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Grains · Snacks
Are Saltine Crackers Healthy? Nutrition, Nausea & Better Swaps
What's in a saltine, what five crackers give you, how they affect your blood sugar, when they help an upset stomach or morning sickness, and the crackers to choose instead.
Evidence-based47 sources citedUpdated October 9, 2026
The Dr. Axe Score™
Scientific Evidence
5.6/10
A glycemic test in people with diabetes, a hospital tasting trial and surveys, plus large studies of refined and whole grains as categories. This factor rates how much research exists, not which way it points.
Antioxidant & Anti-Inflammatory
1.2/10
Milling removes the bran and germ, where most of wheat's protective compounds sit; there's no human inflammation data on saltines.
Clinical Effectiveness
2.6/10
Our judgment: a plain food that's easy to keep down for a few days of nausea, with no health benefit as an everyday snack.
Nutrient Density
1.4/10
Enrichment puts back some B vitamins and iron, but fiber, magnesium and zinc stay low, with a salty load for the calories. It's rated against the swaps below.
Why this score?
Why Are Saltine Crackers Healthy? Nutrition, Nausea & Better Swaps scores 2.9 / 10
Weighting: Evidence 30% · Antioxidant & Anti-Inflammatory 25% · Clinical Effectiveness 25% · Nutrient Density 20% (5.6×0.30 + 1.2×0.25 + 2.6×0.25 + 1.4×0.20 = 2.91, shown as 2.9).
A transparent, weighted index built for foods. See how it’s calculated →
Saltine crackers at a glance
Saltine crackers are thin, crisp squares made from enriched white flour, oil, salt and baking soda, and five of them (15 grams) carry 63 calories, 11.1 grams of carbohydrate, less than half a gram of fiber, 1.4 grams of protein and 141 milligrams of sodium.1
- Dr. Axe's view: saltines aren't a food he recommends for everyday snacking. Their flour is processed white flour, one of the Sinister Six foods his biblical diet cuts first, so keep them occasional and eat them with protein2
- A sick stomach: for a few days of nausea, morning sickness or a stomach bug, plain crackers are easy to keep down, and most ob-gyns in a national survey recommended them for pregnancy nausea3
- Blood sugar: soda crackers scored 74 on the glycemic index, a high score, in 10 people with diabetes45
- Better swaps: seed crackers made with flax, chia or sesame, and sprouted-grain or sourdough crackers; gram for gram, flaxseed carries nearly ten times a saltine's fiber61
Saltine crackers are the thin, square, lightly salted crackers that turn up beside a bowl of soup and on the nightstand when a stomach is upset. They also go by soda crackers, and five of them weigh just 15 grams.1 One store-brand label reads: unbleached enriched flour, soybean and/or palm oil, salt, baking soda, wheat gluten, yeast with vitamin C, and malted barley flour.7
Saltine flour is milled from whole-grain wheat with the bran and germ taken out, and with them most of the grain's fiber, magnesium and zinc. Processed white flour is one of the Sinister Six, the foods I ask you to cut first.2 So saltines aren't a food I recommend for everyday snacking. Keep them occasional, and when you have them, eat them with protein.
The label is the place to start. Growing up, my family bought whole wheat bread. Years later, I looked at the back of one of those packages in the grocery store, and it was basically white bleached flour with caramel color added; it wasn't even whole wheat flour.8 A box of saltines deserves the same look, and its first ingredient is enriched flour, sometimes labeled unbleached.79
Saltines do have one place where they earn a spot: a few days of nausea, morning sickness or a stomach bug, when a plain, dry cracker is easy to keep down. The rest of the time, reach for seed crackers or sprouted-grain or sourdough crackers, covered in the swaps section below.
Any flour ingredient without the word whole in front of it is at best 'unbleached flour,' which is essentially white but made so without using bleach.Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNSFrom The Biblio Diet (2025), ebook p. 44
What are saltine crackers?
Quick answer
Saltine crackers, also called soda crackers, are thin, square crackers made from enriched wheat flour, vegetable oil, salt, baking soda and yeast.17 They're a wheat cracker, so they contain gluten.
