The charts illustrate the proportion of three nutrients—sodium, saturated fat, and added sugar—in regular meals in the United States. These nutrients can be harmful if consumed in excessive amounts.
Overall, sodium and saturated fat are consumed mostly during dinner, while breakfast contains the lowest quantities of these nutrients. In contrast, snacks contain the highest percentage of added sugars and the lowest percentage of sodium.
During dinner, the proportions of sodium and saturated fat reach their highest, at 43% and 37%, respectively. In breakfast, these percentages decrease to their lowest, at 14% for sodium and 16% for saturated fat. Lunch contains a moderate amount of sodium and saturated fat, at 29% and 26%, respectively, which further decrease to 14% and 21% in snacks.
Added sugar shows a constant increase throughout the day, starting at 16% in breakfast, rising to 19% at lunch, reaching 23% during dinner, and peaking at 42% in snacks.