Pretzels

Why pretzels is rated low

Pretzels are low at about ½ cup (25g), and no single FODMAP group stands out for them, so what you are managing is the overall FODMAP load rather than one particular trigger. Past that bowl, every extra handful adds to the load, which means the amount you put in the bowl is doing almost all of the work on this page. That is the reason pretzels are easy to enjoy from a portioned serving and hard to enjoy from an open bag.

What changes your risk

• Serving size about ½ cup (25g) is low. Every handful past that adds to the overall FODMAP load, so the serving is the whole story with this snack.
• Eating straight from the bag Pretzels are small, crunchy and easy to keep reaching for, which is exactly how a low serving turns into a high one without anyone noticing. Portion into a bowl or a container first and close the bag.
• Flavoured and filled versions Honey mustard pretzels bring honey, onion and garlic seasoned coatings bring their own high FODMAP ingredients, and filled pretzels count the shell plus whatever is inside toward the same serving. The plainest salted pretzel is the one this page describes.
• Soft pretzels are a different food A bakery soft pretzel is bread rather than a crunchy snack, and the serving here does not describe it at all. The same goes for pretzel buns and pretzel rolls.
• Stacking through the meal A low serving is per serving, not per meal. Pretzels sitting alongside several other low servings in one sitting push the total FODMAP load of that meal up, so spreading snacks across the day is easier on the total than clustering them.

What else works

If pretzels are filling a salty and crunchy gap, plain salted potato chips and plain rice cakes both sit in the low column at a normal serve, and peanuts, walnuts, macadamias, pecans and pumpkin seeds give you something to crunch through, each at its own sensible serve rather than without limit. What does not work as a substitute is ordinary wheat crackers or bread at ordinary servings, pretzel buns and soft pretzels, or honey mustard and onion seasoned pretzel varieties. Skip the dips that usually arrive with them too, since hummus is a chickpea product and onion based dips are exactly what they sound like. Plain mustard, or a hard cheese such as cheddar on the side, does the job better.

How to keep it low

Portion before you snack rather than during. Measure out about ½ cup (25g) into a bowl or a small container, then put the bag away, because pretzels are the classic food eaten past the serving while talking to someone. Check the ingredient list for honey, onion powder and garlic powder, which show up more often in flavoured and coated varieties than people expect. At a bar or a party the bowl on the counter is effectively bottomless, so take your serving onto a plate or a napkin and stand somewhere else. Keep opened bags sealed, since soft stale pretzels get eaten out of habit rather than enjoyment.

Common questions

how many pretzels can i eat on a low fodmap diet

About ½ cup (25g) is low. Bigger handfuls add to the overall FODMAP load, so the serving really matters here.

are pretzels high fodmap

Not at a sensible serve. They are low at about ½ cup (25g), and it is eating past that from the bag that builds the load.

can i eat pretzels on the elimination phase

Yes, at about ½ cup (25g) of plain salted pretzels. Keep to that serving and check the ingredient list, since honey mustard and onion seasoned varieties bring high FODMAP ingredients of their own.

are soft pretzels low fodmap

The serving here covers hard crunchy pretzels only. A bakery soft pretzel, a pretzel bun and a pretzel roll are bread rather than a snack food, and none of them are covered by the ½ cup (25g) figure.