As a registered dietitian and health coach, I’ve worked extensively with my clients on navigating healthy lunches in the workplace. Now that so many of us are sheltering in place and working from home, that conversation has shifted quite a bit. While the essential goals may still be the same—aim for a balance of protein, healthy fat, and fiber, with plenty of vegetables to give you energy for a productive afternoon—the lunchtime environment is quite different.
Sure, there are plenty of people who have always brought their own lunch to work, but for those who were used to having a company cafeteria, catered meals, or reimbursement for lunch at work, adjusting to work from home life has presented new challenges around feeding themselves. Even for people who enjoy being in the kitchen, the prepping, cooking, assembling, and cleaning up afterwards can be time-consuming and exhausting. That’s before you factor in the pain points around accessing that food.
For companies who have used perks like free lunches and snacks to retain their employees and support them beyond their paychecks, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a challenge around finding new ways to do so. During lockdown I’ve been trying out a bunch of different meal kits, prepared meals, and frozen meals—some via samples and coupons from the companies, and some with my own money—to see what’s worth trying and which ones might be best suited to various needs. One that really stood out to me was, a meal subscription service which provides single-serving meals made from fresh ingredients that arrive ready to heat and enjoy.