Last Updated on December 3, 2020 by TheMealPrepNinja
Best Meal Prep Lunch Box Bags
If you consistently struggle to get fresh food ready and have to rely on junk food, then the best meal prep lunch box is an easy solution. If you decide to stop spending a lot of money on junk food or ordering at restaurants, and you find it difficult to reach your fitness goals, the meal prep lunch box is exactly what you need! It will help you in planning, preparing, as well as packaging snacks and meals in advance, usually for the upcoming week.
It will help you to avoid unnecessary stress as well as to control portion intakes. However, these are not the only benefits you can expect as your meal prep lunch box can help you in many more ways. Meal prep lunch box bags are insulated lunch bags that are meant to carry you homemade meal prep recipes without spoiling. They come in different styles and sizes. These bags are easy to use and convenient.
In this article, we review the best meal prep lunch box bags on the market. We have a list of the best overall, best on a budget, and the best under $30 dollars. If you are in a hurry, our top recommendation is the ThinkFit Insulated Meal Prep Lunch Box with 6 Food Portion Control Containers, but read on to check out our other favorites. We also put together a top 10 best meal prep bags review guide.
What is the best meal prep lunch box?
The best overall meal prep lunch box bag goes to ThinkFit Insulated Meal Prep Lunch Box with 6 Food Portion Control Containers because it’s the best quality with the most overall features and accessories.
If you are looking for a large lunch bag to store your meal prep for the day, then this bag is for you. This bag is great for people that work long days and need to have their multiple meals on hand. This amazing meal prep lunch box bag comes with all the bells and whistles. This lunch bag includes 6 meal prep containers for portion control and 2 XL ice packs to keep your meal cold.
It also comes with a 23 oz shaker cup and a screw-on storage compartment for your supplements, protein powder, and or pre-workout. It also comes with a 7-day push button dispenser to store all of your vitamins. The shaker also comes with a stainless shaker whisk to mix your protein powder.
This is the best meal prep lunch bag on the market! ThinkFit’s bags are specifically designed for meal prep. It has everything needed to get your meals safely into the office without spilling or spoiling during your commute. This lunch box is great for long shifts and travel.
This bag is perfect if you like going to the gym before or after work. You can easily pack all your meals and not have to worry. The extra meal prep containers let you pack extra meals like salads or snacks.
The Thinkfit bags are built with premium quality. This lunch bag comes standard with double insulation for consistent temperature control. This bag is made for everyday use and everyday ease, keeping foods hot or cold!
If you are looking for the best overall lunch box bag then this bag is for you. Time to let everyone in the office know you are serious about your meal prep!
Best Meal Prep Lunch Box Bag on a Budget
The best on a budget meal prep lunch box goes to Fit and Fresh Original FitPak Insulated Cooler Lunch Box because it is the best quality for the price.
The FitPak is great for packing all your prepped meals for the day. This lunch box includes a durable insulated bag, 4 two-cup containers, 2 one-cup containers, a shaker bottle, an ice pack, and a vitamin case. This bag has everything you need to pack your meals for a long day. This bag is perfect for an on the go, healthy lifestyle person that wants to pack their perfect portion control meals.
This lunch bag is a perfect size, not too big and not too small. The dimensions on this meal prep lunch box are 8.5” X 6.5” X 8” inches. Just enough room for your meal prep containers and your shaker. The FitPak bag is perfect if you don’t want to carry around a large bulky bag. It has just enough room, and it also has a small mesh compartment to hold your keys and wallet.
The shaker is a patented shaker bottle that is durable. The 28 oz bottle has a unique JAXX agitator that mixes protein powder with ease for smooth shakes every time.
You can’t go wrong with this meal prep lunch box bag that is perfect for healthy people on the go.
Best Runner Up Meal Prep Lunch box Bag
The best runner up goes to TO GO Meal Prep Insulated Lunch Bag because of its overall quality and design.
This meal prep bag is the best runner up but could have easily been the number one overall meal prep lunch box bag. This bag is very similar to the best overall lunch bag in design and quality. This insulated lunch bag is a large meal prep bag that fits all your meal. It is 13” X 7.4” X 7.4 inches in size. Perfect for those long days where you have to pack your meal prep the entire day.
This bag has everything you need for your planned meals. The bag includes 4 large containers, 2 smaller containers, a leak-proof shaker, and a bonus seven compartment pill box container. This bag is built to last and made with high-quality materials. It is a well made sleek design and a 53-inch adjustable shoulder strap. The bag has double insulated walls for temperature control.
It comes with a leak-proof BPA free shaker and pillbox. The shaker also has two separate compartments to store your supplements and protein powders. All of the meal prep containers are also BPA free.
This TO GO meal prep lunch bag keeps your prepared food fresh all-day!
What is the best Meal Prep Bag Under $30 dollars?
