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For the third day in a row, Neha Tyagi saw that her 13-year-old son was bringing his lunch tiffin home untouched. When she questioned him, he yelled: “If you want me to eat the tiffin, stop packing boring food.” Once he had calmed down, he admitted that his peers had been teasing him and saying he was “not cool” because he would bring roti-sabzi or paratha-achaar. Besides, the smell of the pickle would fill the classroom the moment he opened the box and many kids would go “ewww” and “yuck”. The Noida-based mom now wakes up at 5 am to make finger sandwiches and kathi rolls for her son “so he gets company during lunch break.”

Parents across the country are facing the same issue. Kids are rejecting the dependable dhoklas, theplas and jam sandwiches after seeing classmates get sushi, quinoa rolls, burgers, millet pasta, and dim sums in fancy tiffin boxes. Nutritionists say the demand for attractive food items in bento-style boxes has been spurred by the trending ‘pack-lunch-with-me’ reels and pictures of Pinterest-worthy tiffins that are flooding social media. Besides, today’s kids are exposed to world cuisines and takeaway meals at an early age, so they desire more variety in their tiffins. Even if one or two moms in a classroom send multi-course gourmet lunches, others follow suit. The kids who carry traditional foods like parathas are mocked. “Today, one of the biggest pressures for parents is that the lunchbox has to look Instagram-worthy and completely different every single day,” says nutritionist and health coach Kavita Devgan.

Delhi mom Sakshi Lalwani says her 10-year-old son Hridhaan has complained that “Mumma, why don’t I get pasta in cute boxes like my friends?” or “Everyone brings colourful food and mine looks boring.” Lalwani is a nutritionist and understands that “children eat with their eyes first and presentation matters as much as taste” so she curated an interesting menu for Hridhaan and he is happy now.

While Lalwani has coped, many other parents struggle to deal with the subtle lunchbox shaming and pressure for exotic preparations. “I have to pack six tiffins every morning (lunch and snacks for my husband and two kids) so there is no time to garnish the food or work hard on presentation. But I make sure the food looks decent and is loaded with nutrients,” says Gurugram mom Kanika Mittal. She also puts a sticky note with cute messages on her kids’ dabbas. Her nine-year-old daughter Anaisha’s interest in innovative food items motivated Mittal to start an online community where she shares recipes and meal ideas.

Preparing an exotic lunchbox can take an additional 20 to 30 minutes every morning. For busy parents, that often means sacrificing sleep and spending more. “Specialty cheeses, imported fruits, packaged snacks, decorative cutters, and single-use accessories can easily add Rs 3,000 to 8,000 or more to a family’s monthly food budget. The bigger cost, however, is time,” says Lalwani. Parents also feel pressure to buy aesthetic Japanese bento-style steel boxes, silicone tiffins and personalised containers that cost anywhere between Rs 400 to 3,500 to keep their kids happy.


Nutritionists warn that ‘fancy tiffins’ are not always healthy and that lunchbox shaming is pushing children toward ultra-processed foods that are calorie-dense but nutrient-poor. When moms don’t have time to prepare pasta sauce or hummus from scratch, they use store-bought versions that are often filled with oil and preservatives. “Many visually appealing tiffins contain refined flour, sugary spreads, processed meats, and packaged snacks. They may look attractive, but they do not necessarily provide all the nutrients a child needs,” says Lalwani.

Devgan agrees: “Social media has created this pressure, but honestly, nutrition is not a performance. What kids really need in a school lunch is: steady energy so they can focus, enough protein for growth, fibre for fullness and gut health plus healthy fats for brain development.” Devgan says that simple Indian foods like rajma-chawal, idli-sambar, paneer paratha, chilla are as healthy as quinoa bowls, millet wraps and other trending dishes.

So, what’s the middle path parents can take to beat ‘lunchbox anxiety’? “I use a lot of beetroot, eggs and sattu in kids’ meals. Sattu is one thing they are not aware of. So, if I mix it in cutlets, I have managed their protein intake with all smiles and zero guilt,” shares Mittal.

Moreover, parents can involve kids in lunch box discussions. “Make the food look decent. Let kids help choose a colourful box or a fun fruit cutter on Sunday. But don’t let classroom chatter and viral reels on social media decide your grocery bill or your sleep,” suggests Lalwani.

Nutritionists say the important thing to remember is that on some days, the tiffin will be Pinterest-worthy. Most days, it just needs to be eaten. That’s all.