Bento Box Lunchmaking for Health

When I was an ALT at public schools, I got spoiled at lunchtime by the kitchen staff. They provided me with a generous helping of the nutritionally balanced school lunch. I got to appreciate the traditional assortment of dishes and the placement - a bow of rice on the left, a serving of soup on the right, and a range of three side dishes, called okazu, ranged along the back of the lunch tray.

I never had to bring my own lunch as the menu at the schools was varied and nutritious. Eventually, I found other employment and had to provide my own lunch.

Bento box convenience and caveat

At any convenience store or bento vendor, you can get an array of appetizing obento, the ubiquitous lunch box. But most of the commercial bento boxes are heavy on carbs and proteins with a smattering of pickled vegetables. While they’re filling they are a bit chintzy on variety and nutrition. A foreign resident sempai who skimped on her food budget relied on store-bought bento and eventually experienced a nutritional deficit that hurt her health.

Making bento

It’s better for your health and your budget to make your own bento box lunch. My habit each evening is to prepare a number of okazu, small dishes that can be part of your evening meal, and the rest items that fill out the next day’s bento box lunch.

A common formula for bento box portions is to fill half your bento box with carbs, a quarter with proteins, and a quarter with vegetables that are high in nutrition. I often skimp on the carbs and load up on nuts, beans, and veggies.

A recycled maku no uchi style bento box I filled with my own home-cooked okazu

Salmon with various seasonings

I often roast salmon filets in the oven toaster with a dressing of crushed ginger and soy sauce. I’ve also experimented with garlic, parsley, and butter. Any way you do it, it’s an easy-to-prepare bento box item.

Pad your bento with beans

Beans are flavorful and rich in fiber and all kinds of nutrients. I like to augment my bento with simmered chickpeas or soybeans. You can simmer soybeans with hijiki, or marinate chickpeas. I’m partial to boiled chickpeas with diced celery drizzled with olive oil and equal dashes of ponzu and shoyu.

Lots of veggies
I do vegetables all kinds of ways - stir-fried, roasted in the oven toaster, or steamed. Japan has a wide variety of vegetables in any season, so there are lots of fresh and nutritious choices and even a great abundance of winter veggies.

The bento habit

I don't get up at the crack of dawn to make bento. Instead, I pack the sides in the bento box while I'm making dinner, and add the rice in the morning. 

Do you make bento box lunches for yourself or your family? What are your favorite combos?