journal in 2020 had eight soccer players either eat a lentil-based nutrition bar or a carbohydrate-based bar two hours before a simulated soccer match. The participants were given an agility test of paced jogging, running, walking, and sprinting, along with three-minute intervals of soccer agility skills. Study participants who had the lentil-based bar performed better on the agility test and had a lower carbohydrate oxidation rate (the speed at which the body breaks down carbs for energy) during the match. As a result, the researchers concluded that the lentil-based bar provided an improvement in agility, running, and jumping high later in the game.

A small 2020 study published in divided 19 soccer players, 12 women and 7 men, into two groups. The first group ate a pulse-based diet (including beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.), and the second group consumed their regular diet for four weeks. The researchers found that only the female participants, who made up the majority of the study participants, reduced their total cholesterol levels on the pulse-based diets and also increased their levels of high-density lipoproteins, which reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the researchers didn’t conclude that the beans enhanced athletic performance—only that they supported other factors that contributed to good health.

Is It a Good Idea to Eat Beans Before a Workout?

Cording stresses that everyone’s body processes beans differently, but in general, she doesn’t recommend having a hefty serving of beans before a workout. “That’s going to be really uncomfortable because of the impact it can have on digestion,” she says. The high fiber content can lead to bloating or gas, which could interfere with performance.

Because of this, Keatley suggests eating beans at least 12 to 24 hours before a workout and consistently sprinkling them throughout your diet, focusing on smaller servings at each sitting versus larger ones to minimize side effects. “Incorporating them regularly into meals throughout training is more effective than relying on a one-off ‘bean boost,’” he says. Another reason to focus on consistency, according to Young: “Regularly including beans in your diet helps your body adapt to digesting them efficiently.” Making sure the beans are thoroughly cooked can also make them easier to digest.

If you’re concerned about timing beans around your performance or aren’t sure how you’ll react to them, Cording says it’s better to have them after your workout and gauge how you feel from there.

How to Get More Beans in Your Diet

If you’re not currently a bean eater, Cording suggests starting slow. Vavrek recommends drinking plenty of water to help move legumes through your digestive system and prevent constipation. Metzger also suggests soaking beans overnight in cool water, which removes some of the gas-producing sugars.

Here are some easy ways to eat more beans, according to Metzger:

• Add chickpeas to a saladÌęor soup, or make a chili
• Eat black beans with rice or as a side dish
• SautĂ© white beans with garlic and olive oil
• Snack on roasted soybeans
• Dip pita chips or vegetables in hummus
• Toss lima beans into your salad or create a succotash (a combo of corn and lima beans)

You can even put beans in smoothies, Cording says. “The key is to integrate them consistently across meals, allowing their benefits to support overall training and performance,” Keatley says.

Want more ofÌęșÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű’s Health stories?Ìę.

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Now that the excitement of New Year’s has long worn off, you might find yourself de-prioritizing the list of resolutions you made at the top of the year. I, for one, have already skipped the daily journaling and stretching practices I committed to more times than I’d like to admit. Whether your goal was to squeeze in a ten-minute walk each day before work or totally overhaul your fitness routine, it’s always tough to make new habits stick.

For this reason, many Americans who resolve to be more active each year quit into the new year. And according to data from the , some people report that they break their resolutions even earlier. About 60 percent of adults who made at least one resolution in 2024 had kept all of them by mid-January; another 28 percent said they’d kept some of their resolutions, while 13 percent said they’d already given up on them. If you’re in this last camp (or you’re about to be), we have good news: “It’s never too late to start a habit or get back on track, especially when it’s tied to a core value you hold,” says , a psychologist based in Florida. “You can pick back up at any time.”

Here, experts provide a few tips for anyone whose resolutions are in danger of being put on the back burner until the next new year rolls around.

1. If You’ve Been Missing Your Daily Walks, It’s Time to Recruit a Friend

If you’re just not excited about your daily walk, inviting a neighbor might do the trick. “It’s harder not to do something you said you’re going to do when there’s another person involved in it,” says , a psychologist based in California. Another plus, she adds, is that “It’s just probably more fun. Changing behaviors can be challenging, and you should infuse fun and joy into that any way you can.”

You may even take longer walks when you bring a friend. I’ve found that time flies by when you chat with a friend while strolling through the park. If you’re still not convinced, that people may see added mental health benefits when working out with others compared to those who work out alone.

2. If You’re Skipping Workouts Because It’s Cold, Reassess What Kind of Gear You Need

Extreme cold has descended upon much of the U.S.Ìęin recent weeks, and this could be why you’re dragging your feet when it’s time to go for your daily run or other outdoor exercise routine.

If those workouts have led to severe discomfort lately—for instance, if your fingers, toes, or any other part of your body got so cold they became stiff or numb—that’s a sign you need to wear different gear, says , an exercise physiologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to buy anything new. “Try dressing in layers,” Horan recommends.

If you’re up for spending a few bucks on some cold-weather gear, consider investing in a good base layer, fleece-lined gloves, or a headband that doubles as an ear warmer. that stick to the bottom of your socks have also been a game-changer for me this year.

3. Plan to Skip Some Days

Because implementing a new practice into your daily life can be difficult, you should be prepared to miss some days. This means designating a few days each week or month as “no-gym” days when you know you won’t make it.

You can approach this one of two ways: blocking out certain daysÌęyou know will be extra busy or picking those days as they arise. Try to spend the time that you would normally dedicate to your resolutions doing something rejuvenating, like reading, meditating, watching reality TV, or doing another activity that leaves you feeling refreshed.

“As much as routine can be helpful and good, it’s not always realistic to say, ‘I’m going to start going to the gym four times a week,’” Puder says. Inevitably, you will have a sick day, a really long work day, or a day during which things just don’t go as planned. Knowing you won’t meet your goal every single day can help you reset when that happens.

“All-or-nothing thinking is a cognitive error,” Reynolds says. If you’ve come to terms with the fact you’ll probably break your streak, you may also be more inclined to give it your all on the days when you do make it to the gym.

4. Listen to Your Body—If You’re Sore or In Pain, It’s Time to Go Back to the Drawing Board

Taking your fitness routine from zero to 100 can leave you feeling fatigued or worse. “We call it ,” Horan says. “When someone’s new exercise regimen is too intense, thisÌępaired with sleep lack and/or lack of proper nutrition can increase injury risk,” she says.

It can be hard to differentiate between regular soreness that occurs after working out a particular muscle group for the first time in a while and overtraining. But one sign that you’re going a little too hard is pain or soreness that lasts more than four days after the workout that caused it. “If it’s lasting five days, that can be a sign that our bodies are not recovering properly,” Horan says.

Another tell-tale sign is asymmetrical pain. For example, Horan says, “When someone comes to me and says, ‘My right knee really hurts, but my left knee is fine.’”

