 After about an hour of strenuous exercise, long-distance athletes can really start to deplete their glycogen stores, the body source of quick energy. Studies dating back to the 30s found that by hooking athletes on a treadmill up to an IV drip of sugar water, you could delay fatigue, and that drinking sugar water could help as well. So the sports supplement industry has come up with an array of energy, drinks, shots, gels, bars, chews, even sports jelly beans. Used, what a coincidence, by the Jelly Belly cycling team. In fact, the Jelly Belly candy company paid for a study that found that sports jelly beans could shave four or five seconds off of a 10K cycling trial compared to sports drinks or gels. But what about compared to raisins? Given that professional, collegiate, and recreational sporting events are supplements centered, heavily marketed to, athletes at all levels may be left with the impression that specially designed supplements are essential for optimal performance. Yet these products are often expensive, and cheaper natural foods that may provide a healthier alternative are often overlooked. There are low-cost, natural food products rich in carbs, such as sun-dried raisins, that have the potential to improve performance to a similar degree. Raisins are nutritious, convenient, typically palatable, and are a cost-effective source of concentrated carbohydrates. But do they work as well? They work exactly as well, exact same time. Same thing comparing raisins to a commercial sports gel. Same respiratory exchange. Same carbon-fat oxidation. Same energy expenditure. In fact, the only significant difference between raisins and jelly beans was in, quote-unquote, hedonic scores, pleasantness scoring, and raisins beat out the jelly beans. Compared to jelly beans with flavors like extreme watermelon, there was a greater preference for just raisin-flavored raisins.