If you’re exercising soon after your snack, choose a portion you know sits well with you, and pay attention to its fat, protein and fibre content. If you have more time and fibre matters to you, compare a clearly labelled wholemeal currant bun with plain varieties. Don’t judge a dark bun by its colour alone: check whether the specific product actually contains cocoa and what its nutrition label says.
If there’s little time between eating and training, portion size and what you’re used to eating matter more than a striking product name. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends eating a meal around 2 to 3 hours before exercise.
If you’re eating earlier in the day, you can compare plain and wholemeal currant buns. Check the fibre content per 100 g and make sure wholemeal flour is actually listed in the ingredients.
If you’re looking for a more bitter cocoa flavour, check the ingredients of the currant bun itself. A dark colour or a shop’s range of dark chocolate tells you nothing about how much cocoa a bun contains.
First, work out how much time you have before your workout. Then compare the portion size and nutrition information of the currant buns you’re considering.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Time until your workout | If you’re exercising soon afterwards, check the portion size and the fat, protein and fibre content. | If I’m about to train, I want something small that I’m used to eating. For around 40% of consumers, the time between their snack and workout is the most important factor. |
| Wholemeal and fibre | Check whether it’s labelled wholemeal and compare fibre per 100 g; don’t compare a figure per bun directly with one per 100 g. | If I’m eating well before my workout, I want to know how plain and wholemeal buns differ. Fibre and wholemeal status are the top priorities for around 30% of consumers. |
| Dark cocoa flavour | For a specific currant bun, check the ingredients, any stated cocoa percentage and the nutrition information. | I’m looking for the taste of cocoa in a currant bun, not just any dark bread roll or a separate chocolate bar. This is the main question for around 30% of consumers. |
Wholemeal flour and cocoa are different ingredients. Albert Heijn’s wholemeal raisin and currant bun is no proof that a dark-looking bun contains cocoa.
Check whether it’s labelled wholemeal, its fibre content and whether cocoa is listed in the ingredients—each separately.
When you eat can affect whether a larger or higher-fibre snack feels comfortable. A difference in fibre per 100 g doesn’t, on its own, tell you how a portion will sit just before exercise.
Consider how long you have until your workout, and try a different portion or variety on a normal training day first.
The currant buns from Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS that we looked at list different ingredients and allergens. So the packaging of the product you buy matters, especially if you have an allergy or intolerance.
Check the ingredients and allergen information again every time you buy them.
A chocolate bar isn’t a currant bun: the product, portion size and nutritional composition are different. The fact that a shop sells dark chocolate tells you nothing about the ingredients in its currant buns.
If you’re deliberately choosing chocolate instead of a bun, compare the portion size and nutrition information again.
AH Extra Long-lasting Raisin Currant Buns are worth considering if you want to compare a clearly labelled wholemeal variety.
Jumbo Raisin Currant Buns include nutrition information per bun and per 100 g, making them easy to compare with other varieties.
PLUS Currant Buns are a plain variety whose ingredients, nutritional values and storage instructions you can compare.
ALDI lists a pack of six raisin currant buns, as well as larger raisin buns.
A small portion may work if you know it sits well with you, but don’t choose based on the product name alone. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends eating a meal around 2 to 3 hours before exercise. If you eat something later, pay attention to the portion size and what feels comfortable for you during your workout.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, most people who exercise don’t need energy bars or sports gels. The food and drink that suit your workout depend, among other things, on its duration and intensity.
Follow the storage instructions for the product you buy. PLUS says its Currant Buns can be frozen at home on the day of purchase and should be used within one month. Don’t assume the same instructions apply to another variety without checking its label.
Don’t assume so without checking the label. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that iodine compounds may only be present in bread, bread substitutes and other bakery products through added baker’s salt, with a maximum of 65 mg of iodine per kg of salt. The wholemeal currant bun from Albert Heijn that we looked at lists iodised salt; check the ingredients list of the bun you buy.
Always read the allergen information on the packaging you choose. For its Raisin Currant Buns, Jumbo lists wheat and milk, among other allergens; for its Currant Buns, PLUS lists wheat, rye, milk and lactose, among others. Ingredients and allergen declarations can vary between products.
