{"id":4616,"date":"2025-09-25T09:39:06","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T07:39:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/lunch-and-dinner-how-to-make-them-truly-complete-and-balanced\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T14:22:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T12:22:15","slug":"lunch-and-dinner-how-to-make-them-truly-complete-and-balanced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/lunch-and-dinner-how-to-make-them-truly-complete-and-balanced\/","title":{"rendered":"Lunch and dinner: how to make them truly complete and balanced"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lunch<\/strong> and dinner<\/strong> are the main meals of the day and provide an excellent opportunity to introduce all the key nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, good fats, vitamins, and minerals<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

But if there is one food to pay special attention to during these meals, it is definitely vegetables<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Vegetables: from side dish to protagonist of the plate<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In our culture, vegetables are often relegated to the role of a simple side<\/strong> dish<\/strong>, but nutritionally they should be the most abundant part of the plate<\/strong>, whether at lunch or dinner.<\/p>\n

Here’s how to enhance them:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • In soups, creams, soups<\/li>\n
  • In sauces for seasoning pasta, cereals, couscous<\/li>\n
  • In main courses (e.g., omelet with onions, porridge with spinach, legumes cooked with vegetables)<\/li>\n
  • As raw snacks in dips or accompanied by hummus<\/li>\n
  • As ingredients in the preparation of savory pies and pancakes, meatballs, flatbreads, pizzas<\/li>\n
  • In mixed salads (raw and cooked), for variety of tastes and textures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Don’t forget grains and protein<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    A balanced meal also includes:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Sources of cereals<\/strong>, preferably whole grains<\/strong>: pasta, bread, rice, spelt, polenta, couscous<\/li>\n
    • Protein sources<\/strong>, with preference given to plant-based ones: legumes, tofu, tempeh, seitan<\/strong>, as well as eggs, fish, meat or dairy products, depending on one’s eating style.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Good fats and hydration<\/strong><\/h2>\n
        \n
      • Season meals with extra virgin olive oil<\/strong>, which is rich in antioxidants and monounsaturated fats<\/li>\n
      • Hydrate yourself not only by drinking water, but also by consuming water-rich foods, such as raw vegetables<\/strong>, soups<\/strong> or stews<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Lunch to recharge, dinner to relax<\/strong><\/h2>\n

        Lunch<\/strong> is essential to recharge energy after the morning: it must be satiating and balanced<\/strong> to avoid energy dips.
        \nDinner<\/strong>, on the other hand, does not have to be “lighter”: listen to your hunger and satiety<\/strong>, and choose dishes that offer nourishment but without weighing you down, promoting good digestion and peaceful rest.<\/strong><\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        What about after the meal?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

        If you wish, you can safely conclude with:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • One fruit (barring personal sensitivities such as bloating);<\/li>\n
        • Some dried fruit;<\/li>\n
        • Something sweet, if it is part of your diet and gives you satisfaction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          <\/h2>\n

          The key? Listening to one’s body <\/strong><\/h2>\n

          Every person has different needs<\/strong>. Each day is unique and even portions can change.
          \nNo need for strict rules: what matters is choosing foods that nourish us, satisfy us and make us feel good<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

           <\/p>\n

          by dietitian Alessandra Zanini<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

           <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Lunch and dinner are the main meals of the day and provide an excellent opportunity to introduce all the key nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, good fats, vitamins, and minerals. But if there is one food to pay special attention to during these meals, it is definitely vegetables. Vegetables: from side dish to protagonist of the plate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health-and-wellness"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4616"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4616\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5341,"href":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4616\/revisions\/5341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}