How to pack healthy lunches for school and work (with cheatsheet)
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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.
Note: I am not a doctor or a dietitian, and this blog post should not be used as a substitute for any medical advice.
Table of contents
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.
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.
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.
Lunch packing cheatsheet
Click on the image to grab a copy!
Need school lunch ideas?
Here are a few of my kid’s favorite ones –
References
- Packing a healthy lunchbox by Harvard school of public health
- What is MyPlate – dietary guidelines by USDA
- Healthy eating plate – a guide for creating healthy, balanced meals
Helpful resources on packing school lunches
- 10+ reasons why you should pack your lunch
- Stocking your pantry for school / work lunches
- How to plan and prep for school lunches
- Healthy snacks and sides to pack with school or work lunch
- Best lunch supplies for packed lunches
- 10+ smart tips & hacks for packing lunches