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I think it depends in part on how much you are paying, and how tight the labor market is around there! If she's doing you a big favor, you should definitely provide lunch or spring for takeout. But if you're paying her a competitive rate and the market isn't tight, then it feels more fair for her to pay for lunch herself.

I asked our nanny if there were any specific snacks/drinks that we could keep in the house for her because we don't have a lot of extras around either. She still brings her lunch, but I wanted to make sure we had some stuff on hand for her.

Eta: this had nothing to do with how much I pay her...I just want her to be comfortable in our home.

Hmm. I would expect to bring my own lunch to a babysitting job! I did have a nanny position in college where I ate what the kids ate, but they were older and it was part of the deal. Our sitter brings her lunch when she comes here. Do you know of something she likes that would be easy and convenient to leave for her if you do provide lunch?

We tell her to help herself, and we make sure to have things in the house - yogurt for breakfast and at least one salad a week that she likes from the store. I know she also brings her lunch a few times a week. We do whatever it takes to keep her happy.

At the very least, you could get a loaf of bread and some fillings (lunch meat/cheese, tuna, etc.) that she can make herself.

I was surprised at the whole thing because it's not like my work buys my lunch, but I did a little digging on nanny forums and it seems to be pretty standard.

I'm in Ohio and our sitter brings her own food. She knows she is welcome to whatever we have and I've offered to buy her favorites but she passes most of the time. I nannied in college and always brought my own lunch or ate what the kids left over.