Overtraining can highlight slight muscle imbalances throughout your body. Let’s say you always do certain household chores with your right arm; this could mean that the muscles on the right side of your upper body may already be a bit stronger than those on your left. If you start overtraining, those muscle imbalances may become noticeable via asymmetrical pain.

If this sounds familiar, consider scaling back your workout routine and then building up to your ultimate goals.

5. Make Sure You’re Getting Enough Protein to Accommodate Your New Activity Level

If you’re beginning to feel less energized than usual ahead of your workouts, you may need to tweak your diet.

“If you are increasing your movement without also increasing nutrition, you’re asking your body to perform at a higher level with less fuel,” says , a dietitian based in New York.

You may need to work more protein into your meals or simply eat more of the foods you usually gravitate towards. “Maybe someone who used to be satisfied with a cup of rice alongside their dinner finds they’re going back for seconds,” Geraty says. Paying attention to your body’s needs will boost your energy and help you meet your goals.

6. Consider Starting Some (Healthy) Competition

Many fitness trackers and apps, like , allow you to share your progress at the gym with friends and family members, and they can give you kudos when you’re on a roll. The recognition from loved ones is nice, but it can also be motivating to monitor their progress as well.

If you see that you’re the only one in your family who didn’t go for a walk today, that may be all the incentive you need to grab your tennis shoes and get out the door. Each time I learn that my Dad, who’s one month shy of 70, has hit five-plus miles in a given day, I’m far less likely to rot on the couch all evening.

Want more ofÌęșÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű’s Health stories?Ìę.

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Steer your cart through any supermarket and they are everywhere – packaged foods of every imaginable kind. Universally, these can be considered “processed” and it’s a term you’ve likely heard bantered around for years. But recently, new terminology has emerged to define certain foods and beverages that are processed and then some – in other words, ultra-processed foods.

Experts estimate that falls under this ultra-processed category – and that’s concerning to health experts. According to the American Medical Association, consuming ultra-processed foods (UPFs) regularly increases a person’s risk of health complications, including cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.

Most endurance athletes tend to think of food as fuel, and as such try to steer clear of unhealthy picks. But when it comes to gels, chews, and electrolyte drinks, that’s a tough order. After all – most sports nutrition, by definition, is an ultra-processed food. So what does that mean for athletes? Should we go back to the days of eating bananas on bike rides?

What Are Ultra-Processed Foods?

While there is no universally-agreed definition, an ingredient list that reads like a chemistry quiz is a tip-off for something being ultra-processed. These foods go through multiple processing steps, from stripping away nutrients to mixing in sweeteners, fats, salt, artificial flavors, and emulsifiers to alter taste, texture and shelf life. This flavor and texture manipulation is the reason why ultra-processed foods are tasty – and why we keep coming back for more.

Items that often fall into the UPF category include frozen meals, baked goods, soft drinks, hot dogs, boxed cereals, ice cream, white bread, fast food pizza, and potato chips. This designation also applies to most performance-oriented foods like gels, chews, and bars. Even the most casual sports fan has seen athletes gulping down neon sports drinks on the sidelines and during post-game media interviews, and gels and chews are at every aid station during a race. They’re small, shelf-stable, portable, and formulated to fuel your workouts, which is why it’s easy to overlook their ultra-processed characteristics.

What the Science Says about Ultra-Processed Foods

Some degree of processing is nothing to fret about – after all, a bag of frozen blueberries can be considered a processed food but certainly not something that should be avoided. But eating too much food that has been powerfully manipulated by manufacturers .

A in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine associated the highest consumption amounts of UPFs with a 17% increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease-related mortality and a 16% increase in the risk for all-cause mortality. A in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition links UPFs to accelerated biological aging, noting that factors beyond the poor nutritional content such as the addition of non-nutrient components like emulsifiers and preservatives might largely contribute to the accelerated aging effect.

More data shows that UPFs can impact everything from brain to bone to microbiome health. Dyslipidemia, hypertension, weight gain, and insulin resistance are why going heavy on UPFs can be bad news for longevity. Truly concerning is that now Ìęthe daily calories in the typical American diet come from UPFs.

Is My Sports Nutrition an Ultra-Processed Food?

Let’s take a look at the makeup of a few types of popular sports nutrition products.

Vanilla gel

Ingredient list: Maltodextrin, water, fructose, L-leucine, potassium citrate, sodium citrate, citric acid, calcium carbonate, L-valine, sea salt, natural flavor, green tea (leaf) extract (contains caffeine), gellan gum, L-isoleucine, sunflower oil, sodium benzoate (preservative), potassium sorbate (preservative)

Is it ultra-processed? Yes.

Strawberry energy chew

Ingredient list: Organic tapioca syrup, organic cane sugar, water, pectin, potassium citrate, citric acid, natural flavors, Vit B3/B6/B12, fruit blends of apple, blueberry, pomegranate

Ultra-processed? You bet.Ìę

Lemon-lime sports drink mix

Triple source energy blend (maltodextrose, dextrose, fructose), citric acid, silicon dioxide, natural flavors

Are you drinking a UPF? You know the answer.

It’s almost impossible to argue that the above food, like the vast majority of packaged sports nutrition products on the market, are not ultra-processed based on the somewhat loose definition of this food group. So is this something to be concerned about if you frequently fuel your exercise sessions with these products? Or is it possible that ultra-processed gels and drinks are the right nutritional choice for triathletes and do no harm?

Let’s dig into what we know about the benefits and risks.

Yes, You Can Still Use Some Ultra-Processed Sports Nutrition

There is a reason why rely on the various guises of packaged ultra-processed sports nutrition products to get them to the finish line: because they work. We have that purposefully using a UPF around training and competing can be helpful for performance. Sports foods are specially manufactured for athletes to provide the nutrients they may need during training or racing. (Imagine running for many hours with a sack of bananas.)

Sports nutrition is processed to create fast-digesting carbohydrates in the form of gels, chews, and beverages to keep your muscles adequately fueled. As we increase the intensity of what we’re doing, we need more and more carbs (and calories!) as a fuel source. Ultra-processed sports foods use a mix of simple sugars to help with the digestibility and use of those carbs, while added citrusy or chocolatey flavors make them desirable to consume. That’s something most people don’t think about until they encounter an unflavored or unpleasant-tasting gel: If you don’t eat or drink something, then you can’t fuel the machine.

Athletes have special nutritional requirements to maximize their performance, and ultra-processed products can have a place in helping fulfill this. From a health perspective, we don’t yet have any convincing data that when UPFs are consumed in the context of long-duration or vigorous exercise they will have a deleterious impact on well-being. It’s easy to argue that getting a load of heavily-processed sugar from ultra-processed gels and drinks during a century ride is better than not getting fuel at all.

