Do not rely on high-cocoa dark mint chocolate as your main carbohydrate source for a marathon. World Athletics advises planning both carbohydrate and fluid for prolonged events, while the examined 85% cocoa mint bar contains 24.9g carbohydrate and 49.9g fat per 100g, according to Marks & Spencer. If you prefer dark mint confectionery and have practised eating it on long runs, a fondant-filled mint with a declared carbohydrate portion is easier to count as part of a wider plan.
If you want to carry dark mint confectionery, work out its carbohydrate contribution per portion and plan your drinks separately. A preferred flavour alone does not tell you how it fits your fuelling plan.
Check the nutrition panel rather than cocoa percentage alone. Marks & Spencer lists 24.9g carbohydrate and 49.9g fat per 100g for its examined 85% cocoa mint bar, which makes ordinary portions a limited contribution to an in-run carbohydrate plan.
Keep breath freshness and fuelling as separate decisions. Tesco Groceries lists sorbitol as the sweetener in Polo Sugar Free Extra Strong, so its stated total carbohydrate should not be treated as interchangeable with a measured race-fuel portion.
Start with the carbohydrate and fluid plan for the length of your run. Then compare what a portion contributes, whether you can carry and eat it as planned, and what the pack says about ingredients.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Carbohydrate plan | Set a planned amount per hour. World Athletics gives 30–60g carbohydrate per hour for events lasting 1–2.5 hours and up to 90g per hour for events over 2.5 hours. Plan fluid as well as carbohydrate for prolonged events. | I want to know what each food or drink contributes to my plan, rather than relying on a mint flavour to indicate that it works as fuel. |
| Usable portion | Compare carbohydrate per labelled serving with the portion you could carry and eat. Tesco Groceries lists 18.9g per three After Eight mints and 5.2g per 10g square of Tesco Finest Mint 47% Dark Chocolate. | A countable portion matters to me if I am eating while running; I also need to account for anything else I eat or drink. |
| Chocolate profile | Read carbohydrate and fat together, not cocoa percentage alone. Marks & Spencer lists 24.9g carbohydrate and 49.9g fat per 100g for its 85% cocoa mint bar. | If I choose a high-cocoa bar for its flavour, I will not assume that a small piece makes a substantial contribution to my carbohydrate plan. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Check the physical pack for ingredients, labelled allergens and any may-contain wording. GOV.UK says prepacked foods containing any of the 14 regulated allergens must identify them clearly in the ingredients list. | If I have an allergy or intolerance, I need to check the pack I am buying rather than rely on an older online description. |
Cocoa percentage does not state how much carbohydrate an ordinary portion provides. The examined M&S 85% cocoa mint bar lists 24.9g carbohydrate and 49.9g fat per 100g, according to Marks & Spencer.
Check carbohydrate per portion against your planned hourly intake before deciding whether a bar has a place in your running kit.
Tesco Groceries lists 4.3g carbohydrate but 0.1g sugars per three Polo Sugar Free Extra Strong mints, with sorbitol named as the sweetener. Do not assume that total is equivalent to the carbohydrate in a product chosen for a measured fuelling plan.
Choose a product with a clear, relevant carbohydrate portion for the plan; carry breath mints for their flavour if you want them.
A portion that looks easy to count on its label still has to work with your intended timing, carrying method and drink.
Practise the exact product, portion and drink combination during relevant long training runs before relying on it in a marathon.
An online description is not the label on the pack you will eat. GOV.UK requires regulated allergens in prepacked foods to be clearly identified in the ingredients list.
Read the physical pack at each purchase, including its ingredients, allergen emphasis and any may-contain wording.
These named products illustrate differences between dark mint fondants, chocolate bars and breath mints; a brand name alone does not establish a useful running portion.
A dark-chocolate mint fondant with a stated three-mint nutrition portion.
Bittermints are a dark-chocolate peppermint fondant option listed by Waitrose & Partners.
The Mint 47% Dark Chocolate bar offers a square-based portion.
The examined mint dark-chocolate bar contains at least 85% cocoa solids, according to Marks & Spencer.
Polo Sugar Free Extra Strong is a breath-mint contrast, not a dark-chocolate mint.
These peppermint creams are dark-chocolate mint confectionery to consider only as a measured part of a practised carbohydrate and fluid plan, not as a complete marathon-fuelling solution.
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A dark-chocolate peppermint cream to consider if you want that flavour on a long run. Check carbohydrate for the portion you will actually carry, practise eating it during training and plan fluid separately. Read the physical pack for ingredients and allergens.
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A 120g pack of dark-chocolate peppermint creams. Before counting them towards an hourly carbohydrate plan, check the amount in your intended portion and try that portion with your planned drink during training. Check the physical pack for ingredients and allergens.
Do not use them as a standalone plan. World Athletics advises carbohydrate and fluid for prolonged events, with 30–60g carbohydrate per hour for events lasting 1–2.5 hours and up to 90g per hour for events over 2.5 hours. Count any chocolate mint you have practised eating within that wider plan.
Tesco Groceries lists 18.9g carbohydrate per three After Eight mints. Two such portions contain 37.8g carbohydrate by that label, but you still need to plan fluid and check whether that quantity works for you during training.
No: cocoa percentage is not a measure of carbohydrate per portion. Marks & Spencer lists 24.9g carbohydrate and 49.9g fat per 100g for its examined 85% cocoa mint bar; compare the amount you would actually eat with your planned carbohydrate intake.
Try it during relevant long training runs first. Practise the intended product, quantity, timing and accompanying drink so that race day is not your first attempt to use that combination.
Read the physical pack when you buy it, including the ingredients list and any may-contain wording. GOV.UK says prepacked foods containing any of the 14 regulated allergens must identify them clearly in the ingredients list.