Do most Americans skip breakfast and only have a sandwich for lunch?

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shnanogans@reddit

The people that I know that skip breakfast usually say it’s because they’re not hungry in the mornings or it upsets their stomach to eat so soon after getting up. Cannot relate. I’d die without breakfast.

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OolongGeer@reddit

That one guy doesn't eat at all, I hear. He views it as a weakness.

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commandrix@reddit

Some Americans like to have a big breakfast, others don't really do breakfast, and of course there's everything in between. Of course people will joke about how much we love bacon, a common breakfast food! But it really is a matter of personal taste.

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QuesoDelDiablos@reddit

America is a huge country with a lot of different sub cultures, but for me and most people I know, we very commonly skip breakfast. Although a sandwich is a very common lunch, I think there is a bit more variety to our lunches than that. Also dinner does tend to be a bigger meal.

So I guess in short your impression is pretty consistent with my own experience although I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a lot of Americans out there that do it differently.

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Hobbit_Holes@reddit

I generally don't eat breakfast or lunch and have a mediumish supper.

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Vast_Reaction_249@reddit

I have coffee for breakfast. No lunch. Moderate dinner.

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New-Length-8099@reddit

no

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Accomplished_Time761@reddit

My family growing has always focused more on breakfast and lunch for the "larger" meals and then light dinner but my husband's family focus on larger breakfasts and dinners. Culturally, we are different so maybe it has something to do with that or maybe occupations?

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indianapones_@reddit

Urm. No. If this were the case we wouldn't have the obesity rate that we have.

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G00dSh0tJans0n@reddit

Big breakfast is only on the weekends when I'll do maybe fried eggs, southern style biscuits, and bacon or maybe a sausage and jalapeno omelet.

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Alternative-Law4626@reddit

Long for the days when I could eat that way with impunity. Now, I might do that once a year. Especially buttermilk biscuits with bacon gravy.

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Alternative-Law4626@reddit

I don't know about most Americans, but I skip breakfast. Probably no sandwich. Maybe a snack of some sort midday. Most days some sort of bowl meal of salad, a bit of grain (whole barley, or kamut or similar), sauteed vegetables and a bit of high quality protein. I'm sure there's at least 1%-2% who eat similarly.

Basically, as I've aged, I find I don't need that many calories. If I eat more, I'll get fat.

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Gullible-Display-116@reddit

I'm in college and have found that most people skip breakfast.

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sean8877@reddit

I don't know any people who do that, but that doesn't mean there aren't people who do it.

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vadabungo@reddit

I don’t usually eat until after dark. 2000ish calories over a 3-4 hour window.

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Specific-Jury4270@reddit

It depends.

Me for example, yes i don't like eating first thing in the morning. But my friends love getting together for breakfast and having the works.

I like lunch, like a basic salad, burrito... nothing fancy.

Dinner- again, depends.

You're not going to get a straight answer bc there's no such thing ( besides what social media tells you it is) as a " standard American diet"

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caitlowcat@reddit

Some people do. I love breakfast and I’d be starving by lunch if I didn’t eat in the morning.

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Kbbbbbut@reddit

It does seem like most Americans have either breakfast or lunch, but always dinner. Personally I eat lunch on the weekdays and breakfast on the weekends, I guess because I don’t have much time for breakfast on the way to work. Always have dinner though. Definitely most substantial meal of the day

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Tacomaville@reddit

"Most" immediately makes you sound like a fucking douche.

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Gomdok_the_Short@reddit

Most Americans do not skip breakfast but most Americans have a quick and convenient breakfast. Dinner is still the largest meal of the day.

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anneofgraygardens@reddit

no. there isn't really a "typical" American meal standard that most people follow. There's huge variation based on individual taste.

I personally always have a breakfast. I rarely have a sandwich for lunch, but sometimes I do. This is not representative of how Americans eat, but it isn't unusual either.

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Sihaya212@reddit

Yeah, I think people fail to realize how massive and non-homogenous the US is. We often have completely different cultures from state to state. We are a country of immigrants, so asking what the “typical American” does is like asking what the typical human does.

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thegmoc@reddit

Wait a minute. Are you telling me 340 million people don't all behave the exact same way? You must be pulling my leg

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Sihaya212@reddit

Well, I suppose most of us pee.

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Lornesto@reddit

The lucky ones.

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Etiennera@reddit

Only nations with 1.5 billion people tend to behave the exact same way. Of course America is diverse.

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eldritch-charms@reddit

Agree, I don't eat breakfast, lunch is usually fruit or sushi, then a mini charcuterie for dinner

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FWEngineer@reddit

I agree that there is no typical pattern.

I always have breakfast and lunch, and most of my coworkers do as well. But there are people that have a very light lunch, my wife (who is an immigrant) skips breakfast, might not eat until 1 pm.

Conversely, when I was visiting overseas (Europe), every day we had a big supper late at night and then went to bed full. I gained 3 pounds in a week. I was glad to get back home and have a lighter dinner.

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Odd-Row9485@reddit

IME lots of countries around the world either don’t eat breakey or only eat vey minimum maybe a coffee and a croissant. But thanks to Kellogg us in ÑA have grown up on breakfast is the most important meal of the day, which I can only assume based on our average size is likely not true.

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identitycrisis56@reddit

You're ingnoring cofounding factors beyond eating breakfast v. not eating breakfast.

It's also the change in lifestyle and the change in diet. Not only do Americans eat breakfast, they also drive more and work in sedentary environments. Not only do they eat breakfast, what they consume for lunch and dinner has shifted dramatically in the last 60 years. The assertion that breakfast is the cause is non-sensical. It really is as simple as calories in vs calories out, and if skipping breakfast helps you achieve that goal it's great. But it's also not the cause.

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atomicxblue@reddit

I guess I have the opposite problem. Most of my weight is because I forget to eat. I may not remember to eat until dinner some days and the body holds on to as much as it can.

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identitycrisis56@reddit

During COVID I lived alone and got in the habit of picking up dinner just to have a silver of human chit-chat face to face. Because I knew I was ordering out or hitting up a drive through, I'd eat light or not at all, and then binge for dinner.

I thought at the time I was eating similar calories or less, but I gained weight FAST. I realized I was way underestimating what I ate for that meal and my daily activity was way down from where it was previously.

It was bad and I've only recently fixed some of the weight I gained. I went down after lockdowns ended, but only recently started to trend back down to lowest weight.

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atomicxblue@reddit

I'm proud of you.

If I had to guess, I'm guessing it stems from back when I was in college and completely broke. I didn't have enough money at any one time to buy a loaf of bread and cheese, but it worked out cheaper per day to be able to get a cheese sandwich with lots of pickles (plus tip) at Waffle House. I would still need to drink lots of water before bed so I felt "full" just so I could get some sleep.

I just got used to eating less to the point that many days I only eat a small amount for dinner and pack on the pounds. It's hard to get out of that, you know? I still struggle with that to this day and college was over 20 years ago.

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Odd-Row9485@reddit

So lack of education or poor education is the root cause then. Perhaps like saying how important your businesses product is on a daily basis?

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identitycrisis56@reddit

You're missing the point here.

Sure, let's blame cereal like you want to. Let's even pick a sugary unhealthy one like cinnamon toast crunch.

You'd have to eat TWELVE PORTIONS of it to get even the minimum basal metabolic rate needed to maintain weight. If anything, eating only cereal for breakfast if you're someone who eats it is a great way to achieve a caloric deficit and lose weight.

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Jakanapes@reddit

Yeah, it’s different for everyone. I never eat breakfast, but I’ll have a decent sized lunch and am more likely to just have a sandwich for dinner.

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HalloweenLover@reddit

Its different for me from day to day. Somedays I will eat a big breakfast and then nothing until dinner. Sometimes nothing for breakfast and then lunch etc. I don't really have a pattern.

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BeerForThought@reddit

You don't start every morning shaking breakfast out of the grits tree?

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shelwood46@reddit

Yep. I am on meds that need to be taken with food, so I usually have something for breakfast. I nearly always skip lunch, then have something relatively substantial for dinner.

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MechanicalGodzilla@reddit

Similar to me. 5 eggs and a piece of toast for breakfast, usually no lunch, and a main meal at dinner time.

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Robie_John@reddit

Just walking around the United States, it doesn’t look like many Americans skip many meals at all.

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ReggieDub@reddit

I know “sandwich” lunchers. I’m married to one and had one.

Husband has for 90% of the time has a sandwich for lunch. Daughter ate a peanut butter sandwich almost every day of high school.

I have found that people who eat the same thing day after day are truly doing it because it’s simple, fast, does the job. Food is fuel.

I like brunch around 10-10:30ish every day and working from home I can do that.

The only sandwich I ever want is the Mediterranean one from Panera.

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TrickyShare242@reddit

I knew a guy really into crossfit and he ate purely for fuel and not flavor. He eat sick straight hamburger meat white rice and a veggie almost every day. Simply cooked, no seasoning. Hed sit down slam his food and thats it. I blew my mind because I was in culinary school at the time and never met anyone like that before

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Pkrudeboy@reddit

I’ve never understood that. A pinch of seasoning isn’t going to throw off your diet.

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shelwood46@reddit

I had a housemate who was obsessed with running and the only thing, the ONLY thing, all three meals a day, he ate was boneless chicken breast sauteed in a pan, onto which he would dump half a jar of spice, then cut it up in the pan. My pans, my poor non-stick pans. He ruined all my pans, all my knives, used up every spice I had and he and the house stank. I still have nightmares.

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Pkrudeboy@reddit

That just sounds like a deeply disturbed person.

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TrickyShare242@reddit

Outside of salt every seasoning is nutritionally negligible

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ehunke@reddit

There is zero nutritional logic in that meal at all.

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TrickyShare242@reddit

I asked him about it once and he said he wanted, and I quote "protein and carbs". Then he took multivitamins. It really isn't healthy to do that but I mean he was super into it and his coach told him to do it. I tried a few times to get him to eat fresh fruit or more veggies and he wasn't into it. I gave up.

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ehunke@reddit

Again it's insane

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Bridalhat@reddit

I know a few people who don’t care about food like this, but still more I think just have eating disorders.

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shitpresidente@reddit

I don’t understand how! My social life and lot of the joy I get out of life is food/sweets! I think most people that just focus on hitting their macros can be designated as someone having an eating disorder. That’s just not normal

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Ajxkzcoflasdl@reddit

An eating disorder is a health problem, not just someone with eating preferences that don't match yours.

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Bridalhat@reddit

I can see someone just not enjoying food much. I live in the US and think way too much revolves around food.

But some people take it too far

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crazycatlesbian29@reddit

Seasoning doesn’t even do anything for macros or calories though. I’ll never understand that.

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shitpresidente@reddit

No one ever brings up this sandwich!!! It’s the best on their menu!

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SL13377@reddit

Aye food is fuel people are VERY COMMON here but also people like us/me who wants the largest variation and variety of food possible and as much uniqueness we can gather and brunch is a “thing “ we seek and enjoy.

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Bright_Ices@reddit

My sister ate a baloney and cheese sandwich every single day after morning kindergarten. Meanwhile, I refused to pack sandwich lunches until I was in high school. Before that, I would bring a thermos full of hot leftovers from home. Both of us would start the day with a bowl of cereal (sugary for her, plain for me) with milk or just a pop-tart on the way out the door.

