Two diets that mostly agree, and the differences matter

**About 1 in 3 American adults with diabetes also has chronic kidney disease
(CKD)** — and working out what to eat becomes genuinely difficult, because two
sets of dietary rules apply at once.

They share many of the same foods. There are some important differences.

The diabetes diet

Largely a healthy diet for anyone: **plenty of fruit, vegetables, healthy fats
and lean protein**, and less salt, sugar, and refined carbohydrate —
biscuits, crackers, fizzy drinks.

**Your individual carbohydrate goal depends on age, activity level, medicines
and other factors.** Following the meal plan keeps blood sugar in range —
which also prevents further damage to your kidneys, so the two goals
reinforce each other here.

The kidney diet

With CKD you avoid or limit certain foods to protect the kidneys, while
including others for energy and nourishment. **The specifics depend on whether
you are in early-stage or late-stage CKD, or on dialysis** — this is not one
diet but three.

Where they diverge: sodium

**Over time, your kidneys lose the ability to control your sodium-water
balance.**

That is the mechanism, and it turns a general "eat less salt" into something
much more consequential. Less sodium lowers blood pressure and **decreases
fluid buildup**, which is common in kidney disease.

The practical advice is about sources rather than the salt shaker:

• Focus on fresh, homemade food, where you control the sodium
• Eat only small amounts of restaurant and packaged food, which usually
  carry a great deal
• Look for low sodium — 5% or less — on food labels

That 5% figure is the actionable one. It is the % Daily Value column most
people never read, and it converts a vague instruction into something you can
check while holding the packet.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.