Labels vary by store. The oil can be soybean, palm or safflower, and some boxes use interesterified soybean oil, a fat whose fatty acids are rearranged during processing, or soybean oil with TBHQ, a synthetic preservative, added for freshness.710119 Some list an added sugar, such as invert sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, in small amounts, and a few add whey or milk.121113 Organic saltines can be simpler: one reads organic unbleached wheat flour, organic canola oil, sea salt, baking soda and organic yeast.14
My guideline is to buy food with at most five ingredients.2 The organic box meets it, though its flour, without the word whole in front of it, is still white flour. Because that flour isn't enriched, the box also lists about an eighth of the iron of the enriched kind, 0.67 milligrams per 100 grams against 5.57 in USDA's saltine record.141
The oil is the other ingredient to notice. Build your kitchen around extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil and go easy on refined seed oils such as soybean and canola, though the oil in a few crackers isn't worth stressing over.15
Get the free Healthy Weight & Metabolic Reset protocol
If crackers are your go-to snack, this free 90-day protocol shows you what to eat instead:
- Why ultra-processed snacks, crackers included, come off the menu for the first 30 days, and the whole foods that replace them
- 30 grams of protein within an hour of waking, and a 10-minute walk after your two biggest meals
- Four phases, plus a 7-day meal plan
Free with your Dr. Axe account (email or Google). You'll also get the protocol's short email series and the Dr. Axe newsletter; unsubscribe anytime.
Open the free protocol →Are saltine crackers healthy?
Quick answer
Saltines aren't a food Dr. Axe recommends for everyday snacking: they're made from refined white flour, and five crackers carry less than half a gram of fiber and 1.4 grams of protein.1 Keep them occasional, and eat them with protein.
These are the steps from the wheat field to your bloodstream, starting with modern milling.2
1Milling removes the bran and germ.
Per 100 grams, whole-grain wheat flour carries 10.7 grams of fiber, 137 milligrams of magnesium and 2.6 milligrams of zinc. Enriched white flour carries 2.7 grams of fiber, 22 milligrams of magnesium and 0.7 milligrams of zinc.1617
2Enrichment adds back five nutrients.
By law, enriched flour gets thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid and iron, which leaves it higher in folate and iron than whole-grain flour. Fiber, magnesium and zinc aren't added back.181716
3The cracker adds oil and salt.
Baked with oil, salt and leavening, five crackers end up with less than half a gram of fiber, as the nutrition table below shows.17
4Starch turns into blood sugar quickly.
With little fiber, fat or protein to slow digestion, soda crackers tested in the high range of the glycemic index, as the blood-sugar section below shows.4
In the first 30 days of my Healthy Weight & Metabolic Reset protocol, crackers sit on the avoid list with chips and other ultra-processed snacks, and the rule is to swap ultra-processed food for whole food.21 In one of my YouTube videos, I've put white bread and other refined carbohydrates on my list of the most inflammatory foods to avoid, because they're high glycemic and turn into sugar in your body quickly.8
Large studies of refined grains as a group point the same way. The PURE study tracked the diets and health of 137,130 adults in 21 countries for a median of 9.5 years. Those who ate the most refined grains, 350 grams a day or more of all refined-grain foods combined (about seven servings), had a 27% higher risk of dying during the study and a 33% higher risk of major cardiovascular events than those who ate less than 50 grams a day.22
Where the research stands
Saltines and plain crackers like them have been tested in a few studies: a glycemic index test in 10 people with diabetes, a hospital tasting trial in 72 women with severe pregnancy sickness, a fullness study in 19 young adults and two surveys. The rest of the research on this page comes from refined and whole grains as categories, in studies that followed people's diets for years, and from food-order trials of bread and rice meals in 11 and 26 people.
Saltine crackers nutrition facts
Quick answer
Five saltine crackers (15 grams) have about 63 calories, 11.1 grams of carbohydrate, 1.4 grams of protein, 1.3 grams of fat, 0.4 grams of fiber and 141 milligrams of sodium.1 Enrichment supplies some iron, folate and B vitamins, while fiber and magnesium stay low.
