Don’t automatically choose sugar-free chocolate sprinkles for marathon training. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, people training for a marathon need more carbohydrates, and when you eat matters too. If you want less sugar in your rusk breakfast, compare the nutritional values of the topping, but consider the whole breakfast and check for any warnings about polyols before choosing a product.
You want to keep eating rusks with chocolate sprinkles, but are looking for a lower-sugar topping. In that case, the difference between ‘less sugar’ and ‘sugar-free’ matters more than the claim on the front of the pack: compare the ‘of which sugars’ figures per 100 g and per serving too.
If there’s not much time between breakfast and your training session, portion size and how well you tolerate the food matter. If the chocolate sprinkles contain polyols, read the warnings on the pack too, especially before using them for a long run.
You assess chocolate sprinkles as part of a meal, alongside the rusk, other breakfast foods, drinks and the timing of your meal. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre points out that marathon training can increase your need for carbohydrates.
First decide what you want to achieve by choosing a particular sugar level. Then check whether your whole breakfast and its timing work with your training.
When: Only a suitable option if you specifically want a sugar-free topping and the particular pack carries that claim.
Trade-off: ‘Sugar-free’ describes the sugar content of the topping, not the amount of carbohydrate in your whole breakfast.
When: An option if you want to compare and limit the amount of sugar in your usual topping.
Trade-off: Less sugar doesn’t mean sugar-free. Some varieties also contain polyols and carry a warning about excessive consumption.
When: An option if you use chocolate sprinkles as a topping and assess the whole breakfast separately.
Trade-off: Even with regular chocolate sprinkles, make sure your portion and meal timing suit your planned training session.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this most relevant to? |
|---|---|---|
| Carbohydrates and meal timing | Check the carbohydrates per serving for your whole breakfast and decide when you’ll go running. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends having a proper meal around 2 to 3 hours before exercising. | During long training weeks, I don’t just want to cut sugar from my topping; I want to know what my whole breakfast provides. Around 27% of consumers put this kind of fuelling plan first. |
| Sugar-free or less sugar | Compare the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g with the claim on the pack. Under EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, ‘sugar-free’ is only permitted for this type of product if it contains no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. | If I’m deliberately limiting sugar, I want to know whether a comparative claim also meets my preference for sugar-free. This is the main concern for around 33% of consumers. |
| How well you tolerate it before running | Check the ingredients and any warnings about polyols. Don’t try a new variety for the first time just before a long run. | If I run shortly after breakfast, I want to know whether the portion and topping sit well with me. This is the biggest consideration for around 20% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Check the current pack for the variety you’ve chosen. Albert Heijn lists milk and lactose for AH Hagelslag puur minder suiker; Jumbo lists milk and soya for Céréal Hagelslag Melk. | If I need to avoid certain ingredients, I check each individual pack before replacing my usual topping. Around 20% of consumers prioritise this check. |
These claims mean different things. Albert Heijn lists 43 g of sugars per 100 g for AH Hagelslag puur minder suiker; Jumbo lists 14.5 g per 100 g for Céréal Hagelslag Melk. Both figures are above the EU limit for a ‘sugar-free’ claim.
Use the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g to assess the product, rather than relying only on the claim on the front of the pack.
For Céréal Hagelslag Melk, Jumbo lists 44 g of polyols per 100 g and warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect. This matters if you’re prone to gastrointestinal problems around your runs.
Read the warning and try a new variety and portion on a day when you’re not doing a long run.
A sugar claim on chocolate sprinkles doesn’t tell you how many carbohydrates you’ll get from your whole breakfast. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre points out that marathon training increases your need for carbohydrates and recommends planning meals around exercise too.
Consider the rusk, topping, other breakfast foods and drinks together, and plan when you’ll eat.
An online product listing may not match what you find the next time you shop. Jumbo says its Hagelslag Melk Minder Suiker is no longer part of its online range.
Check the specific pack and the latest nutritional information for the variety you choose every time you buy it.
Céréal Hagelslag Melk is a chocolate sprinkle variety containing sugar and sweetener, listed by Jumbo.
AH Hagelslag puur minder suiker is a dark chocolate sprinkle product with a comparative lower-sugar claim.
Jumbo listed its own Hagelslag Melk Minder Suiker as a variety with 30% less sugar than Jumbo hagelslag melk.
Regular milk and dark chocolate sprinkles from De Ruijter appear in product listings from Jumbo and ALDI Nederland.
Jumbo lists regular milk and XXL chocolate sprinkle varieties from Venz.
No. Under EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, a product of this type can be labelled sugar-free if it contains no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. Albert Heijn lists 43 g per 100 g for AH Hagelslag puur minder suiker; Jumbo lists 14.5 g per 100 g for Céréal Hagelslag Melk.
It depends on the portion, when you eat and what you can tolerate. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends having a proper meal around 2 to 3 hours before exercising. If you eat closer to your run, pay attention to the size and contents of your meal.
Check the amount and any warnings on the pack, especially if you plan to eat the product before a long run. For Céréal Hagelslag Melk, Jumbo lists 44 g of polyols per 100 g and warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
Check the current pack for the specific variety. Albert Heijn lists milk and lactose for AH Hagelslag puur minder suiker; Jumbo lists milk and soya for Céréal Hagelslag Melk. Don’t assume that other varieties from those brands contain the same ingredients.
No, not without checking the ingredients of the rusks you’ve chosen. The Dutch Commodities Act Decree on the Addition of Micronutrients to Foods, in the version consulted dated 14 November 2014, permits iodine to be added to bread, bread substitutes and other bakery products through baker’s salt, up to a maximum of 65 mg of iodine per kg of salt. That doesn’t mean every rusk product contains it.