The best meal prep lunch box under $30 dollars goes to Rockland Guard – Insulated Meal Prep Bag Cooler
This Rockland Guard insulated meal prep bag cooler is perfect for anyone looking for a great quality lunch box without having to pay extra for a large lunch box bag. This bag has plenty of storage space for 3 meal prep containers and extra snacks. This lunch box bag does not come with meal prep containers so you have to make sure you are ready to have some.
This bag has two side compartments and a mesh compartment for your phone, wallet, and keys. The top compartment is perfect for fruits and snacks. This bag is perfect for work, gym, picnics, or on the go.
This meal prep lunch box bag is 13” X 10’ X 8’inches. The bag is just big enough to hold your meals for the day.
Best Top of the Line Meal Prep Lunch Box Bag
The best top of the line luxury meal prep bag goes to the Isolator Fitness Store, ISOBAG meal prep lunch box.
This ISOBAG is made in the USA with high-quality materials. This means that the insulation used is high quality and the manufacturing is impeccable. This bag stays cold for 12 to 16 hours.
This ultimate meal management bag has 4 fully insulated compartments with an easy access front loading compartment, 1 top insulated storage compartment, and 2 zipped insulated side pockets. It does not stop there. It also comes with 3 12 oz isobricks to keep your meal cold.
12 containers included with this ultimate lunch box. It comes with 2 12 oz, 6 16 oz, and 2 38 oz containers. All of the containers are BPA free microwave save.
You can’t go wrong with this American made large meal prep bag.
Best Lunch Box for Women
The best lunch box for women goes to the KIPBELIF Insulated lunch bag for Women large tote lunch box because of the design and quality.
This insulated lunch bag keeps cold or warm for up to 8 hours and has a sleek purse style design. You can carry this bag over the shoulder or hold it on your side like a purse and it comes with a adjustable shoulder strap that’s up to 56 inches. This bag is a perfect size, 6.3 X 10.24 X 9.45 inches.
This bag has multi-occasion applications. You can use it at the office, school, panic, ot just a mommy bag. You can easily pack this bag with meal prep containers, fruits, snacks , and a drink without having any space issues.
This is the most stylish lunch box on the market.
Best meal prep lunch box with glass containers
The best meal prep lunch box with glass containers goes to Das Trust 5 pack meal prep containers with stackable glass lunch box
There are not many meal prep lunch boxes that come with glass meal prep containers. This bag comes with 5 stackable meal prep glass containers. These meal prep glass containers are 100% airtight leak proof snap lock lids with removable sealing rings. You will never have to worry about your meal leaking out.
These glass containers are oven, microwave, dishwasher, and freezer safe. These tempered glass containers withstand over 750 degrees fahrenheit . The top lids have a release vent that makes it easy to open the lid.
These lunch box bags come in different colors and also different quantities of glass meal prep containers. You purchase one with three containers or all the way up to ten glass meal prep containers
Best Meal Prep Lunch Box Bag Bodybuilding
The best meal prep bodybuilding meal prep lunch box goes to Isolator Fitness IsoBag 6
This Isobag 6 has everything you need in a large meal prep lunch box. The Isobag is the ultimate bodybuilding meal prep bag because it comes with a total of 12 different meal prep containers. It comes with 2 12 oz, 6 16oz, 2 28 oz, and 2 38 oz meal prep containers. These containers are perfect for portion control. You also get 3 leak-proof Isobricks to keep your food cold.
This bag has all the room needed to pack all your meals for the day. You can pack up to six meals. That is perfect for a bodybuilder that eats constantly. It has 2 mesh pockets on the sides and one in the inside compartment to hold your keys, wallet, and phone. This is a large bag. It is 8 X 9.5 X 18 inches wide.
ISOBAGS are made in American USA with only the best materials and the highest quality craftsmanship.
Best Meal Prep Backpack
The best meal prep backpack goes to Matein Insulated Cooler Backpacks Lunch box because it is a lunch box and a backpack.
You don’t have to worry about carrying both a lunch bag and a backpack, with this bag you can carry both together. This backpack has multifunctional compartments for both your meal prep containers and your laptop. This backpack has a side mesh pocket, a USB charging port, and an anti-theft pocket.
The food compartment is insulated with inner high-density foam and a leak-proof liner. This meal prep lunch backpack is perfect for work or school.
Benefits Of A Meal Prep Lunch Box
1. Good For Saving Money
Eating healthy can be affordable when you plan in advance. To do so, try buying things in bulk and also, take advantage of a freezer. When you start planning meals in advance, you’ll realize what is necessary for you to buy rather than going to a store several times every week for picking up last-minute ingredients. Additionally, you’ll avoid buying expensive meals at lunchtime.
2. Helps In Losing Weight
Planning meals in advance is extremely important for weight loss since you are already aware of what food you’re putting into your body as well as the amount of it. This means that your weekly meal prep routine will help you in controlling your daily calorie intake which is a fantastic recipe for weight loss.
