How to Reduce Sodium in an IgA Nephropathy (IgAN) Diet
Urological HealthKidney Diseases

7 Tips for an IgA Nephropathy (IgAN) Diet That’s Low in Sodium and Still Flavorful

7 Tips for an IgA Nephropathy (IgAN) Diet That’s Low in Sodium and Still Flavorful
Adobe Stock
By
Published on March 6, 2026
by
If you are living with the kidney disease IgA nephropathy (IgAN), you may be more sensitive to sodium, the mineral in salt. It can cause your blood pressure to rise more quickly, says Lakshmi Kannan, MD, a board-certified nephrologist based in Charlottesville, Virginia, which can put extra stress on already inflamed kidneys.

 You also may experience proteinuria (extra protein leaking into the urine), medication issues, and other kidney problems if you have too much sodium.

There are ways, however, to cut or limit sodium from your IgAN diet and still maximize flavor in your meals.

1. Cut Back on Salt Gradually

The adjustment to a low-sodium diet can feel more difficult than it needs to be if you cut out salt “cold turkey.” Instead, try to scale back slowly to retrain your taste buds, says Jen Hernandez, RDN, a board-certified renal dietitian based in Florida, as our taste preferences naturally adapt over time.

Here are a few ways to cut back on salt gradually.

  • Avoid adding salt at the table, Dr. Kannan says. Keep the salt shaker in the cupboard instead of on the table to remove the temptation to add salt to your plate out of habit.
  • Reduce the amount of salt you add during cooking little by little, rather than cutting it out all at once.
  • When following a recipe, use half the salt it calls for and adjust from there.


“Once you’re adjusted to a low-sodium diet, you’ll be much more satisfied with little to no salt and can tell quickly if a food has a lot of sodium in it,” Hernandez says.

2. Swap Salt for Herbs, Spices, and Citrus

When you’re used to cooking with salt, food can taste a bit flat or dull without it. But herbs, spices, and acidic ingredients can add flavor without raising the amount of salt in your meal, and these ingredients add depth and brightness to food, Hernandez says. As your palate adjusts, you may prefer these flavors to salt.

Experiment with different combinations to see what you enjoy most and can tolerate. Try keeping these swaps on hand:

  • Fresh or dried herbs, such as basil, thyme, rosemary, cilantro, or parsley
  • Pure pantry spices, such as garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, or black pepper
  • A splash of acid, such as lemon or lime juice, balsamic vinegar, or apple cider vinegar

“Add a lemon wedge to your plate when serving and squeeze over your food to brighten the flavor,” Hernandez says.

Next up video playing in 10 seconds

The IgAN Post-Infection Flare: Your Step-by-Step Action Plan

Learn the essential steps to protect your kidneys and manage health flares during an IgAN infection.

3. Cook More Meals at Home to Control Sodium

“Cooking at home gives you more control over salt and helps reduce reliance on convenience foods,” Hernandez says.

Whether it’s fast food or fine dining, eating out often means filling your plate with more sodium than you’d use at home. Restaurant meals, takeout, and packaged or prepared foods account for about 70 percent of the sodium in a typical diet, Kannan says.

One fast-food hamburger with condiments, for example, contains around 640 milligrams (mg) of sodium.

 If you have IgAN, nephrologists often recommend a sodium intake of about 1,500 to 2,000 mg per day, depending on your blood pressure, kidney function, or medications, Kannan says.

 That means a hamburger alone can account for about one-third of your daily sodium goal.

A little planning can make home-cooking feel more manageable. Hernandez suggests spending 20 to 30 minutes once a week taking stock of what’s already in your kitchen and jotting down a grocery list.

If you’re short on ideas, meal-planning apps and AI-based resources can help you organize your week and streamline shopping, Hernandez says. And if you find yourself missing your favorite takeout, try re-creating it at home using herbs, spices, and citrus for flavor while cutting back on salt.

4. Dine Out With a Plan

You might feel like you have to avoid restaurant meals altogether. But giving up eating out is neither realistic for most people nor necessary, Hernandez says. Find a middle ground by limiting dining out to once or twice a week, she says.

A good strategy is to review restaurant menus ahead of time and to choose items labeled “heart-healthy” or lower-sodium options when available. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires chain restaurants with more than 20 locations, for instance, to provide this nutritional information upon request.

When you order, ask for sauces or dressings on the side so you can control how much you use, Hernandez says.

5. Choose Wisely at the Grocery Store

Whenever you shop for food, Kannan recommends choosing fresh vegetables and meats instead of packaged or processed options.

If you buy canned goods, look for labels that say “no salt added” or “low sodium.” If those options aren’t available, rinsing canned beans or vegetables under cold water can remove extra sodium content, Kannan says.

Be mindful of the American Heart Association’s “salty six,” a list of common foods that tend to be high in sodium, Hernandez says. These include:

  1. Breads and rolls
  2. Pizza
  3. Sandwiches
  4. Cold cuts and cured meats
  5. Soup
  6. Burritos and tacos

The changes can be somewhat simple. Swapping a standard slice of bread, which can contain about 350 mg of sodium, for a lower-sodium version with around 80 mg can save you roughly 500 mg of sodium on a sandwich, Hernandez says.

6. Get in the Habit of Reading Nutrition Labels

Nutrition labels are one of the most useful tools you have when following an IgAN diet. Hernandez says to look for foods where the milligrams of sodium are lower than the number of calories per serving.

Kannan recommends aiming for 140 mg of sodium or less per serving, which the FDA considers “low sodium.”