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central FDC ID 172746 (crackers, saltines) at the record's own serving of 5 crackers, 15 grams; Daily Values are FDA's.123
| Nutrient | 5 crackers (15 g) | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 63 | 418 |
| Carbohydrate | 11.1 g | 74.0 g |
| Fiber | 0.4 g | 2.8 g |
| Sugars | 0.2 g | 1.29 g |
| Protein | 1.4 g | 9.46 g |
| Fat | 1.3 g | 8.64 g |
| Sodium | 141 mg (6% DV) | 941 mg |
| Iron | 0.8 mg (5% DV) | 5.57 mg |
| Folate | 32 mcg DFE (8% DV) | 216 mcg DFE |
| Thiamin | 0.11 mg (9% DV) | 0.702 mg |
| Niacin | 1.0 mg (6% DV) | 6.44 mg |
| Magnesium | 3.5 mg (1% DV) | 23 mg |
| Zinc | 0.1 mg | 0.69 mg |
| Potassium | 23 mg | 152 mg |
Five crackers give you quick energy and the nutrients enrichment puts back, and little else your body needs. Fiber shows the gap most clearly. USDA measures 0.42 grams in five crackers, which a package label rounds down to zero, and even 20 crackers, 60 grams, carry only 1.7 grams of fiber alongside 44.4 grams of carbohydrate.17 One saltine weighs about 3 grams and has about 13 calories.1
Do saltines spike your blood sugar?
Quick answer
Eaten on their own, saltines raise blood sugar quickly: soda crackers scored 74 on the glycemic index, where glucose is 100 and 70 or more counts as high, in a test of 10 people with diabetes.45 Eating protein and vegetables before a starch lowered the rise in trials of bread and rice meals.1920
That number comes from a Canadian lab that tested a run of crackers the same way, in 9 to 12 people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes per cracker. Soda crackers scored 74, two kinds of wheat crackers 67 each, rye crispbread 63 and a high-fiber rye crispbread 59, all on the glucose scale, where 56 to 69 counts as medium.45
Soda crackers had the highest glycemic index of the crackers one lab tested
A saltine eaten bare is mostly fast-digesting starch. My PCOS protocol puts the rule in one line: "Never eat carbs 'naked.' Always pair with protein or fat."24
Order matters, too. In a trial of 11 adults with type 2 diabetes, everyone ate the same 628-calorie meal twice, a week apart, so each person tried both orders. With the ciabatta bread and orange juice first and the chicken, salad and broccoli 15 minutes later, their blood sugar reached 199.4 mg/dL at one hour. With the chicken and vegetables first, it reached 125.6 mg/dL, about 37% lower.19
Rice meals showed the same pattern. In a 2025 study, 26 healthy Japanese adults each ate calorie-matched set lunches in five different orders, and they knew which order they were eating. Their blood sugar peaked at 169.0 mg/dL with the rice first and at 143.3 mg/dL with the main dish, side dish, soup and dessert eaten 15 minutes before the rice.20 Neither study used crackers. At snack time, the same idea means eating the egg, fish or goat cheese first and the crackers after.
Three blood tests for how you handle carbohydrates
These three markers show how your body handles blood sugar over time, across many meals and snacks rather than one.
- HbA1c: Your average blood sugar across roughly the past three months.
- Fasting insulin: How hard your body works to keep blood sugar steady.
- Fasting glucose: Your blood sugar after an overnight fast. See normal blood sugar levels.
See the cellular bloodwork panel
Have results? Analyze them free →Do saltines help with nausea and morning sickness?
Quick answer
Yes, for a few days of nausea they're a reasonable choice: plain crackers are bland, dry and easy to keep down, and in a survey of 488 ob-gyns, 88.5% recommended snacking on soda crackers for moderate nausea of pregnancy.3 Eat a few at a time, add protein as soon as you can, and try ginger beside them.
The clearest test of a plain cracker comes from women with the most severe pregnancy sickness. In a 2021 trial in Malaysia, 72 women under 16 weeks pregnant, all within their first day in the hospital for hyperemesis gravidarum, each tasted four foods in random order: a small piece of apple, a piece of watermelon, a quarter of a plain cream cracker, the saltine's closest cousin in the study, and a piece of crustless white bread.
