Chocolate digestives can be a snack around marathon training if their portion fits your plans and you enjoy eating them. For fuel during a long run, compare carbohydrate and fat per biscuit, then practise the timing and food choice in training rather than assuming a biscuit will suit you while running. London Marathon Events advises using long runs to learn which carbohydrates agree with your gut.
If you are considering biscuits during a run, use the carbohydrate figure for the portion you would carry and try that food during training. London Marathon Events recommends using long runs to find which carbohydrates agree with your gut.
If you want a chocolate-coated biscuit around training, compare the portion, carbohydrate, fat and ingredients of the exact variety rather than treating the word “digestive” as a sports-fuel claim.
Check the purchased pack for the ingredients you need to avoid. Asda lists milk, soya and wheat for its milk chocolate digestives, while McVitie's lists milk in its dark chocolate variety.
Start with the portion you intend to eat, then decide whether the biscuit's format and ingredients work for when you plan to eat it.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Portion and carbohydrate | Compare carbohydrate per biscuit and the number you plan to take. Keep per-100 g and per-biscuit figures on the same basis when comparing packs. | I want to know what my chosen portion contributes to a planned session, rather than count the whole packet as one serving. |
| Timing and practicality | Check fat as well as carbohydrate per biscuit. Try eating and carrying your chosen food on a training run before relying on it during an event; London Marathon Events recommends testing which carbohydrates agree with your gut. | Will this biscuit be manageable at the point in a run when I intend to eat it? I would rather find out in training. |
| Chocolate variety | Choose milk or dark chocolate by preference, then compare the exact pack's portion information. McVitie's declares 10.4 g carbohydrate and 3.9 g fat per milk-chocolate biscuit, against 10.2 g and 4.1 g for its dark-chocolate biscuit; these figures do not establish a running-performance advantage. | Dark chocolate appeals to me, but I do not want to assume its coating changes how well it works as run fuel. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current pack's ingredients and allergen information. Do not assume dark chocolate is free from milk: McVitie's lists butter oil marked as milk in its dark variety. | If I need to avoid an ingredient, the declaration on the biscuit I actually buy matters more than the coating's name. |
The checked chocolate digestives provide fat alongside carbohydrate. Their carbohydrate figures alone cannot tell you whether they will be comfortable to eat during a run.
Use the exact pack's per-biscuit figures to plan a portion. Try it during training before making it part of an event-day plan, in line with London Marathon Events' advice to test which carbohydrates agree with your gut.
McVitie's lists butter oil marked as milk in its dark chocolate digestives, so the coating description does not settle an allergen question.
Read the ingredients and allergen information on the exact pack you purchase.
M&S declares nutrition per 100 g for its checked milk chocolate digestives, while Tesco also gives figures for one 17 g biscuit. Placing those numbers side by side would not compare equal portions.
Compare equal weights, or use the stated biscuit portion for each product when working out what you intend to eat.
These brand references describe named varieties and their declarations, not every biscuit made by each brand.
Milk and dark chocolate digestives with manufacturer-declared nutrition per biscuit.
Own-label milk chocolate digestives in a 300 g listing.
Own-label milk chocolate digestives in a 300 g listing.
Own-label milk chocolate digestives in a 300 g listing, alongside a separately listed dark variety.
Wholemeal milk chocolate digestives with demerara sugar in a 300 g product listing.
These milk- and dark-chocolate McVitie's options suit shoppers considering a biscuit around training or trialling one on a run. Choose by flavour, pack format and the portion information on the product you buy; the list is not a running-fuel ranking.
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A milk chocolate digestive to consider as a snack around training. For a planned running portion, check the pack's per-biscuit carbohydrate and fat; McVitie's declares 10.4 g carbohydrate and 3.9 g fat per biscuit for its milk-chocolate variety. Check the purchased pack's allergen information.
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The gingerbread flavour distinguishes this 266 g pack from a standard chocolate digestive. If you intend to eat it during a run, check its own portion and allergen information and try the flavour and format in training.
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A two-pack option for a dark-chocolate preference, rather than a different type of running fuel. McVitie's declares 10.2 g carbohydrate and 4.1 g fat per biscuit for its dark variety; check this pack's portion information. Its dark chocolate digestives include milk.
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This 400 g dark-chocolate pack is another format to consider if you prefer that coating. Compare its pack's per-biscuit figures with the portion you intend to eat, and check the ingredients: McVitie's lists milk in its dark chocolate digestives.
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A 250 g chocolate digestive option for a snack around training. If you need to count biscuits within a running plan, check the purchased pack's portion size and per-biscuit nutrition before choosing how many to take; check its allergens too.
Do not assume a biscuit alone covers your fuelling plan. Check the carbohydrate in the portion you intend to take and practise its timing during training. London Marathon Events advises using long runs to find which carbohydrates agree with your gut.
The coating alone does not establish a running-performance advantage. McVitie's declares 10.4 g carbohydrate and 3.9 g fat per milk-chocolate biscuit, compared with 10.2 g carbohydrate and 4.1 g fat per dark-chocolate biscuit. Choose a flavour you prefer, check the exact pack and test any biscuit you plan to eat while running.
Read the ingredients and allergen information on the exact pack before eating it. McVitie's dark chocolate digestives include butter oil marked as milk, and Asda lists milk, soya and wheat for its milk chocolate digestives; neither “dark chocolate” nor “digestive” tells you that a biscuit is free from a particular allergen.