 Anything at 460 mg of sodium or more per serving is considered “high sodium,” the FDA says. Watch out for foods marked “instant,” “ready-to-eat,” or “seasoned,” as these are often red flags for extra sodium content.

And sodium isn’t always labeled simply as “sodium” on food packages. Hernandez and Kannan say that the following terms also indicate the presence of sodium:

  • Sodium chloride
  • Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
  • Sodium phosphate or disodium phosphate
  • Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
  • Brine or curing salts
  • Baking powder
  • Soy sauce
  • Vague terms such as “flavoring” or “seasoning blends”

7. Be Careful With Salt Substitutes

You may encounter salt substitutes, which are not always a safe choice for people with IgAN.

Most salt substitutes replace sodium with potassium chloride, which can raise potassium levels in the blood, Hernandez says.

When your kidneys aren’t working properly, they may not get rid of excess potassium effectively, which can cause serious heart rhythm problems, she says.

Kannan recommends avoiding salt substitutes if:

Before adding any salt substitute to your diet, talk to your nephrologist or a dietitian to create a safe eating plan. Whether it’s appropriate depends on your kidney function, the medications you’re taking, and if your potassium levels are monitored regularly, Hernandez says.

The Takeaway

  • Reducing sodium is an important part of managing IgAN because too much salt can raise blood pressure, increase proteinuria risk, and put extra stress on the kidneys.
  • Gradually cutting back on salt, using herbs and spices for flavor, and cooking more meals at home can make it easier to lower sodium without feeling like you’re giving up foods you enjoy.
  • Pay attention to nutrition labels, common high-sodium foods, and hidden sources of sodium to help you stay within daily sodium-intake goals. Be cautious with salt substitutes, as they can be risky for people with reduced kidney function.
  • Work closely with your nephrologist or a dietitian to create a safe, realistic, and manageable kidney-friendly eating plan.

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
  1. Yu G et al. Intensive Systolic Blood Pressure Lowering and Kidney Disease Progression in IgA Nephropathy: A Cohort Study. Frontiers in Medicine. February 15, 2022.
  2. Verma A et al. The Interplay Between Dietary Sodium Intake and Proteinuria in CKD. Kidney International Reports. June 2023.
  3. Protein in Urine (Proteinuria) Symptoms, Causes, Tests, and Treatments. American Kidney Fund. June 30, 2025.
  4. Ko J et al. Examining the Individual Response to a Low-Sodium Diet in Patients with Hypertension: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Research Protocols. February 13, 2023.
  5. Salt in Your Diet. National Health Service (U.K.). April 17, 2023.
  6. How To Add Flavor to Your Food Without Salt. Cleveland Clinic. March 13, 2025.
  7. Sodium Reduction in the Food Supply. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. November 1, 2024.
  8. Fast Foods, Hamburger, Large, Single Patty, With Condiments. U.S. Department of Agriculture.
  9. Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) IgAN and IgAV Work Group et al. KDIGO 2025 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Immunoglobulin A Nephropathy (IgAN) and Immunoglobulin A Vasculitis (IgAV). Kidney International. October 2025.
  10. How to Reduce Sodium in Your Diet. American Heart Association. January 5, 2024.
  11. Kidney-Friendly Eating Plan. American Kidney Fund. November 5, 2025.
  12. Healthy Eating for Adults with Chronic Kidney Disease. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. January 2025.
  13. The Salty Six. American Heart Association.
  14. Sodium in Your Diet. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. March 5, 2024.
  15. Kim MK et al. Potassium Disorders: Hypokalemia and Hyperkalemia. American Family Physician. January 2023.
Meet Our Experts
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network
igor-kagan-bio

Igor Kagan, MD

Medical Reviewer
Castle Connolly Top Doctor

Igor Kagan, MD, is an an assistant clinical professor at UCLA. He spends the majority of his time seeing patients in various settings, such as outpatient clinics, inpatient rounds, and dialysis units. He is also the associate program director for the General Nephrology Fellowship and teaches medical students, residents, and fellows. His clinical interests include general nephrology, chronic kidney disease, dialysis (home and in-center), hypertension, and glomerulonephritis, among others. He is also interested in electronic medical record optimization and services as a physician informaticist.

A native of Los Angeles, he graduated cum laude from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) with a bachelor's in business and economics, and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He then went to the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC) for his medical school education. He stayed at USC for his training and completed his internship and internal medicine residency at the historic Los Angeles County and USC General Hospital. Following his internal medicine residency, Kagan went across town to UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine for his fellowship in nephrology and training at the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center. After his fellowship he stayed on as faculty at UCLA Health.

See full bio
Maggie-Aime-bio

Maggie Aime, MSN, RN

Author

Maggie Aime is a registered nurse with over 25 years of healthcare experience, who brings medical topics to life through informative and inspiring content. Her extensive nursing background spans specialties like oncology, cardiology, and pediatrics. She has also worked in case management, revenue management, medical coding, and as a utilization review nurse consultant. She leverages her unique insights to help individuals navigate the U.S. healthcare system and avoid financial pitfalls.

Maggie applies her extensive clinical expertise to create empowering education for readers at all stages. She is passionate about illuminating issues from disease prevention to health and wellness to medical personal finance. Her work can be found in GoodRx Health, Next Avenue, HealthNews, Insider, Nursing CE Central, Nurse Blake, AllNurses, and BioHackers Lab.

An active member of several professional nursing and journalism associations, Maggie founded The Write RN to fulfill her calling to teach.

When she's not crafting the next great article, you can find Maggie volunteering, reading, playing the piano, or savoring sunrise views at the beach.

See full bio
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network