👀 THE PROBLEM
Enter school lunch. It’s the literal hunger games. We’ve pitted your sanity against your child’s health.
Packing lunch is a second job
School lunch is usually unhealthy
Snack rules are strict and confusing
The food industry is mostly processed, addictive poison
Picky eaters reject everything
The lunchbox has become a Pinterest competition
And no matter what you pack, someone is insanely hangry at 2 p.m (it’s me, I was so busy packing lunches I forgot my own)
May the odds be ever in your favor. Said as I prepare to pack 2 lunches and 47 snacks.
Lunch I packed last week that came home 100% eaten and I fist pumped so hard my wrist hurt
😤 WHINE TIME
Many things can be true at once. We can want all children to access healthy food and be incredibly frustrated by the burden and lack of system level solutions.
So, let’s take a minute to let it out. No judgement. No moral shaming. Here is what some readers had to say.
“Nothing more defeating than your child bringing home an untouched lunch.”
“There’s a direct correlation lately: the more time and energy I put into her lunches, the more that comes home uneaten!”
“It’s instant feedback – the uneaten, warm, melt-y lunch that you then have to unpack before you’re able to rest, to wake up and try again…”
“The worst is the half eaten yogurt that comes back ALL OVER the lunchbox 🤡”
🧠 REFRAME: WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON?
For many of us, feeding our newborns was our first, and most important job. And after years of anxiety and shame about how we chose to feed our babies, I think we’re scarred.
It’s important to remember that behind the lunchtime tension are the universal truths:
🍎 Food is how we show love.
🥦 And how we keep our kids healthy.
🍪 And something we don’t want weaponized.
Our frustrations aren’t because we’re lazy parents who don’t want to pack lunches. It is born out of love and our desire for our kids to be healthy, safe, and nourished.
👯 CROWD SOURCED SOLUTIONS
So with those feelings in mind, god bless you to the parents who shared their shame-free ideas.
But before we get to other people’s solutions, I want to give you one that has changed the game for snack time for my fam.
I met this woman Melissa who blew me away with her startup, Unrefined Foods. So I ordered the variety pack of frozen muffins (no sugar or refined grains) and my kids devoured them. Pack them frozen in their snack bags and by the time they’re eaten, they’re perfectly thawed! More to come from Melissa soon…
Now on to YOUR solutions.
“Put in frozen fruit the night before. It slowly thaws and keeps everything colder the next day—mango & dragon fruit are our favorites!”
“We started having the kids pack their own lunches very early. Not always healthy, but they eat what they pack.”
“I gave up and opted into the camp’s hot lunch program. $100/week well spent to avoid dealing with the half-eaten bento box.”
“I ask my daughter what her friends are eating—sometimes peer influence is the only thing that inspires change.”
“Planet Box Rover lunch boxes are a 10/10—helps keep food organized and kids engaged.”
“Simplify in summer: grilled cheese, quesadillas, make-your-own pizza, chicken nuggets, or leftovers. Easy on me and allergy-friendly.”
“I started ordering my own lunch from Coalition Kitchen—if I’m going to do this daily, one less thing on my plate.”
“Feta-beef meatballs with yogurt-garlic dipping sauce make a great cold snack. Bake them in batches and they’re kid-approved.”
“Delegated to my husband: sun butter & jelly, baby carrots, strawberries, and Babybel are winning combos.”
“Russian camps with peer pressure help my picky eater try new things. Hoping to reset habits with that change of routine.”
Coming Next Week
I asked LinkedIn, who is building smart solutions for working parents? And WOW did you all show up!
325+ comments later (okay half from me) and we’ve got a roundup of the best innovations, crowd-sourced from real parents. You won’t want to miss this!
⏸️ AND FINALLY A SHORT PAUSE FOR REAL TALK
This topic was tough for me to write about. Because while I am frustrated with lunch and snack time, I was also on free and reduced lunch for a few years growing up.
I still remember the comfort of knowing there was a hot meal waiting for me at school. That one meal mattered more than anyone realized.
And for many kids today, that’s still the case.
🍽️ 1 in 8 kids in the U.S. lives in a food-insecure household
Not every state has a universal free lunch option even available, let alone a healthy option. Access to better food at school shouldn’t be a luxury. It should be a baseline.
But to close with a tiny bit of good news, starting this fall, the USDA will begin phasing in new school meal nutrition standards, including the first-ever limits on added sugar and updated sodium guidelines. It’s not perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Got a great lunch/snack solution? Reply to this and I will include it in the web version of this article!