Aashu’s Curiosity
Aashu’s sister has recently visited Norway for an International sports competition. She has tried some Nordic cuisines that are not only healthy but even flavourful.
Nordic diet is made up of Cuisines that are popular in the countries that are included in the Nordic region.
Aashu’s sister has told him that if he consumes this diet regularly then he can lose weight & improve your health.
Aashu now wants to know why his sister finds the Nordic diet so beneficial for a healthy lifestyle. Let us see what he finds related to it on Know Ur Diet, its benefits & what food to eat & avoid as per the diet.
What do we mean by a Nordic Diet?
The Nordic diet includes the complete list of all those meals that are eaten & locally sourced in the Nordic countries such as Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland & Iceland.
It was developed by a group of scientists, dieticians & chefs to tackle the rising problem of obesity & unsustainable farming in the Nordic countries.
Good for the individual as well as from an environmental perspective, this diet focuses on foods that are locally sourced & grown through sustainable farming.
If you compare it to other Western diets, then you will see that it consists of fewer fats & sugar but twice the fibre & seafood.
The New Nordic Food Manifesto
Introduced in 2004 in Copenhagen, Denmark, “The New Nordic Food Manifesto” was a movement initiated to promote Nordic food culture & to emphasize using locally produced foods with authentic Nordic taste.
Major stakeholders such as Farmers, chefs, politicians & representatives of the food industry gathered at the symposium in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was organised to discuss regarding the vision for the new Nordic cuisine & this manifesto was released on the occasion.
What to Eat & What to Avoid
Mostly followed in Nordic countries through locally- sourced foods that are grown by sustainable farming methods.
Foods that are included are considered healthy & good for weight loss. Following are the recommendations about what to eat & what to avoid in a Nordic diet:
| Frequency | Food |
|---|---|
| Eat often | Fruits (especially berries), Root Vegetables, Legumes, Potatoes, Whole Grains, Nuts & Seeds, Fish, Seafood, Low-fat Dairy, Herbs & Spices, and Rapeseed oil or Virgin Coconut oil |
| Eat-in moderation | Lamb meats, Eggs, Chicken, Cheese, and Yogurt. |
| Eat rarely | other Red meats and Vegetable oils. |
| Avoid | Sugar-Sweetened Juices, Soda drinks, Added sugars, Processed meats, and Refined Fast foods. |
You can include organic honey in your juices or other beverages such as sweetener & apple cider vinegar in the salad for flavour.
Desi ghee can be used to cook, roast & grill fish, meat & vegetables to get some healthy fats.
Indian spices such as turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom & cumin as well herbs such as ginger, garlic & black pepper can be used to give more taste & increase the health benefits of your Nordic diet.
7 Day Nordic Diet Plan
To design a Nordic diet chart based on the recommended frequency of the above-mentioned foods, you need to be cautious and try to get a balanced diet.
Here, we are suggesting a 7 day Nordic meal plan for your reference:
| As per standards, A man should take 2200 calories & a woman should take 1800 calories a day. |
| Day 1 | Monday |
|---|---|
| Wake up drink | 1 cup of Green Tea. |
| Breakfast (Men- 600 kcal, Women- 500 kcal) | 1.5 cup Peanut butter smoothie (520 kcal) with 100g strawberries (33 kcal). |
| Lunch (Men- 800 kcal, Women- 650 kcal) | 300g large cup of Brown rice polao (525 kcal) with 200g roasted mushrooms (196 kcal). |
| Healthy snack (Men- 250 kcal, Women- 200 kcal) | Walnuts -2 pieces, almond- 4 pieces, dry date- 2 pieces, dry fig- 2 pieces, peanut- 10 pieces, pistachios- 4 pieces & raisins- 10 pieces. |
| Dinner (Men- 550 kcal, Women- 450 kcal) | 150g of Grilled Indian tuna fish (216 kcal) in 2 tbsp virgin olive oil (238 kcal) with 100g cucumber & beetroot salad (59 kcal). |
| Goodnight Drink | 1 glass of Non-alcoholic hot Toddy Drink. |
| Day 2 | Tuesday |
|---|---|
| Wake up drink | 1 cup of Green Tea. |
| Breakfast (Men- 600 kcal, Women- 500 kcal) | 1 serving (386g) of Raspberry oatmeal (415 kcal) with 1 large sliced apple (116 kcal). |
| Lunch (Men- 800 kcal, Women- 650 kcal) | 250g Shrimp salad (420 kcal) with 200g avocado (320 kcal). |
| