Are Pretzels Healthy to Eat? Pretzels Nutritional Facts and Risks

Learn all about pretzels ‘ nutritional facts before popping them in your bite bulge.

Image Credit:

bhofack2/iStock/GettyImages Pretzels are a dim-witted, salty bite you can find in closely every peddle machine or convenience shop. This widespread handiness is a fringe benefit because they do provide some nutritional benefits and are a low-fat nosh choice that pairs well with goodly foods like fruit or low-fat cheese .
Video of the Day

That said, you should take caution to not overeat pretzels because they can promptly put a dent in your day by day sodium inhalation and may even lead to weight addition .
ad here are the nutritional benefits ( and health risks ) to keep in mind before diving into your following software .

Pretzel Nutrition Facts

One ounce of pretzels ( about a handful ) is equal to a single serve. One snow leopard of hard salted pretzels contains :

• Calories: 109
• Total fat: 0.8 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Sodium: 352.2 mg
• Total carbs: 22.8 g
• Dietary fiber: 1 g
• Sugar: 0.6 g
• Added sugar: 0 g
• Protein: 2.9 g

ad

Pretzel Macros

• Total fat: One ounce of pretzels has 0.8 grams of total fat, which includes 0.3 g of polyunsaturated fat, 0.2 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0.1 grams of saturated fat and 0 grams of trans fat.
• Carbohydrates: One ounce of pretzels has 22.8 grams of carbs, which includes 1 gram of fiber and 0.6 grams of naturally occurring sugars — the rest of the carbs come from starch.
• Protein: One ounce of pretzels has 2.9 grams of protein.

Vitamins, Minerals and Other Micronutrients

• Manganese: 13% of your Daily Value (DV)
• Folate (B9): 12% DV
• Thiamin (B1): 10% DV
• Iron: 7%
• Riboflavin (B2): 7%
• Copper: 5%
• Zinc: 3%
• Phosphorus: 3%
• One ounce of pretzels is not a good source of selenium (2% DV), magnesium (2%), pantothenic acid (B5) (2% DV), choline (2% DV), vitamin E (1% DV), vitamin K (1% DV), vitamin B6 (1% DV) or calcium (1% DV).

ad

Health Benefits of Pretzels

Pretzels are a low-calorie, low-fat nosh that may pair nicely with a number of alimentary foods. They besides provide some B vitamins and iron. A handful of pretzels along with healthy whole foods like nuts or fruit can make for a delightful bite with a place in a balance diet .

1. Pretzels Are Low in Saturated Fat

With entirely 0.1 grams of saturated adipose tissue per serving, pretzels may be a healthier option than several other packaged snacks. “ They can be a better alternate than crunchy snacks like potato chips, which are typically fry and can be high in saturated fatty, ” says Mia Syn, RDN .
ad merely about 5 to 6 percentage of your calories should come from saturated fatness — that ‘s a maximum of 120 calories ( 13 grams ) of saturated fatten per day for a 2,000-calorie diet, according to the American Heart Association ( AHA ). Replacing foods high in saturated fat with healthier ones can help lower your blood cholesterol levels .
Although some of the research is assorted, the AHA notes that decades of science points to saturated fatness raising “ bad ” cholesterol and your risk for kernel disease .
however, pretzels are n’t necessarily gamey in healthy fats, either. With less than 1 gram of fat per serving ( and a relatively first gear total of protein and character ), pretzels wo n’t keep you entire for long .

Tip

A healthy trifecta of fat, character and protein is needed for optimum repletion : Fiber makes you feel fully, protein helps you stay fully for longer and fat works with your body ’ mho hormones to tell you stop eating, per Harvard Health Publishing. That ’ second why a whole-food bite like walnuts can help you stay full for longer than pretzels .

2. Pretzels Provide B Vitamins and Iron

The flour in your front-runner pretzel bite is likely fortified with B vitamins and iron to make up for some of the nutrients lost during serve .
“ Pretzels are made with refine flour, which is normally enriched with certain nutrients, which can make pretzels a beneficial nosh, ” Syn says. “ For exemplify, B vitamins are typically found in wholly grains, so they ‘re added back into the refine flour. B vitamins help break down food into energy, so they ‘re crucial for metamorphosis and digestion. ”
Pretzels provide vitamin bc ( B9 ), vitamin b1 ( B1 ), riboflavin ( B2 ), pantothenic acid ( B5 ) and vitamin B6. In accession to playing an authoritative character in metamorphosis, B vitamins help form bolshevik blood cells, per the U.S. National Library of Medicine .
meanwhile, pretzels offer 7 percentage of the daily value of iron, which makes up hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body, per the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Without enough iron, you can experience iron insufficiency anemia, which young children and people who are pregnant or have periods are particularly prone to .

