Location: Food Surveys Research Group
Title: Lunch Consumption by U.S. Adults: What We Eat in America, NHANES 2017 - March 2020Author
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Submitted to: Worldwide Web Site: Food Surveys Research Group
Publication Type: Research Technical Update Publication Acceptance Date: 4/1/2024 Publication Date: 4/30/2024 Citation: Sebastian, R.S., Hoy, M.K., Murayi, T., Goldman, J.D., Moshfegh, A.J. 2024. Lunch Consumption by U.S. Adults: What We Eat in America, NHANES 2017 - March 2020. Worldwide Web Site: Food Surveys Research Group. Available: https://www.ars.usda.gov/nea/bhnrc/fsrg/wweia/dbrief. Interpretive Summary: Lunch is a midday meal consumed in the U.S. and worldwide. Foods and beverages consumed at lunch make notable contributions to nutrient intake of adults. Up-to-date information about lunch consumption by U.S. adults is needed. Using data from What We Eat in America (WWEIA), the dietary interview component of NHANES 2017 - March 2020, we examined lunch. We identified: who consumes it, its contributions to energy and nutrient intakes, and common food and beverage choices at this meal. We found that approximately 3 in 4 (77%) adults aged 20 years and older consume lunch on any given day. The likelihood of eating lunch does not vary by gender or age group. However, non-Hispanic (NH) Black and Hispanic adults are less likely to consume lunch as compared to NH White and NH Asian adults. Moreover, those in the lowest and middle categories of family income are less likely to consume lunch than adults in the highest category. Approximately one in ten obtains more than half of their total daily energy intake from lunch. Adults who consume lunch have higher intakes of energy, protein, carbohydrate, dietary fiber, fat, and many vitamins and minerals compared to adults who do not eat lunch. For consumers, lunch provides on average 29% of overall energy intake and comparable amounts of most nutrients studied. The food category most consumed at lunch is mixed dishes, with two-thirds of lunch consumers having a mixed dish on the intake day. Sixty-eight percent of adult lunch consumers have a beverage at this meal, and the most consumed beverage is water. This latest information about lunch consumption can inform food manufacturers, restaurants, dietitians, nutritionists, and consumers about the considerable role of lunch in the diets of U.S. adults. Technical Abstract: The lunch meal is widely consumed in the U.S. Foods and beverages at lunch contribute meaningfully to dietary intake. However, up-to-date, comprehensive characterization of lunch consumption among U.S. adults is lacking. One day of dietary intake data from 7,707 adults aged 20 years and over in What We Eat in America, NHANES 2017 - March 2020, the most recent nationwide dietary intake data available, was analyzed. Lunch was self-defined by the respondent. Two-tailed t-tests were used to compare percentages of adults (all and by gender) consuming lunch by age, race/ethnicity, and family income and to compare nutrient intakes by lunch consumption status. On any given day, 77% of American adults consume lunch. Prevalence does not differ by gender or age group (p>0.001). However, Non-Hispanic Black adults and Hispanic adults are less likely to consume lunch relative to non-Hispanic White adults and non-Hispanic Asian adults, as are those in the lowest and middle categories of family income relative to those in the highest income category. Compared to individuals who do not consume lunch (non-consumers), lunch consumers have significantly higher intakes of energy, protein, carbohydrate, dietary fiber, fat, saturated fat, and all vitamins, and minerals analyzed. Lunch occasions contribute 29% of adult consumers’ total intake of energy and comparable amounts of other nutrients. The food category most consumed at lunch is mixed dishes (66% of consumers) and the most consumed beverage is water (32% of consumers). Most U.S. adults consume lunch. Modifying lunch choices could result in meaningful improvements in dietary intake of food groups and nutrients. |
