Navigating Lunchables for Weight Loss: The Top Picks for a Low-Calorie Lunch

Many adults worldwide ponder whether Lunchables are beneficial for weight loss, drawn to the convenience, simplicity, and nostalgic appeal of this classic lunch option.¹

Among the classics, the top 3 Lunchables are suited for weight loss due to their their low-calorie content, but the brand has also been criticized for high levels of sodium and saturated fat. So in addition to calories, understanding the nutritional value and healthiness of each variety can help you decide if Lunchables are a suitable option for your weight loss journey.

Are Lunchables a Good Weight Loss Meal for Adults & Kids?

Weight gain occurs due to several factors, including consuming excess calories. Nevertheless, a definite relationship must be established between calories and weight gain. When a person consumes more calories than they burn, the body stores the excess in fat cells, which leads to weight gain.

So, concerning watching caloric intake, there are two ways to go about it. First, since weight loss occurs when a person burns more calories than they eat, it’s best to create an energy deficit by performing workouts or other physical activities to burn more calories than are eaten.² Besides physical activity, consuming fewer calories would be beneficial, and this is where Lunchables come in!

Generally, Lunchables are low in calories so technically they can be good for weight loss, although there are other ingredients in Lunchables that compromise the healthiness of the snack. More importantly, most Lunchables varieties’ caloric content is less than the daily recommended intake (DRI). For men, 2600 to 2800 calories are recommended daily, whereas women can take 2000 to 2200 calories.

But children’s caloric intake differs. While an infant needs 100 calories daily, a child between two and three years needs 1000 to 1400 calories daily. Children from 11 to 12 years old should consume 1800 to 2200 calories daily. So, judging from the caloric aspect, Lunchables should be worth a try for weight loss. Consider which varieties of Lunchables can support a person’s weight loss journey.

The Top 3 Lunchables That Are Good for Weight Loss Diets

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When choosing Lunchables, one key weight loss rule says to consider their nutritional value, particularly the number of calories they contain. With that in mind, the following varieties would be the best because they are low in calories: Lunchables Snack Duos Ham, Cheddar, and Mini Ritz; Lunchables Turkey and Cheddar with Crackers; and Lunchables Ham and Cheddar with Crackers.

Therefore, if you’re considering whether Lunchables are suitable for weight loss, here’s a comprehensive list detailing the calorie content of each variety, aiding you in selecting your preferred option from the shelf.

Lunchables Calories

Lunchables come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, each with a different amount of calories which should be the number one to determine if something is good for weight loss although the healthiness of Lunchable should also be considered – which we’ll get to below.

After examining the table, it’s clear that the first three varieties have the lowest calorie counts, suggesting they may be suitable for weight loss. Beyond that, one might wonder whether Lunchables are beneficial for a diet, both in terms of health and sodium content.⁴

Is There Too Much Salt (Sodium) in Lunchables?

When looking at the sodium in Lunchables, men and women between 14 and 50 years of age have an adequate intake (AI) of sodium at 1,500 milligrams per day. Meanwhile, the AI for children between ages one and three is 1000 milligrams daily. Next, it would be best for children between the ages of four and eight to consume 1,200 milligrams.

There are over 20 varieties of Lunchables, and their sodium content ranges between 670 and 1630 milligrams. So, deductively, using the adequate intake (AI) of sodium as a standard to describe Lunchables as high-sodium foods is not out of place.

Likewise, some varieties even contain up to 750 milligrams of sodium, which is more than 30 percent of the recommended daily value but this doesn’t even consider the type of ingredients that are within them.

How Healthy Are Lunchables Ingredients? Are Lunchables Bad for You?

Addressing whether Lunchables are suitable for weight loss only provides part of the story, as they contain high levels of saturated fats and sodium nitrate, a preservative commonly found in processed meats like bacon, deli meat, and jerky.

However, consuming sodium nitrate excessively (or defying salt’s daily value) harms one’s health since it can negatively affect oxygen circulation in the blood, leading to methemoglobinemia (a medical condition that occurs when oxygen circulation is inefficient).

The symptoms of methemoglobinemia include dizziness, depression, fatigue, poor muscle coordination, shortness of breath, etc. Meanwhile, the complications are heart arrhythmia and seizures. Overall, excessive consumption of sodium nitrate damages the blood vessels and increases one’s chances of contracting cardiovascular diseases. So, it would help to eat nitrates sparingly, taking cognizance of the daily value.

On the other hand, Lunchables are high in saturated fats, which are among the unhealthy fats. Consuming saturated fats in high amounts can elevate cholesterol levels, leading to the formation of fatty deposits in the body. As a result, the deposits develop and hinder blood flow through the arteries. Likewise, they can break, then form a clot, leading to a stroke or heart attack.

So, consuming saturated fats and nitrates in excess is harmful to cardiovascular health, and choosing healthy substitutes or simply choosing the healthiest Lunchable ingredient wise are great alternatives to mitigate these issues.

What Is the Healthiest Lunchable Nutrient Wise?

The best Lunchable for weight loss and health differ since weight loss is mainly about calories and health involves the entire nutrition of any given food or snack.

So determining the healthiest with regard to the ingredients involves running a thorough analysis of their nutritional value per serving.

