Packed lunch builder

A balanced lunchbox needs a bit of each group. Tick what is going in and see what is there and what could be added, for children or grown ups.

Your details

Your lunchbox covers

4 of 6

A good base

Could addSome veg or salad
Could addDairy or a fortified alternative
5 A Day in the box1 of 5 portions
Free sugars from the drinknone
Salt to aim under at lunch1.5 g for a 7 to 10 year old (30% of the daily limit)

Based on the Eatwell Guide. A treat alongside is fine: lunch is about what is in it, not what is left out.

The working

Six parts of a balanced box

Each part scores one, out of six. The example box of a sandwich, a protein filling, fruit and water scores 4 out of 6, and the tip is to add veg sticks and something dairy, like a cheese portion or a yogurt.

The drink matters too. Lunch is roughly 30% of the day, so we take 30% of the NHS free sugar limit for the age: 19 g a day at 4 to 6 (5.7 g at lunch), 24 g at 7 to 10 (7.2 g) and 30 g from 11 (9 g). A 150 ml glass of orange juice has about 12.9 g of free sugars (CoFID 2021, 8.6 g per 100 ml), over every lunch share, though it does count as one of your 5 A Day, once at most. A 250 ml fruit juice drink has about 18 g. Water and plain milk have none, and milk to drink covers the dairy part. Salt works the same way: 30% of 3 g, 5 g or 6 g.

Pick a sandwich and a snack and we add their salt, energy and sugars from the CoFID 2021 portions. A cheese and pickle sandwich (180 g) has about 2.7 g of salt and 508 kcal; with a 25 g bag of crisps that is 3.0 g of salt, about 61% of a 7 to 10 year old's 5 g for the whole day, against a lunch share of 1.5 g. A chicken salad sandwich has 1.1 g. Two digestive biscuits add 5.2 g of sugars; a 45 g milk chocolate bar adds up to 25.2 g, a little of it milk sugar. For adults we compare the energy with the 600 kcal for lunch in the Public Health England 400-600-600 guide.

Ideas

Easy lunchbox swaps

Wholemeal or half and half bread for more fibre
Cherry tomatoes, cucumber or pepper strips
Plain yogurt with fruit instead of a sweetened one
Plain popcorn or rice cakes instead of crisps
Water instead of juice drinks

NHS Healthier Families has lots of lunchbox ideas and recipes.

Keeping it safe

Cool and fresh

Use an ice pack or a frozen bottle of water to keep things cool, especially with meat, fish, eggs or dairy. Lunches kept cool stay safer, and a cold drink by lunchtime is a bonus.

Read with care

What this cannot tell you

Portion sizesChildren need smaller portions than adults.
AllergiesCheck school rules on nuts and other allergens.
Fussy eatersIt is fine to build up variety slowly.

Questions

Common questions

What should be in a healthy packed lunch?

A starchy food, some protein, fruit and veg, a dairy food and a drink of water or milk.

Are crisps OK in a lunchbox?

Now and then. Lower salt options or plain popcorn are good swaps.

How do I keep a packed lunch cold?

Use an insulated bag with an ice pack or a frozen drink.

Sources

Last checked 21 October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.

If food feels hard

If eating, weight or food is on your mind a lot, you are not alone. Your GP can help, and Beat has a free helpline on 0808 801 0677 (England, weekdays 3pm to 8pm).