Health and Wellness and Changes you can Addapt
Deli meat shows up in a lot of lunches — and a lot of nutrition conversations. Is it a convenient, protein-packed option, or is it something you should be cutting back on? We asked our registered dietitian, Emily Sullivan, to weigh in, and the answer is more practical than you might expect.
What Counts as Deli Meat?
Deli meat usually means sliced meat used in sandwiches, wraps, snack plates, and salads. It can include turkey, chicken, ham, roast beef, salami, bologna, pastrami, mortadella, and other cold cuts.
Many deli meats are processed because they are transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other methods used to improve flavor or preservation. This includes many sliced luncheon meats, even when they are made from turkey or chicken. (1,8)
That does not mean every slice has the same nutrition profile. “A lower-sodium turkey breast is different from hard salami. A freshly roasted chicken breast from home is different from a cured deli meat. The goal is to know what you are choosing and how often you are choosing it,” Sullivan says.
So, Is Deli Meat Bad for You?
Many deli meats provide protein, can help make lunch more filling, and are easy to pair with vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats. For example, one 28-gram slice of low-salt turkey breast has 31 calories, 6.1 grams of protein, and 216 milligrams of sodium. (3)
The main downsides are sodium, preservatives, and the fact that deli meats fall under the broader category of processed meats. Sodium can add up quickly in a deli meat sandwich because cold cuts, cured meats, bread, and tortillas are all common sources of sodium in the U.S. diet. (9)
Processed meat is also a health concern when eaten regularly. The World Cancer Research Fund says there is convincing evidence that processed meat is a cause of colorectal cancer, and it recommends eating little, if any, processed meat. (7)
So the practical answer is: deli meat can fit sometimes, but it is smart to keep portions infrequent, choose lower-sodium options, and choose less-processed proteins.
Deli Meat Nutrition: How Common Cold Cuts Compare
Nutrition varies a lot by brand, slice size, and preparation. The FDA notes that sodium can vary significantly between similar foods, so the Nutrition Facts label is the best place to compare products. (2)
Here is a quick look at a few examples from USDA FoodData Central:
Deli meatServing listedCaloriesProteinSodiumSaturated fatLow-salt turkey breast (3)1 slice, 28 g316g216 mg<1 g96% fat-free ham (4)1 slice, 23 g254g217 mg<1 gDeli roast beef (5)1 slice, 9 g112 g79 mg<1 gDry pork and beef salami (6)1 slice, 10 g372 g172 mg1 g
These serving sizes are not equal, so the table is best used as a label-reading reminder rather than a perfect “best to worst” ranking.
A few slices can change the picture quickly. For example, three 10g slices of dry pork and beef salami would provide about 111 calories, 6g of protein, 516mg of sodium, and 3g of saturated fat based on one-slice values. (6)
Why Sodium Is the Big Thing to Watch
The daily recommended value for sodium is less than 2,300 milligrams per day. That matters because deli meat rarely travels alone. A sandwich might include bread, cheese, mustard, pickles, chips, or soup. Many of those foods can add sodium too. (2)
If you are tracking food in MyFitnessPal, sodium is one of the nutrients you can check over the course of a day. That can be helpful because one high-sodium lunch does not tell the whole story, but repeated patterns can show you where small swaps may help.
What About Nitrates and Nitrites?
Processed meats are often cured, smoked, salted, or preserved in other ways. In deli meats, that process includes adding nitrates or nitrites, which help preserve the meat and affect its color and flavor. These additives and other processing methods can create compounds linked with cancer risk, which is why it is smart to treat deli meat as an occasional protein rather than an everyday staple. (10)
Which Deli Meat Is Healthiest?
There is no single healthiest cold cut for everyone. But one place to start is with sliced turkey, chicken, ham, or roast beef that is lower in sodium and lower in saturated fat.
Look for:
“Low sodium,” which means 140 milligrams of sodium or less per serving. (2)
“Reduced sodium,” which means at least 25% less sodium than the regular version. (12)
Leaner options more often than salami, bologna, pepperoni, or other fattier cured meats.
Also check the serving size. A label might look reasonable for two slices, but your sandwich may use four or five. Logging a few common sandwich builds in MyFitnessPal can make it easier to compare turkey, ham, tuna, eggs, hummus, or grilled chicken side by side.
How Often Should You Eat Deli Meat?
“A good general approach is to treat deli meat as an as needed convenience food, not a lunch protein you frequently rely on,” Sullivan answers.
If you eat deli meat most days, try swapping it out a few times a week. You might use:
Grilled chicken or turkey breast
Tuna or salmon salad
Egg salad
Hummus with vegetables
Cottage cheese or Greek yogurt on the side
Lentil, chickpea, or bean-based fillings
Tofu or tempeh slices
This gives you more variety and can help lower your intake of processed meat over time.
How to Build a Better Deli Meat Sandwich
You can make a deli meat sandwich more balanced without making it complicated.
Start with whole-grain bread, a wrap, or an open-faced slice. Add two or three slices of lower-sodium, deli meat, then build volume with vegetables like lettuce, tomato, cu***ber, spinach, peppers, shredded carrots, or sprouts.
For spreads, try avocado, hummus, mustard, tzatziki, or a thin layer of mayo. If you add cheese, pick one slice and check the sodium on the label.
“To start reducing the amount of deli meat, you could try a ‘half deli meat’ sandwich — one or two slices of turkey, then hummus, roasted vegetables, or a hard-boiled egg for extra staying power. Eventually, you could swap out the deli meat entirely,” Sullivan says.
Food Safety Tips for Deli Meat
Deli meat is ready to eat, but it still needs safe storage. Opened packages or deli-sliced luncheon meat can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days, and unopened packages can be kept for 2 weeks. (13)
Keep deli meat refrigerated at 40°F or below, and toss it if it smells off, feels slimy, or looks discolored. (13)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Deli turkey can be a lean, convenient protein, but it is still processed and high in sodium and is recommended to be kept to a minimum. A lower-sodium turkey breast is usually a better everyday choice than regular turkey or fattier cured meats, but the Nutrition Facts label matters. (3,2)
Cold cuts can fit into a balanced diet sometimes, but they are processed meats and can be high in sodium and have other health concerns. Health organizations recommend consuming very little processed meat. (7)
Is roast beef deli meat better than salami?
Roast beef is often leaner than salami, but sodium and serving size still vary by product. One 9-gram slice of deli roast beef has <1g saturated fat and 79mg sodium, while one 10-gram slice of dry pork and beef salami has 1g saturated fat and 172mg sodium. (5,6)
Is nitrate-free deli meat better?
It may be a useful label to notice, but it does not automatically make a deli meat a low-sodium or less-processed choice. Check the full ingredient list and Nutrition Facts label, especially for sodium and serving size. (2,11)
Bottom Line
Deli meat is not something you need to fear, but it is also not the protein to lean on every day. The best approach is simple: if eating deli meat, choose lower-sodium options, keep portions reasonable, use plenty of vegetables, and prioritize less-processed proteins throughout the week.
If you love a turkey sandwich, enjoy it. Just make the rest of the plate work harder for you. And if you are looking for meal ideas, label-reading tips, or just want to see how others are building better lunches, the MyFitnessPal Community is a great place to share and find inspiration.
Originally published March 20, 2019; Updated August 11, 2026
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