What's In My Lunchbox + How to Pack a Satisfying Lunch

Something I oftentimes discuss with clients is the idea that, even with intuitive eating, preparedness is important for having a healthy balance around food, for being able to respond to hunger and honor it in a timely fashion, and in not having to think about food as much and spend valuable thoughts and energy elsewhere. Part of being prepared, for me, means packing a satisfying lunch every evening (or morning if I'm feeling lazy the night before) so that I'm ready for the next day and don't have to work through hunger or turn to less satisfying foods just because I'm starving! So I thought it might be fun to share with you a sneak peak into my lunchbox situation: how I pack my lunches, a general idea of what I usually pack, and how I ensure that I'm satisfied by it. Also, there's a video for you to enjoy :)

Are you a lunch packer?

I used to pack my lunch for school and such out of a need to be always in control of what I ate. Heaven forbid I forgot my lunch and had to make do with what was available.

But now I pack lunch because I know that if I don't I won't be able to meet my body's basic needs for food every couple of hours. Even though I can, in a pinch, walk from work down to a couple of restaurants to get food if I forgot to prep my lunch or I just didn't have anything that I could throw together and make a meal out of, I know that for me it's just easier to make my lunch each day...and more cost effective, of course. But also, knowing that I do best eating every couple of hours, I can use packing lunch to my advantage, to prepare for when I know I will get hungry and be able to have the option to honor that hunger. 

Check out what's in my lunchbox...

 You may have the feeling that packing your lunch ahead of time isn't an intuitive way to eat because you won't know exactly what you're craving the night before. But preparing for a meal when you're unable to have options and just have to eat something is part of listening to your body and meeting your body's needs ahead of time. Preparing to eat is an act of self care. You know you're going to be hungry. Now it's your job is to try to prepare something that you know will satisfy you as best as you can and go from there.

Here's a couple of thoughts that go through my head that help me decide how to pack my lunch the night before that hopefully will help you with lunch packing! 

1. I always, always, always pack a variety of snacks.

And for me, I always have at least 2 snacks...one for mid morning and one for mid afternoon. I know I'm going to be hungry around those times, based on past experience, and I know that when I eat that frequently I feel my most energized and feel more balanced (basically no highs and lows of hunger and fullness). Think of feeling more like even low waves describing your hunger and fullness instead of mountains and valleys. Depending on what we have on hand at home, I try to include snacks that are going to be satisfying. That usually means I'm looking for a combo of carbs/fat/protein which is going to help make me satisfied longer. For example, if mid afternoon I'm usually pretty hungry, just having an apple isn't going to cut it. But if I add almond or peanut butter to that apple, that's going to help it be more satisfying. 

2. Be practical with the quantity you're packing.

Long term diets and listening to rules you've put in place about eating can have you skimping on mealtime. Don't pack a lunch that wouldn't even fill up a pre-schooler! Be realistic and practical, giving yourself enough calories in your meal to fill you up. And when unsure how much you'll want to eat, air on the side of more. Because you can always get to work and eat less, but you can't eat more than what you pack. Listen to your body. And be experimental with how much you pack. If one day you're starving from what you packed the night before, that night make sure to put in more. And that goes for how many snacks and what types of snacks you're packing. Use every day that you're either hungry or full as something to learn from for the next day. Eventually, you'll be able to know your body pretty well and be able to respond to those hunger cues ahead of time by packing enough quantity.

3. Add in foods that you know will satisfy you.

I heard a good description of what it feels like to be satisfied by a meal the other day. Basically, you're going for the feeling of being able to push yourself away from the table and go start doing something else without thinking about food. You're done, you're satisfied. A good way I've personally found to ensure that my meals are ending on a satisfying note is by adding something sweet at the end of my meal. This isn't true for everyone, but I do have clients who notice a remarkable difference when adding in something sweet like a piece of fruit or a couple pieces of dark chocolate. But whatever it looks like for you, know that seeking satisfaction with a meal, choosing foods that make you happy and that you enjoy, is so important to helping you feel more balanced with eating and be able to put a meal to rest.

Also on the note of satisfying foods, diet foods are naturally not as satisfying as natural foods. The special K bar probably won't leave you as satisfied as, say, a homemade trail mix. Seek out foods to be satisfied that are as close to natural as possible. Hopefully that gives you some more insight into how to make your lunches more satisfying and enjoyable! Here's a recipe for a Satisfying Kale Salad (yes, that's possible!) that I packed in my lunch today and wanted to share with you guys...

Satisfying Kale Salad

Serves 4             Prep & Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

1 bag of chopped kale

1 tsp salt

1 medium-sized apple

1/2 cup diced red onion

1/4 cup walnuts

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1 cooked sweet potato, diced

1 avocado, diced

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbs apple cider vinegar

Directions:Start by "massaging" the kale. Sprinkle salt on kale and, using hands, massage and work salt into the leaves of the kale for about 2 minutes or until kale is soft and a little moist. Next, add in the rest of the ingredients. Toss to combine and enjoy.

*If you want to prepare this salad ahead of time, omit the avocado until the day of. This way, the salad can stay good for 5 days.