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bremergorst@reddit

What a bunch of bologna

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Bright_Ices@reddit

Nah, we could only afford baloney.

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webbess1@reddit

I eat breakfast every day.

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keralaindia@reddit

Easily my biggest meal of the day. If I don’t get 7-800 calories before 9-10 AM it’s a bad day. So much healthier too.

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nerpss@reddit

There's nothing inherently healthier about that.

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Important-Jackfruit9@reddit

There are at least some studies indicating we do better metabolically if we more earlier and less later in the day.

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catsandcoconuts@reddit

not statistically significant tho. CICO is the only/best measure tbh.

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Important-Jackfruit9@reddit

There's more to metabolism and health than weight but weight loss is also affected

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/chronobiology-how-circadian-rhythms-can-control-your-health-and-weight/

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catsandcoconuts@reddit

that’s too nuanced for this sub tbh. most ppl can’t event understand cico.

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keralaindia@reddit

Yes there is. Plenty of studies on this. The evidence of overwhelming.

Several studies have demonstrated that the timing of caloric intake can significantly impact metabolic health. For instance, a study using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) found that an earlier eating start time was associated with lower fasting glucose and insulin resistance, independent of the duration of eating.[1] Another NHANES-based study observed that starting energy consumption earlier in the day was associated with better cardiometabolic endpoints, including lower HbA1c and improved lipid profiles.[2] Additionally, randomized controlled trials have shown that distributing a greater proportion of daily caloric intake earlier in the day can enhance weight loss and improve metabolic outcomes. For example, a systematic review and meta-analysis found that earlier energy intake distribution resulted in significantly greater weight loss and improvements in fasting glucose and insulin resistance.[3] Another study demonstrated that early time-restricted feeding (eating from 8 am to 2 pm) reduced appetite and increased fat oxidation without affecting total energy expenditure.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36771435/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34444846/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31339000/

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GhostsAgain7@reddit

I wonder if you're getting downvoted because it looks like you wrote that you need 7800 calories by noon lol.

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keralaindia@reddit

I’m getting downvoted for saying “so much healthier too” which the non-breakfast eaters don’t like despite the evidence.

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bremergorst@reddit

I have a hard time finding the will to eat early in the day. I’m usually up by 7, but generally don’t eat anything significant until about 1200.

Maybe some small snacks before and after but usually I find the more I eat the more I feel like poopy.

Eat like bird = happy belly

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DaisyDuckens@reddit

That’s been my experience growing up. Cereal in the morning at most. Sandwich for lunch. Big meal for dinner. As I’ve gotten older I’ve started having a bigger lunch and almost no dinner and I feel much better that way.

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PhilosopherFree8682@reddit

In my experience, breakfast is a bigger deal on average in America than in most of Western Europe, but it's also pretty normal to skip it or eat something small.

I've always eaten a big breakfast, small lunch, and an early dinner. If I don't start my day with carbs, fat, and eggs or a big bowl of granola with full fat yogurt I get lightheaded and cranky before lunch.

Also worth noting that American sandwiches are often pretty large. "Bread with a half pound of smoked meat, sauerkraut, mayonnaise, and cheese" would not be an unusual sandwich order (this is called a Reuben.)

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-Fraccoon-@reddit

I think it depends on the person. Usually we’ll eat a small breakfast and small lunch then a bigger dinner like you’re describing. Personally I don’t even eat breakfast and snack for lunch then eat a big dinner.

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SeawolfEmeralds@reddit

BREAKFAST

SeawolfEmeralds

•17h ago•

Nobody skips breakfast

Tiny-Reading5982

•1h ago•

A lot of people do lol

SeawolfEmeralds

Its called

Break

Fast

Meaning after dinner and evening time, go to sleep, wake up midnight or early morning start the light work, then heavy work.

Then beak the fast

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SeawolfEmeralds@reddit

On any given day in any time zone at noon roughly one third of that population is is viewing that time of day as something entirely different they could be asleep getting ready for their third shift or just getting off work heading home.

All of them will have had breakfast if they ate that day.

Tiny-Reading5982

•22h ago•

So for a lot of people 'breakfast' is lunch

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SeawolfEmeralds@reddit

Nobody skips breakfast

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Tiny-Reading5982@reddit

A lot of people do lol

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SeawolfEmeralds@reddit

Its called

Break

Fast

Meaning after dinner go to sleep wake up midnight or early morning start the work.

Then beak the fast.

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Tiny-Reading5982@reddit

So for a lot of people 'breakfast' is lunch

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SeawolfEmeralds@reddit

On any given day in any time zone at noon roughly one third of that population is is viewing that time of day as something entirely different they could be asleep getting ready for their third shift or just getting off work heading home.

All of them will have had breakfast if they ate that day.

Tiny-Reading5982

•22h ago•

So for a lot of people 'breakfast' is lunch

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External_Class_9456@reddit

No. I have a sandwich and chips. Get your facts straight

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samandtham@reddit

Personally, I don't eat breakfast; a cup of black coffee is enough for me.

When I'm traveling and the hotel has hot breakfast included with the rate, I'll partake. If there's a separate fee or it's just cereal and toast, I'm sleeping in.

My heaviest meal is lunch most days. I work from home and have a lot more freedom to take my laptop with me to the kitchen while I rustle up something. Dinner is fairly light: a serving of pasta, a quarter of a roasted chicken, a bowl of soup and bread, that sort.

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OlderNerd@reddit

This is why America is more productive than your country.

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Tiny-Reading5982@reddit

What is the end result of all of this productivity?

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OlderNerd@reddit

In 2024, the United States had the largest economy in the world, with a gross domestic product of just under 29 trillion U.S. dollars. China had the second largest economy, at around 18.5 trillion U.S. dollars.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/268173/countries-with-the-largest-gross-domestic-product-gdp/#:~:text=In%202024%2C%20the%20United%20States,around%2018.5%20trillion%20U.S.%20dollars.

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greensandgrains@reddit

More isn’t always better.

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keralaindia@reddit

Data literally shows breakfast eaters are more productive.

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OlderNerd@reddit

And yet the United States of America consistently shows better productivity relative to GDP then your country

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keralaindia@reddit

You mean the USA that eats breakfast?

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everyoneisflawed@reddit

I don't think that most of us do that. Speaking for myself, I don't usually eat breakfast because I'm not hungry in the mornings. Also, a sandwich is a common lunch item, but I wouldn't say that's most of us. Sometimes we have leftovers from last night's dinner, or maybe we get some drive-thru, go out to eat with a friend, or something like that. I'm partial to ramen since I work from home and that's what we have in the kitchen lol

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Katty_Whompus_@reddit

I think dinner is our biggest meal mostly because that’s the only time of the day we have time to spend cooking & preparing food.

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Moist_Asparagus6420@reddit

on workdays I usually have breakfast at work, usually consist of coffee, and a choice of 2 hard boiled eggs, or yogurt and granola, or maybe just a small protein drink. My lunch is usually a 5 to 6 hundred calorie meal that I meal prepped during the weekend, usually a serving of meat (chicken, fish, pork), with a baked potato, and 2 cooked veggie sides. If I don't have time to meal prep, it's usually a can of low sodium soup, rice, and a tuna packet. Dinner would probably be my largest meal of the day if I weren't actively trying to lose weight. These days my dinner might be a baked potato, an egg, and a fruit smoothie. I'm eating a lot of potatoes right now for the potassium though to try and fix my high blood pressure.

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Eddie101101@reddit

No

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CluelessNuggetOfGold@reddit

I eat 4 meals a day and am very cranky when I don't. I'm 178cm, 79.1kg, work a physical job and powerlift 4 days a week. If i skipped breakfast and only had a sandwich for lunch, I would probably feel sick from the lack of nutrition. I start feeling nauseous when I push my first lunch back an hour, let alone skipping meals entirely lol

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asoursk1ttle@reddit

Can’t speak for the rest but I do 😂

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Prestigious_Egg_1989@reddit

While I think that's an oversimplification, there does seem to be a trend (at least on work days) that breakfast needs to be quick, lunch isn't huge, and dinner is the star of the show. Mainly cause in the morning breakfast needs to be quick so you can get to work on time, lunch needs to be portable so you can eat it at work, and the evening is the main time you have free to actually cook a larger meal and (if you want) eat with family.

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VentusHermetis@reddit

It's what I do. Usually small lunch and a big dinner.

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Jayfeather41@reddit

I rarely eat breakfast a lot of times dinner will end up being my only meal

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1130coco@reddit

I never eat breakfast. Have not done so since I was about 12. Lunch? I have things to do. Usually was preparing for our afternoon patients... mainly children. I always purchased snacks for the kids. Parents seem to forget kids are starving after school. Making them grouchy. Dinner is it for me. Nothing huge. While my husband eats 3 meals a day. He is diabetic... eating needs to be a must for him. While a baked potato and salad does it for me

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neoprenewedgie@reddit

I do not eat breakfast and I have a sandwich for lunch.

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llynglas@reddit

Depends on the day and how busy. If busy: skip, toast, cereal, instant-ish oatmeal or grab a sandwich from a fast food place. Weekends/with time/family eggs, sausage, bacon, fried potatoes and maybe pancakes

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Zardozin@reddit

Most people I know who say they skip breakfast end up drinking a few hundred calories in coffee creamer and snacking by first break.

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aimeerogers0920@reddit

I generally skip breakfast on days I work. I have a cup (or two) of coffee instead. Lunch can be a small bag of chips or going out to eat sushi. Or anything in between.

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susannahstar2000@reddit

Why do people ask what "most" Americans or any other major group do about anything? Like, sure, all 300 million of us do the same thing, or not.

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IsawitinCroc@reddit

Americans only skip breakfast majority of the time if they're late for work, class, meetings, etc. For lunch, it can be a variety of things from a sandwich with other things like fruit and snacks, could be fast food, could be lunch provided by their company or university. It honestly varies.

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Adventurous_Bonus917@reddit

i generally have a light breakfast, whatever i can grab for lunch while at work, and a larger dinner. agree with everyone mentioning the huge variation, though.

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GoCougs2020@reddit

I skip altogether and only eat r/omad That’s usually dinner.

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IrianJaya@reddit

Maybe in the shows you are watching it is not necessary to see them eating. They are trying to tell a story not accurately depict the average person's day.

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brieflifetime@reddit

I stopped eating breakfast around puberty. Usually eat either a sandwich or leftovers. Big dinner 🤷 it's just how I naturally want to eat and is not similar to my parents or grandparents. They all eat breakfast for starters. I just usually don't feel hungry for at least two hours after waking up. Sometimes longer.

Agree that there's no specific American standard for meals the way there might be for other countries. We're made up of to many of those different countries 😆

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pinaple_cheese_girl@reddit

I don’t remember the last time I had a sandwich for lunch lol

I eat breakfast on workdays so I don’t get hungry or need to snack before lunch. On weekends I usually don’t eat breakfast because I can have an early lunch or snacks if I want.

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crazitaco@reddit

Sometimes I eat a breakfast and dinner, with no lunch. Sometimes its no breakfast, with lunch and dinner. It's rare for me to eat three full meals in a day, I prefer two good-sized meals.

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Dametupiel@reddit

America is multicultural and a lot of people dont follow a set routine. All meals are sometimes.

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DrunkCommunist619@reddit

Not typically, there's no "standard" American breakfast, and it can really change from person to person. But it'd be unusual for you to eat nothing for breakfast and very little for lunch, at least unless you're on some kid of diet.

