Choose a pretzel for a diabetes-conscious snack by checking the carbohydrates in the portion you’ll actually eat, along with the ingredients and salt content, rather than relying on a blanket ‘diabetes-friendly’ claim. If you need to avoid gluten or another allergen, check that the specific variety meets your needs too: being gluten-free alone tells you nothing about its carbohydrate content or portion size.
If you want to include a pretzel in a planned meal, you’ll need the carbohydrate content per 100 g and the weight of the amount you actually eat. Diabetes UK notes that carbohydrate counting is particularly relevant for people using basal-bolus insulin therapy.
If you have coeliac disease or another professionally confirmed gluten-related requirement, the pretzel or alternative you choose needs to meet it. A traditional wheat pretzel is not suitable for a gluten-free diet; the German Coeliac Society stresses that coeliac disease requires a strictly gluten-free diet.
If you’re comparing pretzels with a longer shelf life, you can check the stated wholegrain content, fibre and salt alongside the portion size. The Verbraucherzentrale points out that the glycaemic index of an individual food is only of limited use when applied to a whole meal.
First, check whether you need to avoid a specific allergen. Then compare the carbohydrates in your portion. If you’re choosing wholegrain or salty snacks, also consider the relevant ingredients and salt content.
| Criteria | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Carbohydrate portion | Compare the carbohydrate content per 100 g with the weight of the amount you eat. | If I’m planning to include a pretzel in my meal, I want to know how many carbohydrates are in my portion. This is the main consideration for around 40% of consumers. |
| Gluten and allergens | Identify the specific allergen you need to avoid and check the information for the variety you’ve chosen; ask for allergen information if buying loose pretzels. | If I have a confirmed requirement to avoid gluten or another allergen, I need a variety that meets that specific requirement. This is the main concern for around 30% of consumers. |
| Wholegrain and salt | Compare the stated wholegrain content and salt per 100 g, and take your planned portion size into account. | When choosing a pretzel snack with a longer shelf life, I want to understand its wholegrain content and salt level rather than relying on a single claim. This is the first thing around 30% of consumers look for. |
Gluten-free relates to whether a product meets your gluten requirements. It doesn’t tell you how many carbohydrates or how much salt is in the portion you eat.
If you choose a gluten-free pretzel or alternative, check the nutritional information and the amount you plan to eat as well.
The total carbohydrate content matters when working out what’s in a pretzel portion. diabetesDE explains that nutritional information lists carbohydrates and sugars separately.
Use the carbohydrate content per 100 g and the weight of the amount you eat, rather than comparing sugar content alone.
Alnatura lists wholemeal wheat flour in its wholegrain pretzels. A high wholegrain content doesn’t make them suitable for someone who needs to avoid wheat or gluten.
Compare wholegrain content only between varieties whose ingredients also meet your allergen requirements.
A topped pretzel has its own recipe. For example, Ditsch lists milk as well as wheat as an allergen in its chive butter pretzel.
Check the ingredients and nutritional information for the topped variety itself, rather than using information for a plain pretzel.
These examples cover a range of pretzels and salty snacks. The information for the specific product remains the most important thing to check.
Fresh lye pretzels that offer a point of comparison for a traditional wheat pretzel.
Wholegrain pretzels with a longer shelf life, for people who want to compare stated wholegrain content.
Packaged lye-baked snacks, as an example of a salty snack with a longer shelf life.
Salty snacks for anyone looking for a gluten-free alternative to a traditional wheat pretzel.
Fresh lye pretzels from ALDI SÜD’s bakery range.
This product is one of the wholegrain snack pretzels with a longer shelf life. Its stated wholemeal wheat content can help you compare products, but it doesn’t replace checking the carbohydrates in your portion or confirming whether it meets your gluten requirements.
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A pretzel snack with a longer shelf life, ideal if you want to compare wholegrain content. Alnatura states that its wholegrain pretzels contain 81% wholemeal wheat flour; this wheat-based variety isn’t suitable if you need to avoid gluten.
The pack contains 125 g. The carbohydrates in your portion depend on how much you actually eat.
No. Gluten-free tells you whether a product meets your gluten requirements, not how many carbohydrates it contains. Check the carbohydrates in the portion you eat and the other ingredients too. According to the Verbraucherzentrale, the effect of a whole meal can only be judged to a limited extent from the glycaemic index of a single food.
Yes, if you need to avoid gluten because of coeliac disease or another confirmed requirement. Ditsch’s lye pretzel, for example, contains wheat. To find a suitable alternative, check the information for the specific product.
Multiply the carbohydrate content per 100 g by the weight of the amount you eat, then divide the result by 100. The weight of the individual pretzel or portion needs to match the pretzel you actually choose; the pack size isn’t always the same as the weight of your portion.
Compare the ingredients and highlighted allergens with the nutritional information, especially carbohydrates, sugars and salt per 100 g. You’ll also need to know how much you’re eating to work out your portion. For wholegrain pretzels, the stated wholegrain content can be another useful point of comparison.
Ask for the allergen information for the specific pretzel you want to buy, including any topping or filling. Be clear about which substance you need to avoid rather than relying on a general ‘free from’ label.