Healthy Tiffin Ideas for School and Office: A Simple Plan That Does Not Take Hours

What should a balanced tiffin look like?

The NHS Eatwell Guide, a plate model used in the UK, says a balanced diet has:

• Just over a third from fruit and vegetables,
• Just over a third from starchy foods like rice, roti, bread and potatoes, ideally wholegrain,
• A smaller share from protein foods like beans, pulses, fish, eggs and meat,
• A smaller share still from dairy, and
• Only small amounts of oil, choosing unsaturated types.

The NHS also says balance matters over a day or a week, not at every single meal.

India's own guidelines say something similar. News reports on the 2024 ICMR-NIN guidelines say no more than about 45 percent of calories should come from cereals and millets, and up to 15 percent from pulses, beans and meat, with the rest from vegetables, fruit, nuts and milk. The idea in both is the same: do not let rice or roti crowd out the vegetables and the dal.

A simple tiffin formula

Build your tiffin in four parts:

1. Whole grain: roti made from whole wheat atta, brown rice, millet roti, or oats.
2. Protein: dal, rajma, chana, paneer, curd, egg or sprouts. See our guide to vegetarian protein for more ideas.
3. Vegetables: a sabzi, a salad, or vegetables mixed into the main dish.
4. A small extra: a fruit, a small bowl of curd, or a handful of nuts.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says adults should eat at least 400 grams of fruit and vegetables a day. A tiffin with vegetables and a piece of fruit gets you a good way there.

Ten easy tiffin ideas

1. Vegetable paratha with curd: grate carrot, spinach or radish into the dough. Add a bowl of curd.
2. Moong dal chilla with mint chutney and a cucumber salad.
3. Vegetable poha with peanuts, plus a banana or an apple.
4. Idli with sambar, which has dal and vegetables, and coconut chutney.
5. Roti, dal and a seasonal vegetable, with a small salad.
6. Vegetable pulao with raita.
7. Rajma or chana with a small portion of rice, and sliced onion and tomato.
8. Paneer bhurji wrap in a whole wheat roti, with vegetables inside.
9. Sprouts salad with chopped tomato, onion and lemon, and a roti on the side.
10. Besan or vegetable uttapam, with a fruit.

What to leave out, or keep small

The WHO says to limit baked goods, fried foods and packaged snacks, and to steam or boil food instead of frying when you can. It also says to keep salt under 5 grams a day and free sugars below 10 percent of your energy. The ICMR-NIN guidelines advise limiting ultra-processed foods. In practice, that means:

• Keep samosas, chips, namkeen and biscuits for occasional treats, not daily tiffin items.
• Avoid sugary packaged juices and cold drinks. Send water instead. Our guide to how much water to drink can help. The NHS says to keep fruit juice to a small glass of 150 ml a day.
• Check packaged foods for sugar and salt. Our guides to hidden sugar and hidden salt show how.

Tips to make tiffin easier

• Plan on Sunday. Decide the week's tiffins and buy what you need once.
• Cook once, use twice. Make extra dal or vegetables at dinner, and use them for the next day's tiffin.
• Keep fruit ready. Wash and pack a banana, an apple or cut papaya.
• Keep it clean. Wash the box and your hands before packing, and do not store food for long hours in hot weather. See handwashing and food safety.

A note for children and for people with health conditions

The NHS says the Eatwell Guide is not for children under two. If your child has allergies or a health condition, or if you have diabetes, kidney disease or other special needs, ask a doctor or dietitian about the right tiffin for you.

This article is general information, not medical advice.

Related reading

• Protein for Vegetarians: How to Get Enough From Dal, Paneer, Sprouts
• Fibre and Gut Health: Simple Indian Foods That Help
• Added Sugar and Hidden Sugar: Simple Swaps That Make a Difference