If you want to keep a close eye on sugar around a bike ride, choose a biscuit with a sugar-free claim you can verify on the packaging, but don’t use it as a meal replacement. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre highlights the importance of getting enough carbohydrates and timing meals for endurance sports. When choosing a biscuit, check the portion size, polyols and allergens too.
You’re looking for a biscuit with a sugar-free claim that you can check on the packaging and against the nutritional information per 100 g. A description such as ‘sugar-conscious’ doesn’t mean the same thing.
You want to be able to judge the portion size, and when trying a new biscuit, you also check its fat, fibre and polyol content. This helps you choose something that suits the time of your ride and what you’re used to eating.
You see a biscuit as an addition to breakfast, not as the meal for a longer ride. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre stresses that carbohydrates play a role in endurance sports, but doesn’t recommend biscuits as a regular source of carbohydrates.
Start with the claim and the nutritional information per 100 g. Then check the portion size and when you plan to eat the biscuit.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar-free claim | Check the claim on the packaging and the amount of sugars per 100 g. Under EU Regulation 1924/2006, the ‘sugar-free’ claim is permitted only when a product contains no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. | I want to make sure ‘sugar-conscious’ isn’t confused with ‘sugar-free’. For around 42% of consumers, a verifiable sugar-free claim would be the top priority. |
| Portion size and tolerance | Check the portion size and the amount of polyols per biscuit; compare the fat and fibre content too. Don’t try a new variety for the first time just before an important ride. | If I eat something shortly before setting off, I want to know how I’ll react to the biscuit. For around 33% of consumers, how well they tolerate it before a ride would come first. |
| Alongside breakfast | Check the carbohydrates per portion and decide how the biscuit fits alongside your meal. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends having a proper meal around two to three hours before exercise. | I’m looking for a biscuit to have alongside breakfast, not something to base a longer bike ride on. For around 25% of consumers, its role alongside breakfast would be the main consideration. |
Sugar-free only tells you about the amount of sugars allowed under the claim conditions. A biscuit may still contain carbohydrates and fat; the Netherlands Nutrition Centre says biscuits are not a usual source of carbohydrates.
Think of the biscuit as part of your overall food and drink plan for the ride, not as a meal replacement.
The product information for the Céréal varieties mentioned lists polyols and warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect. People can react differently to the same product.
Check the amount per portion, and try a new variety at a relaxed time rather than just before an important ride.
A shop category with ‘sugar-conscious’ in its name doesn’t replace the claim and nutritional information for an individual product. Ingredients and allergen information can change too.
Check the current packaging for sugars per 100 g, and read the ingredients and allergen information again if they matter to your choice.
Céréal offers, among other products, a coconut biscuit and a speculoos and almond biscuit labelled ‘no sugars’.
Jumbo’s product information lets you compare the Céréal varieties mentioned by nutritional value and portion size.
Albert Heijn’s category for sugar-conscious biscuits includes Céréal biscuits labelled ‘no sugars’.
Lotus describes Biscoff as a caramelised biscuit. That description alone is not a sugar-free claim.
Under EU Regulation 1924/2006, a product making the ‘sugar-free’ nutrition claim can contain no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. Check both the claim and the nutritional information on the current packaging; ‘sugar-conscious’ isn’t automatically the same claim.
No. The sugar content of one biscuit doesn’t tell you whether your food and drink plan is suitable for a long ride. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre highlights the importance of getting enough carbohydrates for endurance sports and doesn’t consider biscuits a usual source of carbohydrates.
Check the portion size and ingredients such as maltitol, especially if you haven’t tried the product before. The information for the Céréal varieties mentioned warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect, so it’s best not to try a new variety just before an important ride.
Ingredients and allergen information can change, so the current packaging is what matters. The Céréal varieties mentioned have different allergen declarations; don’t rely on the flavour name or a product page you viewed earlier.
