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Back to school can be scary and a big concern for parents of a diabetic child. Packing Low Carb School Lunches doesn’t have to feel like an insurmountable task. With a few great products, low carb lunch ideas and a little planning ahead, you can mark it a success.
Table of Contents
Products that help you pack Low Carb School Lunches
The Bento Box
Bento Boxes make packing low carb school lunches much easier. You pick the items you want to pack and the compartments in the box keep everything fresh. These are super useful when packing low-carb sandwiches.
Some Low Carb Breads tend to be thinner and more absorbent than regular bread. Separating it from other items, such as fruit keeps them apart so the bread doesn’t absorb any of the moisture from the fruit.
The smaller compartments of the Bento Bopxes are usually around 1/2 cup capacity, which is perfect when controlling portion sizes.
Bento Boxes are available in most big box stores, supermarkets and online.
Insulated Food jar
whether you are packing low carb school lunches or not a good-quality thermos is a must. I have bought many different thermos types over the years. Once I found a good quality one that kept food hot, I used it until my kids were done school. They were so good the decals and cartoon designs wore off before they were not needed anymore.
Look For
- An insulated jar that has a stainless steel inner lining (not plastic of glass)
- A vacuum-sealed lid – to keep food hot or cold longer (should be at least 6-7 hours)
- Wide Mouth – Easy to use utensils with, meaning less spills.
- Easy to use for the age of a person using it – easy to open lid, no need to line up the threads of the screw top.
- Leak Proof – check for a rubber gasket inside the lid.
Small Silicone Squeeze Bottles
These little containers are fantastic for dressings and sauces. I use these regularly when dining out or going somewhere that I am uncertain will have a diabetic-friendly option.
Look For
- Small Squeeze bottle made of silicone – can be squeezed easily by small hands – 3 ounces is a good size )make sure it is BPA free)
- Easy to clean – most come with a small brush, if not you will need a bottle burst.
- Attached cap – prevents the cap from being lost by young children
- A hold big enough for thicker sauces such as sugar-free ketchup or dipping sauce.
A Small Flexible Ice Pack
Keep your lunch bag fresh and cool. Things such as sandwiches and wraps that contain mayonnaise are safer with a cold pack. These also help prevent jello or sugar-free pudding from getting
Look For
- Flexible ice packs – makes it easy to fit around bento boxes or small plastic containers.
- Cold packs that don’t sweat leaving the food surrounded by them wet.
- Double-walled so they don’t leak.
- Thrive Ice Packs are our favourite by far for usability and staying cold.
Great Diabetic Friendly Lunches
Great Food Choices For Low Carb School Lunches
The Mains
Sandwiches are by far the most popular item for low carb school lunches. Trying to stay low carb and eating bread can be difficult, there is no doubt about it. There are several low carb bread products available at most grocery stores.
Our Favourite Low Carb Breads
- Carbonaut – Comparable in taste and size to regular bread – Carbonaut original 1 gr of net carb per slice
- Weight Watchers – Thinner slices but great flavour – average 9 grams of carb per slice – not labelled low carb but is available just about everywhere
- CarbSmart – Comparable to regular bread but a little lighter – avg 2 gr net carbs per slice
- Chompies Bread – A little denser than regular bread – great flavour – avg 2 gr net carb pr slice
- Silver Hills Sprouted Bread – Denser heavy slices – varies in net carbs – available in plant-based
Wraps – are perfect for low carb school lunches. Cut them to sizes that can be held by little hands and to fit in your bento box.
Our Favourite Brands of Low-Carb Tortillas
- Mission Tortillas – These are now one of my favourites. They are comparable in look, feel and taste to regular flour tortillas – available in different flavours – Net carbs vary but some are 0 gr net carb. of carbs
- La Banderita Tortillas – another favourite of mine – Available as low as 0 gr net carb and look, feel and taste like regular flour tortillas
- There are many other great Low Carb Tortillas – Check them out HERE
Low Carb Bagels
Another great option – is sliced in half with a little cream cheese. These are great for making a quick lunch on the go.
Our favourite Brands
- Sola Low carb Bagels – high in protein and 5 gr net carbs per bagel (on average)
- Carb Smart Bagels – High in protein and 10gr net carbs per bagel. Soft and great for sandwiches and toasted.
- Thomas Keto Bagel Thins – These are awesome for sandwiches. They are great for small hands and pack well into lunches. 2 gr net carb per beagel thin.
Pita Bread and Pita Pockets
Not all Pita Breads are Pockets and vice versa.
A couple of our favourites are:
- Toufayan Pita Pockets – have an easy-to-fill shape – stay fresh in lunches and 8 gr net carb per pocket.
- Joseph’s Pitas – I love these but have had trouble splitting them on occasion. Stays fresh in lunches – 7 gr net carbs per pita.
Low Carb Protein Ideas
- Chicken and sliced Turkey make great sandwiches.
- Eggs – Hard-boiled, devilled or made into egg salad.
- Cheese – cheese cubes, sticks or sliced
- Sugar-Free Candied bacon (my personal favourite)
Low carb Fruit for Low carb School Lunches
This short list is some of the lowest carb fruit that is suitable for lunches and easy to pack in lunch boxes.
- Strawberries – 4.5 gr net carb per half cup
- Raspberries – 3.5 gr per 1/2cup
- Blueberries – 9 gr net carbs per 1/2 cup
- Blackberries – 3 gr net carb per 1/2 cup
- Peach Slices – 6 gr net carb per 1/2 cup
- Pineapple (fresh) – 9 gr net carb per 1/2 cup (a little high but add a couple of pieces to a fruit salad)
- Starfruit – 3 gr net carb per 1/2 cup
Low Carb Veggie Snacks
Choose low carb non-starchy vegetables. Place together in a salad or separately for much-ables. For salads, mix some different types of lettuce, kale or spinach.
- Cherry Tomatoes – average 2 gr net carb per half cup.
- Cucumber Slices – 1 gr net carb per 1/2 cup
- Celery Sticks – 1 gr net carb for a large long stalk
- Zucchini – 1.3 gr net carb per 1/2 cup ( small zucchinis have the best flavour)
- Broccoli – 2 gr net carb per 1/2 cup of florets
- Cauliflower – 1.5 gr net carbs per half cup of raw florets
- Mushrooms – .5 gr net carb per 1/2 cup fresh cut mushroom halves
- Bell Peppers – average around 5.5 gr per 1/2 cup of slices
- Pickles – Baby dills are great packed in lunches. Carb counts vary by brand
Fillers and Sweets
- Zero-sugar jello cup. get the no-sugar-added ones and enjoy zero carbs.
- Zero Sugar Yogurt – can be hard to find but make your own with natural yogurt, a little sugar-free jam and a packet of Splenda sweetener.
- Cookies and Squares – I find these best to make on your own. Make sugar-free brownies or sugar-free cookies and have them available for lunches by freezing them.
- Cheese Chips – A great low carb replacement for potato chips. Buy them or make your own.
I hope you found this helpful and are now on your way to packing some great diabetic-friendly Low Carb School Lunches.
This website may contain affiliate links. When a purchase is made through our links, The Naked Diabetic may receive a commission, at no cost to you.