First, Lunchables Pizza Maxed Out Deep Dish Extra Cheesy contains the following:

• 12 grams of fat
• 4 grams of saturated fat
• 24 grams of protein
• 77 grams of carbs
• 375 micrograms of vitamin A
• 12 milligrams of vitamin C
• 15 milligrams of cholesterol
• 830 milligrams of sodium
• 500 milligrams of calcium
• 1.1 milligrams of iron
• 36 grams of total sugar
• No trans fat
• 2 grams of dietary fiber

Therefore, this variety of Lunchables food score is 0.5.⁵

Meanwhile, another healthy variety, Lunchables Chicken Shake-Ups Bbq with 100% White Meat, contains the following:

• 29 grams of carbs
• 12 grams of protein
• 6 grams of fat
• 2 grams of saturated fat
• 30 milligrams of cholesterol
• 480 milligrams of sodium
• 16 grams of total sugar
• 30 micrograms of vitamin A
• 60 milligrams of vitamin C
• 150 milligrams of calcium
• 1.1 milligrams of iron
• No trans fat
• 1 gram dietary fiber

So, this kind of Lunchables scores one according to the food score.

Finally, Lunchables Airheads White Mystery delivers the following:

• 53 grams of carbs
• 14 grams of protein
• 10 grams of fat
• 5 grams of saturated fat
• 25 milligrams of cholesterol
• 540 milligrams of sodium
• 240 milligrams of potassium
• 440 milligrams of calcium
• 2.2 milligrams of iron
• 25 grams of total sugar
• 23 grams of added sugar
• No trans fat
• 2 grams dietary fiber.

And the food score of this Lunchable is 0.

Higher positive numbers are directly proportional to healthier foods by the food score standard. So, the healthiest Lunchable based on ingredients is Lunchables Chicken Shake-Ups Bbq with 100% White Meat!

Is it Possible for Lunchables to Make You Gain Weight?

Yes, of course. When a person does not exercise moderation with regard to food, they can gain weight from Lunchables or any other food – even the healthiest of foods.

Therefore, Lunchables should be eaten in moderation on a weight loss regimen and this can also save countless dollars since healthy, whole food substitutes are best nutritionally, and budget-wise.

Lunchable Substitutes Ideas for a Healthier Meal & Diet

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Lunchables are easy on-the-go snacks, but for this very reason, substitutes with lower calories and more nutritional value can be purchased to replace Lunchables at half the cost.

1. Ham & Cheese With Treats Alternative

Ham and cheese with treats are among the Lunchables variety, comprising chocolate sandwich cookies, cooked ham, cheese, and crackers. In addition, the chocolate sandwich contains artificially flavored vanillin, soy lecithin, sugar, high oleic canola, chocolate, leavening, niacin, etc.

The cooked ham contains sodium diacetate, sodium phosphate, sugar, modified cornstarch, etc. Then the crackers have soy lecithin, vegetable shortening, sugar, thiamine, etc. And some of the ingredients used are not healthy! So, one can make Ham and Cheese with Treats using these more nourishing ingredients: dark chocolate, organic ham, grapes, cheddar cheese, and TJs whole wheat wafer crackers.

Source: juanmonino via Canva.com⁷

Dark chocolate should be made with raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa, and vanilla extract. Then, the organic ham should have pork and water and contain below two percent honey, cane sugar, celery powder, and sea salt. In addition, the cheddar cheese should contain rennet, annatto color, pasteurized milk, and salt. Finally, the crackers should comprise whole wheat, sunflower oil, and high oleic safflower oil.

2. Chicken Strips With Smoothie Alternative

Another Lunchables variety that one can substitute is chicken strips with a smoothie. The Lunchables variety comprises fruit smoothies, chocolate sandwich cookies, ketchup with added starch, and breaded white chicken strips.

While strawberry puree, vegetable extract, orange, and apple juice concentrate, citric acid, ascorbic acid, and banana puree are in the fruit smoothie, the chocolate sandwich cookies contain niacin, sugar, high oleic canola, high fructose corn syrup, cornstarch, artificially flavored vanillin, soy lecithin, folic acid, and other ingredients.

The breaded white chicken strips contain chloride, yellow corn flour, paprika extract, modified food starch, hydrogenated soybean oil, spices, etc.⁸ Finally, the ketchup with added starch has tomato paste, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, guar gum, soybean oil, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, distilled vinegar, etc.

A healthier option for chicken strips with a smoothie involves fruit smoothies, dark chocolate, ketchup, and chicken strips. First, the fruit smoothie should contain peaches, milk, kale, raspberries, and bananas. Then the ketchup should comprise sugar, white vinegar, spices, onion powder, etc.

Meanwhile, dark chocolate should contain raw cane sugar, vanilla extract, cocoa butter, and chocolate. Finally, the chicken strips should be made from parmesan cheese, malt extract, chicken breasts, egg, butter, paprika, and sea salt.

3. Pizza With Pepperoni Alternative

Lunchables pizza with pepperoni comprises pizza crust, pasteurized prepared mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, and pizza sauce. While the pizza crust contains soybean oil, glycerin, sugar, artificial flavor, xanthan gum, and wheat flour, the pasteurized prepared mozzarella cheese contains sodium citrate, whey protein, cheese culture, milk protein concentrate, etc.

The pepperoni is made with beef, pork, and chicken and contains sodium nitrate, citric acid, etc. For a healthier option, as usual, the pizza sauce should have oregano, salt, and tomato puree. The pepperoni should consist of pork, and less than two percent paprika extract, celery powder, etc. Then, get TJs whole-wheat pita since it has ascorbic, yeast, honey, etc.

Finally, the mozzarella cheese should have cultured pasteurized part skim milk, enzymes, and salt. Then add carrots! The above alternatives are not only low effort but can also be easily packed up.

Having discussed Lunchables, it is essential to note a few things. First, avoid overeating Lunchables since they are high in sodium nitrate and saturated fat. Lastly, keep in mind that the initial three items on the table are suitable for weight loss when it comes to Lunchables. While there are consistently healthier options available, Lunchables can be considered moderately healthy when consumed occasionally or in small portions!

Frequently Asked Questions