A year of low-fuss lunches

There is a deep-seated, often internalized pressure that leads us to believe that in order to be a good parent, we have to make lunches that are not only colourful and varied, but also homemade and zero-waste. We compare and judge ourselves, or worse, belittle ourselves when we see other people’s lunch boxes, which we imagine to be better than our own.

But a lunch is just a meal. It’s not a passing grade for success, nor a reflection of our worth. If we remove the guilt of the perfect lunch box, we see it for what it really is: a practical way of feeding someone between two periods of the day [1].

A nutritious lunch does not have to be prepared from scratch. Processed foods can be used to create a balanced, nutritious, satisfying lunch box. Whole wheat bread, unsweetened applesauce, smoked salmon, canned chickpeas or plain yogurt are all processed foods, yet they are still rich in nutrients and perfectly compatible with a healthy diet.

The problem is that when we talk about food processing, we often confuse processed foods with ultra-processed foods, as though they have the same effect on our health [2]. And this is not the case.

Ultra-processed foods are products made from industrial ingredients that are not found in our kitchens at home (protein isolates, texturizers, artificial flavours, food colouring, sweeteners) and that are often very low in nutrients [3]. These products, when consumed regularly and in large quantities, are associated with an increased risk of chronic disease. Not distinguishing between processed and ultra-processed foods adds undue pressure on the shoulders of people simply trying to eat well. Just because a food is processed doesn’t mean it is bad. It is a question of degree, frequency and nuance.

There are weeks when even cutting up a vegetable seems like too much of a chore, and lunches become a burden. That is when ready-to-eat foods can be our best allies. Baby carrots in the bag they came in, a bowl of quick-frozen chilli in an insulated container, a wrap bought at a grocery store, fruit salad in a resealable container – all of these are lunches. Just because it is prepackaged and doesn’t come in a fancy container doesn’t make it an unhealthy lunch. It is not a lack of effort, it is a strategic choice and, sometimes, a question of parental survival.

If you don’t have the energy to cook but still want to eat a balanced diet, here are some food combination ideas for minimally processed foods, readily available in grocery stores, for a complete, satisfying easy-to-assemble lunch box.

• Whole wheat pita + store-bought hummus + prewashed crudités + Greek yogurt + unsalted nuts
• Quick-frozen chilli + whole grain crackers + mini cheese + fresh fruit
• Store-bought wrap (chicken or veggie) + unsweetened apple sauce + pumpkin seeds
• Store-bought cold pasta salad + hard-boiled egg + baby carrots + whole grain cereal bar
• Sliced smoked tofu + store-bought couscous salad + rinsed chickpeas + raisins
• Quick-frozen edamame (unfrozen) + store-bought spring rolls (shrimp or veggie) + peanut or tamari sauce + fresh fruit

These combos are not intended to impress or be shared on Instagram, but they are nourishing. And that’s what really counts.

We won’t make perfect lunches every day, which is just fine. The aim is to develop habits that are good enough, regular enough and stable enough to sustain our energy and allow us to enjoy eating [4,5]. If one or two lunches during the week are not as well balanced as the others, that’s okay. In nutrition, balance is assessed over several days, sometimes even several weeks. In practice, this means that a few less nutritious lunches in a week do not compromise overall nutrition, as long as a healthy balance is maintained over several days or weeks. And this is exactly what the body and tired parents need: consistency over performance.

A balanced lunch helps keep you going until you get home, without experiencing any major cravings or afternoon slumps. You can do this by combining a variety of satiating foods: a healthy source of protein, a carbohydrate base, fibre, a little fat and, above all, enjoyment [4,5].

This is even more important for children [5]. Their bodies are designed to eat small amounts frequently. They have high nutritional needs to grow, move and learn, but a smaller stomach to hold everything in a single meal. Dividing their lunch into several small containers can make it more enjoyable for them and better suited to their appetite at the time.

When you realize that the purpose of lunch is to provide enough nourishment until the next meal and be nutritious most of the time (not all the time), you realize that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel every lunchtime. When it comes to food, routines are an underestimated superpower. Having three or four tried and true formulas, such as pasta salad, a tuna sandwich or bits of tofu with raw vegetables, helps reduce stress, saves time and conserves your energy for other things. If the lunch box contains the same foods as last Tuesday, all the better. Often it is when you change a well-established routine that children complain… not the reverse.

In a well-established routine, leftovers are precious allies. Leftover soup, a rice dish or a portion of Sunday night’s meal that you doubled in quantity can easily become a complete lunch, without any extra effort. It’s a smart way of saving time, reducing waste and offering a meal that is often more nutritious than a last-minute improvised lunch. Reheating leftovers and placing them in an insulated container or eating them cold isn’t an emergency solution, it’s an effective strategy. And children (and adults alike) often love having their favourite meals again.

An insulated container is ideal for keeping soups, rice, pasta, stews and sauce-based dishes warm [6]. Before filling the container with your food, fill it with boiling water, close it and wait 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the meal until it is steaming hot and the steam rises when you stir it. Pour out the water, fill the container with your hot meal and close it quickly. This method helps retain the heat better and reduces the risk of bacteria developing if the meal is not hot enough.

When a child has allergies or the school imposes restrictions, it is an added stress to what is already a complicated lunch preparation. We want to avoid any traces, prevent reactions, inform the adults around the child, while not making the child feel different. It’s a real challenge, but one we have to meet. Thankfully, an allergen-free lunch can be just as varied, satisfying and nourishing as any other lunch.

A good reflex to adopt is to identify the main allergens identified in bold or at the end of the list of ingredients of the food chosen, such as peanuts, nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, soya, sesame, fish, seafood, mustard and sulphites [7]. Avoid products labelled “may contain” or “manufactured in a plant that uses…”, as appropriate. It is a simple step to take to make safe choices without having to prepare everything yourself.

You can also help to create a safe and inclusive school environment for children, for example, by clearly labelling containers, communicating with teachers in advance, and informing other parents when going on outings or special activities.

Lunches are neither a performance objective nor a parenting test. Rather, they are a daily task, a tangible way of taking care of ourselves and others in today’s fast-paced world. No matter how simple or ordinary, preparing a lunch still involves a gesture of care and presence. And on those days when you feel that you haven’t put anything special in the lunch box, you can always slip in a thoughtful little note. Just to remind the person you are thinking of them. Because sometimes, that’s the most nourishing thing of all.