Runners planning a pre-5K snack
If you are considering a frozen treat instead of a planned snack, compare it with the British Dietetic Association’s advice to eat a low-fat, high-carbohydrate snack or light meal two to three hours before exercise.
Who is making this choice?
Runners choosing a treat after a 5K
If the run is over, a cone or stick can be a dessert choice rather than your planned pre-run food. Check the portion and nutrition information for the particular product.
Shoppers checking food allergens
If an ingredient or precautionary allergen statement affects your choice, read the declaration for the exact cone or bar. Cornetto and Feast products have different ingredient profiles.
What should you check?
Decide first whether you are buying food for before the run or choosing a frozen dessert for another time; then compare the exact serving and pack.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-run food | The British Dietetic Association recommends a low-fat, high-carbohydrate snack or light meal two to three hours before exercise. Consider when you last ate. | I’m choosing something to eat before the 5K, not simply a dessert containing carbohydrate. |
| Serving nutrition | Compare carbohydrate, fat and saturated fat for the stated serving, and check whether that serving is one cone or stick. Tesco Groceries lists 22 g carbohydrate and 16 g fat per 90 ml serving of Feast Original; Magnum lists 23 g carbohydrate and 14 g fat per 100 ml serving of Magnum Classic. | For a treat at another time, I want to know what one portion contains. Carbohydrate content alone would not make either of those sticks match the British Dietetic Association’s low-fat pre-exercise guidance. |
| Ingredients | Read the exact pack’s ingredients, emphasised allergens and precautionary statements. Recipes differ between cones and sticks. | I need to check whether this particular product’s declaration is compatible with the ingredients I avoid. |
| Frozen storage | Check the pack’s freezer, transport and thawing instructions before buying. | I’ll need to get a multipack home and store it as directed if I’m only having one portion now. |
Common buying mistakes
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Treating any carbohydrate as suitable pre-run food
Magnum lists 23 g carbohydrate alongside 14 g fat per 100 ml serving of Magnum Classic, while Tesco Groceries lists 22 g carbohydrate and 16 g fat per 90 ml serving of Feast Original. Neither has the low-fat profile in the British Dietetic Association’s pre-exercise guidance.
For a planned pre-5K snack, use the recommended low-fat, high-carbohydrate profile as your starting point; choose a chocolate-coated ice cream separately if you want a treat.
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Choosing by brand rather than by pack
Serving sizes and ingredients differ across products. A familiar brand name does not tell you the nutrition or allergens of the variant in your basket.
Check the current pack for serving size, carbohydrate, fat, saturated fat and allergen wording before choosing.
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Overlooking the journey home
A multipack still needs appropriate frozen storage after you take out one cone or stick.
Plan how you will transport and store it, and follow its pack instructions about thawing and refreezing.
Brand and retailer references
These examples distinguish cone and stick formats; their inclusion does not make them pre-run fuel recommendations.
Cornetto
A cone-format option: Tesco Groceries lists Cornetto Classico in a 6 x 90 ml multipack.
- The Classico listing describes vanilla-flavour ice cream in a wafer cone with chocolate-flavour coating and hazelnut pieces.
- Check the exact cone’s current nutrition and allergen declaration rather than treating the cone format as evidence that it suits pre-run eating.
Magnum
Magnum Classic is a chocolate-coated ice cream stick, not a wafer cone.
- Magnum lists nutrition for a 100 ml Classic serving, including 23 g carbohydrate and 14 g fat.
- Those Classic figures do not describe every Magnum variant, and the stick does not match the British Dietetic Association’s low-fat pre-exercise snack profile.
Feast
Feast Original is a chocolate ice cream stick rather than a cone.
- Tesco Groceries lists 22 g carbohydrate per 90 ml serving of Feast Original.
- The same listing gives 16 g fat and 14 g saturated fat per serving; check the exact variant rather than using its carbohydrate figure alone to choose pre-run food.
Tesco
Tesco Groceries lists cone products including Cornetto Classico and other flavours and formats.
- Its Cornetto Classico listing identifies the 6 x 90 ml pack and describes its cone and coating.
- Use the current product label for the particular flavour’s ingredients and serving information.
Asda
ASDA Groceries has listed Feast Chocolate & Hazelnut ice cream sticks in a 4 x 90 ml pack.
- Its listing gives 23 g carbohydrate and 15 g fat per serving for that variant.
- Those figures are for Feast Chocolate & Hazelnut, not the Feast Original serving described above; check the pack you choose.
Joybuy frozen-treat options
These are multipacks of individually portioned cones and sticks for a frozen treat separate from planned pre-run eating. They are not single items sold individually.
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Cornetto MAX Pistachio Ice Cream Cones 4 x 90ml
Each cone is a 90 ml portion for a frozen treat away from your planned pre-run meal. Check the current pack’s nutrition, ingredients and allergen declaration for this pistachio variant.
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Cornetto Soft Mango & White Chocolate 4 x 140ml
Each portion is 140 ml if you are choosing a frozen treat rather than planned pre-5K food. Read this variant’s current serving nutrition and allergen declaration.
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Magnum White Chocolate Ice Cream Sticks 3 x 100ml
A 100 ml stick offers a separate frozen-treat option rather than a planned pre-run snack. Check the White Chocolate pack for its own nutrition and allergens; figures for Magnum Classic do not describe this variant.
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Cornetto Classico Ice Cream Cones 6 x 90ml
Each 90 ml cone is a portioned dessert, not a substitute for choosing pre-run food by its nutrition. Tesco Groceries describes Classico as vanilla-flavour ice cream in a wafer cone with chocolate-flavour coating and hazelnut pieces; check the current pack’s ingredients and allergens.
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Magnum Classic Ice Cream Sticks 3 x 100ml
Choose a 100 ml stick as a separate treat, not on its carbohydrate content alone for pre-run eating. Magnum lists 23 g carbohydrate and 14 g fat per 100 ml Classic serving; check the current pack for ingredients and allergens.
Questions about 5K runs and ice cream
Should I use an ice cream cone or bar as planned pre-5K food?
A chocolate-coated cone or bar is not the low-fat, high-carbohydrate snack or light meal the British Dietetic Association recommends two to three hours before exercise. Check the nutrition of the exact serving rather than assuming that its carbohydrate content makes it a suitable substitute.
Can I choose an ice cream after a 5K?
You can choose one as a dessert after the run, but do not rely on the word “ice cream” to tell you what one serving contains. Read the particular product’s nutrition and ingredients if they affect your choice.
What allergens should I check in a cone or bar?
Check the exact pack’s ingredients and precautionary statements, as declarations vary by product. GOV.UK guidance for applicable pre-packed foods says the ingredients list must emphasise the allergens required to be declared; Cornetto Classico’s described wafer and hazelnut pieces, for example, should not be treated as a guide to every Cornetto variant.
How should I store the rest of a multipack?
Follow the current pack’s frozen-storage and thawing instructions. Check them before buying if you need to transport the multipack home or intend to keep the remaining portions.