Here's the situation: You've got an important game in an hour or so. You need a pre-game snack, but there's only enough time to grab something from a vending machine. Your options are candy bars, protein drinks and a lonely granola bar. What do you choose?

If you went for the granola bar, you made the right choice. The reason is simple: Carbohydrates will give you the quick energy you need to get you through the game.

As you may already know, everything you eat is made up of proteins, carbohydrates and fats--all of which you need in order to stay healthy. Even though all three types of food have calories, which give you energy, your body uses the different kinds of energy in different ways.

Proteins and fats are "slow energy" foods. After you eat them, it takes a long time for your body to digest them and turn them into energy. That means you're more likely to start your game feeling sluggish, with a heavy lump in your stomach.

Carbohydrates are the "quick energy" foods. It doesn't take long for your body to convert them into the powerful fuel you need for top performance.

Now here's a confusing thought. If you look on the nutrition label on a candy bar, you'll see that it has more carbohydrates than a granola bar. So why not choose the candy bar?

One reason is that it has a lot of fat, which slows you down. The other reason is that most of its carbohydrates come from sugar. What happens when you eat a lot of sugar? You get a big burst of energy ... and then you get really sleepy. Sugar is not what you want to load up on before a big game.

Here are some foods that have lots of the good kind of carbohydrates: granola bars, sports bars, breads, pasta, rice, fruits, vegetables and juices. Be sure to drink lots of water, too. What you put into your body could be one of the most important plays of the game.

Here are some quick snacks that will keep you hustling all game long:

-Nutrigrain Bars

-PowerBar Harvest

-Gatorade

-Quaker Granola Bars

-V8 Splash

-Hansen's Fruit Juice Smoothies

-apples, bananas, oranges