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Zaidswith@reddit

I don't think it's standard but it is what happens in my family, yes.

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classisttrash@reddit

I don’t know if most Americans skip it but I do most days. My appetite doesn’t kick in when I wake up early in the morning and usually till about lunch time so on work days I almost always skip. On weekends I wake up later on occasionally eat something once I do but oftentimes by that time it’s close to lunch anyway. My husband doesn’t eat breakfast on most days either but from my understanding he eats lunch pretty early at work

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AffectionateRadio356@reddit

This is the approach I take as well. On work days I don't eat breakfast and my lunch is pretty early in the day at 11:00. Sometimes on the weekend I'll make a more elaborate brunch but honestly I enjoy the cooking and serving more than the eating.

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Truck_Toucher@reddit

I’ll eat Subway sandwich for dinner idgaf. I love Italian sandwiches. Meatball subs too.

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Floater439@reddit

Oh it varies quite a bit. I rarely eat breakfast because I’m in a hurry to get my day started, and lunch is light because I’m at work. (We don’t tend to have long casual lunches or even take our whole lunch break.) Dinner is a big meal because I’m at home, have time to cook for my partner and myself, might even eat outside on the patio with music playing and a nice drink.

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DuchessDeWynter@reddit

I am usually up by 7:00 and I tend to forget to eat breakfast. I eat a small lunch at work(I work in the restaurant industry); often a sandwich of some type around 1pm. Spouse and I usually have dinner between 5-7pm. I tend to have 1 1/2 servings of dinner( extra veggies or more salad, rarely main dish). I’ll have a light snack around midnight(toast, cottage cheese, popcorn, apple, or a hot chocolate) and bedtime is 2am for me.

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hydraheads@reddit

I'm more likely to have a sandwich for lunch than for dinner, but I don't have sandwiches very often. Always have breakfast but some days it's just a piece of toast and coffee or something. Other days it's bacon-egg-and-cheese on an English muffin. Other days yogurt with some honey and nuts and craisins mixed in. It varies a lot.

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fildoforfreedom@reddit

Eating in the morning has always made me sick. My father had the same issue.

I usually eat no breakfast and a light lunch unless I'm doing physical labor (part-time farm work). If I'm working hard, I'll eat a big lunch and a bigger dinner.

Sandwich lunch is for non physical days.

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Gilamunsta@reddit

I don't know about most, but I usually get up 30 minutes before leaving for work, so enough time to start coffee, shower, drink coffee and smoke before leaving. On my days off though I'll usually make breakfast.

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47-30-23N_122-0-22W@reddit

Personally I don't know a lot of people who eat breakfast

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Maronita2020@reddit

I always eat breakfast lunch and dinner, and never eat sandwiches.

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Middcore@reddit

So many questions on this sub are based on mistaken assumptions that your can make broad generalizations about "most Americans."

I bet that people in the home countries of most of the people who ask these questions are much less homomgenous in their behaviors than the posters realize, and people are just assuming everyone there is like themselves and the people they personally know.

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Imaginary_Ladder_917@reddit

I would say the evening meal is usually the largest among people I know. Other than that, even in my family of five we all eat differently in terms of what and how much we eat for lunch and breakfast.

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caskey@reddit

I haven't had breakfast in 30 years. Lunch is my first meal of the day

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kjk050798@reddit

I always eat breakfast, I get nauseous if I don’t.

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schmelk1000@reddit

I’m usually nauseous in the morning, so I would take a couple bites of yogurt and take some breakfast crackers for later in the morning (helloooooo blueberry Belvitas). I’m a notoriously poor eater, so for my lunch/dinner, I’d have a peanut butter sandwich with some more crackers and an apple and that’s about it.

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big_data_mike@reddit

We grab something you can hold in your hand in the car for breakfast, a sandwich you can shove in your face while you’re at work, then stop by the drive thru on our way home from work for dinner and eat a huge fast food dinner

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4-me@reddit

Breakfast is my biggest meal. I’m starving In the morning. Most days I could skip dinner or just a small snack. And a normal size lunch.

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semisubterranean@reddit

I never skip breakfast. I do often skip lunch frequently though. It depends on how my day is going. But even when I'm late for a meeting and rushing around, I always eat something for breakfast.

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Fantastic-Leopard131@reddit

Yep id say thats pretty accurate.

For breakfast i take something to go and eat it in my car on the way to work. Its usually a premade smoothie and a slim jim or jerky. I work 8am-5pm and do not take any breaks. Every now and then i will order something for lunch or do pack myself a sandwich but usually i just snack at my desk throughout the day or skip eating entirely. I usually have a busy day so its hard to eat a full meal bc even if i do order food or bring a sandwich im constantly being interrupted so i can usually only eat a few bites at a time and if its a really busy day its just easier to skip eating all together since itd just end up sitting out for hours. Its easier if i dont even attempt a full lunch and just bring a few snacks like grapes, strawberries, or cheese cubes. I often bring a “shake” that is just straight milk with protein powder in it so that im at least getting some calories and protein in without actually needing to eat.

Then for dinner yeah thats pretty much the only time i actually sit down and eat a full rounded meal.

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AshDenver@reddit

You’re likely European / Northern European. Yall do things “right.”

Us Muricans do it opposite: breakfast like a pauper, lunch like a knight, dinner like a king and then sleep so we get super fat.

Yall eat big off the bat and work it off throughout the day and light meal before bed.

I would love to live that way but husband is big-big-big meal so at the very least, I’m stuck with a big pre-sleep meal, even when I go easy for myself.

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Tiny-Reading5982@reddit

You can't decide for yourself what to eat during the day? My husband is the same and wants 3 meals a day. I'm happy with one lol.

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AshDenver@reddit

I don’t believe I said I can’t decide for myself what to eat during the day.

In fact, I said the opposite. He sets the dinner menu and it’s generally larger / heavier so I adjust my eating to skip breakfast or eat an early lunch.

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keralaindia@reddit

There are plenty of Americans that eat breakfast like a king, I don’t think that’s a stereotype. American breakfast is a thing eg IHOP etc.

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Vegetable-Use9989@reddit

I don't think most other countries can conceptualize how vast the US is, and how different each state and territory is from each other. Also, I'm not sure what you are watching. I grew up watching these families sit around the table for breakfast with these epic spreads that I know no one irl would wake up to prepare before work and school. Some people eat breakfast, some do not. You really can't generalize our country the way you can with others.

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my-coffee-needs-me@reddit

Breakfast during the week is usually black coffee and either a bowl of cold cereal with milk or a PBJ on toasted bread. On weekends my breakfasts get a little fancier.

Lunch during the week is usually a sandwich with some accompaniments or leftovers.

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DomineAppleTree@reddit

Ain’t no thang about “most” Americans; we gots a HUGE eclectic variation

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bremergorst@reddit

I’d say Americans can accommodate most classifications of breakfast eaters/avoiders.

From no breakfast to only breakfast and everywhere in between, we celebrate all food schedules.

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Pkrudeboy@reddit

Breakfast at 9pm? No problem.

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shelwood46@reddit

Breakfast for dinner is the best.

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Rogue-Telvanni@reddit

Get you some brinner.

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bremergorst@reddit

Invite friends over for brupper?

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Pkrudeboy@reddit

No time for that, I work graveyard shift.

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bremergorst@reddit

Okay 7am beers it is

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itcheyness@reddit

You can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning.

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DomineAppleTree@reddit

Ooooh I like for this

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Pkrudeboy@reddit

I call that happy hour.

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Kaurifish@reddit

The only universal is that none of our moms make a huge breakfast but we take a single piece of toast and head off to school. 🤣

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InksPenandPaper@reddit

Weekend is when we have time for big breakfasts, but the bigness depends on the culture. Latino culture in the USA has big breakfasts on Sundays after church, often with extended families. Otherwise, breakfast can be a light affair of coffee. Lunch and dinners are, however, pretty hearty.

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Weightmonster@reddit

Varies. Some people eat hearty portions for every meal plus 2 snacks. Some people follow a diet where they only eat 6 hours a day.

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Deep-Hovercraft6716@reddit

Nope

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kod_0985@reddit

I don't think it is "most", but weekdays I wakeup at 3:30am and have coffee till 9am. I then switch to water. At around 11:30am I take lunch, which tends to be a granola bar, nuts or some fruit. Get home from work around 4pm and snack on some type of cheese, before making dinner. Dinner is a protein, starch and veggie. Often includes rolls or a dinner bread. I know it isn't ideal, but I never feel great eating and working, nor am I hungry. Fortunately, my husband and son have better habits. Weekends are usually brunch and dinner.

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One_Bicycle_1776@reddit

I personally tend to skip breakfast. I generally just don’t like the convenient breakfast, I consider it extremely unsatisfying and I don’t have the time or energy for a real breakfast

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DingoFlamingoThing@reddit

I don’t think there’s a uniform routine for eating. I personally don’t usually eat breakfast, but I always have lunch and dinner. Typically lunch is something easy (like a sandwich sometimes) because it’s in the middle of work. And then dinner is something much nicer because I have the time to make something good.

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WritPositWrit@reddit

I like sandwiches but I honestly don’t remember the last time I had a sandwich

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SharpHawkeye@reddit

Do most Americans look like they skip meals?

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flashyzipp@reddit

I usually eat very little for breakfast. I do eat a decent sized lunch and a light dinner.

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lunelily@reddit

I do a small breakfast (like a handful of fruit and a health bar), a big lunch—the only meal I actually cook during the day—and then small snacks for dinner (like chips & hummus, or a yogurt and a cheese stick).

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_S1syphus@reddit

I've never found 2 households that eat their meals exactly the same way. For myself im naturally inclined toward 3 large meals a day with snacks in-between which is why I'm overweight. While in control of my habits I find breakfast the easiest to skip, then a simple and filling lunch like a sandwich or something like that, then the big hit of calories at the end of the day for my restraint

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Chewiedozier567@reddit

Breakfast is usually something light, a biscuit with eggs and bacon, just enough to tide over until lunch. Lunch is usually leftovers or a sandwich, though I’ll occasionally buy lunch if I’m out running errands during my lunch break. Dinner depends on what I feel like eating, though it’s never too elaborate since it’s just me. I don’t usually have a big meal except for Thanksgiving, Christmas or someone’s birthday. Growing up the biggest meal would always be Sunday lunch, either at home or my grandparents house. We did have two big meals at church, one in the summer for a church homecoming and one the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

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Corn_Cracking_Jimmy@reddit

I was raised with no breakfast, a small lunch, and a big dinner during the week. Weekends would be big breakfast no lunch and big dinner. As an adult I eat three solid meals a day. So it really depends on the family, the region, and local culture.

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Staszu13@reddit

Fairly close.

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shitpresidente@reddit

I never have time for breakfast, I’ve never cared for breakfast, and never hungry in the morning. I’ll make time to eat if I’m trying to hit some protein goal or something.

I may have a lunch or small snack. I usually prioritize my dinner. It’s my favorite meal of the day.

But everyone is different. When I was younger, it would be a big breakfast on the weekends and maybe cereal in the morning. But again, never really had breakfast.

Lunch during lunchtime at school, and the dinner. Was either elaborate or takeout

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FadedSirens@reddit

I typically do a late breakfast or early lunch, but I rarely eat both breakfast and lunch. Dinner is typically my biggest meal of the day. So I eat 2 meals a day most of the time, but I feel satisfied and meet my nutrition goals with that. I don't believe that 3 meals each day are necessary as long as you're getting properly nourished.

