There’s a new diet trend that’s making waves and its inspiration hails from an unexpected place. Mimicking the traditional diets of the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden and Finland, the Nordic Diet is a trend focused on keeping you heart-healthy. You might be thinking, “well there are lots of diets that can do that, so what makes the Nordic Diet stand out from the rest?” It’s hearty. The Nordic Diet is filling because it focuses on foods that are packed with protein and fiber that helps you stay full from meal to meal and eliminate the desire for weight-gaining snacks.
The foods that are recommended for the Nordic Diet are foods that you probably are already eating, just with a few minor changes. Medindia.net suggests the following list: Oily fish, berries, venison and whole grains. Don’t worry meat lovers, this diet won’t force you to give up your favorite source of protein. All you have to do is substitute lean meats like bison in place of fattier options like ground beef. However, meat dishes should be kept smaller and as side dishes. The focus should be on replacing fatty meats with fish, shellfish, and more protein-hearty plants like berries, carrots, beets, cabbage and leafy options like spinach, just to name a few. Dieters are also advised to alternate between fatty and lean species of seafood to avoid mercury poisoning.
The Nordic Diet is designed to keep weight and blood pressure low, and it lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease. Dailyburn.com calls it “a successor to the wildly popular Mediterranean diet — just coming from a different part of the world.” Instead of using olive oil as a base, the Nordic Diet uses heart-healthy canola oil. Swedish researchers conducted an experiment published in the Journal of Internal Medicine testing the benefits of this diet. Out of 166 participants, 96 were asked to follow the diet and 70 were asked to continue eating normally. The trial lasted 18 to 24 weeks with the participants following the diet showing substantial weight and health improvements. One of the researchers, Uustiupa, told Dailyburn.com that the reason the Nordic Diet works is because “it decreases [the ratio of] LDL-cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol — that’s ‘bad’ cholesterol to ‘good’ cholesterol and lowers blood pressure.”
Cooking styles and ingredient sources recommended in the Nordic Diet ensure that the diet is not only a healthy option for your body, but also for the environment. Medindia.net notes that a large part of the diet is to composed of foraged, or organic, wild plants, berries and meats because of their higher levels of nutrients. Low cooking temperatures, such as baking or boiling foods, are recommended for retaining these nutrients. Furthermore, foraged food encourages biodiversity and buying organic helps local farms and producers.
If this seems like a lot of information to take in, have no fear. In addition to several published guides on the Nordic Diet, there’s an app that helps you track your diet and suggests recipes. This app is designed by the Nordic Diet Coach, an internet presence with a blog to answer all your questions that can be found at http://nordicdietcoach.com/blog/.