The vast majority of research linking UPFs with poor health has looked at the diet as a whole, and also involved a population of non-athletes. of basketball players found that a high intake of ultra-processed foods led to no noticeable detriment to performance or cardiovascular health. So there was no spillover effect in this aspect. However, a high intake of UPFs affected their microbiome negatively, the consequences of which are unknown. No other studies have specifically looked at ultra-processed foods in endurance athletes.

Consuming ultra-processed foods sporadically in a sports-nutrition context is likely not detrimental to overall health. It might only become problematic if you start leaning on bars and sugary sports drinks too heavily when you’re not working out. If using UPFs to boost your workouts helps you increase your overall cardiovascular and muscular fitness, perhaps this benefit can counteract any disadvantageous characteristics of these items.

But There Might Be a Limit

With all the bad news about them, it’s understandable why about UPFs. We should not dismiss the notion that there will be some degree of detrimental impact on health with heavy ultra-processed sports nutrition product use over the weeks, months, and years due to the nature of their production and formulation. These days, many pro triathletes are pumping in more than 100 grams of carbs for each hour of activity, and most, if not all, of those calories are hailing from ultra-processed products. But perhaps what you eat for performance is not necessarily the best for your health.

In showing that athletes can tolerate more than 100 grams of carbs hourly and that this amount increases carbohydrate oxidation, there is some concern that not all this sugar gets used up during exercise. It could then sit around in your system afterward, resulting in a downturn of metabolic and microbiome health. We just don’t know for sure, and we don’t have the answers to this dilemma. As more athletes increase the quantity of use of high-sugar UPFs, we desperately need research to address this.

using continuous glucose monitors found even athletes with high rates of energy expenditure can spend long periods with blood sugar levels that would be classified as pre-diabetic. Perhaps some of that can be attributed to high-sugar consumption from UPFs during workouts. Even in endurance sport, you’re not fully protected from the adverse effects of added sugar intake pumped into UPFs, no matter how many miles you are cranking out.

There is also the concern about the health risks of eating non-nutritive ingredients added to ultra-processed foods, such as emulsifiers and artificial flavor. While hard-charging athletes have more room for “discretionary calories,” has shown there are health risks from eating UPFs, regardless of whether a person has an otherwise healthy diet. That means that eating too many UPFs – which can include fueling products – may be risky even if you normally also eat lots of whole, fresh foods.

suggests that endurance athletes that use whey or beef protein powder long-term may have a detrimental impact on the gut microbiome, which might not necessarily be because of processed protein, but instead the emulsifiers that are in so many of these products.

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On Sunday February 9, 2025 the Philadelphia Eagles will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. Travis Kelce will be there. Taylor Swift will no doubt be cheering him on. Kendrick Lamar is slated to perform the halftime show. There’s a lot to look forward to.

Here at șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű, we are still thinking about an infographic published by the in the fall of 2024, which charts, of all things, the sheer volume of Uncrustables being consumed by the NFL. Yes, that’s right, if you haven’t heard, professional football players eat an ungodly amount of the pre-packaged, crust-cut-off, frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches sold by Smuckers and available in virtually every grocery store. According to the Athletic, NFL teams are tucking into somewhere upwards of 80,000 Uncrustables a year. And that’s just among the teams that chose to respond to their inquiry.

For their part, Smuckers has made the most of players’ love of their iconic sammie, with teams like the Ravens and players like the Kelce brothers.

Now, I don’t claim to be a nutritionist, but I do devote quite a bit of rent-free space in my brain—and quite a bit of my time—to reading about and researching the latest science on diet and nutrition. And I try to reasonably modify my own and my family’s diet in response to evidence-based things that I learn.

Alcohol is connected to higher risks of at least seven types of cancer,? Alrighty, Aperol Spritzes only on special occasions moving forward. ? Never going to buy a can without BPA-free on the label! And on down the line to microplastics in kitchenware. You get the gist.

So I think what surprises me most about Uncrustables as professional athlete fuel is my perception that they fall into that most contemporary of negative food categories: ultraprocessed. Although the research on the effects of ultraprocessed foods is still emerging, early , among other potential downstream health considerations. So I guess I would assume they are, broadly put, something to be avoided, especially in the context of peak athletic performance.

But let’s challenge my assumptions, starting with my broad brush view of ultraprocessing. As a recent article published on our sister site , “Sports nutrition” requires ultraprocessing in order “to create fast-digesting carbohydrates in the form of gels, chews, and beverages to keep your muscles adequately fueled.” The ultraprocessed factor of certain specially manufactured foodstuffs, arguesÌęTriathlete, ensures their capacity to meet nutritional needs in a unique way for endurance athletes. Again, as a total non-nutritionist, that feels like a fair point in their favor.

Peanut Butter and Jellies Are Pretty Amazing Workout Calories

And we do know that PB&Js are a great workout option.

șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű writer Michael Easter put it simply in a 2018 story he wrote on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as the unassuming—but ultimate—adventure fuel: “A basic PB&J—sliced white bread, Jif, and grape jelly—contains 350 calories and 16, 45, and 11 grams of fat, carbs, and protein, respectively. That’s roughly equivalent to a Peanut Butter ProBar—a favorite among endurance athletes—with its 380 calories, 20 grams of fat, 43 grams of carbohydrates, and 11 grams of protein.” And, according to his estimates, they “[clock] in at roughly 25 cents each.”

Kelly Jones, a registered dietitian, certified specialist in sports dietetics, and owner of and told me that if she were my nutritionist, she’d recommend making my own PB&J or peanut butter banana sandwich “out of whole grain bread and having half or a full one depending on the timing before activity” to net out greater nutrient density.

Uncrustables aren’t that far off a typical homemade PB&J in their caloric content, coming in at around 210 calories with 28 grams of carbs, 6 grams of protein, 9 grams of fat, and 8 to 10 grams of added sugar. On Amazon, , which makes the cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $2.75 per sandwich. And there’s definitely something to be said for the convenience of an Uncrustable when it comes to the per-unit price breakdown.

So I guess my first assumption—that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches aren’t the best thing to eat when working out—is pretty far off the mark. That said, making one at home is definitely a better bang for your buck and probably has denser nutritional value.

But who wants to make 80,000 homemade PB&Js in a year?

What Do Nutritionists Say About Uncrustables?

To get more perspective—and to test more of my assumptions—I reached out to , a nutritionist and certified personal trainer based in Denver, Colorado. Carmichael runs her own nutrition and fitness company, Team Humble Yourself, where the mission is to educate and empower women to take responsibility for their habits within nutrition and fitness.

Carmichael gave me some really helpful food for thought. She said she likes “to think of nutrition as paralleling finance. Like a budget, you can spend your money on whatever you want, but long term, all the short-term gratification spending (like consistently eating a highly processed diet) will not lead you to an early retirement or a life full of financial freedom because of small choices that were made daily.”

