Do not choose dried fruit for marathon training by a reduced-fat claim alone: compare carbohydrate and fibre per portion, check the ingredients and practise using the fruit during training. Dates or raisins can be portable training snacks if you tolerate them; before a key run or race, a familiar lower-fibre carbohydrate option may suit you better if fibre causes gut discomfort.
Dried fruit is portable, but its carbohydrate contribution depends on the portion. Check the fibre and ingredients as well as the carbohydrate figure, and practise carrying and eating the portion you plan to use.
A low-fat label does not tell you how much fibre a fruit contains. The Australian Institute of Sport identifies lower-fibre choices as useful before endurance competition when reducing gut contents and gastrointestinal-disturbance risk is the aim.
Checked dates, apricots and prunes have little or no fat on their stated nutrition panels. Compare products on the same serving basis, then read the ingredients list to distinguish plain fruit from mixes and coated products.
Choose according to when you intend to eat the fruit, then compare carbohydrate, fibre and ingredients for a portion you can repeat in training.
Consider when: You want a portable food-based carbohydrate snack and have tested the portion while training.
Bear in mind: These fruits still contribute fibre, so portability and low fat do not establish pre-race tolerance.
Consider when: You are choosing dried fruit for ordinary meals or a training session in which you can test your tolerance.
Bear in mind: The checked examples contain fibre; the checked Sainsbury’s apricots also contain sulphites.
Consider when: You need an option before or during a long event and dried fruit has caused gut discomfort in training.
Bear in mind: A sports product is not necessary for every session; practise the format and fit its carbohydrate into your plan.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Carbohydrate | Compare grams per stated portion, not just per 100g. ASDA Groceries lists 17.6g per 30g for Whitworths dates; Whitworths lists 19.4g per 30g for its mixed fruit. World Athletics gives 30–60g per hour for endurance exercise lasting 1–2.5 hours and up to 90g per hour for events over 2.5 hours. | I want to know what one portion contributes to a fuelling plan I have practised, rather than assuming one handful covers a long run. |
| Fibre and timing | Check fibre for the portion you intend to eat and trial the fruit at a comparable time in training. Tesco lists 7.1g per 100g for Sunsweet prunes; Sainsbury’s lists 2.9g per 30g for its dried apricots. The Australian Institute of Sport identifies lower-fibre choices as useful before endurance competition when reducing gut contents is a goal. | Before a key run, I would rather use a familiar option than discover how a new, fibre-containing snack feels while running. |
| Fat and labels | Read the nutrition panel for the exact product and compare like-sized portions. ASDA Groceries lists 0.2g fat per 30g for Whitworths dates; Sainsbury’s lists less than 0.5g per 30g for its apricots. A reduced-fat claim does not give the carbohydrate or fibre amount. | I want to look beyond a front-of-pack claim. In the Food Standards Agency and Ipsos Northern Ireland’s 2024 survey of 611 food shoppers, 49% said they actively used traffic-light labelling, while 35% named nutritional claims on the back of packaging as their primary source of nutrition information; neither figure measures runners’ fuelling preferences. |
| Ingredients and warnings | Check for additions and allergens on the current pack. Whitworths lists candied peel, glucose syrup, sugar and sulphur dioxide in its mixed fruit; Sainsbury’s lists sulphites in its dried apricots. Read any stone or pit warning too. | If I need to avoid an ingredient or want plain fruit, the ingredients and safety notices matter more than the words “reduced fat”. |
| Everyday timing | Distinguish routine snacking from food used during a run. NHS guidance advises eating dried fruit at mealtimes rather than repeatedly between meals to reduce tooth-decay risk. | I want an everyday way to use dried fruit without treating my long-run fuelling routine as a reason to graze on it throughout an ordinary day. |
Fat content alone says nothing about the fruit’s fibre content or how you will tolerate it while running.
Compare carbohydrate and fibre for the same serving size, then test the exact product, portion and timing in training. Consider a familiar lower-fibre format if dried fruit causes problems before key runs.
A mix can have different ingredients from an individual dried fruit. Whitworths mixed fruit, for example, lists candied peel, glucose syrup, sugar, sunflower oil and sulphur dioxide.
