Most of us – including those among us with school-aged children – know how important a nutritionally-balanced lunch box is to support concentration, learning and play each and every day. But packed lunches don’t need to stop once we finish school! Buying lunch every day is not only costly, but it can also be tricky to find options that tick all the boxes, nutritionally speaking.
A packed lunch is a great way to ensure we continue to fuel appropriately throughout the day, despite everything we have going on! It doesn’t need to be labour-intensive or time-consuming to prepare, either. Simply follow our simple steps, below!
How to pack a balanced lunch box:
- Start with something substantial. This could be a sandwich, salad or soup – or even leftovers from dinner the night before! – to ideally enjoy as a main meal.
- Prepare a wholesome sandwich with a beautiful wholegrain bread or wrap, a good source of protein like chicken or falafel, lots of salad vegetables (ideally aiming for multiple different colours!), and a healthy spread like hummus or avocado.
- Throw together a satisfying salad, featuring a balance of complex carbohydrates, lean protein and healthy fats (find our fail-safe formula here!)
- Tip: Your ingredients can be prepared days in advance, ready to assemble in the morning, or the night before. Keep your dressing separate, until you’re ready to eat.
- Soups are another great option that can be prepared ahead of time (even frozen a few months in advance!), or purchased ready-made from the supermarket. They transport well in a Thermos.
- When choosing a ready-made option, look for a good source of protein (this might be chicken, tofu and/or legumes, for example) and plenty of vegetables, whilst keeping sodium to a minimum, as much as possible.
- If you have access to a microwave, certain leftovers – like stir fries and mince-based dishes, for example – reheat well; just be sure to heat in a glass container or ceramic bowl.
- Add in some nutrient-rich snacks. Realistically, the ideal number of snacks to pack each day will vary, depending on your schedule and energy needs. Some days, you may only require one snack alongside a balanced breakfast and lunch to get you through to dinner time; on others, you may need that something extra!
Ideally, each snack will provide a good source of protein, essential for satiety and maintaining lean muscle. We also love to include a variety of colourful fruits, vegetables and other plant-derived foods, which are high in dietary fibre (also helpful for satiety, and all-important gut health) as well as essential vitamins, minerals and polyphenols.
This might look like…
- High-protein yoghurt with berries
- Crunchy vegetables (like carrots, capsicum, cucumber and/or celery) with hummus
- Edamame, or roasted chickpeas or fava beans
- Seeded crackers with sliced cheese and tomato
- A handful of raw, unsalted nuts.
Find more high-protein snack ideas here.
- Finish with a small treat. If you love a sweet treat, including something small can be a helpful strategy to prevent feelings of deprivation, which can otherwise lead to overindulging later! This might look like a square or two of dark chocolate, or a homemade biscuit or muffin to enjoy with your tea or coffee.
- Don’t forget to hydrate! Adequate hydration is key for maintaining concentration and focus, as well as healthy digestion (and myriad other essential processes in the body!). It can be helpful to invest in an aesthetically-pleasing water bottle to take with you everywhere! To keep things interesting, try adding some citrus or cucumber slices and mint leaves to infuse and flavour your water.
One last thing.
Many of us enjoy the social aspect of stepping out to buy a takeaway lunch with our colleagues, which can also be important from workplace culture and networking perspectives. There’s no need to miss out if you’re bringing your lunch to work! You should always feel free to simply tag along for the walk, or could otherwise buy a small coffee or another drink option, like a kombucha or sparkling water. You may even inspire others to follow your lead!
For expert dietary support to meet your unique goals and requirements, book your first appointment with one of our wonderful Accredited Practising Dietitians today.