I do, sometimes, absolutely fucking gorge late at night. Second dinner!

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TrustNoSquirrel@reddit

Unfortunately, that’s what’s expected, but I’d rather have a bigger meal in the morning and something small at night as well. It just makes more sense. Why wait all day to really satisfy your hunger in the evening??

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TopperMadeline@reddit

I usually only eat breakfast if I had to get up earlier for work. As for lunch, that varies widely on what I’ll eat.

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nukey18mon@reddit

Like others have said, there is so much variance and personal preference involved, but what you described is accurate for me

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Sorcha9@reddit

I typically don’t eat breakfast or lunch. I really have to force myself to eat more during the day.

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DogOrDonut@reddit

For me breakfast is usually a drinkable yogurt and lunch is a power bar. Both of these, "meals," have to be eaten at work while working so there isn't an option for much else. Dinner is definitely my largest meal and in general I do a lot of evening snacking.

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Dark_Tora9009@reddit

It varies a lot as far as skipping meals and what one eats, but I would say that on a typical day, the typical biggest meal is dinner, that is true. I found the opposite in a lot of Latin American countries and it was one of the biggest culture shocks… like for lunch I want something quick and light like sandwich as you mention and for dinner I want something more substantial. If eat a large meal at lunch I feel sort of like, sluggish, tired and off for the rest of the day

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SueNYC1966@reddit

No, my husband is from Europe and he just had a coffee and cookie at breakfast. I have a large breakfast. He likes to make breakfast for dinner though.

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Number_Fluffy@reddit

I eat when im hungry.. sometimes I have breakfast, sometimes not. Just depends.

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violet_ablueberry@reddit

breakfast wise, it depends on my mood. some days I skip it , some days I have a breakfast shake and some days , I have a really big breakfast ( pancakes, bacon, eggs, hash browns )

for lunch , I don't really eat many sandwiches. I usually make a tv meal or go to my mom house and she makes me something

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ZealousidealAd4860@reddit

No I eat all 3 meals

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jittery_raccoon@reddit

It depends on the person. But yes, I think there is more emphasis on dinner being the big meal culturally

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Adorable-Tree-5656@reddit

I can’t go without breakfast and it has to have protein. I usually do smaller meals and then snacks in between. So something like an English muffin with egg and bacon for breakfast (and coffee), then a piece of cheese with fruit for snack, a sandwich or wrap with lunch, some veggies and nuts for a snack, and then some kind of pasta, grilled chicken/beef and veggies for dinner.

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blipsman@reddit

No

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SL13377@reddit

I ramp up eating as the day goes on. Snacking after dinner might be my biggest meal

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Gatodeluna@reddit

Any question that asks about ‘most people’ should assume that ‘most people’ have full-time jobs. This means they usually don’t have time for much of a breakfast. Most working people only eat what I guess non-Americans would consider any form of ‘American breakfast’ on weekends, holidays or vacations. We do eat, but it might be toast, fruit, yogurt, a breakfast sandwich, etc and it might be eaten at your desk or at your mid-morning break.

Americans like sandwiches and they’re handy for working lunches, but people have whatever they want to for lunch, or dinner. It’s also more common to eat a light dinner because of the thought that eating a heavy meal every night will be more likely to cause weight gain. It’s not like most people somehow deliberately starve themselves until dinner, like a fast.

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prematurely_bald@reddit

This question doesn’t really make sense. The U.S. isn’t some tiny specific little country like France or Germany.

Think of the U.S. as equivalent to all of Europe. Do all Europeans skip breakfast? The question doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

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Wicket2024@reddit

I usually have a small breakfast, sandwich and a side (chips, fruit, crackers) for lunch and a big dinner. The reason being my family have different schedules. We wake up at different times and are not together at lunch. We are usually all home in the evening so it is a great time to all sit at the table and have a family dinner. Also there is more time to put together a well rounded meal in the evenings.

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eLizabbetty@reddit

Forget the countries names. Seafaring brought medditerrianians all over. They went to what is now England for tin, "Bri-tin" tin was needed for bronze. Bronze Age 3300-1200 BCE.

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Kappler6965@reddit

I might have ceral or oatmeal on weekends like Sunday I'll make some eggs

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Apprehensive-Crow146@reddit

Does anyone else find that if they have a full breakfast, they often end up on the toilet in pain before lunch?

All I can handle in the morning is a banana and breakfast bar. Beyond that, I'm taking a risk of stomach upset.

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DocLava@reddit

Breakfast is the first meal of the day....breaking the fast of not eating for a few hours while sleeping. So no one truly skips breakfast.

Some people don't eat in the morning....and think only that can be breakfast.

Some don't eat 'traditional' breakfast foods... but if you eat after hours of not eating overnight then you eat breakfast.

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Particular_Bet_5466@reddit

There’s a lot that do skip breakfast but most don’t. It is common for dinner to be the largest meal though.

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Library_IT_guy@reddit

I do. I feel that a big meal slows me down and makes me lethargic, and also, good chance that after a big meal I'll need to have a bowel movement but it won't happen until an hour or two after eating usually. And no one likes pooping at work.

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strange_chimney@reddit

In our family, working from home has allowed for us to eat our most substantial meal at mid-day. Breakfast is usually something on toast (e.g., eggs, hummus, peanut butter, avocado, tomatoes) and a cup of tea. Our last meal of the day is usually leftovers, a large salad, or soup.

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enstillhet@reddit

Lunch is my largest meal, usually it's later in the day - 2 or 3 pm.

I don't eat much consistently for supper.

I do big breakfasts a few times per week and skip it a few. Depends how busy I am.

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LadyOfTheNutTree@reddit

I’m American and I’m shocked every time I learn that someone doesn’t eat breakfast.

I like to start my day with a glass of oatmilk with a couple tablespoons of chia seeds and flax seeds, plus an apple and some veggie - often celery sticks.

Then I eat a couple nuts as a snack and two more smallish meals during the day

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CommodorePuffin@reddit

The important thing to remember is that what's shown in most TV shows and movies isn't realistic and instead relies on tropes. This leads to a lot of misinformation regarding Americans (in addition to many other nationalities and cultures) because the majority of entertainment comes out of the US.

In this case, there's no consensus among Americans regarding breakfast, lunch, or dinner habits. Some people will have big breakfasts, while others will have small breakfasts or none at all. Lunch is all over the place in that sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't, and dinner can be late or early, small or large, etc.

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Collies_and_Skates@reddit

It depends, I never eat breakfast and prefer to have a big supper instead

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seatownquilt-N-plant@reddit

I live in a city and would eat breakfast on my way to work. I would stop by a cafe and get a coffee and a breakfast sandwich. A lot of other people were at the cafe doing the same thing. Breakfast to go then we eat it in our office after we arrive.

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annaoze94@reddit

It's becoming more popular to do "intermittent fasting" We were told growing up that the most important meal of the day is breakfast. I don't know if that's something Big Cereal was selling us but it kind of sounds legit. I need something in my body in the morning I take pills I have to eat with food, But even before I did food helps me wake up. Even more so I need protein more than just empty calories even if it's just a handful of nuts or peanut butter

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dumbandconcerned@reddit

I do think in general most Americans have dinner as their largest meal of the day. Huge variation of course, but I think generally yes. Most people have a light breakfast or no breakfast, a light lunch (not necessarily a sandwich), and a big dinner.

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ModernMaroon@reddit

Depends on the family. I usually skip breakfast but I know I shouldn't because the days I have breakfast are usually better performance wise.

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kappifappi@reddit

Lately mu first meal of the day has just been dinner lol

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AngryManBoy@reddit

Europeans eat more sandwiches than we do lol

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Nova_Echo@reddit

I do, but that's only because I have to get up at 5 o'clock in the damn morning for work, and I don't feel like making breakfast at that hour.

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MacaroonSad8860@reddit

It’s a huge diverse country so no. Many Americans eat breakfast, many don’t. I would say it’s pretty common for lunch to be smaller than dinner for working Americans because lunch breaks don’t typically accommodate a longer lunch.

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riarws@reddit

Breakfast varies. Many workplaces and schools have short lunch breaks, so it is common to have something quick for lunch like a sandwich.

My daughter and husband eat a big breakfast and I usually just have coffee because of when I'm hungry. We all have small lunches, and then we all eat the same size dinner. So it can be different even in the same family at the same house.

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Charlesinrichmond@reddit

its very hard to say. you can find 10s of millions of americans who do anything.

But I think we tend to eat more at dinner. I usually only eat at dinner myself

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Anonymous4mysake@reddit

Absolutely not true. For tradesman especially, a good morning meal sets the pace for the day. Potatoes, cheese, eggs, Kimchi for me and a good protein help until lunch. Lunch can be a sandwich but during the winter something more solid is needed. Rice and pasta, a crocpot full of fish stew, cornbread and pork. In summer much lighter meals, Kimchi salad, lots of greens and fruit with maybe some cold cuts. Heavy food in the heat sux.

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dylanmadigan@reddit

I eat breakfast and often skip lunch or dinner.

In high school, I knew a lot of people who skipped breakfast.

And now I know someone who only eats dinner.

I don’t think there is a clear most-common habit here.

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ReferenceSufficient@reddit

Weekdays it's light breakfast of cereal or toast with going to work or school. Weekends is big breakfast.

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sheilahulud@reddit

I eat breakfast everyday. Have all my life.

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Wonderful_Adagio9346@reddit

Living in NYC, I'd buy a sub/hero at my local deli. I'd eat half on the way to work (usually while waiting for the subway) and half at lunch.

Later, when I shifted my hours, I would buy two dollar-slices of pizza and eat that on the way to the office, and a much later lunch. Home late, I'd usually stop at the deli for a snack or a simple sandwich, or something at home.

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Smart_Engine_3331@reddit

I may have something quick for breakfast, but it's not super important. The whole movie/TV thing of the mom preparing an elaborate breakfast and the dad being late and just grabbing something and leaving the house is pretty much just a movie thing in my experience.

I might have a sandwich for lunch.

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Ew_fine@reddit

I eat a granola bar in the morning, then nothing else till 6 or 7 when I eat dinner.

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Theironyuppie1@reddit

These mofos love breakfast. I can make American breakfast for 3 weeks at home for what it costs to go out and eat one breakfast. Certainly the most boring and lazy of American meals. I get made fun of all the time because I’ll have normal grownup food for breakfast. Try to give an American a vegetable for breakfast and see what happens. BTW in a 53 year old American. So this isn’t some foreigner talking shit on the food most restaurants let the dishwasher make on Sunday brunch. Older Americans thrive on familiarity and obviousness if they haven’t heard of it can’t be good. Because if it’s not available at Cracker Barrel they would be aware of it. Sorry for the rant. I hate American breakfast.

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MaleficentCoconut594@reddit

The food culture here isn’t what it is in Europe, in the sense that meals aren’t as big of a deal. We still have Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner but it’s not as big of a deal in Europe where like everything closes for dinner and everyone goes home. Meals here are less of a big deal and highly individual/family dependent

I myself almost never eat breakfast unless it’s the weekend and I’m with people, lunch I’ll eat a sandwich or leftovers and then dinner is my big meal. On days I eat breakfast, I dont eat lunch. I’m really only a 2-meal person

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Consistent-Mouse-612@reddit

There isn't a typical "standard" in the US. It's not uncommon for people to skip breakfast, have just a sandwich for lunch, and have a larger dinner, for sure. But a lot of people change what they do depending on what they have going on that day. I generally have simple meals when I'm by myself, and only have something large or complicated if I'm eating with friends. Americans also have a lot more snacks throughout the day than is common in other parts of the world.