As such, an Uncrustable here or there is totally fine, but “whole foods are elite,” as she said. “It takes less energy to digest ultraprocessed foods. It takes more energy (calories) to digest and process whole foods, so relying on more of a processed item for recovery isn’t something that should be habitual.”

Jones added another layer of complexity to my thinking about ultraprocessed foods as a part of athletic training and recovery. She noted that “rather than label all ultraprocessed foods as unhealthy, we should recognize they fall on a spectrum from low to high nutrient density. Athletes who burn 1,000 calories or more per day participating in their sport may have more flexibility to choose foods such as Uncrustables in their diet versus the average American just working to fit in three workouts each week.”

To emphasize that spectrum of ultraprocessing in food, Jones noted that Oreos may be an obvious example to most people, but few recognize canned beans or Greek yogurt as ultraprocessed foods. In fact, I think most of us would agree that the latter examples fall into our idea of healthy eating.

Other Post-Workout Snack Options

Carmichael gave me a whole list of great ideas for post-workout fuel that she believes can help replenish your body’s glycogen storage, repair and rebuild muscle, and enhance metabolic function. She suggested, “post workout, if you’re not ready for a bigger meal, a large bowl of yogurt or cottage cheese paired with a fruit and honey, or even a slice of toast with some turkey” are all great options.

From Carmichael’s perspective, it’s all about moderation. “Make a whole food snack or meal after a workout more of a habit, and have something like an Uncrustable when you really want it,” she said. “Moderation is key for everything!”

Even Uncrustables.

Ryleigh Nucilli is °żłÜłÙČőŸ±»ć±đ’s columnist for the Pulse. Once her dad, Rob, wanted to try eating Uncrustables on a long road trip, but her sister insisted he eat the homemade variety—served on hot dog buns.

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If you search for creatine recipes on social media, you’ll find many creators adding it to everything from smoothies to oatmeal bowls. Even though experts and influencers tout its benefits in their videos, I avoided using it because I’ve always been a bit skeptical of supplements. Before adding it to my diet, I had tons of questions that needed answers. Can it actually boost performance? Is it safe? And what kind of supplement is it?

Creatine is a compound found in meat and fish and is also naturally produced by the human body, says , director of the exercise and sports nutrition lab at Texas A&M University. , an associate teaching professor of exercise science at Syracuse University, says creatine can help improve strength and power, enhance muscle recovery, increase muscle mass, and even provide cognitive benefits.

As you’re probably aware, there’s some controversy surrounding the safety of creatine. People have long held the belief that creatine is an anabolic steroid (it’s not) and that consuming creatine can lead to kidney damage, hair loss, and dehydration. Fortunately, suggests that these claims are myths. One suggests that most people can consume 30 grams of creatine per day for up to five years without much risk. However, if you’re planning to ingest creatine every day for a lifetime, you’re better off dropping that number to just three grams per day, says Kreider.Ìę

Instead of adding creatine to plain old water, I wanted to find creative ways to add it to my diet. Here are the few recipes that really stood out to me and what a nutrition expert had to say about them.

1. Peanut Butter, Chocolate, and Coffee Creatine Balls

I’m a dessert lover, so whenever dinner’s over, you’ll usually find me scurrying around my kitchen for a little treat. When I came across these peanut butter and chocolate creatine balls from the food blog , I was immediately intrigued.

The called for oats, dried figs, peanut butter, coffee, chocolate protein powder, maple syrup, three teaspoons of creatine, cinnamon, and salt. After mixing everything together in a bowl, I used a tablespoon to scoop out portions of the dough and rolled them into balls.

Once they were perfect spheres, I sprinkled them with flaky sea salt. You could also top them with shredded coconut, crushed peanuts, or a drizzle of melted chocolate.

, a registered dietitian based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, recommends these energizing bites as a great pre-workout snack because they can help boost your performance. “The caffeine from the coffee acts as a mental stimulant, creatine helps optimize both brain and body function, the carbohydrates from the figs, oats, and quinoa flakes provide energy for your workout, and the protein supports muscle recovery,” Stangland says.

She recommends eating one or two of these bites about 30 minutes before getting active.

The Verdict: Delicious and Energizing

Every day before dinner, I go on a 45-minute walk, so I had one of these peanut butter and chocolate creatine balls about 30 minutes beforehand as a pre-dessert. (I say this because I still ate a bowl of sorbet later that day). After taking a bite, my first thought was how much they reminded me of edible cookie dough.

They have a bold, sweet flavor with a strong espresso kick. I had so much energy during my stroll that I powered through the whole thing and never once felt the urge to turn around and go home.

2. Creatine Lemonade

When I came across a tutorial for creatine lemonade from , I knew I had to try it because, you know, who doesn’t like a cool glass of lemonade?

To make this, I juiced one lemon (you can use store-bought lemon juice if you prefer) and added three grams of creatine powder. Even though the recipe calls for five grams of creatine powder, I chose to use three grams instead, per Kreider’s advice, and because I’m new to creatine.ÌęThen, I poured in two cups of water. The original recipe suggests adding a teaspoon of stevia, but I chose to use agave instead because that’s my preferred sweetener.

The Verdict: Crisp and Refreshing

I was amazed at how crisp, tangy, and delicious this drink tasted. It wasn’t chalky or gritty at all and had the smooth consistency of traditional lemonade. Even though I liked it, I won’t be sipping this before my outdoor workouts any time soon because the temperature in the northeast, where I’m currently based,Ìęis, on average, around 5 degrees Fahrenheit. However, I can definitely see this drink being my go-to pre-workout beverage in the summer.

To test its effects, I decided to chug it after shoveling snow and a deep stretch session. The next day, I didn’t feel my usual post-shoveling soreness; this is probably due to the fact that, according to Stangland, vitamin C from the lemon juice aids in muscle recovery.

3. Egg-White Creatine Oatmeal

There are a few things that you’ll find in my breakfast lineup every week: boiled eggs, a Greek yogurt parfait, and a steamy hot bowl of oatmeal. So naturally, when I saw dumping creatine and raw egg whites into her hot cereal, my interest was piqued. Unfortunately, almost immediately after starting the recipe, I realized it wasn’t going to work. Here’s why.

The recipe says to cook one-half cup of oats according to the package instructions (which I followed by microwaving the grains with water for a minute or two). Then, you’re supposed to add in the raw egg white from one egg, 25 grams of protein powder, and five grams of creatine (I, again, opted for three) and mix everything together. That’s when things went left.

The steam emanating from the hot oats began to cook the egg whites, which gave the dish an unpleasant scrambled egg-like texture. Still, I carried on, determined to see the recipe through. I garnished it with a tablespoon of peanut butter and a tablespoon of dark chocolate.

