What do you know about the Nordic diet?

By Océane Albin Last updated Mar 20, 2023

What is the Nordic diet?

The Nordic Diet is designed to improve community health. To carry out the Nordic diet project, nutrition scientists from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark formed a team with the founder of the famous Noma restaurant. They named this project the Nordic diet, or the new Nordic diet, which includes traditional and cultural aspects of Scandinavia. The Nordic diet seeks to create a lifestyle that consists of a return to eating meals in peace and with friends and family. The foods in this diet are primarily based on seasonal foods and emphasize local foods. Also, this diet is concerned with protecting the environment.

The principles of the Nordic diet

The principles of the Nordic diet are based on ten concepts, which are:

Eat more fruits and vegetables every day.
Eat more whole grains in your diet and add foods that come from the sea and lakes
Choose quality meat but generally reduce meat consumption
Getting food from the wild
Use organic products whenever possible.
Avoiding food supplements
Placing most meals based on seasonal foods
Increasing the consumption of homemade food
less waste production

Suppose we want to define the Nordic diet in more detail. In that case, we must say: The Nordic diet is based on the combination of foods with a low glycemic index and high protein, including dairy products combined with carbohydrates and proteins.

Foods with a low glycemic index cause blood sugar to rise slowly compared to those with a high glycemic index. Foods rich in protein prevent hunger.

By finding the right balance of nutrient-rich foods, you can avoid gaining weight or gaining it back after losing it. You can also reduce inflammation in your body and your risk of getting diseases like diabetes.

The origin of the Nordic diet

The selected foods in the Nordic diet are more varied than those of the Scandinavians. They include foods such as venison, grape seed oil, Icelandic yogurt, lingonberries (a type of berry), herring, and rutabaga.

These are foods that are commonly used in Denmark. With a glance at these foods, it can be said that it is not possible to use this diet for everyone, but everyone can use the Nordic diet because this diet focuses on eating whole foods that are local to you.

Despite its natural approach, the whole-food Nordic diet appeals to many people who want to eat healthily. People who follow this diet usually eat the wild foods of their ancestors and reduce their consumption of industrial foods.

How does the Nordic diet work?

In this diet, you will not count calories; you only have to measure the ratio of carbohydrates to proteins.
Ideal servings have a 2:1 ratio of grams of carbohydrates to grams of protein.
To use carbohydrates, you must familiarize yourself with foods with a low glycemic index. Most fruits and vegetables, except potatoes, have a low glycemic index. The glycemic index differs from other carbohydrate foods, including dairy, grains, bread, pasta, beans, and lentils. Barley is one of the whole grains that is used a lot in the Nordic diet. Whole-grain bread is low glycemic. The whiter the bread, the higher its glycemic index. As for cereals, the quick-cooking types have a high glycemic index, and it is better not to use them.
Low-fat dairy products are recommended.
Whitefish, fatty fish, beef, lamb, and low-fat chicken are protein-rich.
Salmon and sardines provide omega-3 fatty acids. Eating fish is better for the environment than beef.
Tofu and legumes such as lentils or beans are good protein sources for vegetarians.
Fiber is found naturally in vegetables and whole grains. Add chia seeds to your meals to get more fiber.
To start the Nordic diet, a 4-week meal plan is usually provided. Eat only until you are no longer hungry.
The food plate in the Nordic diet includes half vegetables, fruits, and berries; a quarter of carbohydrates with a low glycemic index; and another quarter of protein-rich foods.
It will help if you consume protein at all meals.
Starches such as rice and pasta are okay, but their amount should be less than that of foods such as lean meat and fish.

How much does the Nordic diet cost?

Due to the type of foods you have to eat and the emphasis on being organic, the Nordic diet is costly. So be sure to pay attention to this before starting.

Does the Nordic diet help you lose weight?

You will undoubtedly lose weight slowly and steadily on the Nordic diet. In 2010, researchers conducted a study on weight stabilization after weight loss.

They found that about 550 obese adults from eight different European countries, who had previously lost 8% of their body weight with a very low-calorie diet, were randomly assigned to one of the five The researched diet was registered for six months: low protein diet or high protein diet; high glycemic foods diet; low glycemic diet and a standardized diet.

Studies have shown that increasing protein and reducing glycemic foods helps people stabilize their weight.

A 2016 review also compared the Nordic and typical Danish diets, which include a lot of meat and processed foods, a small amount of plant-based foods, and high fat and low fiber.

The researchers examined two groups of people over 26 weeks and found that those who used the Nordic diet increased their health levels and were able to lose weight.

Another research result in 2014 showed that people who use the Nordic diet succeeded in reducing blood pressure and losing weight.

Is it easy to follow the Nordic diet?

1. Following the Nordic diet is not that easy.

Finding organic and local foods is not that easy. Employees may also find it challenging to prepare home-cooked meals throughout the week.

2: Recipes for Nordic diet dishes may exist, but they are difficult to find.

If you are unfamiliar with the Danish language, the information you get about the New Nordic Regime may not be as complete as the book, which is in Danish.

There is also an English version of this diet that is easier to follow. The name of the English version of the Nordic Diet book is “The Nordic Kitchen: One Year of Family Cooking.

3: Eating out is possible but difficult with the Nordic diet.

Since you must use local and organic foods in the Nordic diet, you must find a restaurant that prepares ingredients from local and organic sources to eat out.

4: The Nordic diet is time-consuming.

If time is gold for you, then the Nordic diet will not work. Following this diet is quite time-consuming. A Danish food researcher working on the social acceptance of the Nordic diet concluded that the time spent preparing foods in the Nordic diet is out of step with modern society.

5- Feeling a complete list of 76 diets for weight loss is not a problem in the Nordic diet.

Nutritionists emphasize the importance of satiety for success in dieting. The feeling of satisfaction means eating enough. In the Nordic diet, protein-rich foods at every meal help you stay full.

How much should we exercise on the Nordic diet?

This diet does not have a complete exercise guide. However, in this diet, adults are recommended to be physically active for at least half an hour a day.