Don't let their fancy packages fool you. When it comes to fueling your body, sports supplements are no match for real, nutritious foods.

In a study published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, researchers pitted sport jelly beans against natural, sun-dried raisins in a head-to-head challenge. The winner? Raisins.

Ten participants completed a 120-minute cycling working on three separate occasions. During the first trial, they could only drink water.  During the second two trials, they were given either sport jelly beans or sun-dried raisins.

Both contestants (sport beans and raisins) fared well. When it came to completion time, power output, blood glucose levels and respiratory exchange ratio, there was no significant difference between eating the sport beans or the raisins.

In fact, the only real tiebreaker came down to taste. The raisins were rated as much more enjoyable to eat than the sport beans.

These findings are applicable to any form of moderate to high intensity endurance exercise, so whether you’re a biker, runner or even a hard-core elliptical devotee, you may want to consider swapping your specially formulated gels, beans, and powders for a big bag of good ‘ol sun-dried raisins.

They’re just as convenient to stow in your shorts zipper pocket and they’re loaded with additional health benefits. Packed with vitamins and antioxidants, raisins also contain loads of the mineral, boron, which promotes bone health.

Not crazy about raisins? Experiment with different dried fruits until you find one that really revs up your workout. Dried blueberries and cherries are great choices.