Runners who prefer flavoured water
If plain water is unappealing before or after a 5k, no-added-sugar squash is another way to flavour it. The NHS lists it as an option for people who do not like water.
Who is this choice for?
The useful distinction is whether you want a flavoured drink or carbohydrate before your run.
Runners who have missed breakfast
If you are looking for pre-run carbohydrate rather than a flavoured drink, do not rely on no-added-sugar squash for that purpose. UK Sports Institute guidance discusses carbohydrate-containing food or drink when breakfast has been missed.
Shoppers who check ingredients closely
Compare the current pack for sweeteners, sulphites and any warnings that matter to you. Dilution and storage instructions also differ between products.
What should you check first?
Decide whether you need fluid and flavour or carbohydrate, then compare squash using the drink as prepared rather than the concentrate alone.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-run carbohydrate | Check carbohydrate and energy per diluted serving. Waitrose & Partners lists 3–5 kcal per 250ml for its Robinsons Orange, Waitrose Essential Summer Fruits and Vimto no-added-sugar examples, with negligible or very little carbohydrate. | If I have missed breakfast, I need to think about food or a carbohydrate-containing drink, not treat squash as run fuel. UK Sports Institute guidance says a carbohydrate drink can be useful in that situation. |
| Flavoured hydration | Check that the flavour and no-added-sugar variety suit you, and prepare it according to the pack. The NHS identifies water as the preferred way to replace lost fluid and no-added-sugar squash as an option if you dislike water. | Plain water does not appeal to me, and I want flavour in my drink around a short run. |
| Dilution | Read the concentrate-to-water ratio and compare nutrition per prepared 100ml or 250ml. Waitrose & Partners lists 1 part squash to 4 parts water for Robinsons Orange and Vimto, but 1 part to 9 parts water for Waitrose Essential Summer Fruits. | I want to make the drink as directed and compare what I will actually drink, rather than judge bottles by size alone. |
| Ingredients and storage | Read the current ingredient list, warnings and instructions for use after opening. The Ribena Blackcurrant No Added Sugar listing at Waitrose & Partners includes a phenylalanine warning; its Robinsons Double Strength Summer Fruits listing says to consume within four weeks of opening. | Specific ingredients or warnings matter to me, or I may not finish a bottle quickly after opening. |
What is easy to overlook?
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Treating squash as an energy drink
No-added-sugar squash may provide flavour without providing the carbohydrate you were looking for before a 5k. The diluted examples listed by Waitrose & Partners provide 3–5 kcal per 250ml.
Decide which need you are addressing. If you missed breakfast and want carbohydrate, consider a familiar carbohydrate-containing food or drink instead, as discussed by the UK Sports Institute.
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Comparing concentrate without checking dilution
Different mixing instructions change how much prepared drink a measure of concentrate makes. The Waitrose & Partners examples include both 1:4 and 1:9 squash-to-water instructions.
Follow each pack’s directions and compare nutrition for the prepared drink at the same serving size.
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Assuming no added sugar settles every ingredient question
The claim does not tell you which sweeteners or preservatives a particular squash contains. The Ribena Blackcurrant No Added Sugar listing at Waitrose & Partners, for example, includes a phenylalanine warning.
Check the current pack’s ingredients and warnings if you need to avoid a particular ingredient.
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Overlooking instructions after opening
Opened-bottle instructions matter if a bottle will last through several runs. Waitrose & Partners lists a four-week consume-within instruction for Robinsons Double Strength Summer Fruits.
Choose a bottle size you are likely to use and follow the storage and use-by-opening instructions on that product’s pack.
Brand and product-line references
These examples show why the exact variety and its prepared-drink label matter more than the brand name alone.
Robinsons
The Orange No Added Sugar and Double Strength Summer Fruits varieties listed by Waitrose & Partners use different dilution instructions.
- Robinsons Orange is listed at 3 kcal per diluted 250ml serving, mixed at 1 part concentrate to 4 parts water.
- Double Strength Summer Fruits is listed at 5 kcal per diluted 250ml serving and mixed at 1 part concentrate to 9 parts water. Check the instructions for the variety you buy.