A word of caution: please use pasteurized eggs for this recipe. The pasteurization process without cooking the egg.

Culinary mishap aside, Stangland says that having a bowl of egg-white creatine oatmeal before a workout is a great choice. “The creatine helps power your performance, think quick movements like jumps and lifts, while the carbohydrates in the oatmeal provide sustained energy to support your muscles throughout the entire workout,” she says.

The Verdict: It’s a “No” for Me

From a fueling and recovery perspective, this recipe makes sense, but I couldn’t get past the texture and taste, so I didn’t finish the bowl.

If you want to experiment with a version of this recipe, you could try making savory overnight oats and adding an already-cooked egg white on top to avoid a half-scrambled-and-half-sort-of-cooked egg in your oats. Or maybe the trick is to not heat the oats too much.

4. Sour Watermelon Creatine Gummy Bears

During my undergrad years, I took a few food science courses, and one of my favorite topics was learning how gelatin can improve the texture and stability of certain dishes. So, when I came across a clip of pouring liquid into molds to make gummy bears, I quickly ordered all the tools I needed to try it out myself.

Homemade candy may sound complicated, but it’s surprisingly easy. While I chose to order a gummy-bear-shaped mold, this is completely optional—just make sure you’re using some type of silicone mold so your candies don’t stick. I even tested out this recipe with an ice cube tray, and it worked.

To make creatine gummy bears, start by adding one and a half cups of water to a pan, along with one-half cup of lemon juice, four tablespoons of gelatin, and 10 servings of watermelon-flavored creatine powder. Since I didn’t have that, I added a drop of red food coloring to give it a fruity look and three tablespoons of honey for sweetness.

Next, I heated the mixture over medium heat, stirring until the gelatin dissolved; this took about two minutes. Then, I used a spoon (a liquid dropper is also fine) to transfer the mixture into the mold. I put the gummies in the fridge for two hours so they could solidify.

The Verdict: “Spectacular. Give Me 14 of Them Right Now.”

This was my first time making gummies in a while, so I was nervous they wouldn’t set. But after leaving them in the fridge overnight, I was so excited to see the squishy treats come out perfectly the next day.

As for the flavor, the honey masked any aftertaste from the creatine powder, and the lemon juice added a nice zest. The honey, according to Stangland, can also provide a nice jolt of energy needed to get through a tough workout.

If you prefer plant-based candies, you can replace the gelatin with agar-agar, a red algae-based ingredient. Just use the same amount of agar-agar as you would gelatin in this recipe. I ate two gummies 30 minutes before a yoga class and had no issues doing the toughest planks.

5. Creatine Chocolate Dip

This dip from only has four ingredients: creatine, protein powder, peanut butter, and almond milk. The recipe is simple, too.

I mixed three grams of creatine, two tablespoons of protein powder (I used chocolate flavor), and two tablespoons of peanut butter. Then, I slowly added one-quarter cup of almond milk, stirring until the mixture reached a brownie-batter consistency.

After a workout, it’s ideal to load up on carbs and protein to help replenish your energy stores and support muscle recovery, says Stangland. “The apple and almond milk provide the carbohydrates, while the protein powder and peanut butter supply the protein. Creatine completes this trio of nutrients that aid in recovery,” she says.

The writer makes the creatine chocolate dip. (Video: Ashia Aubourg)Ìę

The Verdict: Yes. That’s All.

It took me less than three minutes to whip this up. I served it with apple slices, but it would also pair wonderfully with raspberries, strawberries, or graham crackers. I was worried the spread might turn out gritty, but it was smooth, creamy, and airy.

After a week of experimenting with creatine-packed recipes, I couldn’t help but get excited after trying this one. It’s the perfect proof that you can easily sneak this powerhouse supplement into everything—breakfasts, snacks, lunches, dinners, and, yes, even candy.

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As someone who’s dealt with digestive issues for years, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued by probiotics. Wherever I look, there are probiotic products—from and powders to gummies and fizzy sodas—that claim to boost your immune system, fix your gut, and even improve your mood.

There are many different , but common ones include Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Saccharomyces. They can be found in fermented foods—like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha—or grown in laboratories and packed into supplements.

A wealth of is coming out about how the microbiome—the mixture of bacteria, fungi, and viruses that live on the skin and inside the gastrointestinal (GI) tract—boosts immunity, aids digestion, and energizes us. As a result, probiotic supplements, which are designed to optimize the overall health of the microbiome, have exploded in popularity. The probiotic supplement market is projected to reach a value of nearly by 2034,Ìęespecially among competitive athletesÌęlooking to up their game.

But can probiotic supplements actually improve athletic performance? The truth: while some studies seem promising, the three experts I interviewed have no intention of recommending them to athletes anytime soon.

The Appeal of Probiotics for AthletesÌę

We are surrounded by microorganisms. There are pathogenic bugs that cause infections and diseases and harmless ones that don’t really affect us. Then, there are the good guys, known as probiotics, which are living microorganisms that confer health benefits when ingested.

According to , a microbiome researcher at Case Western Reserve University, probiotics diversify your microbiome, which provides protection against pathogens that can make you sick and improves your intestinal lining’s ability to absorb nutrients better. And some suggests they play an important role in the prevention of chronic and infectious diseases, too.

Athletes are already very attuned to their bodies and want to do everything possible to optimize their health, says , a sports medicine physician at Stanford Medicine. It’s no wonder so many are experimenting with probiotics in hopes of achieving a faster race time or, like me, a nice long jog sans bloating.

Besides, even if you’re in tip-top shape, vigorously working out can mess with your gut health. A 2023 systematic review published in the found that super intense workouts like HIIT may decrease the thickness of the protective mucus that lines and the intestines, potentially allowing gut bacteria to seep into the bloodstream. HIIT may suppress the immune system, making athletes more susceptible to illnesses such as upper respiratory infections; it can also trigger diarrhea and heartburn. Naturally, you’re not going to compete well if you’re feeling sick.

Ghannoum says we’re starting to see evidence that probiotics could mitigate these negative effects and improve athletic performance. Here’s what we know so far.

Probiotics May Reduce GI Discomfort

About the mid-run
runs. Gastrointestinal problems (like bloating or loose stools) can impair an athlete’s physical performance and mental wellbeing. It’s a common problem athletes face—and one that may (one day) be solved with probiotics.

A small study published in the examined how taking probiotic supplements every day for 28 days before a marathon (and two hours before the race start time) impacted runners’ performance. Out of the 24 participants, 20 men and 4 women, one group was given a probiotic capsule, and the other received a placebo.

Per the study’s findings,Ìę probiotic supplementation significantly reduced the incidence and severity of GI symptoms, like diarrhea and stomach aches, in marathon runners. While it’s unclear why probiotics have this effect, the researchers suspect probiotics may help runners maintain their pace, giving them a competitive advantage.