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Letscurlbrah@reddit

Most Americans are obese, so they eating constantly.

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Scarletqikertaq@reddit

There are some regional variations to this.

Like big southern breakfasts are definitely a thing. And in the south you see more places that support this (Waffle House, Bojangles).

Additionally in high urban areas going out to brunch on the weekends is a big thing, especially for DINKs and YUPPIES.

Although, it’s also not uncommon for families to go to brunch after church or go home and have a big brunch on the weekends.

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theantwisperer@reddit

I drink coffee for breakfast, have a big lunch and then usually medium size dinner. I don’t have much for dinner to avoid heartburn at night.

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2spicy_4you@reddit

I personally do not eat breakfast

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CountChoculasGhost@reddit

I literally can’t function without breakfast.

My dad ever eats breakfast and just has an early lunch most days.

Depends on the person

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BB-56_Washington@reddit

I don't know about most, but I usually don't do breakfast. Lunch is usually leftovers from dinner the previous night.

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AnthropomorphizedTop@reddit

Same. If I didn’t eat the leftovers most of them would get thrown out. Also, I cook dinner every night and I make dank meals! (Family of four).

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lizardgal10@reddit

The only reason I do breakfast is because I work 7-3 and really need food before lunchtime. It’s small and unconventional though. Usually a cheese stick and a bag of potato chips.

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BB-56_Washington@reddit

My breakfast is usually a cup of coffee. I start at 520, and lunch is at 1120. I just suffer for a few hours.

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_JustMyRealName_@reddit

Usually a tea, a smoke, another tea, 3 more smokes (spread out I’m not a heathen) and after that it’s about lunchtime

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toothlessicon@reddit

I used to use a vape for breakfast, as coffee (it only helped as far as making me so uncomfortable that I had no option but to get out of bed), and as a morning laxative on my darkest days.

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bremergorst@reddit

No breakfast gang rise up

sometime after lunch, though

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the_sir_z@reddit

My eating schedule:

A small breakfast that i can grab and eat in my car, a sandwich, cup of pretzels and some fruit for lunch, another sandwich when I get home around 4:30, dinner around 7, usually vegetable forward because it's where I get my veggies for the day.

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SquiggleBox23@reddit

There's no typical schedule as far as breakfast is concerned, but you are right that usually dinner is considered a larger meal than lunch. I change my own schedule all the time too. But my current preference is to skip breakfast, have a large lunch, and then a small dinner.

Sandwiches are also a typical lunch, but that also doesn't mean most people eat that all the time. A "boxed lunch" to me is one with a sandwich, chips, fruit, and a cookie. I would have a sandwich for lunch every day when I was in school and brought my lunch. Now that I'm an adult, I don't have sandwiches as often, but I like going to a good sandwich place for lunch every once in a while. But those are big, filling sandwiches, not just a pb&j.

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RandyRhoadsLives@reddit

I was raised on the typical American 3 meals a day bullshit. I used to be very heavy. I’ve been working out and lifting since I was a young teenager. But at 6’2”, I hovered back and forth between 265-275 for almost 30 years. I ate the typical 3 meals a day. I was always hungry before each meal. Suddenly, at age 50 my blood pressure was a little on the high side. I knew it was time to drop some weight. A buddy of mine says, “dude, fuck those diets. Just skip a meal, and see what happens”.

The next morning I woke up for work, had a cup of coffee, and skipped breakfast. It turns out, my level of hunger at lunch was no different than before. I changed NOTHING else about my diet or meals for the rest of the day. I lost about 1.5 lbs a month for the next 3 years (average). I’m now 218 lbs. I haven’t had breakfast in over 3 years. I eat lunch anywhere between 11:30-1:30, depending on my schedule. On special occasions I’ll go out for breakfast with friends/family. On those days, I just skip lunch. Life is good.

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Shoottheradio@reddit

I don't eat breakfast. Eating in the morning makes me tired. I'll have a power bar or something lite for lunch. But then eat a lot at dinner.

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KungPaoChikon@reddit

I used to be able to do that. Now I have to have consistent meals throughout the day or I end up feeling awful.

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MissDisplaced@reddit

There’s no real pattern for breakfast and lunch, although most Americans tend to eat their biggest meal in the evening between 6pm to 8pm.

Big American breakfasts (eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes, waffles, etc.) do still exist, but has become more of a weekend brunch type thing. The big hearty breakfast originated with farmers back in the day, who rose early for chores, and ate the big breakfast after as more of a breakfast/lunch thing to get through the day. Few of us need that now!

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Primos84@reddit

Speaking only for myself, I seldom eat breakfast, usually a moderate lunch and dinner. I don’t snack as much as I used to.

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No-Introduction2245@reddit

I have small-medium size meals and healthy snacks in between. It just works better for my body. 🤷🏻 I think most people I know do what works best for them, meal-size-wise.

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Sponsorspew@reddit

It’s completely up to the individual. I usually only have coffee for breakfast because eating bigger meals makes me feel sluggish and I hate to feel that way during work. Lunch I’ll have something light and will have a bigger dinner.

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Reader47b@reddit

The evening meal is typically the family meal in America, the one where the whole family is at the table together, and other meals may be had more individually, but this varies. Because it is more often the family meal, it tends to be bigger. On weekends, if everyone is home, breakfast or brunch may be the big family meal instead, or for churchgoing Americans, "Sunday dinner" is often the big meal (which is actually an early afternoon meal after church). Of course, all this varies according to individual families and people, but, on average, the evening meal is more often the focal meal. Some people skip breakfast, some eat big breakfasts. We certainly have a lot of breakfast restaurants, though these tend to be more popular on weekends.

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appleparkfive@reddit

I can only speak for myself, but I lost a lot of weight and making myself eat a small breakfast was a huge aspect of that. I used to skip it. Wasn't hungry. Then I'd eat way too much at night. Then I would not be hungry the next morning again.

I think this is partially an issue with the obesity epidemic in America, to be frank. Even just eating like 200 calories worth of food in the morning can have a huge change on food cravings later in the day.

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Loud_Ad_1403@reddit

This is what worked for me. Something small and under 200 calories for breakfast. Usually, it is a small bowl of grits or oatmeal and coffee.

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ErinGoBoo@reddit

Nothing is really typical here. For myself, I rarely do breakfast because I don't like eating as soon as I get up, and there's the grind getting ready for work. Lunch... same. 30 minute lunch breaks don't leave much room for more than a sandwich, if you're lucky. And most people don't live close to their jobs, so they're not going home for meals.

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IsisArtemii@reddit

I’m doing intermittent fasting so, no brekkie for me! Hubby has coffee. Then has lunch, which usually isn’t a sandwich. Left overs, so he’s going in with either: pork, beef, chicken, turkey and sides: green beans, carrot’s, rice, potatoes, biscuits, etc.

Sometimes it is a fast good “sandwich.”

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1979tlaw@reddit

A lot of people are saying there is no standard. Which is correct. Lots of people eat small or no breakfast.

However I’ve travelled around Europe, Australia and Japan. I’ve found nowhere that offers a huge breakfast like America. It’s true that most days we probably eat light. It’s a time thing. But it’s not uncommon on weekends to make or go out for a really big breakfast.

I’d be curious to know where you’re from. Sounds like big breakfasts are a thing there and I’d be interested to learn more as I love a big breakfast.

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mulahtmiss@reddit

It varies from day to day for me. Sometimes on the weekend I eat a big breakfast. Usually during the week it’s only coffee and maybe a croissant or English muffin. Then I’ll snack and eat lunch (most of the time).

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Crepes_for_days3000@reddit

I never eat breakfast, usually just a lunch and snacks throughout the day.

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virtual_human@reddit

There are $8,700,000,000 worth of breakfast cereals sold in the US and 290,000,000 out of 340,000,000 Americans consumed them.

So no, your premise is incorrect.

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Shiiiiiiiingle@reddit

No.

I eat just like people in your country.

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Brief-Reserve774@reddit

There isn’t really a norm in my area. But I’ll say some old value families I observe enjoy large breakfast and large dinner but small lunch. I don’t normally do breakfast and do a medium lunch and dinner.

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eac555@reddit

Work days I’m out of the house at 4:30 am. Just coffee. Maybe a small fruit bar or beef jerky around 8 or 9. Lunch about 10:30 typically consisting of cold cut up chicken, cheese, olives, peppers, carrots, and a hard boiled egg. Days off it varies quite a bit.

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runninganddrinking@reddit

I don’t eat breakfast. I have a frozen meal at lunch at work then a big dinner. Dinner is the big meal usually here in the US

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SpookyBeck@reddit

I never eat breakfast.

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bigsystem1@reddit

It varies an enormous amount regionally and family to family/person to person.

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hatchjon12@reddit

I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner (also called supper in my region). I believe people in the US generally have a larger, more elaborate meal for dinner.

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MeInSC40@reddit

Can confirm that’s what I do. I wish I could be an “eat it all in the morning” person, but the combination of lack of time and lack of hunger at 6:30 am doesn’t make it feasible.

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SirTheRealist@reddit

Questions like this can always be answered with “it depends on the person”

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NoGrapefruit1851@reddit

I tend to skip Lunch as well.

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JimBones31@reddit

No, I usually have a larger breakfast and then a small or non existent lunch and then dinner.

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Ellecram@reddit

I don't eat breakfast or lunch most of the time. I eat a sandwich or soup/salad for dinner and a small snack before bed. So no huge dinners for me unless I am going out to to eat somewhere.

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qu33nof5pad35@reddit

I skip breakfast and rarely eat sandwiches for lunch.

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provocative_bear@reddit

Some skip breakfast, I almost never skip breakfast. But, on workdays, I have something simple, like a yogurt with stuff thrown in or an oatmeal. On weekends I have a more elaborate breakfast. Lunch really is a sandwich a lot of the time. Some people go out to lunch most days, but that seems like a huge waste of money to me.

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ariana61104@reddit

I wouldn’t say most Americans do this, but probably some do.

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GameOvaries18@reddit

My family always has some variation of eggs and fruit and coffee for breakfast. Lunch is left overs from dinner or a bean and meat dish that is easy to make large batches of and reheat easily.

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marticcrn@reddit

We are not homogenous in that way. I can say for most Americans, sitting down for dinner together as a family is an ideal. In that circumstance, dinner is the largest meal.

However, our kids have after school activities like music or dance or sports, so dinner is often something super quick between school and after school events, followed by more snacking or a meal after.

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eratoast@reddit

My husband and I don't generally eat breakfast. At most, my coffee (with protein) and late morning post-workout protein shake are "breakfast." I'm just not hungry in the morning. Lunch is sometimes a sandwich, but is often leftovers from last night's dinner, something quick I can cook, or a snack plate depending on the day/what we have. Dinner is our big meal, not huge by any means, but it's the one there's the most focus on in terms of planning/preparation, eating together, etc.

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bibliophile222@reddit

I'm not usually very hungry in the morning, and I'd rather have a larger dinner because IMO, dinner food is the best! So I have a small breakfast (usually some instant oatmeal at work), a medium-sized lunch, and a bigger dinner.

