Building a balanced lunchbox

Whether it’s for yourself or for your kids, packing lunch can be an enormous brain drain and bone of contention. We chat to Marnie – our resident dietitian – for her practical tips on what to focus on and what to let slide, when building a balanced lunch box.

CG: Marnie, what’s your experience with lunch boxes been like?

MN: Oh wow. As a solo parent of two now-teenagers, the mere mention of lunch boxes can evoke a feeling of ‘ugh’ somewhere deep in my psyche.

In the current climate of social media and health / wellness flexing, I feel like there’s unnecessary pressure on individuals (and especially parents) to be producing beautiful, bespoke offerings every day of the week. It’s exhausting. And unnecessary.

As someone who thrived on a Vegemite sandwich, a piece of fruit and a cheese stringer most days through primary school, I’m a big fan of practical, back to basics lunch boxes myself.

CG: Okay, we’re definitely on board here. Do you have any fundamental tips for keeping things easy but balanced and healthy in your lunch boxes?

MN: Yes, Absolutely. Firstly – don’t get psyched out. Lunch boxes don’t need to be tricked up gourmet hampers. But I’ve found that when I’m being organised and structured about the process, it helps avoid a lot of angst. Let’s break it down.

Step 1: Get your essentials sorted.

I’m talking insulated lunch bags and neatly fitting freezer bricks to keep things at a safe temperature.

I’m also a fan of having many small, dishwasher safe metal or BPA free plastic containers to keep everything from getting too jostled around, and for the obvious environmental benefit of reducing plastic wraps and packaging. Invest in a good supply of these, organise a cupboard for storing them so you don’t get overwhelmed by kitchen rage, and make sure lunch boxes get unloaded and washed out on return to home. Nobody likes a smelly lunch bag or box with creepy things fermenting in the cracks and seams.

Last but not least – a quality thermos is fabulous for soups, stews and pasta leftovers.

Step 2: Simple planning for your lunch box contents.

Make some time to brainstorm suitable lunch box options that you or your family enjoy. If you’re catering for kids, enlist their help in this step. You want to think broadly about different categories – grains/cereals, protein foods, dairy/alternatives, fruits and vegetables and ‘snacky things’. If it’s just adults you’re catering for, some will like the idea of a weekly menu cycle, to completely remove the guess work and brain drain.

But if you’re more of a night before person, that’s okay too!

Step 3: Draw up your lunch box master list for each family member, organising ideas under the key food groups below.

When you’re building your lunch box, you’re aiming to include something from each group below, to provide a variety of food groups, macro and micronutrients.

Grain based options

The key feature of this food group is carbohydrates (fuel) and fibre. Depending what you put with them, they can also contribute protein and be a great vehicle for veggies.

Sandwiches / wraps

List the filling options to choose from (eg. cheese and salad, tuna and avocado, cold chicken and coleslaw). Try to get at least one veggie option like lettuce, rocket, tomato or celery into a sandwich or wrap.

Rice based options like sushi / rice paper rolls (leftovers from the night before, or purchased – I’m not suggesting anyone has the time or inclination for making sushi at 7am!), rice noodle salads, cold brown rice salad or fried rice.

Grainy crackers (eg. Ryevita, Vitawheat) with toppings like tomato and bocconcini cheese, or avocado and feta, or peanut butter and banana.

Pasta, lentil or cous cous salad with roast veggies and feta cheese – make a batch to last a few days.

Try overnight oats, overnight Weetbix with yoghurt and berries.

Protein foods

These are filling, nutrient-rich foods that keep hunger pangs at bay, and slow down the release of glucose from carbs into the bloodstream.

• Leftover rissoles / meatballs / cold chicken / tinned tuna or salmon (this is where the temperature regulation is key for food safety).
• Hard boiled eggs, mini frittata or quiche (make in bulk then freeze in small portions).
• If you have access to a microwave for heating, easy options for work lunches include a tin of baked beans, leftover curry/dahl and rice or a portion of last night’s Bolognese or stew with pasta
  

Dairy / alternatives:

These provide protein, calcium and other important micronutrients.

