Choose De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes for its aniseed flavour, not because you want less sugar: according to the product information at Albert Heijn, it contains 79 g of sugars per 100 g. Chocolate sprinkles with a lower sugar content are a different type of topping. If you’re looking for a snack for around your workout, first decide when you want to eat it and what you need it for.
You want something sweet on bread, crispbread or yoghurt, and you’re checking the sugars per 100 g and per portion. Aniseed flavour and a lower sugar content don’t automatically point to the same product.
You want to know whether to pack a topping as part of something to eat, or whether you need a snack in its own right. The timing of your workout matters too: the Voedingscentrum advises tailoring what you eat and drink around exercise to the effort involved.
The products reviewed contain different allergens: De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes contains wheat and gluten, AH chocolate sprinkles contain milk and lactose, and Céréal chocolate sprinkles contain milk and soya. Check the packaging of the product you buy.
First decide whether you want an aniseed topping, a different sweet topping or a snack in its own right. Then compare the nutritional information and ingredients of products in that category.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Less sugar | Compare sugars per 100 g and per portion you use. If a product is described as having ‘less sugar’, check what it’s being compared with. | If I want a sweet topping but want to compare sugar content, the nutritional information matters more than the product name. Around 46% of consumers put reducing sugar first when making this choice. |
| Workout timing | Decide whether you’re looking for something to have before, during or after exercise, and whether sprinkles or a snack in its own right would suit the occasion. | For my gym bag, I want to pack something that suits when I’ll eat it, rather than just a sweet topping. For around 36% of consumers, when they’ll eat it comes first. |
| Aniseed flavour and ingredients | Check whether you’re choosing crushed aniseed sprinkles or chocolate sprinkles, and read the current ingredients and allergen information. | If I’m specifically looking for the flavour of aniseed sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles aren’t a substitute. For around 18% of consumers, this product choice is the deciding factor; allergens should always be checked separately. |
The name doesn’t mean the sugar content has been reduced. Albert Heijn lists 79 g of sugars per 100 g for De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes.
Compare the nutritional information per 100 g and consider how much you actually use.
Crushed aniseed sprinkles are a topping, not a snack in their own right. According to the Voedingscentrum, specialist sports bars, gels and drinks are generally unnecessary for exercise lasting less than an hour.
Think about what you want to eat and drink around your workout before choosing a topping as a snack.
The Céréal chocolate sprinkles reviewed contain polyols. The product information at Albert Heijn warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
Read the ingredients and warnings on the packaging too, especially if you plan to eat the product just before exercising.
The aniseed sprinkles and chocolate sprinkle varieties reviewed contain different allergens. Choosing an alternative for its flavour or sugar content may therefore mean choosing different ingredients too.
Check the ingredients and allergen information on the packaging when you buy the product.
These examples show the differences between crushed aniseed sprinkles and two types of chocolate sprinkles; they aren’t like-for-like substitutes.
The Gestampte Muisjes reviewed are sugared aniseed seeds, intended as a topping.
AH Hagelslag melk minder suiker is milk chocolate sprinkles, not an aniseed-flavoured product.
Céréal Hagelslag melk minder suikers is also a chocolate sprinkle product, rather than crushed aniseed sprinkles.
These bars are individual snacks to take with you, not crushed aniseed sprinkles or another kind of topping. Choose between the products by checking the packaging, nutritional information and ingredients.
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A bar to enjoy as a snack on the go, rather than an aniseed topping. The product name lists 12 bars of 60 g each. Check the nutritional information per bar and the packaging for milk, soya and ingredients such as maltitol.
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A muesli bar to take with you as a snack, not a like-for-like replacement for the flavour of crushed aniseed sprinkles. The product name lists a 120 g pack. Compare the nutritional information per 100 g and per bar, and check the packaging for peanuts, milk, cereals containing gluten and polyols.
Not if you’re choosing them for a lower sugar content: the product information at Albert Heijn lists 79 g of sugars per 100 g and 4.7 g per 6 g portion. As well as checking the figure per 100 g, consider how much you use yourself.
No. According to the product information at Albert Heijn, the AH Hagelslag melk minder suiker reviewed lists 43 g of sugars per 100 g, while Céréal Hagelslag melk minder suikers lists 15 g per 100 g. ‘Less’ is also a comparison, so always read the nutritional information for the variety you choose.
You can use crushed aniseed sprinkles as a topping on something to eat, but they aren’t a snack in their own right. Decide whether you want to eat something before, during or after exercise; according to the Voedingscentrum, specialist sports products are generally unnecessary for exercise lasting less than an hour.
In the products reviewed, De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes contains wheat and gluten, AH Hagelslag melk minder suiker contains milk and lactose, and Céréal Hagelslag melk minder suikers contains milk and soya. Before buying, always check the allergen information on the packaging of the variety you choose.
