A digestive biscuit can be part of your usual diet around marathon training, but it may not be suitable just before an intense run. Choose based on when you plan to eat it, the portion size and what you can tolerate. Check the packaging to compare carbohydrates, fat, fibre and allergens too. A biscuit is no substitute for a meal, fluids or a nutrition plan you’ve tested in advance.
If you want to eat something shortly before a run, the timing, portion size and your own tolerance all matter. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises against having a large portion or foods high in fat, protein or fibre just before exercise.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, your need for carbohydrates may increase during an active endurance session. So compare not only the nutritional values per 100 g, but also the amount per biscuit and the portion you plan to eat.
If you need to avoid certain ingredients, read the label on the exact product variant. The wheat, possible milk and soya listed vary between the products discussed here; the name ‘digestive’ doesn’t tell you which allergens it contains.
First decide when you want to eat the biscuit. Then compare the portion size and nutritional profile of products that suit that occasion.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Timing and tolerance | Check fat and fibre per 100 g and per portion. Try the product, amount and timing during a regular training session. | Before an intense run, I want to know whether the portion I’ve chosen feels comfortable. Timing and tolerance are the top priority for around 36% of consumers. |
| Carbohydrates and portion size | Compare carbohydrates per 100 g with the amount per biscuit or portion. | For a snack around my endurance training, I want to estimate how many carbohydrates I’ll get from the portion I actually eat. Around 29% of consumers prioritise this portion-size comparison. |
| Everyday nutritional profile | Compare regular and wholemeal digestives for fibre, fat and sugars per 100 g. | Outside the immediate training window, the nutritional profile of my usual biscuit matters more to me than how easy it is to eat quickly. For around 21% of consumers, this everyday nutritional profile is the main consideration. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current ingredients and allergen information for the exact product variant, including any warnings about possible traces. | If I need to avoid an ingredient, I don’t want to rely on the product name. An estimated 14% of consumers make allergen checks their top priority. |
A digestive contains carbohydrates, but also fat and fibre. That doesn’t automatically make it suitable for every stage of a long or intense training session.
Only include a biscuit as part of a nutrition plan you’ve tried during training, and remember to factor in meals and fluids too.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises limiting foods high in fibre or fat just before exercise. Jumbo lists 5.8 g of fibre per 100 g for its wholemeal digestive, compared with 3.1 g for Krokante Digestive.
Try the variety, portion and timing on a regular training day, rather than for the first time just before an important run.
Nutritional values per 100 g are useful for comparing products, but they don’t tell you how much you’ll get from one biscuit. For example, McVitie's Digestives Original lists 9.3 g of carbohydrates per 14.7 g biscuit.
Check the values per biscuit or portion too, and decide how many biscuits you actually plan to eat.
The digestives discussed here list wheat; McVitie's also mentions possible milk. Lotus Biscoff is a speculoos biscuit, not a digestive, and lists wheat and soya.
Check the label on the exact pack before eating, even if you’ve bought another product from the same brand before.
AH Digestive is a regular digestive biscuit that you can use to compare portion sizes and nutritional values.
Jumbo’s regular Krokante Digestive and Digestive Volkoren let you compare products within the same biscuit category.
Digestives Original gives a serving size of one biscuit, as well as nutritional values per 100 g.
Lotus Biscoff is a speculoos biscuit, so it’s a different type of biscuit from a digestive.
Sondey is a Lidl biscuit brand with a range of biscuits and other cookies.
This McVitie's Digestive Original is an option to consider as an additional biscuit outside the immediate pre-run window. Compare the portion size and try it to see how it suits your training schedule.
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If you want to compare a single biscuit as a snack, the stated serving size of one biscuit gives you a useful guide. Try the timing and amount during a regular training session first.
According to the product information, one 14.7 g biscuit contains 9.3 g of carbohydrates, 3.1 g of fat and 0.5 g of fibre. Per 100 g, it lists 63.6 g of carbohydrates and 21.3 g of fat.
Contains wheat and gluten and may contain milk; check the current pack if you need to avoid any ingredients or allergens.
It depends on the portion size, timing and what you can tolerate. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises against having a large portion just before exercise and recommends avoiding foods high in fat, protein or fibre. So try a biscuit during a regular training session first.
Not necessarily: when you eat it still matters. Jumbo lists 5.8 g of fibre per 100 g for Digestive Volkoren and 3.1 g for Krokante Digestive. A higher-fibre snack may feel less comfortable just before an intense run.
Read the ingredients and allergen information on the exact pack, especially if you need to avoid anything. The digestives discussed here list wheat, McVitie's mentions possible milk and Lotus Biscoff lists wheat and soya. Look out for warnings about possible traces too.
Follow the storage instructions on the pack. Albert Heijn and Jumbo’s product information advises keeping the digestives discussed here sealed and storing them in a dry or dark place once opened. Check the best-before date on your pack too.
