Choose squash as a drink alongside a planned snack or light meal, not in place of food. NHS shift-worker guidance favours regular eating and smaller snacks or a light meal during night breaks; if you want flavoured water, NHS hydration guidance suggests no-added-sugar squash as an option. Compare the drink as prepared, then check the exact bottle for sweeteners, allergens and storage directions.
If you take a small snack or light meal on your break, squash can be the drink alongside it. Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust advises regular eating and suggests that smaller snacks or a light meal may suit night breaks better than one large meal.
If plain water is unappealing, NHS hydration guidance suggests trying no-added-sugar squash. Compare the nutrition of the prepared drink rather than relying on the wording on the front of the bottle.
No-added-sugar concentrates use different sweeteners and may contain ingredients relevant to allergies or intolerances. Check the label on the exact flavour and bottle you intend to use.
Start with how the drink fits your break, then compare prepared-drink figures and the ingredients on the bottle.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| A drink for the break | Choose a drink to have alongside planned food. Check whether the concentrate needs mixing before you take it to work. | I want something to drink with a small snack or light meal, rather than using squash instead of food. |
| Prepared-drink nutrition | Follow each bottle’s dilution directions. Compare sugars and energy per 100 ml of prepared drink or per prepared serving, using the same basis for each option. | If I drink it throughout a shift, I want to know what is in the squash once I have mixed it. |
| Flavour and ingredients | Check the exact flavour, sweeteners and declared allergens. A no-added-sugar label does not mean a squash is sweetener-free or contains no sugars. | Plain water does not always appeal to me, but the ingredients still need to fit my requirements. |
| Bottle size and storage | Read the refrigeration and use-after-opening directions on the bottle. Consider whether you will use that size within the stated period. | I would rather choose a bottle size that fits how often I make a drink for work. |
Squash is a drink. Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust advises shift workers to eat regularly and suggests smaller snacks or a light meal during night breaks.
Plan food for the break, then choose water or squash to drink alongside it.
Waitrose & Partners lists one part concentrate to four parts water for Robinsons Orange and Vimto No Added Sugar, but one part to six parts water for Belvoir Lemon & Lime cordial. Nutrition figures are not directly comparable if you overlook how each drink is prepared.
Mix each product as directed and compare sugars and energy on the same prepared-drink basis.
The cited Robinsons and Vimto products list sweeteners; their ingredient lists also include sodium metabisulphite and barley respectively. Ribena Blackcurrant No Added Sugar carries a phenylalanine warning, according to its Waitrose & Partners listing.
Read the ingredients, allergen information and warnings on the exact bottle before choosing it.
Opened-bottle directions differ: the cited Robinsons listing says four weeks, while the cited Ribena and Belvoir listings say 21 days and three weeks respectively.
Check the bottle’s current storage instructions and choose a size you expect to use within its stated period.
These examples show different flavours, ingredients and mixing directions; check the particular product rather than applying one example to a whole range.
The Orange No Added Sugar squash listed by Waitrose & Partners is prepared with one part concentrate to four parts water.
The No Added Sugar mixed-fruit squash listed by Waitrose & Partners includes vitamins C and D in its product information.
The cited Blackcurrant No Added Sugar squash is a blackcurrant-flavoured option with directions to add at least four parts water to one part squash.
Marks & Spencer describes its Apple and Elderflower High Juice concentrate as no added sugar and made with 50% fruit juice.
The Lemon & Lime No Added Sugar cordial listed by Waitrose & Partners is a citrus option sweetened with steviol glycosides from stevia.
These concentrated, no-added-sugar squash options are drinks to consider alongside a night-break snack. Their flavours, bottle sizes and label details differ, so check the exact product before comparing them.
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An orange squash to drink alongside a planned break snack. Waitrose & Partners lists 3 kcal per 250 ml diluted and a mixing direction of one part concentrate to four parts water for this product; its ingredients include sweeteners and sodium metabisulphite. Check the current bottle for ingredients and opened-bottle directions.
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A blackcurrant concentrate if that is the flavour you want with a night-break snack. Check this 1.5L bottle’s mixing directions, prepared-drink nutrition and ingredient warnings before comparing it with other squash.
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A summer-fruits alternative to the orange squash for a drink alongside food. Follow this bottle’s mixing and storage directions, and compare its prepared-drink sugars and energy on the same basis as any other concentrate.
No. Squash is a drink to have alongside food, not a replacement for a snack or meal. Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust advises shift workers to eat regularly and says a smaller snack or light meal may suit a night break better than one large meal.
No. Check both the nutrition panel and ingredients on the exact bottle. Waitrose & Partners lists 0.3 g sugars per 100 ml diluted for Vimto No Added Sugar Squash, and its ingredient list includes sucralose and acesulfame K.
Different mixing ratios change what a prepared serving contains. Waitrose & Partners lists one part concentrate to four parts water for the cited Robinsons Orange and Vimto products, but one to six for Belvoir Lemon & Lime cordial. Compare sugars and energy per 100 ml of prepared drink or per prepared serving on the same basis.
Check the current bottle for sweeteners, declared allergens and dietary warnings relevant to you. The cited product listings include sodium metabisulphite in Robinsons Orange, sulphites in M&S Apple and Elderflower High Juice, barley in the cited Vimto product information, and a phenylalanine warning on Ribena Blackcurrant No Added Sugar.