Recent research has revealed that endurance athletes can improve their stamina and athletic performance by consuming significantly more carbohydrates both before and during competition than they were advised to do in the past.
These findings have fueled a dramatic surge in not only endurance athletes’ carb consumption, but also global sales of energy gels, such as those produced by brands like GU and Honey Stingers.
As a matter of fact, the global energy gel market is expected to grow from $635 million in 2024 to roughly $1.3 billion by 2034, according to the market intelligence firm Precedence Research.
However, the cost of these energy gels – as well as that of similar products like sports drinks, chews, gummies, and waffles – can range from $2 to $6 per serving, which can really add up for endurance athletes who are logging five-plus hours of training each day.
This phenomenon has increased the appeal of more affordable, easily accessible solutions like Uncrustables and Rice Krispies Treats, which can offer many of the same nutritional benefits that energy products do but at a fraction of the cost – and taste good while doing it.
Why Rice Krispies Treats Work as Endurance Fuel
“We used to include Rice Krispies Treats in what we called ‘the bins’ when we were providing fast digesting carbohydrates to football players at halftime when I worked in college athletics. Snacks in these bins included applesauce, pouches from Costco, peach cups, bananas, fruit snacks, and of course, Rice Krispies Treats, which were the most popular,” said Destini Moody, a registered dietitian specializing in sports performance and recovery for Total Nutrition Coaching.
“Whenever I told people I used to feed my elite athletes this snack, they were shocked, but I think it’s because people often compartmentalize foods as 100% good or 100% bad. Because Rice Krispies Treats are considered ‘junk’ food, it was hard for most people to believe that I, a dietitian, would willingly feed them to my athletes,” Moody told The Food Institute.
“But snacks like Rice Krispies Treats have a lot of utility during physical activity because they digest so quickly and are easy to eat fast due to being very palatable. For athletes, that burst in blood sugar that you get can significantly help athletic performance when timed properly.”
With Rice Krispies Treats, Context Is Everything
However, while Rice Krispie Treats make great fuel for endurance athletes due to their simplicity and unique ability to restock the glycogen stores that are depleted during a long, arduous exercise session, that doesn’t mean the average American should load up on them before their next Netflix marathon.
“Rice Krispies Treats are a problem, though, if you’re somebody who’s not active and you’re just sitting on your couch munching on them,” Moody noted. “Not only are you not getting any nutrients from a food like that, but the aforementioned energy boost isn’t being used for anything beneficial. All of those added sugars aren’t being used for exercise but are just sitting in your arteries causing inflammation.”
“The motto of my practice is ‘eat to perform,’ so I always encourage athletes to think about the food that they’re eating, and if it does not benefit their performance, they should consider not choosing it. In this specific context, Rice Krispies Treats are a great addition to an athlete’s repertoire.”
The Food Institute Podcast
How will the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) impact your food business? Unraveling the implications of new legislation is never easy, but Patrick O’Reilly and Jeff Pera of CBIZ explain how provisions of the bill related to no tax on tips, depreciation and expensing of capital purchases, and research and development will impact the industry.