Of the 72 women, 64 (89%) kept the cracker down without gagging, heaving or vomiting over the next 10 minutes, against 60 (83%) for the bread, and they rated the cracker a little higher, 6.5 against 6.0 on a 0-to-10 scale. The two fruits did a little better still: 4% of the women gagged, heaved or vomited after the apple and 10% after the watermelon. Over those 10 minutes, nausea scores eased a little after the fruit, rose by 0.24 points after the cracker and rose by about a point after the bread. Compared pair by pair, only the apple's rating edge over the bread was statistically significant.25
The everyday advice to reach for crackers comes from practice more than from trials: a 2014 review in American Family Physician lists crackers among the bland foods suggested for pregnancy nausea and notes that little evidence supports those dietary recommendations.26
Protein is the next step. In a study that served 14 women with first-trimester nausea test meals of different makeup, meals built mostly on protein eased nausea and calmed the stomach's disrupted electrical rhythm more than carbohydrate or fat meals with the same calories, or meals with no calories.27 So once a few crackers stay down, add an egg, a spoonful of A2 cottage cheese or a thin layer of almond butter.
Ginger belongs beside the crackers. In a review of 12 randomized trials with 1,278 pregnant women, ginger, from 600 to 2,500 milligrams a day and mostly in capsules, improved nausea more than placebo, by an average of 1.2 points on a visual nausea scale in the two trials that measured it the same way, though the number of vomiting episodes didn't fall significantly.28 For nausea, about 1,500 milligrams of ginger a day, taken in divided doses, is the amount studies have found helpful; in pregnancy, confirm the dose with your OB.29 A cup of ginger tea with a few crackers is an easy place to start.
The same plain foods fit a stomach bug. MedlinePlus lists breads, crackers and pasta made with refined white flour on its bland diet for nausea and vomiting, a diet meant to carry you until you can eat your usual foods again.30 In a survey of 45 people with gastroparesis, saltine crackers were among the foods patients said moderately eased their symptoms.31 If you're pregnant and can't keep food or fluids down, see the warning signs in the safety section below.
What can you eat instead of saltines?
Quick answer
Dr. Axe's swaps for saltines are seed crackers made from flax, chia, sesame, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, and crackers made from sprouted grain or sourdough, all built from foods on his list of foods to eat.2 Gram for gram, flaxseed carries nearly ten times the fiber of a saltine.61
In my food lists, wheat flour, unbleached flour and white flour sit on the avoid side. The eat side holds sprouted grains, sourdough bread made from einkorn, spelt, khorasan wheat, rye or barley, and seeds such as flaxseeds, sunflower seeds and chia seeds.2 Those are the building blocks of a better cracker.
Seed crackers lead the list. On my show, I've named walnuts and ground flaxseeds as the best nuts and seeds for reducing inflammation.32 Flaxseed carries 27.3 grams of fiber per 100 grams, against 2.8 in saltines, and a tablespoon of ground flax adds about 1.9 grams.61 You can make seed crackers at home: stir ground flaxseed and chia seeds into water until they thicken, mix in sesame, pumpkin or sunflower seeds and a pinch of sea salt, spread the mixture thin and bake it until crisp.
For a grain cracker, choose sprouted grain or a true sourdough. I rank whole-grain sourdough made from an ancient grain such as einkorn as the best bread and 100% sprouted whole-grain bread second, and I list wheat, rye and barley on the eat side only when they're sprouted.2 The same logic carries to crackers and crispbreads: look for sprouted grain, or sourdough made from einkorn, spelt or rye, at the top of the ingredient list. See sprouted-grain bread for more.