Supplements Might Improve VO2 Max, Mood, and Help Athletes Recover From Exhaustion

Another perk: probiotics may help your muscles extract oxygen from your blood, enabling them to lengthen and contract more efficiently.

A 2019 study published in concluded that Lactobacillus supplementation boosted aerobic capacity,Ìęwhich refers to how much oxygen your muscles use while exercising (otherwise known as VO2 max). Out of 30 university badminton players between the ages of 19 and 22, half consumed a probiotic drink daily for six weeks, and the rest were given orange juice as a placebo. To assess VO2 max, participants were asked to perform a 20-meter shuttle run test. Results showed that probiotics increased VO2 max by 5.9 percent. The greater your VO2 max, the more power you’ll be able to generate and the longer you’ll be able to do high-intensity activities.

Furthermore, subjects in the probiotic group reported lower anxiety and stress levels. As , a registered dietician and director of the Center for Nutrition and Performance at Drexel University, says, “Mood is a big part of athletics.”Athletes who report lower levels of tension, depression, and anger tend to have more competitive success, shows.

And one person’s mood can directly affect how their teammates feel, too. “Low energy and low mood in a team is contagious,” says Dardarian. Probiotics could also help athletes bounce back after an intense workout or competition.

Another 2019 study published in the discovered that long-distance runners who took probiotics felt less mental and physical exhaustion after completing their usual training regimens. According to the researchers, probiotics could potentially help competitors recover faster and, better yet, avoid injuries. “Proper recovery allows for restoring energy stores, repairing muscle tissues, and normalizing physiological functions, which are critical for sustaining high-performance levels and preventing burnout,” says Fredericson.

Reduce Inflammation and Increase Muscle Mass

Finally, probiotics may clear inflammation from the body. For context, athletes tend to have in their bodies compared to non-athletes. Left unchecked, chronic inflammation can dampen performance, recovery, and competitiveness. Sore muscles aren’t exactly a key to endurance.

Probiotics may have a potent anti-inflammatory effect. One found higher levels of anti-inflammatory proteins in the blood and urine samples of athletes taking probiotics after a triathlon. According to Fredericson, some researchers suspect probiotics may strengthen the intestinal lining, thereby preventing harmful substances from leaking out and triggering inflammatory immune responses and prompting the body to produce short-chain fatty acids that fight inflammation. “Reducing inflammation has been shown to influence athlete’s performance by allowing for quicker recovery between workouts, reducing pain and discomfort, preserving muscle mass, and allowing athletes to train at higher intensities for longer periods,” Ghannoum says.

Even more, a proposed that probiotics could increase the amount of amino acids absorbed into the bloodstream, potentially building muscle mass. Muscle mass helps athletes generate force quickly and efficiently, says Fredericson, which lets them perform powerful movements. “Essentially, stronger muscles mean better ability to jump, sprint, change direction, and execute sport-specific skills with greater power and control,” he says.

Despite Promising Studies, Doctors Say It’s Too Early to Cosign Athletes Taking ProbioticsÌęÌęÌę

Though the body of literature surrounding probiotics and athleticism is growing, it’s still in its , and there’s a lot scientists don’t know yet.

We Don’t Know Exactly How Different Probiotic Strains Affect People

Most studies have been conducted in tiny groups of people, making it tough to apply the findings to the general population or mice (which doesn’t translate to human health), says Fredericson.

The biggest issue is that scientists don’t fully understand what an ideal microbiome looks like or how probiotics affect people differently. The probiotics that benefit one person can differ from the type that helps another.

It’s also unclear if the probiotics inserted into capsules and gummies even survive the journey from the manufacturing plant to the truck onto the shelf at the store and through your intestines. “The supplements might have about 10 million colony-forming units (CFUs) of probiotics, but the number of them that live to make it through the various acidic stomach environments is few,” says Dardarian. And if the probiotics die off, there won’t be enough of them to have the intended health effects.

As a result, the medical community widely agrees—although there are a couple of —that it’s too soon to recommend athletes add probiotic supplements to their diet. “We need larger studies to prove the benefits are real,” says Ghannoum. But that could change in the future as we learn more about probiotics. “The research is changing, and in a couple years from now, we’ll know a lot more,” says Fredericson.

The Best Way to Get Probiotics? Food.

The experts I interviewed are in agreement that the best way to get probiotics—and improve your microbiome—is through food. Why? Foods contain a more diverse mix of microorganisms (unlike supplements, which are usually rich in one or two very specific probiotics that may not even be beneficial for your specific microbiome). tells us, after all, that what we eat significantly shapes and changes our microbiome.

To get the most out of your probiotics, you also need to load up on prebiotics or non-digestible foods that come from beans and whole grains, which feed microorganisms and help them grow and thrive in your gut. The best way to load up on prebiotics? Fiber. Dardarian recommends eating 35 grams of fiber daily (which, she adds, many people don’t do).

Probiotic Foods to Try

Here are some probiotic foodsÌęyou can start adding to your diet:

• Aged cheese
• Pickles, sauerkraut, and kimchi
• Kefir juices
• Kombucha
• Yogurt
• Miso and tamari sauce

If You Decide to Try Supplements

If you still want to give supplements a shot, go ahead. For most people, there’s little risk in taking them (the exception being people who are immune-compromised because they can, in rare cases, cause infections).

Verify the Supplement Is Safe, and Start with a Low Dose

Try to find a product that’s been evaluated in clinical trials and has the NSF stamp of approval, which confirms via third-party testing that the supplement is contaminant-free and contains the ingredients it says it does.

Dardarian, who works with professional athletes, says that if you choose to go the supplement route, gradually increase your dosage to let your body adjust to the probiotics and fiber. To do so,ÌęGhannoum suggests taking the probiotic every other day for the first week. If you feel good, increase that to every day—specifically, at the same time every day and, ideally, 30 minutes after a meal, as this will help with absorption.

Finally, test the supplements out in your pre-season or well before a big competition, says Dardarian. Probiotics and fiber can cause , like diarrhea and bloating, that can wreck performance. As such, it’s wise to experiment when the stakes are low to see how you react.

Other than that, taper your expectations. Sure, they may improve your health—but will they help you suddenly set a new personal record? As Dardarian says, “The jury is out.”

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As athletes look to eat healthy while saving money, Costco has become the place for scoring mammoth deals on groceries. After all, who doesn’t love affordable groceries?

And yes, Costco has plenty of affordable healthy groceries. It might seem like they’re hard to find amid the colossal tubs of M&Ms and lifetime-supply jugs of ranch dressing, but nutritious options at lower price points are plentiful. You only need to be strategic about what you buy.

