Choose a no-added-sugar cordial when you want to flavour water without relying on the drink for carbohydrate. For long runs and marathon racing, plan and practise how you will get carbohydrate each hour; regular cordial can contribute only if you calculate what your prepared drink and intended intake provide. World Athletics gives 30–60 g of carbohydrate per hour for endurance exercise lasting 1–2.5 hours and up to 90 g per hour beyond 2.5 hours.
If your drink needs to contribute carbohydrate, work out its contribution per hour alongside any gels or food. Practise the planned intake during training rather than choosing by a ‘diet’ or ‘regular’ label alone.
A no-added-sugar cordial may suit a session or part of the day when you do not need carbohydrate from your drink. Check the nutrition information for the cordial at its prepared dilution.
Compare the current ingredients and allergen information for the exact flavour you intend to use. The Sainsbury’s lime and M&S apple and elderflower examples listed by their retailers contain sucralose and sulphites.
Decide whether the drink is there mainly for flavour or is part of your carbohydrate plan. Then check the prepared drink, not just the concentrate.
Choose it when: You want flavoured water without depending on the drink for carbohydrate.
Consider: Sainsbury’s Lime Cordial No Added Sugar lists just 2.1 g carbohydrate per 250 ml prepared serving, so that example cannot carry a long-run fuelling plan on its own.
Consider it when: You want carbohydrate from the drink and can calculate your intake at the dilution you will use.
Consider: A regular or fruit-based label does not establish how many grams of carbohydrate you will drink each hour.
Choose it when: A long run or race calls for a measurable hourly carbohydrate intake from a drink, gels, food or a combination.
Consider: You still need to plan the amounts and practise the products and timing you intend to use.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Carbohydrate intake | Read grams of carbohydrate per prepared serving and calculate how much your planned hourly drink intake supplies. World Athletics gives 30–60 g per hour for endurance exercise lasting 1–2.5 hours and up to 90 g per hour beyond 2.5 hours. | For a long run or marathon, I need to know what the drink contributes alongside any gels or food. |
| Dilution | Follow the bottle’s mixing instructions; check the nutrition basis and the volume of the prepared bottle you will carry. Sainsbury’s lists its Lime Cordial No Added Sugar at one part cordial to four parts water, with 2.1 g carbohydrate per 250 ml prepared serving. | If I mix a concentrate before heading out, I want the drink I actually carry to match my calculation. |
| Flavour without drink-based fuel | Compare energy and carbohydrate per prepared serving rather than assuming all no-added-sugar cordials are identical. | I want flavoured water, while keeping any long-run carbohydrate intake in a separate plan. |
| Ingredients | Read the current ingredients and allergen information for the exact flavour. Sainsbury’s lime cordial and M&S Apple & Elderflower High Juice list sucralose and sulphites. | If particular ingredients matter to me, another flavour’s label is not enough. |
| Race-day practice | Try the intended product, dilution, amount and timing during training. Recheck the calculation if you change the recipe. | I would rather find out how my planned drink fits a long run before using it in a race. |
It can flavour a drink without supplying much carbohydrate. Sainsbury’s Lime Cordial No Added Sugar lists 2.1 g per 250 ml prepared serving; World Athletics’ guidance for longer endurance exercise is expressed in tens of grams per hour.
Use the prepared-serving figure to assess its contribution, and plan other carbohydrate sources for a long run or race.
Dilution and the amount you drink determine how much carbohydrate reaches you per hour.
Use the label’s nutrition basis and mixing instructions to calculate the carbohydrate in your prepared bottle, then relate it to how much you expect to drink.
A different product, concentration or drinking schedule may not suit the plan you practised.
Try the intended drink and timing on training runs, including a long run, before relying on them during a race.
The Sainsbury’s lime and M&S apple and elderflower products listed by their retailers contain sulphites and sucralose; other recipes need their own checks.
Read the current label of the exact bottle and flavour, particularly if an ingredient or allergen affects your choice.
These retailer and brand ranges offer starting points for comparing flavours and formats; choose by the exact product’s ingredients, dilution instructions and prepared-serving nutrition.
Sainsbury’s and Tesco Groceries list Robinsons no-added-sugar squash options.
Tesco Groceries lists own-label no-added-sugar quadruple-strength squash, including lemon.
Sainsbury’s lists own-label squash and no-added-sugar cordial.
Asda Groceries lists Robinsons Real Fruit Lemon No Added Sugar Squash.
M&S lists Apple & Elderflower High Juice, a concentrated product described as no added sugar and made with 50% fruit juice.
Waitrose & Partners lists own-label no-added-sugar high-juice options, including apple and elderflower and blackcurrant.
These no-added-sugar concentrates are options for flavouring a drink. If your marathon plan calls for carbohydrate from that drink, calculate its contribution using the current label and your actual dilution rather than relying on the product name.
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A no-added-sugar orange squash to consider when you want flavour rather than relying on your drink for long-run carbohydrate. Follow the bottle’s dilution instructions and check its prepared-serving nutrition and current ingredients before use.
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A no-added-sugar blackcurrant concentrate for flavoured drinks. If you intend to count it towards long-run fuel, check the current label and calculate carbohydrate in the drink at your chosen dilution; also check the ingredients if sweeteners or sulphites matter to you.
Do not rely on the label ‘no added sugar’ as evidence that it will supply your marathon carbohydrate. Sainsbury’s Lime Cordial No Added Sugar provides 2.1 g carbohydrate per 250 ml prepared serving, while World Athletics gives 30–60 g per hour for endurance exercise lasting 1–2.5 hours and up to 90 g per hour beyond 2.5 hours. Calculate and practise a plan covering the carbohydrate you intend to take from drinks, gels or food.
Not on the strength of its ‘regular’ label alone. Check grams of carbohydrate in the cordial as prepared, calculate how much you would drink per hour and compare that contribution with your fuelling plan. Practise the exact dilution and intake during training.
Trial the product, dilution, bottle volume and drinking schedule you plan to use, including on a long training run. If you change the mix or add another carbohydrate source, recalculate the amounts and practise the revised plan.
Yes, particularly if a sweetener or allergen affects your choice. The Sainsbury’s lime cordial and M&S Apple & Elderflower High Juice listed by their retailers contain sucralose and sulphites. Read the current label for the exact flavour and bottle you buy.