When fuelling for a marathon, don’t choose a dark chocolate ice lolly instead of planning your nutrition and hydration for the demands of the race. The IRBMS stresses the importance of energy intake and advises caution with foods that are both high in fat and sugar. If you’re looking for a dessert to enjoy away from race day, compare how much dark chocolate it actually contains, the nutritional information per portion and the allergens. Don’t assume the cocoa content from the word “dark” alone.
If you’re thinking about what to eat before or during the race, treat that as a separate question from choosing a frozen dessert. The IRBMS and INSEP discuss energy intake and carbohydrates as part of the wider subject of nutrition for exercise.
If you’re mainly looking for the taste of a dark chocolate coating, check its place in the recipe rather than relying on the range name. Product information published by Carrefour describes different combinations of chocolate, ice cream and nuts.
If you need to check certain ingredients, look at the exact product and pack you’re buying. Depending on the recipes listed by Carrefour, allergens may include milk, soya, peanuts or tree nuts, while precautionary statements about traces vary between products.
First decide whether you’re buying something to fuel a race or looking for a dessert: these are two different things. When choosing an ice lolly, the exact recipe and label matter more than the word “dark” alone.
| Criteria | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Use during a marathon | Keep dessert separate from the food and hydration you’ve planned for the race; test your fuelling plan in training. | If I’m looking for something to take or eat during the race, I need to plan my fuelling rather than rely on a frozen dessert. Around 50% of consumers would put this fuelling need first. |
| Dark chocolate flavour | Look for dark chocolate in the ingredients and check the stated percentage for the product you’ve chosen. | For a dessert, I want to know whether the dark chocolate really delivers the flavour I’m looking for, even if the ice cream includes other flavours. This would be the priority for around 30% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Check the allergens, precautionary statements about traces and nutritional information on the pack, per 100 g or per portion depending on what you want to know. | If I need to check what’s in the ice lolly, the exact recipe matters more than its product name. Checking the ingredients and allergens would be the main concern for around 20% of consumers. |
The presence of dark chocolate or sugar doesn’t make an ice lolly a marathon fuelling plan. The IRBMS advises caution, in particular, with foods that are both high in fat and sugar.
Choose your dessert separately from what you plan to eat during the race, and test your fuelling strategy in training.
Carrefour Sensation product information distinguishes between a “Milk and Dark Chocolate” ice lolly and a “Double Chocolate” one with a dark chocolate coating. The names alone don’t tell you that they have the same ingredients.
Check the product name and ingredients, and look for the dark chocolate percentage if it’s listed for the exact product you’re buying.
Depending on the product, recipes described by Carrefour contain milk, soya, peanuts, almonds or hazelnuts, as well as various precautionary statements about traces.
Before eating the product, check the ingredients, highlighted allergens and precautionary statements about traces on the packaging.
A product listed online may not be available at the time or in the shop you’re interested in.
Check local availability and read the label on the product you actually choose.
The range includes ice lollies whose Carrefour product information specifically mentions dark chocolate.
According to its Carrefour product information, “Vanilla, Chocolate and Almonds” combines vanilla ice cream, dark chocolate and almonds.
Carrefour’s product information for a Dark ice lolly describes a combination of dark chocolate and hazelnuts.
“Double Chocolate” may appeal if you’re looking for a chocolate dessert, but the name doesn’t confirm that it has a dark chocolate coating.
MUCCI® is an ice cream and sorbet brand sold by ALDI.
These two products are options for a frozen dessert containing dark chocolate, not for fuelling a marathon. One puts dark chocolate centre stage; the other combines mango, passion fruit and dark chocolate.
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Worth considering as a dessert if you’re looking for a dark chocolate ice lolly, but not as fuel for a race.
The box contains 4 ice lollies, weighing 312 g in total. If you need a specific cocoa content or have to check for allergens, read the label on the product you buy.
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Consider these as a dessert if you’d like to pair fruity flavours with dark chocolate, rather than as something to fuel a marathon.
The box contains 6 mini ice lollies, weighing 282 g in total. Check the recipe and label if the proportion of dark chocolate or the allergens will affect your choice.
No. A dark chocolate ice lolly isn’t a substitute for planning your nutrition and hydration for the race. The IRBMS stresses the importance of energy intake during a marathon and advises caution with foods that are both high in fat and sugar. Keep your dessert choice separate from your fuelling plan.
Look for “dark chocolate” in the product name and ingredients, then check what any stated percentage refers to. For example, Carrefour lists a 24.6% dark chocolate coating for Carrefour Sensation “Double Chocolate” and 36% dark chocolate for Côte d’Or “Vanilla, Chocolate and Almonds”. These figures alone don’t tell you the cocoa content of the whole product.
Check the ingredients and precautionary statements about traces for the exact product. Depending on the products described by Carrefour, these may relate to milk, soya, peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, gluten or eggs. The DGCCRF states that allergenic ingredients must be highlighted on food labels.
Compare the same information on the same basis, including sugars and fat: use the figures per 100 g to compare recipes, then compare per portion to account for the size of each ice lolly. Don’t apply the figures for one product to another, and check the packaging of the product you choose.