Waitrose Essential
The No Added Sugar Summer Fruits variety is a double-strength squash listed by Waitrose & Partners.
- Its listing gives 4 kcal, 0.5g carbohydrate and 0.5g sugars per diluted 250ml serving.
- The suggested mix is 1 part squash to 9 parts water; compare the prepared drink, not an undiluted measure.
Vimto
Waitrose & Partners lists a No Added Sugar Squash mixed at 1 part squash to 4 parts water.
- The listed diluted 250ml serving contains 5 kcal and 0.3g carbohydrate.
- Those figures describe a flavoured drink, not a meaningful source of pre-run carbohydrate.
Ribena
The Blackcurrant No Added Sugar listing at Waitrose & Partners is particularly relevant when checking ingredients.
- Its listing names the sweeteners aspartame and acesulfame K.
- It also lists sodium bisulphite and carries a phenylalanine warning. Read the current pack if these details affect your choice.
No-added-sugar squash options at Joybuy
These squash varieties offer flavour for a drink around a 5k. Check the prepared-drink nutrition on the pack before judging how much carbohydrate any particular variety provides.
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Robinsons Orange No Added Sugar Squash 1L
An orange squash option when you want a flavoured drink rather than carbohydrate fuel. Waitrose & Partners lists the matching Orange No Added Sugar variety at 3 kcal per diluted 250ml serving, with negligible carbohydrate and a mix of 1 part concentrate to 4 parts water. Check the current pack for ingredients that matter to you.
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Ribena Blackcurrant No Added Sugar Concentrate 1.5L
A blackcurrant concentrate to consider for a flavoured drink. Check the current pack’s dilution directions, nutrition for the prepared drink, ingredients and warnings before deciding whether it meets your needs around a 5k.
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Robinsons No Added Sugar Real Fruit Lemon Juice Squash 1L
A lemon squash option if that is the flavour you want around a run. Use the pack’s mixing instructions and prepared-drink nutrition when comparing it with other varieties; read the current ingredient list and warnings if particular ingredients matter to you.
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Ribena Pineapple and Passion Fruit No Added Sugar Squash 850ml
A pineapple and passion fruit squash for a flavoured drink. Follow the current pack’s dilution instructions and compare energy and carbohydrate for the prepared drink; check its ingredients and warnings before buying if you have specific requirements.
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Robinsons Summer Fruits No Added Sugar Squash 1L
A summer-fruits squash option when you want flavour in a drink around a 5k. Check this bottle’s current mixing instructions and prepared-drink nutrition rather than applying figures from another Robinsons variety; read its ingredient list if needed.
Questions about squash and a 5k
Can no-added-sugar squash fuel a 5k?
Do not count on it for meaningful carbohydrate fuel. The Robinsons Orange, Waitrose Essential Summer Fruits and Vimto examples listed by Waitrose & Partners provide 3–5 kcal and negligible or very little carbohydrate per diluted 250ml serving. If you have missed breakfast, UK Sports Institute guidance discusses carbohydrate-containing food or drink instead.
Do I need a sports drink for a 5k?
A sports drink is not automatically needed for a 5k. UK Sports Institute guidance says a carbohydrate drink can be useful if you have not had time for breakfast, but you probably will not need one after a carbohydrate-based breakfast. Choose according to whether you need carbohydrate or simply a drink.
How do I compare two squash bottles?
Compare energy, carbohydrate and sugars at the same prepared-drink serving size, then check how each concentrate is diluted. Waitrose & Partners lists examples mixed at 1 part squash to 4 parts water and at 1 part to 9 parts water, so bottle size alone does not make a like-for-like comparison.
Does no added sugar mean no sweeteners?
No. Check the ingredients and warnings on the variety you are buying. For example, the Ribena Blackcurrant No Added Sugar listing at Waitrose & Partners names aspartame and acesulfame K and carries a phenylalanine warning.
How long should I keep squash after opening?
Follow the storage and consume-within instructions on your bottle. Waitrose & Partners lists a four-week instruction after opening for Robinsons Double Strength Summer Fruits; check the exact variety rather than applying that period to every squash.