If you need to eat strictly gluten-free, don't rely on the name spritz: Albert Heijn's spritz biscuit recipe contains wheat flour. A biscuit clearly labelled gluten-free may be an alternative, but check the packaging first. Then consider how many carbohydrates a portion provides and how well you tolerate solid food while running.
You’re looking for a biscuit to eat around long training sessions and need to choose something strictly gluten-free. The product name, or simply the absence of wheat from the name, isn’t enough: check the label on the packaging.
You want to know whether a biscuit will fit into your training plan alongside drinks or other sports nutrition. The carbohydrates per portion matter, as does the practical experience of chewing and eating while running.
You’re looking for an alternative to spritz biscuits in the supermarket range. The gluten-free biscuit category can help you find options, but check the individual packaging before you choose.
For marathon training, first choose a biscuit with a gluten-free label that meets your needs. Then consider the portion size and try it during a long training session to see whether solid food works for you in practice.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free labelling | Check the packaging for a gluten-free label or the Crossed Grain quality mark, and read the ingredients and warnings. The Dutch Coeliac Society explains that the quality mark also covers the production process. | If I need to eat strictly gluten-free, I want to be sure about the biscuit I actually take with me. Around 36% of consumers prioritise checking the label. |
| Carbohydrates per portion | Check the nutritional information per portion, or work out the portion based on the values per 100 g. Remember to include any other food and drinks you have during training. | For my long run, I want to know how a biscuit fits into my overall nutrition plan, not just how much it contains per 100 g. This is the most important question for around 29% of consumers. |
| Eating while running | Compare portion sizes, fat and fibre, and try the same amount during a long training session. | I want to be able to eat on the go without chewing or the portion I’ve chosen interrupting my run. This practical consideration matters most to around 21% of consumers. |
| Choice of biscuits | Look in the gluten-free biscuits or snacks sections, and check the labelling of each individual product. | If I’m looking for different flavours, I want to be able to explore other types of biscuit as well as spritz without treating them as the same product. Around 14% of consumers give this choice the highest priority. |
Albert Heijn's spritz biscuit recipe uses wheat flour. And the type of biscuit alone doesn’t tell you what the current packaging says about gluten, even for an oat biscuit.
Check for a gluten-free label or the Crossed Grain quality mark on the exact packaging you’re buying, and read the ingredients and warnings too.
A gluten-free label doesn’t tell you how many carbohydrates are in the portion you eat during training.
Work out the carbohydrates in the portion you’ve chosen and consider them alongside the other food and drink you have during your long run.
Nutritional values per 100 g don’t tell you how easy a particular portion will be to eat while running. Albert Heijn also lists fat and fibre in the nutritional information for Verkade Oaties Milk Chocolate.
Try your chosen variety and portion beforehand during a long training session, along with the drink you plan to have with it.
Verkade describes Oaties as gluten-free oat biscuits. They’re a different type of biscuit from classic spritz.
The gluten-free biscuits and snacks categories offer a way to look for alternatives to spritz biscuits.
Jumbo has a biscuits and snacks category within its gluten-free range.
This oat biscuit is labelled gluten-free and is an alternative to spritz that you can try as a solid snack during training. It isn’t a classic spritz biscuit and, on its own, it doesn’t make up a complete marathon nutrition plan.
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For anyone looking for a biscuit alternative to spritz that’s labelled gluten-free and wants to try solid food during long training sessions.
For the milk chocolate variety, Albert Heijn lists 54 g of carbohydrates, 23 g of fat and 4.8 g of fibre per 100 g. Use the amount you actually eat to work out the carbohydrates per portion.
Check the current packaging for gluten-free labelling and allergen information. This variety contains milk and soya and may contain traces of nuts.
No. The name spritz doesn’t tell you whether a particular pack is gluten-free. Albert Heijn's classic spritz biscuit recipe does contain wheat flour, so check the gluten-free label or Crossed Grain quality mark on the packaging of any product you buy.
Yes, provided the specific pack is clearly labelled gluten-free or carries the Crossed Grain quality mark. Verkade describes Oaties as gluten-free, but an oat biscuit isn’t a spritz biscuit; check the packaging of the product you buy, even within this range.
Not necessarily: gluten-free labelling doesn’t tell you how many carbohydrates are in the portion you’ve chosen or how much you’ll consume overall while running. Compare the nutritional information per portion with everything else you eat and drink, and try the combination during long training sessions beforehand.
Check the labelling and warnings on the packaging, and keep the snack separate from regular bread and biscuits when storing and preparing it. According to the Dutch Coeliac Society, the Crossed Grain quality mark also covers the production process; you still need to take care to avoid contact with other products when preparing your snack.
