The charts illustrate how the consumption of three different nutrients is distributed among four main meals in the United States.
Overall, dinner accounts for the largest proportion of both sodium and saturated fat, while snacks contain the highest percentage of added sugar. In contrast, breakfast generally has the lowest figures for all three nutrients.
To begin with, dinner makes up the largest share of sodium consumption, at 43%, followed by lunch at 29%. Breakfast and snacks both account for 14%. A similar pattern can be seen in saturated fat, with dinner having the highest figure at 37%, while lunch and snacks represent 26% and 21%, respectively. Breakfast has the lowest proportion, at 16%.
Furthermore, the figures for added sugar show a different pattern. Snacks account for the largest percentage, at 42%, which is almost twice as much as dinner, at 23%. Lunch contributes 19%, while breakfast has the smallest share, at 16%. Therefore, snacks are the main source of added sugar, whereas dinner contributes the most sodium and saturated fat.
