The three pie charts shown compare the average amounts of three potentially unhealthy ingredients, namely, sodium, saturated fat and sugar, which are consumed by British adults at typical mealtimes of breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as snacks. However, when we look closely at three nutrients, at dinner sodium and saturated fat consumption are at their highest, whereas added sugar predominates at snack time.
The lowest rates are at breakfast where the figures for all three additives hardly vary, with both saturated fat and added sugar at 16% of their respective totals and sodium at three percentage points less. The lunchtime data also show broad similarities through the percentages for all three are higher than breakfast, with both sodium and saturated fat slightly more that a quarter of the totals and added sugar at a fifth. Both sodium and saturated fat show similar distribution patterns since there is never more than three percentage point difference between the two over the four areas studied.
As far as sodium is concerned, over two-thirds is consumed either at dinner (42%) or lunch (28%), in comparison with breakfast (13%) and out of regular mealtime snacks (17%). Likewise, saturated fat consumption is at its highest at dinner (39%), followed by lunch (26%) whereas breakfast and snacks stand at 16 and 19% respectively.
However, added sugar display a somewhat different pattern because snacks account for almost half the total and the three traditional mealtimes make up the reminder in almost equal proportions, varying from 16% at breakfast to 20% at lunch .