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Missed meals survey
How often do people skip a meal?
You are what you eat, but what if you skip a meal?
For some, the mere concept of skipping meals can start a stomach grumbling, but for others, it’s a normal part of everyday life.
The health insurance comparison service iSelect set out to discover just how common it is, surveying over 3,000 adults across Australia, Canada and the USA about how often they skip meals.
Dig into the results below.
The ‘most important meal’ is the most skipped meal
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it’s also the meal most likely to be skipped by people. Americans and Canadians had the highest rate of people skipping breakfast at 39%, compared to 36% of Australians.
In all three countries, breakfast was the most likely to be skipped, followed by lunch, while very few would skip dinner – less than one-in-ten in each nation.
Aussies were the least likely to skip meals at all, with almost a third (31%) saying they never missed any meal. In contrast, only one-in-five Americans and Canadians said they didn’t skip any meals.
| Meal | Australia | Canada | USA |
| Breakfast | 36% | 39% | 39% |
| Lunch | 27% | 32% | 32% |
| Dinner | 6% | 7% | 8% |
| Never skip a meal | 31% | 22% | 21% |
Why do people skip meals?
For those foodies who can’t fathom ever skipping a meal, they might assume there is some serious or drastic reason why people might sometimes pass on eating. Maybe they’re fasting, or perhaps trying to save money?
But the answer is surprisingly simple: most people just aren’t hungry.
For those who regularly skip a meal, half said that they just don’t always have an appetite (51% specifically in Australia, compared to 49% in Canada and 48% in America). The next most common reasons were “being too busy at work” and “a lack of time”.
In fact, dieting, fasting and saving money were the least likely reasons behind why people skip meals.
Additionally, one in ten Americans simply ‘forgets to eat’ (11%), compared to 9% of Canadians and 8% of Australians.
How many meals do people eat per day?
Most people have two or three meals a day, while one-in-ten only have one, according to the survey. A few have multiple meals a day, with 6% of Canadians and 4% of Australians and Americans having five or more main meals a day – enough to do a Hobbit proud.
But complementing main meals is the humble snack. A third of respondents across all three countries eat just one snack a day, while another third typically eat two snacks.
One-in-ten Australians apparently don’t eat any snacks at all (which is crazy considering Australian cuisine includes Tim Tams and Lamingtons), followed by 9% of Canadians and 7% of Americans.
On the other side, after three snacks a day, the number of people eating snacks drops considerably, with less than 5% of all people surveyed in each country saying they had five or six – or more – snacks a day.
How popular is takeaway food?
In a fast-paced world, quick takeaway meals are a tempting choice – even if they fall into the ‘junk food’ category. But just how popular are they?
Most people have one takeaway meal a week, with 38% of Australians, 36% of Canadians and 28% of Americans allowing themselves an average of just one meal out a week.
Then, Americans are the most likely to have two meals at 20%, while Canadians are close behind at 19%, and Australians are the least at 15%. While 13% of Americans have three takeaway meals a week, this drops to 9% for Canadians and 8% for Australians.
There were 9% of Americans who eat five or more takeaway meals a week, beating out 7% of Canadians and 5% of Australians.
As for those who never eat takeaway meals (on average), most were Australian at 28%, compared to 25% of Canadians and 22% of Americans.
| Number of times eating takeaway meals per week | Australia | Canada | USA |
| 0 | 28% | 25% | 22% |
| 1 | 38% | 36% | 28% |
| 2 | 15% | 19% | 20% |
| 3 | 8% | 9% | 13% |
| 4 | 3% | 3% | 5% |
| 5+ | 5% | 7% | 9% |
“While it’s good to know that most skipped meals are simply because people aren’t hungry, it’s always important for people to look after themselves and their bodies’ needs. While General Practitioners can provide some medical advice, nutritionists and dietitians can provide specialised care to help with diets, nutrition and weight management plans.
“For those looking to better understand or manage their nutrition, professional support options are available, and in some cases, health insurance extras policies may contribute towards the cost of these services.”
General Manager – Health at iSelect
Written by:
Hannah Norton
Digital PR Manager
0449 680 017
As our Digital PR Manager, Hannah leads iSelect’s ambitious strategy in the dynamic Digital PR space and is equipped with more than six years’ experience in the field.
With a double degree in Marketing and Public Relations from Griffith University, the former Queenslander now calls Melbourne home.
About the data
iSelect commissioned PureProfile to survey 1,012 Australian, 1,013 Canadian, and 1,104 American adults in April 2026.
iSelect does not compare all health insurance providers or policies in the market. The availability of policies will change from time to time. Not all policies available from its providers are compared by iSelect and due to commercial arrangements, your stated needs and circumstances, not all policies compared by iSelect are available to all customers. Some policies and special offers are available only from iSelect’s contact centre or website. Click here to view iSelect’s range of providers