Is Salt Bad for People With Diabetes?
DiabetesType 2 Diabetes

Diabetes and Salt: How Much Is Safe, and How to Limit It in Your Diet

Diabetes and Salt: How Much Is Safe, and How to Limit It in Your Diet
Everyday Health
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Updated on July 3, 2026
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When you’re diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, your carbohydrate intake is often one of your first concerns, but it’s important to keep your sodium in check as well.

Sodium is an essential mineral and necessary electrolyte that regulates the body’s fluid balance and helps ensure proper muscle and nerve function.

 However, 90 percent of adults in the United States consume too much.

 When your sodium levels rise, so does your risk of high blood pressure, along with your chances of developing heart disease.

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Diabetes and Heart Disease: What to Know About Your Risk

Adults with type 2 diabetes are 2 to 4 times more likely to develop heart disease than those who don’t have diabetes.

 They’re also twice as likely to die from it.

 In addition to diabetes being a state of chronic inflammation and a condition that causes the blood to clot too easily, people with type 2 diabetes may have other risk factors that make them more prone to cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure, high LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, obesity, and living a more sedentary lifestyle.
On the flip side, restricting your sodium intake can go a long way in helping prevent complications of diabetes.

How Much Salt Is Safe to Eat When You Have Type 2 Diabetes?

Salt and sodium may seem interchangeable, but they aren’t one and the same. Sodium is a natural element and a mineral, whereas table salt is a substance that contains 40 percent sodium and 60 percent chloride.

Still, aiming to reduce either your sodium or salt consumption can do your heart good.

For instance, lowering your sodium intake may make a meaningful difference in reducing your risk of high blood pressure and heart disease.

 Research suggests that restricting sodium can lower systolic blood pressure by about 5.5 points and diastolic blood pressure by 1.6 points.

The American Diabetes Association recommends that people with diabetes limit their daily sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams (mg), the equivalent of 1 teaspoon of table salt.

 The average adult in the United States consumes more than 3,300 mg of sodium per day.

Some experts recommend lowering it even further. “People with diabetes should strive to consume only 1,500 mg of sodium daily,” or one-quarter of a teaspoon of salt, says Lori Zanini, RD, CDCES, a diabetes educator and dietitian based in Dana Point, California.

Because recommendations vary from person to person, it’s best to consult your doctor to determine which limit is best for you.

Pairing sodium restrictions with so much careful consideration of the carbohydrates in your diet can feel overwhelming, but it’s both doable and worth the effort. “The encouragement I provide to my clients is that all individuals can benefit from eating this way, whether or not you have diabetes,” says Zanini. “This is simply a healthy eating plan.”

While there’s some controversy regarding whether healthy adults should monitor their sodium intake so carefully, this effort is crucial for people with diabetes.

6 Sneaky Sources of Sodium

The primary source of sodium in your diet isn’t your salt shaker, but rather dining out and eating packaged foods.

“The best advice is to eat more at home,” says Zanini. “Preparing meals at home and limiting the amount of times you dine out every week will drastically cut back your sodium intake. I like to say, ‘If it comes in a bag, box, or through a window, there’s a good chance there’s going to be a significant amount of salt added to that food.’”

Some sources of sodium can be sneakier than others, requiring careful reading of nutrition panels when grocery shopping.

1. Marinara Sauce

A half-cup serving can contain more than 500 mg of sodium, and you may pour on far more than that.

 Zanini recommends making your own at home by cooking fresh tomatoes into a sauce. You can even eliminate the salt or use less than the recipe suggests.

2. Packaged Oatmeal

Flavored packets of oatmeal are a shocking source of sodium, packing in around 200 mg per serving.

 Try making your own oatmeal at home instead, flavoring it with fruit or nuts and just a dash of table salt.

3. Certain Condiments

While they add a punch of flavor to cookout favorites, condiments like ketchup and mustard may actually be salt bombs.

You don’t necessarily need to go through the trouble of making them at home, but Zanini suggests comparing nutrition labels of various brands to find one that contains less than 100 mg of sodium per 1 teaspoon serving. “Anything more can add up quickly,” she says.

4. Bread Products

Bread is one of the top sources of sodium in the typical American diet.

 It’s also another instance where comparing nutrition labels of different brands can make a significant difference. When shopping for bread, opt for loaves that contain less than 200 mg of sodium per slice, says Zanini.

You can also consider eating open-faced sandwiches to eliminate a slice or replacing the bread altogether with an alternative like lettuce wraps or even sweet potato toast.

5. Enhanced Chicken

Poultry can also be a sneaky source of sodium if it’s enhanced with a mix of water and salt to plump it up. For instance, 3.5 ounces (oz) of enhanced dark meat chicken contains significantly more sodium than non-enhanced chicken.

This is another case where you want to read the nutrition label. If the ingredients include something like “chicken broth and sea salt,” that’s a red flag.

6. Certain Cheeses

A 1-oz slice of cheddar cheese may contain more than 150 mg of sodium.

 The happy news: The type of cheese you choose can make a big difference. Processed cheeses like American cheese and string cheese are often the saltiest, whereas Swiss and mozzarella cheese tend to be lower in sodium.

Resources We Trust

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
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  8. Lower Your Sodium, and Blood Pressure Will Follow. American Heart Association. February 15, 2021.
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Elise M. Brett, MD

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Elise M Brett, MD, is a board-certified adult endocrinologist. She received a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and her MD degree from the Icahn School of Medicine ...
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