Packing Your Lunch

Packed lunches have been made and eaten for ages. Lunch is what fuels us for the afternoon’s activity, whether it be work or play, and what we eat affects our energy levels, mood and productivity. Have your considered preparing your own packed lunch? It isn’t hard to put together a healthy, enjoyable packed lunch and you might even save some money along the way. What’s more, if you have diabetes you can prepare a lunch that you know will help keep your glucose levels in a healthy range.

Packed lunches have been made and eaten for ages. Lunch is what fuels us for the afternoon’s activity, whether it be work or play, and what we eat affects our energy levels, mood and productivity. Have your considered preparing your own packed lunch? It isn’t hard to put together a healthy, enjoyable packed lunch and you might even save some money along the way. What’s more, if you have diabetes you can prepare a lunch that you know will help keep your glucose levels in a healthy range.

Over time and across cultures, the contents of a packed lunch vary considerably. While here in Taiwan, the bento style lunchbox is commonplace, in Western countries sandwiches have historically been more of a staple. However, with it being so convenient to buy lunch nowadays, many people’s habits have evolved into buying lunch day by day at convenient outlets or canteens.

While eating out is convenient, eating an unbalanced meal for lunch day after day can add to both a bigger hole in your wallet and a bigger waistline. Upon examination, the contents of many convenience store foods often include a lot of preservatives and additives. Meanwhile, if you pack your own lunch you can make the choice to include fresh food.

You could spice up your lunchbox with some new, easy ideas like creamy coleslaw and pitta bread, chickpea and olive salad or soba noodles. If you help your child prepare their lunch, they may be excited by buying a shiny new lunchbox to put it in. You could surprise them by putting a treat inside once a while or a note saying how awesome they are or a reminder to check their blood glucose! Find more recipes online on sites like Pinterest or BBC Good Food. Easy, healthy ideas include granola, salad in a jam jar, cut up vegetables with dip and more!

It can take a bit of effort to get started but it’s well worth it. List the things you eat at lunchtime and see if you can find a healthier substitute for a few of them. Remember, carbohydrates, sugar and starch will give you a boost of energy but also lead to a crash later on. They’re not the best for maintaining steady blood glucose levels either. Aim for a selection of nutritious, less-processed items that combine for a balanced meal.

Why not make bringing a packed lunch a habit and let eating out become a special treat? The key is to plan ahead so when you arrive at the supermarket you know what you need. Look for ways to optimize your preparation. Try keeping pre-cut, pre-prepared ingredients such as carrot sticks and cucumber slices in the fridge and make sure you have a good container ready. This way, preparing your lunch can be a matter of minutes.

Was this article useful?