For a snack two to three hours before exercise, the British Dietetic Association advises a low-fat, high-carbohydrate snack or light meal; a crisp multipack is not automatically a match. If you want crisps, compare fat and carbohydrate per individual pack and consider a lower-fat, portioned option. A sharing bag may suit several people, but divide it before using it as a solo snack.
If a savoury packet is convenient on the way to a session, compare it with the British Dietetic Association’s advice on a low-fat, high-carbohydrate snack or light meal two to three hours before exercise. An individual pack makes the amount you take easier to see.
Separate small packs make it simpler to take one portion for yourself while leaving others for the household. If you buy larger sharing bags, decide how much to take before leaving for training.
Compare the salt figure for the exact flavour and pack size. Check its ingredients and allergen statement too: a salt claim does not describe its fat content or establish that it suits an allergy.
Start with when you plan to eat, then compare nutrition per individual pack and decide whether the multipack contains single portions or sharing bags.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Fat and carbohydrate | Compare both figures per pack, using the same serving basis. The British Dietetic Association advises a low-fat, high-carbohydrate snack or light meal two to three hours before exercise; it does not identify crisps as a required choice. | I want a convenient savoury snack, but I do not want to mistake a carbohydrate figure for the whole pre-exercise picture. |
| Pack format | Check the weight of each unit and whether it is an individual pack or a sharing bag. KETTLE Chips lists 130g sharing bags in its Originals Box; Tyrrells identifies 150g sharing packs in its range. | For a snack on my own, I would rather know what one packet contains than eat directly from a sharing bag. |
| Salt | Read salt per pack for the exact flavour. Walkers lists 0.16g salt per 25g pack for Lightly Cheese & Onion, but a lower-salt claim says nothing by itself about fat. | If salt is my main comparison, I still want to check the other nutrition figures before choosing a packet for training day. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Check the current statement on every flavour in a mixed pack. Walkers says its Ready Salted crisps are made in a factory that also handles milk, wheat, gluten, barley, soya, celery and mustard. | A plain-sounding flavour is not enough for me to judge whether a particular pack meets my dietary requirements. |
KETTLE Chips lists 130g sharing bags and Tyrrells identifies 150g sharing packs, whereas the cited individual bags range from 22g to 31.8g. The formats do not represent the same portion.
For a snack on your own, choose an individual pack or portion a sharing bag before you leave.
The British Dietetic Association’s advice for two to three hours before exercise specifies both low fat and high carbohydrate. For example, Walkers Ready Salted lists 13g carbohydrate and 7.7g fat per 25g pack.
Read fat and carbohydrate together on a per-pack basis, and compare the packet with other snack options if pre-exercise food is your main reason for buying it.
Walkers Lightly Cheese & Onion lists 0.16g salt and 7.2g fat per 25g pack. Its cheese-and-onion ingredients also make allergen checks relevant.
Check salt, fat, ingredients and allergen information separately for the exact flavour you intend to eat.
These ranges illustrate different pack formats and flavours; compare the label on the specific product rather than treating a brand name as a nutrition specification.
Its range includes standard crisps, Oven Baked products and a lower-salt variant, giving shoppers different labelled packs to compare.
The Originals Box is a sharing format with eight bags, including 130g Lightly Salted bags.
Tyrrells identifies several flavours, including Lightly Sea Salted and Mature Cheddar & Chive, in 150g sharing packs.
Seabrook’s crinkle-cut range includes a Sea Salted individual bag with pack-level nutrition figures.
Pipers offers flavours including Anglesey Sea Salt, cider vinegar and sea salt, and cheddar and onion.
REAL offers a mixed box of 24 individual 35g packs selected from nine flavours.
These options cover portioned Walkers multipacks and a multipack of Pringles tubes. Their formats may suit a convenient savoury snack, but compare each product’s current nutrition label with your reason for eating before training.
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The six 22g packs provide individual portions when you want a savoury snack before training. As this is a variety pack, check the nutrition and allergen information for the flavour you choose.
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Six 22g packs offer a single-flavour alternative when you want to take one packet rather than open a sharing bag. Check this Cheese & Onion variant’s own fat, carbohydrate and allergen label; figures for Oven Baked Sea Salt do not describe this product.
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This six-pack offers 25g portions if the product’s salt claim is a reason for your choice. That claim does not describe its fat content: check both figures on this variant’s label, along with its ingredients and allergen statement.
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Twelve 25g packs give a household two flavours while keeping individual packets separate. If you take one before training, compare that flavour’s fat and carbohydrate figures; check allergen information separately for each flavour.
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Twelve 40g tubes provide a different portioned format from a multipack of crisp bags. If you are choosing a tube specifically for before exercise, compare its per-tube fat and carbohydrate figures and check the allergen statement.
Crisps are not automatically a match for the British Dietetic Association’s advice to have a low-fat, high-carbohydrate snack or light meal two to three hours before exercise. Walkers Ready Salted, for example, lists 13g carbohydrate and 7.7g fat per 25g pack. Compare both figures rather than choosing on carbohydrate alone.
The British Dietetic Association gives its low-fat, high-carbohydrate snack or light-meal advice for two to three hours before exercise. It does not specifically recommend crisps, so check what a particular pack contains rather than assuming the timing makes it suitable.
Not necessarily. KETTLE Chips lists 130g sharing bags in its Originals Box, while Tyrrells identifies 150g sharing packs. If you buy one for yourself before training, decide on a portion and take it out of the bag first.
Yes. Walkers says its Ready Salted crisps are made in a factory that also handles milk, wheat, gluten, barley, soya, celery and mustard. Check the current statement on the exact pack, including when a multipack contains several flavours.
No. The Department for Education’s school-food guidance addresses food provided in state-funded schools in England; as of its September 2026 update, proposed changes for September 2027 were subject to Parliamentary approval. The Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 apply in relation to England and should not be treated as a UK-wide school-meal rule. For school catering, check the current requirements in the relevant nation and the school’s policy.