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derek-der-rick@reddit

Yeah, that's about right for me, for sure. I mean on weekends when you have more time you can make a big breakfast or go out and chill at a restaurant, but during the work-week I don't want to lose that morning time when I am fresh and can focus on my job. Same with a big lunch... I don't need much, keep my focus. When I get home, that's when I let loose and get out the cheeses, and the hummus and veggies, and the homemade soup, and the pasta etc. It probably is a bit backward... that's why on weekends the big meal moves about 3 hours earlier in the day.

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terryaugiesaws@reddit

In my country we usually have big breakfasts and lunches, and don’t eat a lot of night.

the whole country has similar eating habits? people in my area all have different sleeping, working, and [presumably] eating habits.

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Tennesseediesel@reddit

Based on the people I know, yes, Americans do not eat much for breakfast, if anything at all. Lunch is almost always either leftovers from last night’s dinner, a sandwich and chips, or fast food. Dinner Monday-Friday is pretty much always something quick and easy to make because everyone worked all day and doesn’t feel like cooking. Almost all meals on the weekend are outside of the home because people are not home during weekends.

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Strong-Piccolo-5546@reddit

i eat breakfast about 1/3 of the time. my breakfast is either an english muffin, instant oatmeal, or a couple of eggs. if i am hungry it will be 2 eggs, english muffin. if i have some bacon a couple of pieces. if i have tomtao,onion,mushroom, i sautee that in the eggs.

i have worked from home for 10 years. before i worked from home and when i was a kid i almost never ate breakfast. i am generally not hungry in the morning.

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WrongJohnSilver@reddit

I eat breakfast every day. Often it's muesli, but I'll also make pancakes or French toast on the weekend. I would eat more eggs but my wife doesn't like protein in the morning.

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WrongJohnSilver@reddit

I eat breakfast every day. Often it's muesli, but I'll also make pancakes or French toast on the weekend. I would eat more eggs but my wife doesn't like protein in the morning.

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lamorak2000@reddit

Given the choice, I'd prefer a hearty breakfast (2 eggs, toast, coffee, a nice slab of ham, and a glass of OJ); a sub sandwich for lunch; and a lightish dinner. The reality is more likely to be: a breakfast sandwich, snack through lunch, and make something inexpensive yet filling for supper (pasta, pork chops, shepherd's pie).

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Western_Nebula9624@reddit

I always have breakfast (usually either cereal or yogurt and granola), I usually take a salad to work for lunch and then eat a reasonable dinner and have a small snack or two throughout the day. I don't usually eat what I would call a big meal except for holidays and special occasions.

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dystopiadattopia@reddit

I always have breakfast, but plenty of people don't. It's not a uniform thing.

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nabrok@reddit

I'm never hungry in the morning. Even if I'm a little hungry when I go to sleep, when I wake up it's gone.

I don't usually eat until noon, but if I get busy it might not be until 1 or even later.

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Greenstoneranch@reddit

Yes

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BronxBelle@reddit

A lot of it depends on the kind of job the person works. My brother is an iron worker so he burns a lot of calories. He probably takes in a good 3,500 calories a day. Grits, eggs, sausage or bacon for breakfast. Leftovers for lunch (pot roast with mashed potatoes and other veggies is one of his favorites.) Then he has a big dinner. I work an office job so I tend to have a piece of toast with jam for breakfast and a small lunch like a salad or sandwich. I rarely eat dinner because I’m just not hungry.

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Blazeon412@reddit

Not typical, but I rarely eat breakfast. Yeah, I do usually have a sandwich for lunch, but it depends on where I am or if I really feel like eating something else.

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Odd-Help-4293@reddit

I think it's common for Americans to have a small breakfast. A cup of coffee and some buttered toast, for example. On the weekend we might have a big brunch instead of breakfast and lunch.

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machagogo@reddit

Most? No. Many? Yes.

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HorseFeathersFur@reddit

Most movies and TV shows come from Hollywood in the Southern California area. Southern California has a very different culture from the rest of the states and Every state has its own culture. You cannot take what you see in TV shows or movies is true for every state in America, if you think about each individual state as a sort of mini country, you get a better feel for what it can be like here.

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Bluemonogi@reddit

People do all kinds of things. Some people are breakfast eaters and some are not.

I have a small breakfast as I have medication that I need to take with food in the morning. (200-300 calories) My husband skips breakfast. My lunch is bigger than breakfast but smaller than my evening meal. Sometimes it is a sandwich but it might be soup, a salad or dinner leftovers. (300-400 calories) My husband takes a packed lunch to work and it usually has a yogurt, 2 pieces of fruit, a sandwich or dinner leftovers, sometimes nuts or chips. My evening meal is my biggest meal of the day but it isn’t huge. (400-600 calories). Sometimes there is a snack in the afternoon or evening.

Often media portrays families with a giant unrealistic cooked breakfast on the table before everyone is supposed to go to work or school. When I was a kid my mom would cook my dad a couple of eggs and some toast and make coffee but us kids usually just ate a quick bowl of cereal before going to school. On weekends or holidays we might have a big breakfast.

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chicagotodetroit@reddit

Who has time to make a big breakfast before work/school? Not me.

Small breakfast, usually something quick and filling like eggs and toast, or yogurt with fruit and granola.

A big lunch means falling asleep at work, so lunch is something small like sandwiches, salad, pizza, soup, or leftovers. I usually made my lunch the night before to save time in the morning. I do miss the days of having a nice cafeteria at work.

Dinner is the biggest meal of the day. I don’t like cooking so that’s usually something simple like a one-pot dish, or a protein with a veg and a starch.

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powerserg1987@reddit

Do Brit’s actually have beans with their breakfast?

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bunnycook@reddit

Breakfast and lunch is usually arranged around work and school schedules and timing. When I had to get up at 4:30 am and start work on an assembly line at 6am, breakfast was either a bagel eaten in the car or milk and cereal eaten once I was in uniform at work before starting. Lunch was 30 minutes, and had to be packed in a cooler. So supper was the only meal that there was any time to prepare and enjoy. Similar for my school days. Breakfast was tea and a pop tart, and lunch was 25 minutes which included time to get to and from the cafeteria. So you got used to snarfing whatever food you had. Lunch was eaten in 3 shifts, so each 25 minute period had about 300 kids to get through 2 lines if you bought the school lunch. If you were last in line you had very little time to eat anything at all! So again supper was the only meal you ate with your family and didn’t have to inhale— but by that time you were so used to snarfing your food it was hard to slow down and enjoy it. My kid only had 20 minute lunches for most of his school days, and had to have a decent breakfast to take his meds, but as he grew older preferred to eat leftovers instead of traditional breakfast foods. It was higher in protein and kept him full longer.

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ReserveMaximum@reddit

Many Americans have smaller breakfasts (maybe a cup of coffee or a bowl of cereal with milk) and sandwiches or the like for lunch but not me. I grew up having a hot breakfast everyday so now that I’m married with children I still make hot breakfasts (usually some form of eggs) and for lunch I usually have leftovers from dinner the night before

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No_Lavishness_3957@reddit

If I don't eat breakfast, I'll be hangry way before lunch & lunch may be a sandwich, leftovers, soup, or whatever I'm in the mood for.

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Maximum_Capital1369@reddit

Interesting the responses here. At least from what I have seen, yes people don't eat breakfast or just have a very small snack for breakfast. When I worked in the trades, a lot of people skipped breakfast because they started work around 6. Then people worked until coffee time around 10 when they might have a small breakfast from Dunkin or a coffee truck. When I worked in offices, a lot of nicer offices people had fruit and breakfast foods at the office kitchen area, so I assumed they skipped breakfast at home and ate a small breakfast at the office. Some people do have a big lunch though depending on how much time you have, but sandwiches have been losing ground to wraps like Chipotle burritos or Greek wraps from Cava. That's more of an office worker thing though. In the trades a lot of people bring a lunch from home because they don't have that much time for lunch or don't want to spend a lot of money. Dinner is definitely the biggest meal of the day.

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OhHeyJeannette@reddit

Nope. NYC is a big breakfast town. We eat breakfast sandwiches though. That’s what we’re known for because we’re busy and on the go.

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Judgy-Introvert@reddit

I eat breakfast every day. It’s usually just oatmeal. Lunch, during the work week, is usually my biggest meal. Dinner is light.

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IthurielSpear@reddit

I usually eat a slice of toasted sourdough for breakfast (I’m a baker) but my partner makes a full on oatmeal smoothie with like a dozen ingredients (no exaggeration). We’re all different.

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rolyfuckingdiscopoly@reddit

I am American and I have no idea what most Americans do. If you are farming or doing other physical labor starting early in the morning, you probably eat a big breakfast. If you are a student, you don’t eat until lunch. If you are an office worker, idk maybe you snack through the day and go to a lunch meeting. If you work as a server in a restaurant, you work through dinner and eat at 2am.

Culturally, dinner is the most significant and largest meal of the day for us, usually. Some people have weekly Sunday brunch, which is also significant, but dinner is the main meal that we eat together, as opposed to kind of weaving in and out of the kitchen and dining room before work.

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thatsnuckinfutz@reddit

This American skips breakfast and hates sandwiches but it definitely differs.

I don't do big meals in general so

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PurpleAriadne@reddit

It’s changed with the generations and as work schedules have changed. Now with gig work people are eating on the way to their job, during their job (quick snack between Uber customers) and there is not a consistent time everyone is home.

My grandmother always cooked eggs, bacon, and toast. Maybe swap out sausages for bacon. Eggs could be scrambled one day and sunnyside up the next. She did this for her and my grandfather and anyone else who was around.

My mom was a single parent and only cooked breakfast on the weekends, during the week it was cereal. Now I skip breakfast and sometimes lunch to fast and lose weight.

Lunch varies as eating out is expensive. I try to make lunches like a salad. It will often be leftovers from the night before.

We would be much healthier if we did not eat late. The problem is most jobs look down on taking time for lunch unless you are part of a union or the executive class. You eat at your desk while working.

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Yankee_chef_nen@reddit

Usually non Americans ask us why we eat such huge breakfasts because that’s what they see in American TV and movies. I’m very surprised that OP assumes that we don’t eat breakfast from the media they’ve seen.

Of course there are as many different meal routines as there are Americans, here’s mine:

Because of health reasons I’ll probably have a diabetic nutrition shake at home early in the morning with my coffee. I’ll get to work a few hours later and have something like scrambled eggs or a small omelette, I’m a chef at a residential college associated with a major Atlanta university. I don’t usually get my lunch break until close to 2pm which is when I eat my biggest meal of the day, we have many options in food choices and most change daily so one day I might eat pot roast for lunch another day I might have Tikka Masala. Because I eat lunch so late, I often won’t have dinner or just a light snack or another diabetic nutrition shake.

On my days off my breakfast is often just my coffee and diabetic shake. I’ll have a light lunch, probably a sandwich or leftovers, and for dinner I’ll cook for me and my S.O. which will be our biggest meal of the day but still not super heavy.

While everyone is different and has different meal habits often a sandwich for lunch doesn’t mean just a sandwich, often it will include something else like fruit, chips or maybe carrot sticks (at least my homemade school lunches did when I was a kid) something to drink and maybe a cookie or brownie.

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HeatInternal8850@reddit

No

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nerpss@reddit

I typically wat 3-6 hours after waking before even considering eating, and then I eat again 1-2 hours before sleeping. What I eat is what I'm hungry for. I don't know a lot of people that actually eat "breakfast," but that is likely my bubble.

