Any diet can be defined as a lifestyle choice that people take to become a picture of health and fitness.
The Nordic Diet is no different because it relies on the same principles as every single diet out there; eat well and discard anything that is processed and can make you fat. Doesn’t get any simpler than that.
This blog will talk all about the origins of the Nordic diet, what it’s all about, and the benefits associated with this kind of diet.
What is the Nordic Diet?
The Nordic Diet comes from consuming foods that are locally produced in Nordic countries such as Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland.
This diet was founded in 2004 by scientists, nutritionists, and chefs that were concerned with growing obesity and made a diet to tackle it. It can also be a great alternative as it is all the food that is produced sustainably and can be great for the environment.
When compared to normal western diets, it has a lot fewer sugars and almost twice as much as fibers. In other words, it’s really good for you if you are looking to get healthy.
How to follow the Nordic Diet?
Let us put your mind to ease before you start reading this, you don’t need to do a massive overhaul on what you eat when you are on this diet. The Nordic diet is relatively easy to follow.
The best part about the Nordic diet is you can ease yourself into it, which means that instead of just up and quitting everything bad start off by adding fruits and vegetables into your diet.
Load up on seasonal fruits, especially berries, some root vegetables, such as carrots, turnips, potatoes, beetroots, and parsnips. You can even incorporate broccoli, spinach, kale, legumes, oats, barley, rye, wheat, rapeseed oil, fish, eggs, nuts, and seeds, as well as low-fat dairy products. So it’s pretty clear that the possibilities are endless, and you can make some amazing dishes with all the ingredients on hand.
To all the meat-eaters that read all those options and cringed on the thought of only being able to eat plants, you don’t have to worry. If you love your red meat try easing in by having one plant-based meal in a day, sooner than later you’d be more inclined to eat plants more often.
If that still doesn’t satisfy your need for meat, you can always try some bison meat, which is a part of the Nordic diet as well.
Benefits associated with the Nordic diet
Now it wouldn’t be a diet if you aren’t losing weight and the Nordic diet is no different, but that is not the only benefit that is associated with this diet.Weight Loss
There are several studies that prove that the Nordic diet is going to help you lose weight. In one study in 147 obese people instructed not to restrict calories, those on a Nordic diet lost 10.4 pounds (4.7 kg), while those eating a typical Danish diet lost only 3.3 pounds (1.5 kg) (Source: PubMed Central).
The only downfall is if you stop working out, chances are you might gain back the weight within a year or two. A 6-week study also conducted on the Nordic diet showed that people lost 4% of their body weight as opposed to people that were following a standard diet.
Other Benefits
Apart from the weight loss, there are other benefits that are associated with the Nordic diet such as:- Studies show that the Nordic diet can help people control their blood pressure.
- Some but not all studies show that there can be a reduction in triglycerides and cholesterol, so it is quite inconsistent.
- The Nordic diet can also help you control your blood sugar level.
- Studies show that the Nordic diet can help reduce inflammation.