I worked my way through the Costco product lineup to round up the healthiest Costco foods for athletes. Add these to your shopping list the next time you are ready to push around that oversized shopping cart.

The best healthy Costco foods for athletes

Kirkland Signature Organic Peanut ButterÌęÌę

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Breakfast is a surprisingly controversial meal. Many swear it’s a crucial part of setting yourself up for a successful day, but some decide to skip it. While nearly 85 percent of Americans over 20 years old eat breakfast, according to the (CDC), everyone approaches the first meal of the day differently, including the timing of it.

Many people, myself included, try to squeeze in breakfast when they can, but are guilty of skipping it more often than they’d like to admit. So, when is the best time to eat breakfast, and does it matter if you have a heavy or light meal?

I interviewed five nutrition experts and learned that there are a few lifestyle factors to consider when trying to figure out your optimal breakfast time. Here’s what they had to say.

Is There a “Best” Time to Eat Breakfast?

The best time to eat breakfast is a bit tricky to nail down.ÌęHowever, there is a general time window to consider.

“Most of the studies say to eat breakfast before 10 a.m.,” says , a senior clinical dietitian at NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center.

A 2023 study published in the analyzed data on meal timing and how often more than 103,000 adults ate during the day. The researchers concluded that 9 a.m. was the best time to eat because eating earlier in the morning was linked with a 60 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Another 2023 study cites an earlier ideal breakfast time. That study, published in the journal , analyzed data from nearly 103,500 adults and determined that people who ate breakfast before 8 a.m. (and stopped eating for the day before 9 p.m.) had the lowest risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Why Eating Earlier in the Morning Is Ideal

There are a few different reasons why eating earlier in the morning is your best bet. One is that eating by this time helps to fill up your body’s storage ofÌę, a stored form of glucose that serves as the body’s main source of energy reserves, Gambino says.Ìę“When you’re sleeping, you’re in a fasting state, and your body is using your energy stores,” she explains. “When you wake up in the morning, your levels of glycogen are pretty low.”

Gambino says that eating on the earlier side also supports your , your sleep-wake cycle that influences your physical, mental, and behavioral functions. “A lot of times, your circadian rhythm is set to restart in the morning,” Gambino says. “By giving your body fuel to be timed with that rhythm, it can help reset your hormones and energy levels through the rest of the day.” That can help support good energy levels throughout your day, she says.

How to Figure Out the Best Time to Eat Breakfast, Based on Your Lifestyle

Not everyone is up early, and it can be tricky to eat at, say, 9 a.m. if you’re not a morning person. Luckily, nutritionists generally recommend eating breakfast within an hour or two of waking up.

“This can promote sustained energy and improve performance, especially if you’re planning a workout or outdoor activity,” says , a registered dietician at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in California. Meaning, if you typically get up at 6 a.m., it’s best to have breakfast at or before 8 a.m. to provide you with enough energy for the day.

Factor in the Time You Ate Dinner the Night Before

, a senior clinical nutritionist at Massachusetts General Hospital, suggests considering what time you stopped eating the night before, too.

“I usually recommend trying to maintain at least a 12-hour fasting window,” she says. “Meaning, if you finish eating by 8 p.m., eating again around 8 a.m. would be reasonable.” This can help blood sugar levels for consistent energy early in the day, she says.

If You Like Morning Workouts, Plan to Eat Breakfast Earlier

If you like to exercise first thing in the morning, Abayev says it’s a good idea to eat something before your workout. “Eating soon after waking can fuel your energy,” he says.

That doesn’t need to be a huge meal, though: Gambino says you should be fine with a lighter meal of oatmeal and peanut butter or a nut and granola snack mix to get you going before your workout. “Try to have some sort of protein with a complex carbohydrate (such as a slice of whole wheat toast with avocado) to fuel your workout,” she says. “Pre-workout meals can really help your recovery and muscle-building.”

But if you’re not planning to work out until later in the day, Abayev says there’s no need to fuel up right away. Also, if you’re just not hungry when you get up, Gambino suggests having tea or water to jump-start your system. “Having something in your body can help you get started, but you don’t need to force yourself to eat,” she says.

Should You Eat a Heavy or Light Breakfast?

“A lighter breakfast can work well for those who prefer early training or outdoor activities, promoting easy digestion,” Abayev says. “A heavier breakfast might be better if you have a long outdoor adventure or high-intensity training ahead, providing more sustained energy,” says Abayev.

According to Gambino, it can also be helpful to consider what the rest of your day looks like. “If you won’t be able to eat again until later in the day—say, having lunch around 2 p.m. or 3 p.m.—having a heavier breakfast can help you stay satiated and not have a blood sugar drop,” she says.

Blood sugar drops can irritable, hungry, or tired. She suggests a vegetable omelet with a slice of whole-grain toast to “give you a mix of carbohydrates, protein, and fat to keep your body working properly until your next meal of the day.”

But if you tend to eat lunch early, keep breakfast on the lighter side: Gambino says having an apple with peanut butter, whole grain cereal with fruit, or unsweetened yogurt with granola are good options.

If you’re deciding whether or not you want a heavy or light meal, consider this.ÌęA 2023 study published in theÌę suggests that having more calories earlier in the day can help limit blood sugar fluctuations—lowering your risk of eventually developing type 2 diabetes in the process.ÌęThe researchers also found this can improve your overall metabolic health.

Is It “Bad” to Eat as Soon as You Get Up?

No, it’s not bad to eat as soon as you get up. “Your body was essentially fasting while you were sleeping, so your glycogen stores are low,” Gambino says.

(Again, glycogen helps with your body’s energy reserves.) If you’re planning to work out soon after you wake, eating something after you get up “can promote stable energy levels,” Abayev says.

However, you don’t have to eat as soon as you get up. “If you’re not hungry, don’t force it,” Gambino says.

Is It OK to Skip Breakfast?

While dietitians generally agree that you shouldn’t push yourself to eat if you’re not hungry, they also stress the importance of having something for breakfast. “For the most part, for non-breakfast eaters, I usually advise trying to eat something, even if it’s small, within a few hours of waking,” Gelsomin says.

Abayev agrees. “Eating breakfast can promote energy and improve performance, especially for morning workouts or outdoor adventures,” he says. “Skipping it may lead to fatigue, decreased performance later, and may potentially increase cravings later in the day.”

Not only can skipping breakfast leave you feeling fatigued but it’s also been linked to a higher risk of developing several serious health conditions. One 2024 study published in the analyzed data on eating habits from 859 people in China over a three-year period, along with other health data like blood work and MRIs. The researchers discovered that people who regularly skipped breakfast had lower cognitive scores than those who ate the first meal of the day. They also were more likely to experience cognitive decline during the study period.

