Does the Nordic diet, one of the newest dietary patterns to emerge in recent years, sound as light and unburdened as the Mediterranean diet? If you’ve been thinking about eating differently lately, check out the following “Secrets.”01.What is the Nordic diet?The Nordic diet was originally designed to address the health problems of people in the Nordic countries, reduce obesity rates, and at the same time be environmentally friendly. In 2022, the Nordic diet was ranked among the top 10 best diets in the world. The main features of the Nordic diet are enjoyment of local ingredients, return to nature, environmental protection and better health.
Why? A study published in Clinical Nutrition found that following a Nordic diet can not only help with weight loss, but also, in addition, lower cholesterol and blood sugar.
The study, carried out at the University of Copenhagen, involved 200 overweight, chronically ill people over the age of 50 divided into two groups. One group followed the original diet and the other followed the Nordic diet and had their blood and urine analysed over a period of six months.
The results showed significant improvements in the group on the Nordic diet, including lower cholesterol, lower overall mean levels of saturated and unsaturated fat in the blood, and improved blood sugar.
Notably, none of the people in the study lost weight on purpose, meaning the Nordic diet had a positive effect on their bodies regardless of weight.
The carbohydrate of the Nordic diet is high in fiber and low in GI, which helps control blood sugar and lipids, and protein and fat are rich in Omega3, which ensures nutrition.
02.What’s different from the Mediterranean diet?
In preventive medicine, the Mediterranean diet is considered the “gold standard” of all dietary regimens. It is characterized by white meat, a small amount of red meat, low sugar and low saturated fat, high vegetables and fruits, high coarse grains.
Let’s look again at the features of the Nordic diet:
Eat more fruits and vegetables.
To rye, semolina, whole wheat mainly.
The main source of meat is fish.
Eat less meat.
It is based on local ingredients.
Eat organic produce when possible.
Try to avoid processed foods.
Choose ingredients that are in season.
At first glance, it doesn’t look that different from the Mediterranean diet, but there are subtle differences:
Main oils: olive oil for the Mediterranean diet; The Nordic diet is dominated by canola oil.
Protein sources: The Mediterranean diet is based on fish and shrimp, and with chicken; The Nordic diet is heavy on small fish, with a lot of soy products, which are plant-based sources of protein.
Carbohydrate sources: The Mediterranean diet mainly chooses five grains and rhizomes; The Nordic diet is based on rye and whole wheat.
Three meals of the Nordic diet can be eaten like this.
breakfast.
Fruit Yogurt (150g plain yogurt, half a cucumber, 10g dates, 10g raisins, half a bowl of pineapple + papaya).
Potato cake (130g potatoes, 10g brown rice flour, a small scoop of canola oil).
lunch.
Grilled fish (70g salmon/cod, half a teaspoon of oil, salt and pepper to taste).
Quinoa Salad (10g quinoa, 40g corn, appropriate amount of shredded cucumber, bean shoots, tomato, nori, half a teaspoon of oil).
Saute baby bok choy or any local vegetables (a small spoon of oil).
3/4 bowl brown rice.
Carrot soup with loofah.
dinner.
Chickpea Curry Udon (150g Udon, 20g chickpeas, 80g tofu, 50g carrots, appropriate amount of coconut milk, mushrooms, Onions, okra, a spoonful of oil, curry powder, turmeric powder, red pepper powder, etc.).
Total calories: about 1600Kcal, 80g protein, 60g fat, 190 carbohydrates.
It is worth learning for patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases that the intake of red meat is less and the intake of white meat is more. However, it is better to combine animal and plant proteins. The overall collocation can be: 1/2 fruits and vegetables, 1/4 carbohydrates, and 1/4 protein.
If you want to try the Nordic diet, try it one day a week. Don’t cut back on the foods you eat or get stuck in a rut.