• Flavoured yoghurt (aim for 15g sugar/100g) or plain Greek yoghurt with a drizzle of honey – freeze these in little containers to double as an ice block.
• Cheese cubes / sticks / baby bocconcini / cream cheese.
• Tetrapak plain or flavoured milks (yes, chocky milk is surprisingly nutritious for growing bodies). Containers can be rinsed and thrown in the recycling later at home.
• Fruit and veg: For carbohydrates (fuel!), fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

What fruit options go down well with different family members? Put these on the shopping list so you can easily throw in an apple / banana / container of berries.

Other options to jazz things up: Frozen grapes or pineapple, stewed apple or rhubarb or tinned peaches / apricots, dates stuffed with peanut butter, a mini box of sultanas.

• Chopped celery, carrot and cucumber with pesto or hummus.
• Cold zucchini slice, zucchini, corn or pea and feta fritters.
• Veggie and lentil soup in a thermos.
• Coleslaw, kaleslaw, lentil salad, Greek or garden salad (yes, the pre-packed supermarket versions are still good for you).
• Snacky things: Because most people do need snacks between meals to keep their energy and concentration up over the day – especially kids!
• Could someone bake a batch of blueberry or banana choc chip muffins or banana bread and freeze lunch box portions for weeks to come?
• You could chuck in a muesli bar (ideally, aim for< 15g sugar/100g)
• Popcorn, corn chips, or home-made pita chips with guacamole, pesto or hummus.
• Mixed nuts, trail mix or dark chocolate and nuts are a filling and nutritious snack option.

CG: Sounds like it’s all about planning and inspiration – of which there’s plenty to be found above. So…. a few last curly questions we’d like to throw at you;

1. What happens if you’ve got a fussy eater who just wants the same thing?  Every. Single. Day.

MN: What I’d say here, is that as long as you’ve got foods from different food groups in the mix, you’ll be doing okay.

A fruit, a veggie, a protein food and a carbohydrate / grain option and a growing body will be getting what it needs.

Over time, you can try gradually introducing new foods and variety – but don’t stress.

Kids are remarkably resilient, and the best way to encourage new foods is by modelling the behaviour yourself with a variety of foods in meals and snacks at home.

2. What do you do about lunch boxes that come home virtually untouched?

Okay. Incredibly frustrating when you’ve gone to the effort of lovingly building a balanced lunch box. You may feel the need to scream silently into a tea towel for a bit.

But my tip here is – if it didn’t get eaten at lunch, it now becomes afternoon tea (before any other snacky options). If it repeatedly gets rejected, I think it’s time to liaise with the child in question and reformulate the lunch box plan.

Sometimes it’s a time or a accessibility issue, - so make sure packaging is easy to open / get into, and test drive more portable options that could be eaten while playing.

CG: Great advice. And finally – are there any things that really shouldn’t go into our lunch boxes?

MN: I’m a big advocate for all foods having their place. I don’t think any foods should be outright banned (from the lunch box or anywhere that is) – unless it’s a food allergy or medical condition like coeliac disease.

A few foods I’d recommend minimising in lunch boxes would be processed meats (ham, salami, twiggy sticks, bacon) and highly processed protein bars and shakes (especially the low carb or ‘sugar free’ versions). These types of ultra processed, preserved and salted foods aren’t great for the gut environment or our health overall.

I’d also have a look at the ingredients and Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) of things like muesli bars and other packaged treats marketed at kids.

To find the best options – you want to look for some whole grains, some fibre and – generally speaking – a shorter ingredient list containing foods you recognise!

CG: Thanks so much Marnie for demystifying the do’s and don’ts of our daily lunch boxes!

MN: It’s a pleasure. Just remember: food isn’t supposed to be stressful, boring or overwhelming. Once you’ve got your basic formula sorted and a bit of a rhythm, packing a balanced lunch box can even be quite fulfilling – especially if you train up the little people to take the reins!