This chart recommends the Bento box size to use for age group and height.
Biggie has a detailed, translated version but lately I've not been able to access her site. Another good reference for choosing the right Bento box is from Just Bento.
The pink chart on the left is for female and the blue one on the right is for male. - The first column is the age group.
- Second column is the height.
- Third column is calories/meal.
- The last column on the right is the recommended size box to use.
I remember reading somewhere that if your activity level and height exceeds the recommended size Bento box, you should add on 100ml capacity to what is recommended. The same vise-versa.
It's something you just adjust to suit your personal need. There's no hard and fast rule. If one is dieting, obviously pick a smaller box. I realized that my third daughter doesn't finish the two layer Bento box that I pack for her.
When I questioned her, she says that there is not enough time during recess. Being a mother, I'm all the time concerned that she's not got enough food to eat.
Looking at her age - 9 years old and her height at 139.7cm, she should be taking a 600ml Bento box. There's no way she can finish so much food - we're talking about packed capacity here, not loosely packed food. Knowing that she should have a 600ml box is one thing, the reality of it is she won't be able to finish the food. So, I just have to follow my gut feeling and go with the flow.
My second daughter is 16 years old and her height is 168cm. According to the chart above she is 11cm taller than stated and rightly should add another 100ml to the recommended 700ml box, which makes it to an 800ml box.
However, #2's a weight watcher and there's no way she'll eat so much. She's already on a permanent fruit and vegetable diet.
The boxes that I pack for her range from 500ml-600ml.
An example below would be the 330 ml for the upper box and 250ml for the lower box which makes a total of 580ml.
This one below also has two layers. The upper large box capacity is 320ml and the smaller box at the bottom is 180ml which makes a total of 500ml.
I usually use similar size boxes for her Bento. She's cool with it and most days finish what's inside if she's not rushing from one thing to another. I have larger capacity boxes but that's only used if I pack sushi for her.
