Legend states that pretzels were invented by a monk who used leftover dough and twisted it to resemble crossed arms during prayer. Since that time, pretzels have become the third most preferred salty snack in the U.S. The five simple ingredients pretzels are made of---flour, water, sugar, yeast and salt---provide more nutrition than you might imagine, including protein, dietary fiber, and a good range of vitamins and minerals.
Basic Nutrition
The nutrient values in this article are for two ounces of salted pretzels, which equals about 10 average size hard pretzels (classic twists) or one small soft pretzel. This serving size has 227 calories, 6 grams of protein, 2 grams of total fat, and 48 grams of carbohydrates. A more informative measure is the recommended daily value (DV). The DV is a percentage of the recommended daily intake (RDI) that is provided by this portion of pretzels. This serving supplies 11 percent DV of calories, 12 percent DV of protein, 2 percent of fats, 16 percent of carbohydrates and 7 percent of dietary fiber.
Vitamins
Pretzels are a good source of B vitamins, providing folate (28 percent DV), thiamine (20 percent DV), niacin (15 percent DV), riboflavin (11 percent DV), pantothenic acid (2 percent DV), and vitamin B6 (1 percent DV). They also contain vitamin K (2 percent DV) and vitamin E (1 percent DV).
Minerals
You'll receive a lot of minerals from a serving of pretzels. Because they are salted, the amount of sodium is high, at 34 percent of the daily value. They're a great source of manganese (28 percent DV) and iron (17 percent DV). Pretzels are also a good source of phosphorus (7 percent DV), zinc (6 percent DV), copper and selenium (5 percent DV), and magnesium (4 percent DV). Two percent of the daily value of potassium and 1 percent of calcium round out the list of minerals.
Other Nutrients
Several other important nutrients are provided by pretzels, including a small amount of nutrients critical for eye health: lutein and zeaxanthin. They also contain 18 mg of choline, which is important for cell membranes and neurotransmitters. Finally, pretzels provide the healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids (44.4 mg and 599 mg respectively).
Considerations
The Sturgis Pretzel Company says, "The average pretzel has no fat and only 110 calories per ounce." This is a true statement, but it illustrates the importance of paying attention to portion size because you need to know how many pretzels are in an ounce if you want to keep track of the calories and nutrients you're consuming. Of course, this issue is further complicated by the many different sizes and shapes of pretzels available. One ounce is about five regular-size hard pretzels, or one half of a small soft pretzel. The nutrition label on the pretzel's package should be more specific about the number of pretzels being used as a serving size.
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