3. Grocery Shopping Becomes Easier
When you know the kind of meals you’ll be eating for a week, your grocery shopping will become much easier as you’ll stop wandering aimlessly around all the aisles. So always make sure to have a list with you and divide it into several categories like vegetables, fruits, frozen food, fats, protein, dairy, and grains.
4. You Stop Wasting Food
When you start your meal prep, you’ll be utilizing every ingredient for the week which makes it unlikely that you’ll be left with any left over.
5. Saves Time
Even though you still need to invest time upfront for planning out meals properly and for cooking them, overall, you’ll be saving a lot of time. Just consider how much time you often waste simply by standing in front of a refrigerator as you decide what to cook. However, after you start preparing meals ahead of time, all you have to do is to simply take them out of your fridge and then heat them up.
6. You’ll Be Investing In Your Health
Why? Because now you get to choose in advance what you’ll be eating. And people who do so become able to eat healthier than the ones who don’t. After which you’ll stop scrambling just to find something you can eat while avoiding being exposed to unhealthy food since your healthy meal is already fully prepared.
However, there are more benefits to it. For example, good nutrition is not only great for your diet but it’s also important for your heart and brain health as well.
7. You Will Have More Willpower
When you begin consistently eating healthy, you’ll slowly stop craving sugar as well as other fattening foods. In other words, such a routine will help in healthy eating, making it much easier for you to turn down unhealthy foods.
What Are The Different Types Of Lunch Boxes
1. Insulated, cooler bags
Insulated lunch boxes typically contain the outer layer that is made of a tough plastic fabric such as vinyl, polyester or nylon which is hard to tear or stain. A bag’s inner layer is typically made from the water-resistant material – aluminum, foil liners, vinyl and plastic which are quite common, helping to keep your food fresh and dry.
And exactly those layers are the key to the ability of an insulated bag (otherwise known as “cooler bags”) for keeping its contents cool.
2. Large
If you’d like to have a lot of room in your lunchbox for keeping more food in it, definitely go for larger ones. They are compact and can fit nicely into a tote or backpack. Plus, most large boxes come with mesh pockets to hold snacks or even an ice pack.
3. Small
If you don’t have a lot of food to pack and a simple lunchbox is all you need, then small ones are the best fit for you. They have more than enough room for that purpose and are comfortable as well as equally practical.
How Long Does Food Stay Good In A Lunch Box?
Your lunch box or bag can stay cold for approximately two hours. However, you don’t really want to push it as the bacteria danger zone is said to be between 40 F and 140 F. This means that your lunch bag or box may easily climb into that exact zone in case it’s left sitting there too long without any refrigeration.
Good quality lunch box bags can stay cold for much longer so that one reason to choose a good quality bag. We lunch box on this list is a great quality bag.
Meal Prep Lunch Box Ideas
Here is a quick video that will give you 10 Life Changing Tips for Packing Lunch for Work or School.
Which Type Of Lunch Box Keeps The Food Coldest?
Usually, insulated soft-sided lunch bags or boxes are the ones that can be the best fit for keeping your food cool. However, packing several cold sources like gel packs or ice, for example, can help as well.
The ThinkFit Insulated lunch bag is double insulated to keep meal cold for longer.
Is There A Lunch Box That Keeps Food Warm?
For this purpose, a thermal lunch box or insulated lunch box is the best fit. It will allow you to keep hot or warm food inside it and carry it wherever you go without worrying that it’ll get cold. It also comes with a thermos jar which keeps your food warm for 4 hours, so it’s good for warming up soups, pasta, and much more. Additionally, it has its own air-insulated and double-walled compartment which means that you’ll be able to store fruits as well as vegetables in cooler temperatures.
Final Thoughts
As can be seen, a meal prep lunch box is very important and highly useful for many purposes, most importantly to keep you stress-free and make sure you are eating healthy. So all you need to do now is to consider your needs and requirements in order to choose the lunch box that best fits and complements those needs and requirements.
There are a lot of things to consider when looking at the beat meal prep lunch box bags. We put together a list of the best meal prep lunch bags on the market. Each of the lunch box bags on this list is a fantastic option, but the best overall is the ThinkFit Insulated meal prep lunch box with 6 food portion control containers.
Meal prep bags make sure you save money, time, and convenience when it comes to meal prep. We hope this review buying guide has helped you make the best decision for you.
Other Product Review and Buying Guides
Here are a few more articles that we put together that might be helpful!
Top 10 Best Meal Prep Bags Review Guide
10 Best Soft Coolers Buying Guide
Jim Lopez, the founder and editor of The Meal Prep Ninja, shares his journey from a passionate bodybuilder and fitness enthusiast to a certified nutrition coach. Certified by Precision Nutrition, Jim aims to empower others with knowledge on meal prep and nutrition, offering resources for busy individuals to enjoy low-calorie, tasty foods. His blog is a community for sharing healthy eating habits and meal prep recipes