A 2021 scientific of 14 studies found a link between regularly eating breakfast and a lowered risk of developing a host of potential health complications, including heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and stroke. The researchers also found that skipping breakfast once a week “may greatly reduce the benefits” that people otherwise get from eating breakfast regularly.

“Overall, it is pretty beneficial to have breakfast in the morning,” Gambino says. “But, if you struggle with that, even a little something is good.”

What Is the Best Thing to Eat for Breakfast?

Aside from deciding when to eat breakfast, what you eat matters, too. “Focus on a balance of protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates,” Abayev says. “Protein aids muscle repair, healthy fats support long-lasting energy, and carbs fuel performance, making this balance key for sustained energy during outdoor activities and workouts.”

There are a lot of good potential breakfast options to have, but the experts I spoke with say these are excellent choices:

• Oatmeal mixed with nut butter, and a side of berries
• An egg omelette with a side of sauteed vegetables and whole-grain toast
• Unsweetened Greek yogurt with a handful of nuts and berries

I exercise as soon as I get up to try to get a workout in before my kids wake up. With that, I usually have a zucchini and almond flour muffin before my workout and follow it up with natural peanut butter and apple slices after I’ve showered and get started with work. Because I tend to eat lunch early, this usually keeps me feeling satisfied until my next meal.

If you’re interested in fiddling with the exact timing of your breakfast, Gambino suggests using a journal or app to help you keep tabs on how you feel when you mix things up. That can help you to really fine-tune the best breakfast timing for you.

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Researchers in Germany recently published one of those studies that, now and then, make me question my core beliefs. I’m a supplement skeptic, but I try not to let that identity prevent me from assimilating new data. And if there’s one supplement whose possible benefits I’ve been on the fence about in recent years, it’s vitamin D.

The new study, , is part of a major initiative to improve the performance of German elite athletes. A research team led by Sebastian Hacker of Justus Liebig University in Giessen studied 474 athletes on German national teams in a range of sports including hockey, table tennis, and three-on-three basketball. They tested vitamin D levels and measured (among other outcomes) handgrip strength.

Here’s the money shot:

This graph shows handgrip strength as a function of 25(OH)D levels, which is how vitamin D status is assessed in the blood.Ìę The two dashed lines indicate theÌęthresholds betweenÌęvitamin D deficiency (below 20 ng/mL), insufficiency (between 20 and 30 ng/mL), and sufficiencyÌę(above 30 ng/mL). There have been long debates on where these thresholds should be set, but that’s the current thinking. Note that you’ll sometimes see 25(OH)D levels expressed in nmol/L; to get to those units, multiply the values above by 2.5.

The key point: there’s a clear slope to the line. Higher levels of vitamin D are associated with stronger grip strength, which in turn has been associated with health, longevity, and (less clearly) athletic performance. For every 1 ng/mL increase in 25(OH)D, handgrip strength increases by 0.01 N/kg, which means that going from 20 to 30 ng/mL should boost your strength by about three percent.

The Case for Vitamin D Supplements as a Performance Aid

Vitamin D plays roles in a whole bunch of body systems, including bone health, immune function, and—perhaps most notably for athletes—muscle performance. If you’re truly deficient in vitamin D, there’s no doubt you should get your levels up. But the evidence in the “merely insufficient” range is less clear, even in this data. If you took all the values below 20 mg/mL out of the analysis, would there still be a relationship between vitamin and handgrip strength? It’s not clear.

This isn’t the first time researchers have shown a relationship between vitamin D and strength. In fact, pooled data from 28 studies with 5,700 participants and concluded that there’s a positive relationship between vitamin D levels and quadriceps strength. At least, that’s the headline result—but when you look closer, it’s less convincing. The positive relationship was for quad strength when contracting the muscle at a specific speed of 180 degrees per second. But there was no relationship at a slower speed of 60 degrees per second. Worse still, there was aÌęnegativeÌęcorrelation for maximal contractionsÌęagainst an immoveable force: higher vitamin D levels were associated with smaller max force.

In other words, we shouldn’t be too quick to assume the new German data is definitive. Instead, it’s another data point in an ongoing debate. Another review, , finds “mixed results” in studies on the relationship between vitamin D levels and muscle mass and strength.

Causation or Correlation?

Even if we eventually conclude that there is a positive relationship between vitamin D levels and strength, it doesn’t necessarily follow that we should all start popping vitamin D pills. First of all, there’s the possibility of reverse causation. People who are strong and healthy may choose to spend more time exercising outdoors, which in turn may produce higher vitamin D levels. That’s actually one of the strengths of the new German study: since all the subjects were elite athletes, we can assume that they have similar levels of general fitness and physical activity.

There may also be confounding factors. Back in 2019, șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű contributing editor Rowan Jacobsen wrote a surprising article in which he argued that the benefits of sunlight extend beyond merely raising vitamin D levels, most notably in triggering the release of nitric oxide from your skin into your bloodstream. If that’s the case, then taking vitamin D supplements won’t necessarily fix whatever problems are associated with lack of sunshine.

What we really want are intervention studies, where we give extra vitamin D to people and see if they get stronger. And we don’t want subjects who already have sufficient levels of vitamin D, because they stand to benefit less; instead we want people with insufficient levels. That’s what , this one from Estonia, did.

The Estonian researchers took 28 volunteers with “insufficient” 25(OH)D levels in the low 20s mg/mL. Half of them got a placebo, and the other half took 8,000 IU per day of vitamin D, which eventually got their 25(OH)D levels up to a healthy 57 ng/mL. Both groups did 12 weeks of resistance training, but there were no discernible differences in their results, which were published in the journal Nutrients. Here are the gains in one-rep maximum for various exercises for the two groups:

In fact, the further you dig into the literature, the less convincing the data looks for vitamin D as an athletic supplement. For example, there was that found no significant benefit of vitamin D supplementation on muscle strength but a trend in the right direction. But even that weak finding was tainted by “key errors in the analytical approach,” according to : the true effect is close to zero.

Of course, vitamin D’s merits as an athletic supplement are distinct from its potential for more general health purposes. Might it be that taking vitamin D supplements helps prevent cancer, heart disease, or type 2 diabetes; increases bone density; or reduces your risk of falls? No, no, no, no, and no, according to . More than 60 Mendelian randomization studies, which use genetic data to divide people into pseudo-randomized groups with high or low vitamin D levels, have generally found no difference in health outcomes.

Put it all together and the overall case for taking vitamin D supplements doesn’t look very compelling to me—assuming, that is, that you don’t have a genuine deficiency. Defining that threshold is the tricky part. Is it below 20 ng/mL, which health authorities consider deficient? Is it below 30 ng/mL which they label insufficient? Is it somewhere higher or lower or in between? I’m not sure, so for now I’ll hedge my bets: despite all my skepticism, I’m going to arrange to get my levels tested at my next doctor’s appointment.

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