Rye crackers carry much more fiber. Per 100 grams, rye crispbread carries 16.5 grams of fiber and rye wafers 22.9, against 2.8 in saltines; whole-wheat crackers carry 10.3 grams and whole-wheat saltines 6.7.333435361 Since rye is on my eat side when it's sprouted or made into sourdough, look for a sprouted or sourdough rye crispbread.2
Gram for gram, rye crispbread carries about six times the fiber of a saltine
Whole-wheat saltines are a small step. A 14-gram serving carries 0.9 grams of fiber, against 0.4 grams in five regular saltines, along with more sodium, 169 milligrams.361
| Cracker | Made from | Gluten | In Dr. Axe's food lists |
|---|---|---|---|
Saltines | Enriched white flour, oil, salt and baking soda7 | Yes | Avoid side: white and unbleached flour2 |
Whole-wheat saltines | Whole-wheat or multigrain flour36 | Yes | Wheat is on the eat side only when it's sprouted2 |
Seed crackers | Flax, chia, sesame, pumpkin or sunflower seeds | No, unless wheat, rye, barley or spelt is added | Eat side: seeds2 |
Sprouted-grain crackers | Grain sprouted before it's milled | Yes, when the grain is wheat, rye, barley or spelt | Eat side; wheat, rye and barley only when sprouted2 |
Sourdough crackers or crispbread | Einkorn, spelt or rye, fermented | Yes | Eat side: sourdough from an ancient grain is Dr. Axe's top bread2 |
Rye crispbread | Rye flour | Yes | Eat side when the rye is sprouted or made into sourdough2 |
What better crackers and habits do for you, ranked by evidence
Ranked by evidence, choosing whole grains and seeds over refined crackers, and eating the starch last, is best for more fiber and the protection that comes with it, a healthier heart and a longer life, lower type 2 diabetes risk, smaller blood-sugar spikes and feeling fuller after a snack.
1
More fiber, and the protection that comes with it
Strong evidenceHuman studyMeta-analyses · 185 cohort studies and 58 trialsFiber is the nutrient a saltine is shortest on. A series of reviews published in The Lancet pooled 185 studies that tracked people for years and 58 clinical trials: those with the highest fiber intake had 15% to 30% lower risk of death from any cause and from cardiovascular disease, along with less coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer, than those who ate the least. Intakes of 25 to 29 grams a day brought the largest benefit, and whole-grain intake showed a similar pattern.37
Study takeaway: the highest fiber intakes were linked to 15% to 30% lower risk of early death and several chronic diseases.
2
A healthier heart and a longer life
Strong evidenceHuman studyDose-response meta-analysis · 45 prospective studiesWhole grains keep the bran and germ that saltine flour loses. In a 2016 dose-response analysis of 45 studies that followed people's diets, every extra 90 grams of whole grains a day, about three servings, went with 19% lower risk of coronary heart disease and 17% lower risk of death from any cause.38 Crackers made from sprouted or sourdough whole grain count toward that 90.
Study takeaway: every extra 90 grams of whole grains a day went with 17% lower risk of death from any cause.
3
Lower type 2 diabetes risk
Moderate evidenceHuman studyMeta-analysis · 16 cohort studies (10 pooled for whole grains)A review of 16 studies that followed people's diets for years pooled 10 of them for whole grains, and three more servings of whole grains a day was tied to 32% lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Refined grains, pooled from 6 studies, showed no significant link.39
Study takeaway: three more servings of whole grains a day was tied to 32% lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
4
Smaller blood-sugar spikes
Emerging evidenceHuman studyTrials in which each person tried every order · 11 and 26 peopleSaving the starch for last lowered the rise in blood sugar in 11 adults with type 2 diabetes and in 26 healthy adults, each of whom tried every order.1920 The numbers are in the blood-sugar section above; at snack time, it means the protein first and the crackers after.
Study takeaway: eating the starch last gave a smaller rise in blood sugar.
5
Feeling fuller after a snack
Emerging evidenceHuman studyStudy in which each person tried both snacks · 19 young adultsIn a study of 19 healthy young adults, each person ate 300 calories of a flaxseed snack bar one morning and 300 calories of saltine crackers another, and the flaxseed bar kept them fuller at the one-hour mark, with hunger and fullness tracked for two hours.40 The bar was developed for the study by the company that funded it, and it carried more fiber and protein than the crackers.
Study takeaway: a flaxseed snack bar kept 19 young adults fuller than the same calories of saltines at one hour.
How should you eat saltines when you have them?
When you do reach for saltines, make the cracker the smallest part of the snack. Put protein or healthy fat on top; these toppings fit my food lists.2
Spread a seed or nut butter thinly. Sunflower seed butter, tahini or almond butter. My guideline for nuts is about a handful a day, so a thin layer is plenty.2
When you buy crackers, check these:
The first ingredient. Look for the word whole or sprouted in front of the grain, or seeds first. Enriched flour and unbleached enriched flour are white flour.2
A short list. Five ingredients or fewer, my guideline.2
The fat and the extras. Skip crackers made with lard, a pork fat, and watch for added sugars such as invert sugar or high-fructose corn syrup.1211
The sodium. Read the milligrams per serving; the sodium section below gives a simple target.