3. Pretzels Pair Well With Healthy Foods

Pretzels can easily be paired with healthy foods that contain nutrients they lack. This may help you eat more fiber and vitamins, which will give pretzels a healthier seat in your diet .
“ I would recommend pairing pretzels with a healthy fat or protein source like nuts, peanut butter or hummus, ” Syn says. “ That will help you have a bite with staying power. ”
If you ‘re aiming to get more healthy nuts into your diet, mixing pretzels into a drag mix can be a great direction to add relish to unsalted pecans, walnuts and more. You can besides pair pretzels with low-fat cheese for protein and calcium, or even fresh fruit like a fiber-rich apple or pear .

Tip

Although pretzels do pair well with healthy foods, you ’ ll besides much find them combined with more indulgent options — like rich dips high in saturate fat ( french onion or tall mallow dip ) or yogurt-dipped pretzels high in add sugar. Aim to eat those in easing .

Pretzel Health Risks

1. Allergies and Intolerances

If you experience certain symptoms like a rash or stomach ache after eating foods like pretzels that contain wheat, you could have a wheat allergy .
broadly, you have a greater likelihood of developing an allergy to any food ( including pale yellow ) if your family has a history of allergies or allergic diseases like eczema or asthma, per the american College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology .
Wheat allergy symptoms include :

• Hives or skin rash
• Stuffy or runny nose
• Nausea, stomach cramps, indigestion, vomiting or diarrhea
• Sneezing
• Headaches
• Asthma
• Anaphylaxis (a potentially fatal life-threatening reaction that can send the body into shock)

If you think you might have a pale yellow allergy, speak to your sophisticate or an allergist. You may need to have epinephrine available at all times in case of anaphylaxis .
Keep in take care that a wheat allergy is not the same as a gluten intolerance, which may be a symptom of coeliac disease and requires a diagnosis by a board-certified gastroenterologist, not an allergist .

2. Sodium

Pretzels contain 352 milligrams of sodium, or 23 percentage of the ideal casual limit. The daily limit for sodium is no more than 2,300 milligrams, with an ideal restrict of no more than 1,500 milligrams day by day for most adults ( particularly those with high blood pressure ), per the American Heart Association .
It ‘s particularly significant to be mindful of your pretzel consumption, since packaged, processed foods are the largest reference of sodium in our diets .
“ A serve of pretzels is decidedly going to make a incision in your daily allotted sum of sodium, ” Syn says. “ Because sodium is found in all foods, you want to limit your sources of total salt. ”
In the United States, most people consume excessively much sodium, which can elevate rake atmospheric pressure, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ). That, in flex, increases your risk of kernel disease and stroke .
high sodium consumption is besides associated with several other diseases, including osteoporosis, cancer and chronic kidney disease, per the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health .
In fact, people with chronic kidney disease who had high sodium intakes of greater than 4,600 milligrams per day were more probably to experience progress of the disease compared to those who consumed less, per a 2014 review in the american Journal of Hypertension .

Tip

Low-sodium or unsalted pretzel varieties are available at many supermarkets. You may besides be able to scrape visible salt off packaged pretzels to lower their sodium contented, per the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service .

3. Weight Gain

Because pretzels are typically made with refined flour, which is stripped of its nutrients and fiber for a more stable shelf life, they are more promptly digested by your body. This can lead you to overeat and gain weight unit as a consequence .
“ I would consider pretzels an empty-calorie nosh because they ‘re by and large just carbohydrates, ” Syn says. “ They have a high-glycemic index, which means the carbohydrates are broken down and absorbed into the bloodstream promptly. This can lead to an energy spike followed by a doss. ”
It ‘s important to pair pretzels with healthy fats or protein, so your mind receives signals that you ‘re wax and satisfy. This will lower the likelihood of you reaching for more than the serving size .
Pretzel Drug Interactions There are presently no known drug interactions. Be sure to discuss any medication and food interactions with your health professional .

Pretzel Preparation and Helpful Tips

When eaten in moderation, pretzels can be function of a healthy, balance diet. Follow these tips to get the most value out of your pretzel nosh .
Use pretzels as a base for healthy foods: Pretzels come in traditional twist shapes and besides flat chip that are particularly handy for scooping or holding goodly staples .
Pair your pretzels with :

• Low-fat cheese
• Fresh fruit, like apple or pear slices
• Hummus
• Peanut butter
• Guacamole

Look for healthier pretzels : In addition to low-sodium varieties, pretzels made with an ingredient other than refined flour may be a better choice than traditional pretzel snacks .
“ Look for pretzels in which the beginning ingredient is a unharmed grain, so you know you ‘re getting the roughage, protein, vitamins and minerals that come with hale grains, ” Syn says. “ Some pretzels are besides made with cauliflower now, which could be a good choice. ”

Alternatives to Pretzels

Whenever possible, try to fill your diet with wholly foods for the most nutritional benefits.

Lightly-salted nuts, air-popped popcorn, roasted chickpeas and roasted edamame are full pretzel alternatives that provide heart-healthy roughage .
ad

source : https://nutritionline.net
Category : Healthy