How to pack healthy lunches for school and work

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Packing school lunches that are delicious and nutritious can be quite a challenge. Check out this post to learn how to pack a well-balanced packed lunch for school or work.

School lunch image with caption how to pack healthy school lunches — How to pack healthy school lunches

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Note: I am not a doctor or a dietitian, and this blog post should not be used as a substitute for any medical advice.

What makes a healthy school lunch?
How to pack lunch for work and school?
Lunch packing cheatsheet
Need school lunch ideas?
References
Helpful resources on packing school lunches

What makes a healthy school lunch?

If you have decided to pack school and work lunches for your family but aren’t sure what to pack, you have come to the right place.

I have been there.

I understand how frustrating it can be not knowing if the lunch you are packing is well-balanced or not.

That’s why I was relieved when I stumbled upon MyPlate – an easy-to-follow food guide that USDA created to help us make the right eating choices for our mealtimes.

A depiction of USDA my plate concept. A plate is divided into fruits, grains, vegetables and proteins. — USDA MyPlate

As per the guide, a well-balanced meal should include foods from all five food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy.

You can apply the same guidelines while making school or work lunches too!

Here’s what they recommend –

Fill ½ of your lunch box with fruits and vegetables

Fruits may be fresh, canned, frozen, or dried, and may be whole, cut-up, pureed or cooked.
At least half of the recommended amount of fruit should come from whole fruit, rather than 100% fruit juice.
Limit fruit juice to one small glass per day.
Vegetables may be raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned, or dried/dehydrated; and may be whole, cut-up, or mashed.

In a nutshell – focus on whole fruits and vary your veggies.

Reserve ¼ of your lunch portion to protein

Choose from seafood; meat, poultry, and eggs; beans, peas, and lentils; and nuts, seeds, and soy products.
Limit red meat and avoid processed meats (hot dogs, sausages, deli meats, bacon etc.)

The remaining ¼ portion should include grains

Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, or another cereal grain is a grain product. Examples include – bread, pasta, breakfast cereals, oatmeal, popcorn, rotis / chapatis, rice and tortillas.
At least half your grains should be whole grains.
Whole grains include whole wheat, brown rice, quinoa and any products made from them, such as whole-grain pasta and 100% whole wheat bread.

Make sure to include dairy on the side

Includes milk, yogurt, cheese, lactose-free milk, fortified soy milk, and yogurt. Make sure to choose unflavored/unsweetened version of dairy products.
It does not include foods made from milk that have little calcium and high-fat content, such as cream cheese, sour cream, cream, and butter.

Click here for a free lunch packing cheatsheet!

Use healthy oils

Use butter occasionally.
Choose cold pressed oils derived from plants such as sunflower, corn, olive, peanut oil, etc.

Don’t forget to pack water!

Make sure your kid is hydrated throught the day – always send them with a reusuable insulated water bottle.
Limit juice to one small glass per day, and avoid sugary drinks such as sodas, sports drinks, etc.

Note:

The dietary needs of kids and adults vary based on their age, gender, and physical activity. To determine their nutrition needs, select a MyPlate plan from the USDA’s website.

How to pack lunch for work and school?

Building your lunch for school or work can be a fun family activity. You just have to follow one rule – you need to pick an item from each food group to ensure that your meal is balanced.

To make things easy for you and your kids, I created this lunch packing printable that lists all the food groups along with a few options.