Status: 18.02.2024 11:23 a.m.
The Nordic diet is the local sister of the Mediterranean cuisine and is said to have the same anti-inflammatory effect and help with weight loss. The advantage: it is regional and sustainable.
For years, nutritional doctors have praised the benefits of the Mediterranean diet. protects the heart and circulation – this has been scientifically proven. But Mediterranean cuisine is facing local competition: the “Nordic Diet” is a relatively new trend, in German “Nordic nutrition”, also known as the “Norwegian” or “Viking diet”. What is behind it?
It’s all about the content: fiber, antioxidants
“The Mediterranean diet is a study winner because it contains certain nutritional elements,” says nutritionist Matthias Riedl. In terms of health, it is not pizza or pasta that scores points, but ingredients such as olive oil with its favorable fatty acid composition or the high value of fresh vegetables and herbs, which provide us with fiber and antioxidants.
Good things from fields, forests, rivers and sea
In recent years, Scandinavian nutrition and environmental experts have investigated which of these healthy elements can be found in the traditional, regional cuisine of the Nordic countries. Their list included Atlantic fish, which has more omega-3 fatty acids than Mediterranean fish, as well as yogurt, quark, nuts, linseed and rapeseed oil.
The north knows oats, buckwheat and rye as healthy alternatives to wheat, and sourdough bread instead of yeast bread. Also native are fiber-rich root and tuber vegetables, as well as berries and cabbage with their valuable plant substances that are said to have a cancer-preventing effect. Fresh herbs and wild plants provide the body with vitamins, minerals and secondary plant substances. Northern Europeans find high-quality protein in the “meat of the forest”, mushrooms, for example.
| Mediterranean diet | Healthy Nordic diet |
|---|---|
| olive oil | Rapeseed oil (plus: linseed oil, nut oil) |
| Vegetables, pulses | Local vegetables if possible: root vegetables, cabbage, legumes |
| Fruit | Berries, especially wild varieties; local fruit such as apples or pears |
| Whole wheat | Whole grain rye, oats, barley |
| nuts | nuts |
| fish and seafood | Freshwater fish, sea fish |
| Meat, poultry in moderation | Game, lean meat and poultry in moderation |
| Cheese | low-fat dairy products such as yoghurt or skyr; cheese |
The Nordic diet plan at a glance
- Plenty of vegetables, berries and other local fruits
- Potatoes, rice and pasta, if possible as whole grain variants and only in small quantities (about 15 percent)
- Meat only in moderation (“Sunday roast principle”), preferably game or from species-appropriate husbandry, but fish three times a week
- Use traditional preparation methods, such as gentle cooking in the oven/cauldron (low temperature) or fermenting fish and vegetables (lactic acid fermentation)
- Avoid butter and high-fat dairy products
- Sausages in moderation.
Foods with low effect on blood sugar
The Nordic diet contains regional foods with a low glycemic index (abbreviation: GI, see box). This makes it a “slim” diet. The main ingredients are plant-based, high-fiber foods. There is also a high protein content: a quarter of the daily menu should consist of protein-rich foods that fill you up.
Nordic diet improves blood values and helps with weight loss
The above selection is based on the world’s largest nutritional study “Diogenes”. “You certainly don’t have to completely avoid butter and high-fat dairy products. Nevertheless, these were the facts of the study and the results are excellent,” says nutritionist Silja Schäfer.
Further studies have confirmed the health benefits of the Nordic diet: The “Viking diet” brings about positive changes in blood sugar, blood fats and prevents cardiovascular diseases – just like the Mediterranean cuisine. Eating Nordic food as part of a healthy lifestyle can therefore counteract high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol. With the emphasis on vegetables and whole grains as well as traditional preparation methods – such as low-temperature cooking in a casserole dish or pickling vegetables – this diet also integrates the elements of “gut health” and “clean eating”. If you like the Nordic diet, it can help you lose weight and keep it off in the long term.
Further information
Nordic elements as a healthy long-term diet
In any case, the decisive factor for weight loss success is a long-term, permanent change. “Everyone should decide for themselves which recommendations work best for them personally,” advises Schäfer, after all, food is primarily a matter of taste. And nutrition doctor Matthias Riedl explains: “There is a ‘Mediterranean diet’ all over the world – fresh vegetables, therefore lots of fiber, healthy oils, little meat, sugar, salt. You can live to be a hundred in the north without olives and avocados. We have super healthy spices like mustard seeds, nuts, fish.” What ultimately counts is the basic concept: a species-appropriate diet.
Sustainability factor of regional products is a plus point
The basic concept of the Nordic diet also places emphasis on unpackaged, seasonal, regional, wild-growing or organically produced products. This is because regional production avoids long transport routes and seasonal cuisine is environmentally friendly: products that are available seasonally save the need to operate heated greenhouses.
They usually taste fresher and better too.
Further information
