Packing lunch can sometimes be tricky. It can get old and tiresome if you don’t have a plan. When we are hungry we can run into a lot of high calorie food choices. Being stocked with quick healthy foods can help us control what we eat, how much we eat and control cost. Having a few lunch staples on hand can help prevent your lunches from becoming boring and keep you on track.
The following are needed to have a complete lunch meal.
Liquid (something to drink like water or milk)
Meat (something for protein)
Bread or starch (for energy)
Color (fruits and veggies)
Packing a nutrient dense lunch can be quite easy. Having leftovers from a dinner meal is an easy start as long as you have some food leftover. Once you do have foods leftover, package them and have a way to keep them at a safe temp. Re-freezable ice packs that you put into a lunch bag work well for this.
If you do not have leftovers from an evening meal, prepackaged foods can help. There are a variety of foods, including meat, fruit, veggies, milk and snack foods that have been packaged for convenience to help keep you nourished during your busy lifestyle.
Prepackaged items such as single serve tuna or salmon foil packs are quick and easy. Potatoes can be quickly cooked in a microwave. Keeping a jar of peanut butter on hand is an easy ‘go to’ for lunch or a snack. Dried fruits, fruit cups or pudding cups are also an easy stash. Canned beans are an extremely filling and easy ‘go to’ that work well on top of a salad. Beans can also be heated briefly in a microwave. You can then add cheese and crackers or a tortilla and make your own bean burrito.
Eggs, tuna, salmon, peanut butter, canned beans, individual serve cheeses are always good backups for lunch. If you are tired of bread, try a corn or flour tortilla or pita pocket for a little variety.
Individual, 8 ounce shelf stable milks can help meet the 3 serving a day recommendation for dairy to help get enough calcium. Individually wrapped cheeses or low or nonfat Greek or Icelandic yogurts are also good choices to help meet this recommendation.
Some veggies, such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cabbage, spinach and lettuces to name of few, come in small packages prewashed and cut so that you can put some in a small baggie for lunch. Fresh fruit is great, but sometimes canned or individual fruit cups are more convenient and will keep for a while.
Nuts, olives and avocadoes are a nice addition to a lunch meal to help complete it. Be sure to use these sparingly because they are high in calories.
These are just a few ways to pack a healthy lunch. It becomes easier with time and practice. Branching out to other foods is also a possibility. Remember to be open to trying new foods
Grace graduated in 1993 from UT Southwestern Medical Center Allied Health Sciences School with a Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Nutrition. A few years later she concentrated her efforts in diabetes and became a certified diabetes care and education specialist. During her career she has worked as a registered dietitian nutritionist in long-term care, renal dialysis, home health, and diabetes outpatient care. Currently self-employed, she specializes in wellness and diabetes. Grace is a member of the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists. Grace now writes nutrition content for websites using her education, current research, and 29 years of experience.