How do you pack a healthy lunch at school?

One of the hardest things about packing a school lunch for your child is deciding which foods will stay fresh and appealing after staying in the lunch box for 4 hours or more.

Many parents find benthic lunch boxes practical, as it allows each food to stand alone, allows more variety and the child does not feel overwhelmed by large portions. (If necessary, put an ice pack in the lunch bag where the box is kept to keep fresh food for a long time.)

You would hardly want to spend too much time packing lunches every day. Instead, you can make a list of products that your child loves and boldly combine foods into different categories and easily fill the compartments in your children 's lunch boxes . This method reduces stress during lunch preparations and at the same time gives your children a great variety!

It is important for children's nutrition that every lunch they receive:

  • portion of fruit
  • portion of vegetables
  • protein and healthy fats
  • something you know you will eat and love

For your convenience, we've divided our school lunch ideas into categories, but you don't have to include all the options in each lunch if your kids don't like it.

For example, it is not always necessary to include a main course or crunchy crackers / biscuits at every lunch. If you fill the compartments with 1-2 servings of fruits, vegetables and several options of protein and healthy fats, be sure that your children will feel full, even if they do not necessarily get a sandwich, a slice of pizza or something else that we would normally consider main dish.

Homemade pastries and cupcakes can be just as satisfying as a peanut butter sandwich, but sweet bars are definitely more popular than kids. Bite-sized foods are more suitable for children, so we tried to include many of these ideas in our list!

Here is our sample table of food categories:



* Select one or more options from each category to fill the lunch box . Feel free to mix and match every day to make school lunches interesting for your child!

Some good ideas for a cold lunch:

When it comes to packing a healthy lunch, it is important to have variety and choose foods that will retain their freshness after sitting in a lunch box for hours. For this reason, avoid including sliced apples or bananas, because children will not like it if they look brown. (Lemon juice can prevent this, but it also affects the taste of the fruit.) You can wrap a whole apple or banana in foil if your child really wants one, but you can keep this option for before or after school.

There is a large selection of fresh products suitable for packing in a lunch box , such as baby carrots, blueberries or grapes, along with something more favorite for your children, such as their favorite muffins, muesli bars or a few biscuits. Also, don't stop trying new recipes. You never know what your children will eat while in the company of their classmates.

The best tips for packing lunch at school:

  • Try to make sure that the food is easy for children to eat in the time they have for lunch.
  • Talk to your child if there was too much, not enough or the right amount of food to avoid food loss and satisfy their hunger.
  • Have the children help pack their lunches if they are interested.
  • Invest in a good lunch box that will last longer (and will be easy to clean!).
  • Place the lunch box in an insulated bag with an ice pack to cool. On our site you will find great lunch bags .
  • Don't forget water or another drink.
  • Follow the simple formula: Protein + vegetables + fruits + carbohydrates.
  • Give your children the opportunity to prepare their own lunch box , let them share what they would eat during the day. This will make it easier for you to combine foods in the future.
  • Plan from the evening what you will put in your child's lunch box . Don't leave this to the last minute.
  • If you have not invested in an expensive lunch box , then take the simplest silicone muffin tins and a simple box and show imagination.
  • Children have little time for lunch, so make it as easy as possible by cutting everything into small pieces, vegetables into small pieces, fruit in half (if they allow), sandwiches, meat, pancakes and other staples can also be cut into small pieces.

Most parents worry too much about the temperature of the food, and in fact children rarely eat their food hot! Lunch is as much about socializing with friends as it is about eating food, so just make sure you put together the right products and utensils! Don't think about anything else!