Questions about crackers and blood sugar?
Ask Dr. Axe AI. Answers are grounded in this library, with sources shown.
How much sodium is in saltine crackers?
Five saltines carry 141 milligrams of sodium in USDA's record, and store labels vary: one lists 60 milligrams for five crackers, and another lists 250, so check the box you buy.1741 Salt itself isn't the problem, and unrefined sea salt on real food is a good thing.42 The sodium to watch is the kind packed into processed food: more than 70% of the sodium Americans eat comes from packaged and prepared foods.43 The Daily Value for sodium is less than 2,300 milligrams a day.43
My High Blood Pressure protocol gives a simple label rule: keep most packaged foods under 140 milligrams of sodium a serving.44 Five saltines sit right at that line, and the crackers add up quickly: 20 carry 565 milligrams, a quarter of the Daily Value.123 Low-salt saltines carry about 30 milligrams in five crackers, made from the same refined flour.45 See foods high in sodium and low-sodium foods for more.
Who should avoid saltine crackers?
Quick answer
Skip saltines if you have celiac disease or a wheat allergy, since they're made from wheat flour.7 If you've been told to limit sodium, read the milligrams on the box and count every cracker toward your day, and in pregnancy, know the warning signs below that mean it's time to call for help.46
Saltines contain wheat flour, and a typical label adds wheat gluten and malted barley flour.7 If you have celiac disease, buy only crackers labeled gluten-free, which under FDA rules means less than 20 parts per million of gluten.47 Spelt, einkorn, rye and sprouted wheat all contain gluten, so the sprouted-grain and sourdough swaps aren't safe with celiac disease; seed crackers labeled gluten-free are the ones to choose. See gluten-free grains for more options.
Morning sickness usually clears up by weeks 16 to 20 of pregnancy, but its severe form, hyperemesis gravidarum, can lead to dehydration and may need treatment in the hospital. Call your doctor or midwife if you're vomiting and you can't keep food or fluids down for 24 hours, your urine is very dark or you haven't urinated in more than 8 hours, you feel very weak, dizzy or faint when you stand, you have belly pain or a high temperature, you vomit blood, or you've lost weight.46
One more caution:
On insulin or other glucose-lowering medication, watch your readings as you change how and what you eat; your doctor adjusts the dose
The bottom line
Should you eat saltine crackers?
Saltines are wheat milled into enriched white flour and baked with oil and salt, which leaves five crackers low in fiber, protein and minerals. Processed white flour is one of the Sinister Six foods to cut first, so keep saltines an occasional food, eat them with protein, and let them do the job they do well: settling a sick stomach for a few days, with ginger beside them.
For everyday snacking, choose seed crackers or sprouted-grain or sourdough crackers, and top them with an egg, wild-caught fish, avocado or goat cheese. Read the label the way you'd read a loaf of whole wheat bread: whole grain or seeds first, five ingredients or fewer.
Your body was designed to heal, and a better cracker is one of the easiest places to start.
Get the free Healthy Weight & Metabolic Reset protocol
The protocol's first 30 days trade ultra-processed snacks for whole food, put 30 grams of protein at breakfast and add a short walk after your two biggest meals. It lays out four phases over 90 days. Have recent bloodwork? Analyze it free.
Free with your Dr. Axe account (email or Google). You'll also get the protocol's short email series and the Dr. Axe newsletter; unsubscribe anytime.
Open the free protocol →Saltine crackers: frequently asked questions
Are saltines a healthy snack?
How many calories are in a saltine cracker?
One saltine (3 grams) has about 13 calories, and a serving of five crackers (15 grams) has about 63.1 Most of those calories come from carbohydrate, 11.1 grams per serving.
How many saltines are in a serving?
What are saltine crackers made of?
Are saltines good for nausea?
Yes, for short-term nausea they're a reasonable choice: in a tasting trial in which 72 women hospitalized with severe pregnancy sickness each tried four foods, 89% kept down a quarter of a plain cracker, and they rated it a little higher than white bread.25 Add protein once the crackers stay down, and try ginger beside them.2728
Are saltines good for an upset stomach?
