Hi! You can find plenty of inspiration by browsing tumblr or pinterest: 
www.tumblr.com/tagged/healthy+lunch
pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=healthy+lunch

But don’t make it a point to make yourself picture-perfect pretty lunch boxes like the ones on those pictures! Just grab some dinner left-overs, add some raw veggies, a fruit, a handful of nuts etc.

When it comes to things that are filling, remember to include a source of protein in every meal. Regarding carbs, I actually prefer lentils, beans or chick peas rather than bread or wraps ; I find they fill me up longer, but it’s just a matter of personal preferences. 

Hi! No, eating 1-2.5lbs of fruits (= around 1kg for my “metric system” followers!) is not a better alternative. It’s just too much fruit, too much fructose (fruit sugar) and no protein. It is not a balanced meal.

An example of a slightly better alternative to a cheeseburger could be a whole grain wrap with grilled chicken and an apple: you get one lean source of protein (chicken breast) + one cup of fibrous carbs (salad inside the wrap & apple) + a portion of whole grain carbs (the wrap). 

Hi! A grilled cheese sandwich is not much healthier than a pb&j sandwich. It contains less sugar but it has more ‘bad fat’ (saturated fat).

A healthier option for lunch could be for example:
- a peanut butter sandwich (without jelly), using whole grain bread and unsweetened/unsalted natural peanut butter. 
- 2 cups of carrots, celery sticks, salad or low sodium soup
- 1 apple 
- water 

If you’re still hungry, you can add one cup of fat-free unsweetened Greek yogurt.

Hi Adrianna,

Yes, you’re right! This is not a healthy lunch. I don’t care so much about the calories ; the 2 main things that bother me are: 
1- You’re not getting any vegetable or fruit
2- You’re getting a ton of sugar. Peanut butter contains sugar if it’s not all natural peanut butter, jelly is full of it, the protein bar too. Even if the protein bar says there’s no sugar in it there is probably some kind of sweeteners -which are as bad as sugar.

Here are some suggestions of easy meals for lunch (with pics): http://fitnesstreats.tumblr.com/post/13871081367/suggestions-of-easy-meals-for-lunch-3-small

Hi Brianna,

Here are a few examples of healthy lunches:
- a whole wheat tortilla filled with one can of tuna, Romaine lettuce, pieces of apple and mustard.
- 1 cup of Greek yogurt (250g) mixed with 3-4 tablespoons of oats and 15 frozen berries. The frozen berries are going to keep the Greek yogurt fresh, and by the time you have to eat lunch they’re not going to be frozen anymore; don’t forget to pack a spoon too! Pack also some cucumber slices aside to get your veggies. 
- 2 sticks of low fat string cheese, 1 to 2 tomatoes (eat them without cutting them, as if they were apples), and 2 pieces of spinach cake
- a green salad with walnuts and a big home made protein bar 
- 2 hard boiled eggs, a chickpea salad made with canned chickpeas and veggies (broccoli, carrots, pickles), 1 kiwi

Avoid: 
- crackers
- any kind of yellow cheese
- any kind of processed meat / sausages

Don’t forget to pack 2 snacks too (one for mid-morning, one for mid-afternoon). Examples of healthy snacks:
- 1 apple and 20 unsalted almonds
- celery sticks (as many as you want) and 2 teaspoons of peanut butter
- 10 strawberries and 20 cashews
- sliced cucumber with hummus
- 2 sticks low fat string cheese
- 3 healthy peanut butter cookies

I hope this helps a bit!

xxx

Elise