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Awdayshus@reddit

I have changed it up a lot over the years, including a one meal a day (OMAD) diet where I only ate a single evening meal each day.

Currently, I have a bowl of oatmeal and some sausage for breakfast. I need to eat smaller meals and light snacks throughout the day to keep my blood sugar in range, since my pancreas decided to take a sabbatical.

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designgrl@reddit

I do not have breakfast, just coffee then have a healthy lunch at 2.

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FLAluv86@reddit

For me I think this has been true when I was in school. I would eat breakfast however; usually a bowl of cereal. And yes, a sandwich (most of the time) for lunch. And then a semi-big dinner. And snack at night.

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AKA-Pseudonym@reddit

There's variation of course but my observation is that wealthier counties tend to prefer larger dinners. It tends to be the more luxurious meal of the day. Work patterns matter too. The stricter you confirm to a standard 9 to 5 schedule the harder it is to fit in breakfast and lunch

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New-Number-7810@reddit

I usually skip breakfast, but when I do have it I tend to have something small. A few pieces of bacon, an egg, a slice of toast, a glass of water or iced tea.

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Alarming-Series6627@reddit

I, for one, skip breakfast and just have coffee.

I feel like I'm in the minority.

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Suspicious-Cancel-24@reddit

Pre-COVID, it was coffee for breakfast, and noodles at a Chinese restaurant for lunch. Once I started WFH, I began eating “dinner breakfast,” perhaps chicken and potatoes or stew first thing in then morning. It’s fantastic. IA heavier breakfast keeps me going until the afternoon, no hunger jitters at 10am. Now I just need a light snack for lunch.

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Cherub2002@reddit

I almost always have eggs of some sort for breakfast. I think most Americans have very definite breakfast foods unlike other countries (especially Asian countries) that I have visited. I’m also Hispanic so sometimes a sweet bread and coffee is also a thing.

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SimpleVegetable5715@reddit

I can't get started without a big breakfast. I wake up earlier to make it happen.

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Technical-Ad-2246@reddit

I'm Australian, but I would say it's fairly common. Not everyone is the same, but dinner tends me the main meal of the day for most people.

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GlobalYak6090@reddit

I agree with other commenters saying that there’s no typical way Americans go about eating ava a lot of it comes down to preference.

I eat breakfast about 50% of the time. I don’t really like eating a ton of food first thing in the morning and I often don’t even have time to do so. When I do it’s something light like a yogurt or granola bar.

Sandwiches are amazing and I eat them multiple times a week for lunch. They’re easy to make and highly customizable. If you’re feeling fancy you can purchase one from a deli. If not you can just make one in the comfort of your home and take it to go. My favorite lunch tbh.

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toothlessicon@reddit

Yeah, what a lot of them already said. We’re so individualistic, you could have a family of 5 and they never eat together because everyone eats differently and is old enough to feed themselves.

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Otherwise_Trust_6369@reddit

As others have said there is no real pattern as the U.S. is a large country. Since the other commenters don't say as much about breakfast I'll talk about it. I grew up pretty much always eating breakfast, especially if I have to go somewhere, but even if I don't I still usually eat breakfast. A traditional breakfast fare would revolve around the following:

Meat (like bacon, sausage patties, or even Canadian bacon- which is more like ham) and in the South "country ham" is popular, esp. with red eye gravy
Eggs (usually fried or scrambled) and sometimes involving cheese or even like an omelette with onions and peppers.
A common vegetable would be hashbrowns or fried potatoes
A type of bread like toast, biscuits (sometimes with sawmill gravy), or some version of cornbread, tortilla, bagels, or English muffins.
Pancakes or waffles with maple syrup or fruit are also very traditional and common
Some types of porridges include oatmeal (super common), grits is quite common in the South and often incorporates cheese, and cream of wheat is traditional in other areas.

Traditionally people drink milk, juice (esp. orange), or coffee for breakfast. There are plenty of places you can get some version of this breakfast including Cracker Barrell, Waffle House, or Denny's but even places like McDonalds have some of this as well. One thing I can say about this is that our traditional breakfast is a bit different than the Full English breakfast or "fry up". We very rarely eat things like beans, mushrooms, fried tomatoes, or types of fish.

Obviously most people don't eat this from day to say so things like cereal, pop-tarts, breakfast bars, and smoothies are popular as well. Things like avocado toast, overnight oats, & acai bowls have become popular in recent years. Beyond breakfast, things like dinner/lunch or supper/dinner can be almost anything and has way more to do with personal taste than anything else.

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dgillz@reddit

No. Breakfast is my biggest meal. I don't know what tv shows you are watching.

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priuspheasant@reddit

It is most common in America for dinner to be the biggest meal of the day. Dinner is the meal you'd cook hot food for, often multiple things too (like salad, pasta, and bread, or potatos, broccoli, and pork chops). For breakfast most people have a bowl of cereal, or some toast, maybe with some fruit (except sometimes on the weekend you might go out for a bigger meal). Lunches vary a lot more, some people have dinner leftovers, others have something simple like a sandwich, piece of fruit, and some chips. Some people eat very small portions of those things, others larger, but it's usually fairly simple fare. Many people have a snack between lunch and dinner too. Again, people might have a bigger lunch if they go out to lunch or on a special occasion.

Of course it varies a lot. But I would say for the most part, it's not common for people to cook an elaborate, multiple-part hot breakfast or lunch every day. If a friend told me they make themself eggs, hash browns, toast, and fruit salad every day for breakfast, they would be the only person I know who does that.

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CluelessEngineer82@reddit

The typical American mean routine is to have a modest breakfast, coffee and cereal- something like that, a moderate lunch, sandwich and a side like chips (crisps) or cookies, and then a larger dinner, steak and potatoes or the such.

But it is up to personal preference by and large. Me for example, I do not eat breakfast. And I enjoy a large lunch followed by a meager dinner.

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Suppafly@reddit

No. Normal week is generally something quick/light for breakfast, decent lunch and large dinner. I wouldn't assume that most skip breakfast or that most only have a sandwich and nothing else for lunch though.

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Synaps4@reddit

If we did that we wouldn't all be ridiculously fat

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Educational-Ad-385@reddit

I like a toasted bagel with cream cheese in the morning with coffee. Lunch could be a grilled ham and cheese or chicken salad sandwich, Italian, sushi, Chinese, a big salad. Lunch really varies. Dinner is mostly meat and potatoes, vegetables, salad and dinner roll.

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Ghic_Chic@reddit

Yeah, IDK. I eat nothing during the day and have a regular dinner. Nothing is "typical" in America. We come from all sorts of backgrounds and traditions.

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porcelainvacation@reddit

I'm 48 years old and an engineering manager. For most of my adult life, my breakfast has been a bagel or an english muffin, toasted, with butter, and either a large cup of coffee or a double shot of espresso. This holds my through lunch, which is usually a sandwich of some sort and a Coke. I have a snack at 3, and my fruits and vegetables happen with my evening meal. Sometimes I skip the bread with breakfast but never the coffee.

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Suppressedanus@reddit

Most Americans eat 3 meals a day + snacks in between + late night snacks. That’s why they’re obese.

From my observation, my healthy friends/colleagues/family and I almost all universally skip breakfast. 1 larger meal per day is not uncommon.

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Somerset76@reddit

I eat breakfast and lunch

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Aubsjay0391@reddit

I usually am not hungry in the morning first thing. I eat around 10-11 am medium meal and then have a good/larger dinner.

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Sooner70@reddit

I've no idea what "most" Americans do but I skip breakfast every weekday. On weekends I'll eat it but on days I have to get to work? Ain't nobody got time for that! It's bad enough getting up before the sun. Having to get up even earlier so I have time to cook breakfast? Fuck that.

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Hello_Hangnail@reddit

I eat breakfast and nothing else. Sometimes eat some random unhealthy garbage in the middle of the night

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Steamsagoodham@reddit

I never skip breakfast and get very hungry when I have to. Lunch will typically be my largest meal since it has to get me through the rest of the day. Dinner might be as large as lunch, but if I’m not that hungry and/or will be going to bed soon probably a little lighter. I don’t like eating a lot before bed.

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RodeoBoss66@reddit

Everyone in the USA is different. Some people don’t have breakfast. Some people have small breakfasts. Some people have medium sized breakfasts. Some people have large breakfasts. There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to meals. Again, everyone is different, and everyone’s situation and preferences are different.

Always remember that what you see in movies and television isn’t always necessarily the reality of life in a given country, and it’s usually only a small fraction of the population that behaves in a certain way.

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CupBeEmpty@reddit

We have 300 million folks that do all kinds of food.

Personally I do coffee and maybe toast for breakfast. Maybe some small lunch and dinner is the big meal.

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4theloveofbbw@reddit

I don’t do breakfast, never been a breakfast person. Not much time for lunch, whatever I can grab. And then naturally I’m starving by dinner time.

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jettech737@reddit

It really depends, I never have breakfast because I work afternoons. By the time i wake up it's almost noon anyways

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da_chicken@reddit

I never eat breakfast, but it's because I take medication that doesn't go well with food.

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houndsoflu@reddit

I can’t speak for everyone, but I almost always have breakfast.

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Blacksunshinexo@reddit

Kinda

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JackYoMeme@reddit

We all just work too much and eat when we can. Typical rock and roll itinerary: wake up an hour before you work, shove something in your mouth, drink coffee while you drive 10-30 minutes into work. Get to work 4 minutes late and in a rush. Continue to drink coffee and "plan the day" for 45 minutes. Work for 3 hours. Take a break. Stay at work another 5 hours cleaning up things that you or other people did wrong. Then get off work at do whatever your vice is. If it's good meals and food you're probably fat. If you drink you're probably a functioning alcoholic. TV. Tick tock. Porn. Whatever. Maybe you knit? Then you sleep for 6 hours and rock and roll the next day. Next thing you know you're 33.

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OceanBlueRose@reddit

I very rarely eat breakfast (unless we’re counting iced coffee) - if I do eat breakfast, it’s usually a bagel (or egg sandwich on a bagel).

Then I usually only eat one meal after that - sometimes it’s earlier in the day (~3pm), sometimes it’s later (~9pm). Totally depends on how I’m feeling, what I’ve got planned for the day, etc.

Sometimes I’ll have a snack or two (usually some form of cheese) in between my iced coffee and one meal of the day, but there’s really no normal for me lol.

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akiraokok@reddit

It's different for everyone but I personally never eat breakfast because I feel nauseous if eat too early in the day. I never eat sandwiches though lol. Sometimes I don't eat until dinner and just have one big meal at the end of the day (which i know is bad but it's just what works best for my schedule and appetite)

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jessm307@reddit

There’s a lot of variation across individuals, but yes, what you’re describing is very, very common. Light breakfast, mid-size lunch, big supper. Another common variation is light breakfast, big lunch, light supper. Big breakfast or brunch is generally reserved for weekends or holidays.

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rogun64@reddit

My family would make big breakfasts only on special occasions, but my mother grew up with my grandmother making them daily for her family.

Personally, I've gone through cycles where I eat breakfast every day or I never eat breakfast, but it's rarely anything big. It usually depends on my schedule for the day. Nowadays, I often just have one food item and a cup of coffee to get something into my stomach until lunch.