Read the ingredients alongside the nutrition panel, particularly if you are trying to repeat a simple, measured snack.
The checked prunes and apricots contribute fibre. The Australian Institute of Sport identifies lower-fibre foods as useful before endurance competition when reducing gastrointestinal-disturbance risk is the aim.
Try the fruit during training rather than for the first time before an important run, and use a tested alternative if it causes discomfort.
The checked apricots list sulphites, while checked dates, apricots and prunes carry warnings that stones or pits may remain. The Food Standards Agency notes that people with asthma have a higher risk of reacting to sulphur dioxide.
Read the current pack’s ingredients and warnings. For ordinary eating, follow NHS advice to have dried fruit at mealtimes rather than repeatedly between meals.
These examples help with label comparison; a brand or retailer name does not establish the nutrition or ingredients of every product it sells.
Its checked dates and mixed fruit offer two different ingredient lists to compare alongside their 30g nutrition figures.
The checked Stoned Prunes provide a prune example for comparing fat, carbohydrate and fibre.
The retailer’s checked Sunsweet listing provides per-100g nutrition and ingredients for a branded prune product.
Its checked Ready to Eat Dried Apricots provide a 30g portion example.
Its checked Whitworths dates listing gives a portion-based reference for plain dried fruit.
Its raisins and Super Fruit Medley illustrate single-fruit and mixed-fruit choices for meals or snacks.
These options include dates and raisins to consider as training snacks, plus prunes to assess for meals or a practised training session. Compare each pack’s nutrition and ingredients for your intended portion; none should be selected for a key run on its low-fat description alone.
No image available
For a measured date portion in training, ASDA Groceries lists 17.6g carbohydrate, 2.3g fibre and 0.2g fat per 30g for Whitworths dates. Test your tolerance before a key run and check the pack for its stone warning.
No image available
Raisins are a food-based option to trial during training. Read this pack’s carbohydrate and fibre figures for the portion you intend to carry, and practise eating that portion while running.
No image available
Consider these dates as a training snack only after checking the pack’s carbohydrate and fibre figures for your portion. Read any pit or stone warning and trial the fruit before relying on it for a key run.
No image available
The sliced format is an option for portioning a date snack or adding dates to food. Check carbohydrate and fibre on the current pack before using a measured portion during training, and read its safety notices.
No image available
These prunes are an option to assess for ordinary meals or a training session where you can test your tolerance. Check the current pack’s fibre figure and pit warnings before considering them close to a key run; the word “Prebiotic” in the name does not establish a fuelling benefit.
No: it does not tell you how much carbohydrate or fibre your portion contains, or whether you tolerate the fruit while running. The checked Whitworths dates list 0.2g fat per 30g according to ASDA Groceries, while Sainsbury’s lists less than 0.5g per 30g for its dried apricots; compare the full panels and ingredients for the exact products you are considering.
It can be one component if you have successfully practised the fruit, portion and timing in training. World Athletics lists 30–60g carbohydrate per hour for endurance exercise lasting 1–2.5 hours and up to 90g per hour for events over 2.5 hours; compare your portion’s stated carbohydrate with your individual plan rather than assuming dried fruit covers the whole period.
Do not introduce them for the first time before a race. The checked products contain fibre, and the Australian Institute of Sport identifies lower-fibre choices as useful in the day or days before endurance competition when reducing gut contents and gastrointestinal-disturbance risk is the goal. Test the exact fruit and timing in training, or use a familiar alternative if it causes discomfort.
Read the ingredients on the exact pack: the checked Sainsbury’s dried apricots list sulphur dioxide or sulphites. The Food Standards Agency notes that sulphites are used in some dried fruits and that people with asthma have a higher risk of reacting to sulphur dioxide; do not assume every product of the same fruit has identical ingredients.
Yes. NHS guidance says a 30g portion of dried fruit counts as one 5 A Day portion and advises eating it at mealtimes rather than repeatedly between meals to reduce tooth-decay risk. Keep that everyday advice distinct from a fuelling approach you have practised for a long run.