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The pretzel has truly stood the test of time, with the earliest records of the knotted treat dating back to the 7th century, prepared by monks and German bakers as a delicious reward for saying your prayers. Fortunately, there are no longer any parameters for enjoying bagels, as hundreds line grocery store shelves, ranging from traditional sourdough twists to tiny pretzel bites for quick snacking.
While crackers have never lost their snacking popularity, they have gotten a bit of a bad rap in recent years as diet fads like Keto and other low-carb diets have taken the world by storm. Many people view crackers as “empty calories” that lack nutritional value and are rich in sodium, fats, and unnecessary carbohydrates. But that’s not always the case, and pretzel manufacturers have begun to shy away from the “baked good” narrative to appeal more to the health-conscious public.
However, it can be difficult to decide which crackers to dip into your hummus. While many brands claim to be “healthy,” they are actually masking a bevy of unhealthy ingredients and additives. To help take the guesswork out of snack time when choosing the healthiest bagels on grocery shelves, we looked for three main criteria.
How did we choose the healthiest crackers?
Finding bagels that are better for you can be difficult because many options are full of sodium. But with a little know-how, finding the best bagels that fit into your balanced, healthy diet can be very easy.
When choosing the healthiest crackers on grocery shelves, we tried to follow the following criteria:
- Low sodium: Sodium is a silent killer today; because most pre-packaged foods are full of salt, which both enhances flavor and keeps the food looking fresh. However, the CDC recommends no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day for the average adult; whereas most Americans currently consume more than 3,400 milligrams of sodium per day. Too much sodium can be associated with a number of health problems, including heart disease and even osteoporosis; so it’s important to find a pretzel that won’t consume all of your recommended sodium in one sitting.
- Little or No Added Sugar: Many pretzel companies and many health food companies claim that their products are low in fat or sodium but higher in added sugar to “compensate” for the loss of taste. This is especially true for coated crackers, such as yogurt-covered bagels; Although many companies claim it’s healthier than chocolate-covered varieties, it can contain shocking amounts of added sugar. When eaten in large amounts, added sugars can be linked to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and fatty liver disease, among other problems; Therefore, it is important to consume these added sugars in small amounts.
- Protein/Supplementary Nutrients: The brands selected in this review each contain at least 1 gram of protein and also provide other nutrients such as fiber, potassium and/or iron. Pretzels can be a source of different nutrients depending on how they are made, and may also contain omega-3 fatty acids depending on the oil they are prepared with. By seeking out sneaky foods, you can fuel yourself while snacking and stay full longer, reducing cravings and overeating before your next meal.
The 8 Best Crackers on Grocery Store Shelves
Best: Fitjoy Crackers
Nutrition per 20 bagels: 120 calories, 3 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 220 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrates (0 g fiber, 0 g sugar), 1 g protein
Fitjoy crackers are a great all-around choice, as they have no added sugar, only 3 grams of fat, and even a gram of protein. Additionally, one serving of Fitjoy crackers provides 2% of your daily potassium needs, which can help maintain a regular heartbeat and prevent potassium deficiency. These crackers are suitable for those with Celiac or gluten intolerance as they are grain-free and certified gluten-free.
Best: Enjoy with Suzie Pretzels, Roasted Garlic and Herbs
Nutrition per 17 bagels: 140 calories, 6 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 280 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrates (1 g fiber, 0 g sugar), 1 g protein
These delicious little wonders the mom created after her daughter was diagnosed with both Celiac disease and on the autism spectrum are gluten-free, vegan, kosher, and the list goes on. With no added sugar, 1 gram of fiber and 1 gram of protein, this is a great alternative to your regular snack. The garlic and herb varieties will have you drooling, and Savor by Suzie bagels come in a variety of different flavours, with each bag raising awareness of and providing employment for autistic and neurodiverse people.
Best: BeyondTwistz Crackers
Nutrition per 17 bagels: 120 calories, 3 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 340 mg sodium, 6 g carbohydrates (4 g fiber, 2 g sugar), 18 g protein
BeyondTwistz crackers have a very unique quality; It has a whopping 18 grams of protein per serving! Made with pea and wheat protein, this plant-based bagel is also high in fiber, with 4 grams per serving, with no added sugar, and if that wasn’t enough, each serving also provides 15% of your daily iron needs. No more pointless snacking here as these pretzels actually pack nutritional benefits and will help you stay full until your next meal arrives.