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OceanPoet87@reddit

Which country are you from? This is certainly not true as breakfast is promoted as the most important meal.

The reason tv shows this is because usually breakfast is depicted as cereal or something basic. But this trope described is not really true.

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RattlingMaster123@reddit

no but I did today cause I slept until lunch time when I ate an arbys sandwhich

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Zealousideal_Let3945@reddit

Oh man I had a great sandwich for lunch today. I want one tomorrow as well but I’m out of potato roles.

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justamiqote@reddit

What makes you think we eat sandwiches specifically?

I skip breakfast 90% of the time and usually only have one meal, and snack throughout the day. What I eat for the meal depends on what I'm craving. What I snack on depends on what is in my home.

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Bright_Ices@reddit

As a kid I had a bowl of milk and cereal or a chocolate fudge pop-tart for breakfast on weekdays. On weekends one of my parents often made us something hot, like pancakes, waffles, or a breakfast sandwich.

I almost always ate reheated leftovers for lunch, except when the school cafeteria was serving pizza or Hawaiian haystacks. My sister almost always had a sandwich. If school was out, I’d still have leftovers, or sometimes instant noodles (which we called “square soup” because the noodles came in a square block.

As an adult I’ve been through phases where breakfast was a boiled egg and an apple on the way out the door to an early job, and lunch was just a combo of snacks that were quick and easy to pack. These days breakfast is almost always two eggs, either made into an omelet or fried and served over a carb (toast, oatmeal, tortilla). Lunch could be anything. Today it was reheated rice and bean leftovers.

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Other_Block_1795@reddit

Do Americans really eat so much unhealthy food for breakfast, like waffles and pancakes smothered in syrup?

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anneofgraygardens@reddit

are you even reading the comments, or are you just here to sneer?

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Other_Block_1795@reddit

It's a follow-up question.

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anneofgraygardens@reddit

so no, you aren't reading the comments. I'm sure it wouldn't make a difference, you seem to be quite the expert on the US already.

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SteakAndIron@reddit

I skip both

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KoRaZee@reddit

Is a burrito a sandwich?

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omgcheez@reddit

I eat breakfast. skipping any meal makes me feel really off. It does vary from person to person though; there are definitely people who have just coffee or a donut, poptart, etc.

I also personally do not eat sandwiches super often; If I do, it's usually from the local Market&Deli or a local chain, but I'm also picky. I am always down for some good dutch crunch though.

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DankBlunderwood@reddit

This would be common but not typical. I think most people at least try to have a granola bar or a banana before work even if they don't have time to cook something. But a sandwich for lunch would be typical I think. In short, I think dinner is usually the largest meal of the day, which is a big contributor to American obesity and diabetes imo. We're extremely strict about punctuality here. A common saying is "if you're not ten minutes early, you're late." This pressures people to either skip breakfast or keep granola bars in their desk.

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lawfox32@reddit

I usually eat a banana and protein bar in the car for breakfast because I hate mornings. Lunch is widely variable-- sometimes I bring in a can of soup and a salad, sometimes leftovers, sometimes a sandwich, sometimes a microwave meal. Dinner is usually the biggest/most elaborate.

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Queen_Aurelia@reddit

I don’t typically eat breakfast. I just drink coffee. Lunch tends to be my biggest meal of the day as I usually purchase a meal from my work’s cafeteria. Then I will eat a light dinner at home.

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Ok_Appointment4364@reddit

I hate breakfast. I always end up starving latter in the day if I eat it. I honestly wouldn't mind even skipping lunch. My old job let me just work through lunch for overtime but my new job doesn't. Since I have to take a lunch anyways, and don't want to just sit there in the breakroom, I just eat a sandwich. I'm single so don't make enough food to have leftovers to take for lunch very often

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SquashDue502@reddit

Americans’ large or warm meal is dinner so we eat at home together in the evening. Lunch is usually at school or work so sandwiches and stuff. Breakfast may be warm and eaten together depending on the family’s morning routine but it’s common to eat a smaller breakfast separately if you have to leave for work/school early

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urmyheartBeatStopR@reddit

It depends on the person.

Their working condition can dictate different eating pattern. Police do 3 days 12 hours shifts so their eating habit is totally different. A fit person vs a body builder can have different eating habit. Like wise for an obese person. Office job probably have a better stable eating pattern imo.

I don't know a lot of people that eat sandwich as a habit to label that.

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manicpixidreamgirl04@reddit

Dinner is traditionally the biggest meal. Breakfast is the smallest, and some people would rather sleep a few extra minutes than eat a meal in the morning. Personally, lunch is the meal I usually skip, now that I'm not in school anymore.

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Mammoth-Resolution82@reddit

how are we supposed to know what random people do? 😂😂🤦‍♀️

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Muted_Apartment_2399@reddit

I mostly eat at night, but I wouldn’t say that’s typical for Americans. I definitely don’t eat breakfast and lunch is light. Basically I don’t want to have a BM during the workday or while I’m out and about.

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IHaveALittleNeck@reddit

There’s no normal when it comes to meal times. When my kids were in school, I’d either make them eggs and toast every morning or prep breakfast burritos they could pop into the microwave if I had to work. Dinner was usually light. I’m a big believer in morning protein, especially for kids, so I made sure they got that.

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GoblinKing79@reddit

I eat mostly small snacks throughout the day and one "meal," usually lunch between 1 and 4 PM depending on my work schedule that day. For me, I define a meal as one larger portion that's around 500 calories (everything else is 100-300 at a time). That's just how it's been shaking out lately for me and it works well for my schedule, health/workout goals, and life in general.

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FreydisEir@reddit

For breakfast, I usually eat toast or oatmeal. Sometimes bacon and eggs if I wake up early and have extra time. For lunch, I usually eat a sandwich but will sometimes skip lunch. After work is our biggest meal, usually meat with sides around 8-9 p.m.

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ID_Poobaru@reddit

I eat sandwich for breakfast, dinner for lunch and breakfast for dinner

I also work overnight so how I meal prep is pretty different from others

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Key-Possibility-5200@reddit

Lunch varies. A lot of office workers like to eat out for lunch.

Coffee, a piece of fruit and a protein like cottage cheese or an egg is a pretty common breakfast

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tuberlord@reddit

I feel like shit if I skip breakfast. I rarely skip it and regret it when I do.

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messibessi22@reddit

I’m probably not the best example but I would usually do coffee for breakfast snacks whenever I’m hungry and then dinner after work

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Shady500thCoin@reddit

I skip both and eat a 2 or 3k calorie dinner, probably not the best for you health wise.

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Occhrome@reddit

most people i know don't eat breakfast. personally i love breakfast but over the last year have cut back to only eating a protein bar for weight loss purposes and its working.

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c4ctus@reddit

This American also usually skips lunch because work. Any time you aren't working is bad for the company.

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Key-Wallaby-9276@reddit

Yeah a lot of people just have coffee for breakfast. They eat more at dinner. But I also know people who quite a few people who eat breakfast, skip lunch, and then eat dinner. This is what I usually do. I don’t really have time during the day to eat

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EmeraldLovergreen@reddit

I always eat breakfast within one hour of waking up. It’s usually small, under 350 calories during the work week. I’ll eat larger ones on the weekend and usually skip lunch. During the work week I eat three meals a day plus an 11:00 am small snack

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Sailor_NEWENGLAND@reddit

I eat breakfast if I have time…I go to work very early..so sometimes I’ll pre-prepare breakfast..otherwise I don’t eat until lunch

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missannthrope1@reddit

We eat like farmhands at every meal.

That's the problem.

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DottieCucumber@reddit

I usually have yogurt and fruit for breakfast, sometimes toast. Sometimes on the weekend I’ll have a bigger (eggs/hash browns) breakfast. I will usually eat last night’s leftovers for lunch, but sometimes a sandwich or tacos or soup. Dinner tends to be my biggest meal, I wouldn’t say huge though

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Seaforme@reddit

It depends on personal preference. I prefer a light breakfast, if I don't eat I'll get dizzy but if I eat a proper meal I'll get nauseous lol

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slayer1am@reddit

Personally, I just snack until lunch, which is usually a Taco Bell or Wendy's combo. Occasionally a pizza and salad combo or maybe Indian/Mexican.

Dinner is usually the biggest meal, steak and potatoes, or homemade tacos, or BLTs. Sometimes we even make a traditional breakfast and serve that for dinner, hashbrowns, eggs, toast.

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catsoncrack420@reddit

"In my country..." Well what freaking country?

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ineedmoreslee@reddit

I do.

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StarWars_Girl_@reddit

I take thyroid medication, so I can't eat for like an hour first thing in the morning.

I work from home, so I usually do small meals throughout the day. Usually I'll do breakfast at around 10, though sometimes that is just a protein bar depending on how the day is going. I get bored super easily with food, but I do Sunbutter (peanut butter replacement) and jelly a lot of I need something quick.

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Purple-Display-5233@reddit

I'm like others. Coffee for the early morning. I have a snack around 10 am. Sandwiches or leftovers for lunch and then a nice dinner. I am a teacher, so when I eat during the day is not up to me.

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seriouslysosweet@reddit

Breakfast restaurants are one of the fastest growing restaurants so it all depends. Basically food is draw. If you build it they will come.

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Prowindowlicker@reddit

Depends entirely on the person. I’m actually more likely to have a big breakfast and skip lunch than to skip breakfast

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sto_brohammed@reddit

I don't think you can generalize it across American culture that way. I know lots of people who don't eat breakfast but I grew up on a farm eating large breakfasts and I can't function without eating something substantial in the morning.

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AdelleDeWitt@reddit

I will have some nuts or peanut butter crackers with a cup of tea in the morning at work. Some days I'll just have tea. For lunch I usually have a smaller portion of leftovers from last night's dinner.

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Gladyskravitz99@reddit

I think I have three meals of equal size. But skipping breakfast (or having something junky like a donut) and then eating a "sad desk lunch" is fairly common here.

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MushroomPrincess63@reddit

I don’t eat breakfast. Just coffee or tea, depending on what I want that day. I’ll usually eat a salad or cottage cheese in the afternoon, then dinner.

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Initial-Savings-4875@reddit

I always have breakfast and skip lunch, then have a good dinner around 5 pm.

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e122112@reddit

It depends for most people it’s to save money because food is expensive or because some people just forget

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DummyThiccDude@reddit

Depends on the day for me personally. If im going to work, I'll probably have something equivalent to breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but if it's my day off, i might just have lunch and dinner.

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crafty_j4@reddit

I always eat breakfast and have historically had a small to medium lunch and a larger dinner. Now I’m trying to gain weight so I don’t have 3 standard meals and instead have 4 or 5 smaller ones throughout the day. My parents have a tendency to skip breakfast and just have coffee, not sure what they do for lunch, but typically a decent sized dinner.

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CheezitCheeve@reddit

The general pattern in America is a small breakfast and mild lunch with a lot of snacking. Our main meal is usually at night after work/school. Snack after that and bed.

Sandwich lunches are common but not the only option.

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Dragonfly7242@reddit

I eat breakfast. My guess is 40% eat breakfast. Those who do often have smaller lunches.

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Adept_Thanks_6993@reddit

I couldn't tell you about what people do for breakfast, but no. We do not only eat sandwiches for lunch. If you want sad desk lunches, talk to the Norwegians. Dinner is the most important meal of the day in American culture, so it will usually be bigger.

I however, would gladly demolish a sandwich for most meals.