Yes, for a few days: crackers made with refined white flour are part of the bland diet MedlinePlus describes for nausea and vomiting.30 Move back to your usual whole foods as soon as you can.
Can you eat saltines while pregnant?
Yes. Plain crackers are a common first step for morning sickness, and Britain's National Health Service suggests dry toast or a plain biscuit in the morning and small, frequent meals of plain foods such as crackers.46 Pair them with protein when you can.27 The safety section lists the warning signs that need a call.
Are saltines good for weight loss?
What is the glycemic index of saltine crackers?
Are saltine crackers gluten-free?
Are saltines vegan?
Are whole-wheat saltines healthier?
Are low-sodium saltines better?
They're lower in salt, about 30 milligrams of sodium in five crackers, but they're made from the same refined flour.45
Are saltines healthier than bread?
What is a healthy alternative to saltine crackers?
Seed crackers made from flax, chia, sesame, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, or crackers made from sprouted grain or sourdough, all built from foods on my list of foods to eat.2 Top them with an egg, wild-caught salmon, avocado or goat cheese.
Freshness & update log
October 9, 2026 — Trimmed repeated book references.
October 7, 2026 — Rebuilt the page ("Are Saltine Crackers Healthy? Pros & Cons of Saltines") to the current DrAxe.com standard under Dr. Axe's byline. The page now gives Dr. Axe's position: saltines are refined white flour, best kept occasional and eaten with protein, with a place for a few days of a sick stomach, and seed, sprouted-grain and sourdough crackers as the swaps. Corrected the ingredient list to match current labels (vegetable oils such as soybean, palm, canola or safflower oil, not butter), updated the nutrition values to the current USDA record (141 milligrams of sodium in five crackers) and corrected the ob-gyn survey figure to 88.5%. Added the measured glycemic index of soda crackers, the hospital tasting trial in severe pregnancy sickness, the protein and ginger research for nausea, the Dr. Axe Score, label-reading guidance and safety notes on gluten, sodium and pregnancy warning signs, with 47 numbered references. Removed two unsourced claims: the explanation of the cracker's holes and the idea that a saltine's salt replaces sodium lost when you're sick.
References
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Crackers, saltines (includes oyster, soda, soup). FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC ID 172746.
- Axe J, Rubin J. The Biblio Diet. Hachette Book Group; 2025. ISBN 9781546008439. "The Sinister Six" (ebook p. 37); label guidance, including the five-ingredient guideline (ebook p. 43) and "Any flour ingredient without the word whole" (ebook p. 44); "The Consequences of Modern Bread-Baking Practices" (ebook p. 90); the bread ranking; food lists ("Grains and starchy carbohydrates," ebook p. 165; nuts and seeds, ebook p. 167); dairy list.
- Power ML, Holzman GB, Schulkin J. A survey on the management of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy by obstetrician/gynecologists. Prim Care Update Ob Gyns. 2001;8(2):69-72. doi:10.1016/s1068-607x(00)00077-9. PMID:11246031
- Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008. Diabetes Care. 2008;31(12):2281-3. doi:10.2337/dc08-1239. PMID:18835944 (supplementary Table A2, crackers).
- Wolever TMS, Katzman-Relle L, Jenkins AL, Vuksan V, Josse RG, Jenkins DJA. Glycaemic index of 102 complex carbohydrate foods in patients with diabetes. Nutr Res. 1994;14(5):651-669. doi:10.1016/s0271-5317(05)80201-5
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Seeds, flaxseed. FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC ID 169414.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. SALTINE CRACKERS (Krasdale Foods, Inc.). FoodData Central, Branded Foods, FDC ID 2121642.
- Axe J. 6 Most Inflammatory Foods to AVOID At All Costs. Dr. Josh Axe on YouTube. 2024 (Dr. Axe at 6:45 on refined carbohydrates and at 7:25 on the whole wheat bread label).
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. SALTINE CRACKERS, SALTINE (Wakefern Food Corporation). FoodData Central, Branded Foods, FDC ID 2619807.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. SALTINE CRACKERS, SALTINE (Whole Foods Market, Inc.). FoodData Central, Branded Foods, FDC ID 2506430.
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