Best for: Real Food from Ground Cauliflower Bagels
Nutrition per 20 twists: 110 calories, 1 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 330 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrates (1 g fiber, 1 g sugar), 1 g protein
Made with cauliflower and cassava, these delicious crackers are certified gluten-free and contain no added sugar. They have the perfect amount of salinity and even provide 2% of your daily needs for iron, calcium and potassium! How do they do this? These crackers are created with a vegetable mix of spinach, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, beets, and shiitake mushrooms; But we promise you won’t be able to taste the vegetable mixture. All you’ll taste is that classic pretzel crunch.
Best: Snack Factory Organic Cracker Chips
Nutritional value per 11 crackers: 110 calories, 0 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 270 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrates (0 g fiber, 2 g sugar), 2 g protein
Do these count as bagels? We say they did! Snack Factory’s USDA-certified organic pretzel chips are thin and deliciously snackable, perfect for healthy dips like hummus or guacamole. These pretzel chips have no fat and are lower in sodium than many pretzels on the market; This is a definite advantage to ensuring you don’t exceed your daily recommended sodium intake in one sitting. These crackers also contain just 1g of added organic cane sugar, so you won’t inhale too much hidden sugar, either.
Best: Whisps Cheese and Pretzel Bites
nutrition per 1 ounce: 140 calories, 8 grams fat (5 grams saturated fat), 500 mg sodium, 11 grams carbohydrates (1 gram fiber, 0 grams sugar), 7 grams protein
Sometimes we need a little more than bagels at snack time. To create these snacks, Whisps took 100% real cheddar cheese and perfectly salted pretzel pieces and baked them into a crunchy bite. This delicious combination makes for a pretzel snack with 7 grams of protein and 0 grams of sugar. What’s not to love with a combination like bagel and cheese?
Best: 365 Whole Foods Crackers
Nutrition per 16 bagels: 110 calories, 0.5 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 400 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrates (2 g fiber, <1 g sugar), 3 g protein
The Whole Foods 365 brand offers a wide variety of healthier snack options, and their bagels are no exception. Each serving of these crackers provides 2 g fiber and 3 g protein with little to no fat and no added sugar. Since these crackers contain soybean oil, we’d like to point out that despite its bad reputation, limited consumption (like everything else) isn’t a bad thing.
Best: Snack Factory Sea Salt Cracker Chip Bites
Nutritional value per 17 crackers: 110 calories, 1 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 280 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrates (<1 g fiber, 1 g sugar), 3 g protein
Pretzel chips are a great alternative to your classic potato chips as they’re naturally lower in fat and calories and provide 3g of protein per serving and 6% of your daily iron needs. These pretzel chips also contain only 1g of added sugar; While we don’t prefer this at all, it’s still much better than some other snacks that may contain undesirable ingredients like artificial dyes (especially Red-40) as well as hidden sugars. ) and artificial sweeteners claim a certain level of nutritional value. We say go for these at your next party and they’re sure to be a hit.
2 Unhealthy Crackers to Avoid
Worst: Unique Snacks Extra Salt Pods
Nutrition per 3 bagels: 120 calories, 1.5 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 990 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrates (1 g fiber, 0 g sugar), 3 g protein
With almost 1,000 milligrams of sodium per serving, these bagels cannot be considered “healthy” and may even pose some health risks for those who already suffer from hypertension or other heart-related problems. Although the FDA recommends up to 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day per average adult, if you already face high blood pressure, that number drops significantly to about 1,500 milligrams, as recommended by the ADA. So if you choose to indulge, we recommend not exceeding the portion size and drinking plenty of water when you’re finished to offset the extra sodium intake.
Worst: Utz Sourdough Special Crackers
Nutrition per 5 bagels: 110 calories, 1.5 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 450 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrates (1 g fiber, 0 g sugar), 2 g protein
At first glance, the packaging of these Utz Sourdough Crackers suggests that this is a long-lost recipe from the “Old Country” and therefore it must be healthier, right? Unfortunately, just five of these bagels contain 450 milligrams of sodium. Since most of us don’t sit down to eat just five pretzels, it’s easy to overdo it, and with little nutritional value and high sodium, these little guys aren’t worth the health risks.
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