How to pack an easy, healthy lunch
How to pack an easy, healthy lunch
Published February 2025
Expert contributors Purva Gulyani, accredited practising dietitian
Words by Carrie Hutchinson
If you rush out the door every morning without thinking about your lunch, you’re not alone. Almost three in four Aussies buy lunch, morning tea or coffees at least once a week when they’re at work. But accredited practising dietitian Purva Gulyani says you can save money and eat healthier by taking a packed lunch from home. Here’s how.
The benefits of taking a packed lunch
First, bringing your lunch from home saves you money, and takes away the hassle of deciding what to buy (not to mention the time lining up at the local takeaway shop). There are the added health advantages of making your lunch as tasty and nutritious as possible. Try to think about lunch as a “midday fuel stop” for your body and mind, says Purva.
“Skipping lunch or not eating enough can lead to energy dips and food cravings later on in the day, which often means overeating at dinner,” she says.
For a balanced lunch, stay away from processed and packaged foods. Instead, make sure at least half of what you eat is vegies like tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce or steamed greens. They’re packed with vitamins and minerals, and they’ll also help you avoid that annoying afternoon energy slump. About a quarter of your lunch should be lean protein like eggs, chicken, fish, tofu, lentils or beans, says Purva. Protein keeps you feeling full, so you don’t get the munchies in the afternoon.
Purva also suggests rounding out your lunch with complex carbohydrates like whole grains, oats and quinoa, or starchy vegies like carrot, sweet potato or corn. These take longer to digest, so you’ll feel fuller for longer.
“Carbs like these will keep your energy up without crashing,” she says. “Add a dose of healthy fats like nuts, seeds, olive oil or avocado to help your digestion, too.”
How much food should you eat for lunch?
How much you should eat throughout the day depends on your age and gender. You can find your recommended servings at the Australian Government’s Eat For Health website. There’s also a handy guide to serving sizes.
For example, here’s the recommended daily intake for a man aged 30 to 35.
- 6 serves of grain foods (mostly whole grains)
- 6 serves of vegetables and legumes/beans
- 2 serves of fruit
- 3 serves of lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds or legumes/beans
- 2.5 serves of milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or alternatives.
How to make your lunch healthier
Short on time? Prepare your lunches in advance, says Purva. It’ll make packing your healthy lunch easier and quicker.
Start by planning out the week’s dinners to see when you’ll have leftovers for the next day and when you might need to make extra food for lunches.
“By planning meals ahead of time, you’re more likely to make better choices and avoid the last-minute ‘rush’ decisions that often lead to less healthy options or skipping meals,” says Purva.
Your planning might also include chopping and grating vegies and storing them in separate containers, cooking brown rice for the week (it lasts for up to four days in an airtight container in the fridge), roasting vegies, hard boiling eggs and baking chicken.
Another great lunch idea is soup, though it can be hard to eat on a building site or if your workplace doesn't have a seated lunch area. You can always buy a pre-made soup and stir through a can of chickpeas to add protein and flavour.
Pick up a good stainless-steel lunchbox, if possible, with different compartments for your lunch. Stainless steel lunchboxes keep your food fresher for longer and contain fewer toxins than plastic ones. You might also need a bigger separate container for your salad or vegie component, as well as a small container for dressing.
If you’re not near a fridge, a little cooler box is also a helpful piece of lunchtime kit you can get at most supermarkets and hardware stores. Choose a hard-walled cooler bag to protect it from being bumped or stepped on.
Once you’ve finished your lunch, get up and move, says Purva.
“Walking helps your body’s natural digestive process by increasing blood flow to your gut, which can reduce bloating,” she says. “It also helps balance blood sugar levels, meaning fewer cravings later on.”
3 easy healthy lunch options
- Chicken, beef or bean salad bowl: Using a container or jar, layer protein, rice or quinoa, chopped protein and avocado. Keep salad dressing separate. At lunch, tip the whole lot into a bowl and add the dressing.
- Chicken and vegies: Get that fried chicken flavour with a healthier option by coating chicken in breadcrumbs and baking in the oven or air fryer. It’ll taste great the next day in a burrito-style wrap or with some roasted vegies.
- Vegie slice: Grate a carrot, zucchini and onion and cook them together in olive oil. Spread this mixture over the base of a small baking tray, then add four to six beaten eggs and bake in a 180-degree oven until it’s firm. Slice it up for brekkie or lunch and eat warm or cold.
Tips for kids’ lunches
If you make your kid’s lunchbox look colourful and fun, you’ve won half the battle, says Purva. Try adding fruit slices, vegetable sticks and food cut into interesting shapes, like cheese into stars on top of a healthy cracker.
3 healthy options for kids
- Rice Cakes: Pack rice cakes along with cherry tomatoes, cheese cubes and a bunch of grapes. Leftover meatballs or falafels also work well for a protein hit.
- Chicken and rice: Add leftover barbeque chicken and rice to one section of the lunchbox. Then add vegie sticks with hummus and a sliced orange or mandarin.
- Savoury muffins: Find an easy recipe, like this one for healthy egg muffins, and make a batch on the weekend. Pop one in a lunchbox with strips of capsicum, cucumber and cheese, a few rice crackers and a kiwi fruit cut into stars.
Tips for healthy takeaways
If you forget your lunch (or just didn’t have time to pack one), don’t worry. Here are some options for a healthy shop-bought lunch.
- Grilled fish and salad (no chips)
- Fresh rice paper rolls
- Stir-fried vegies with tofu or seafood (no rice)
- Salad sandwich or roll
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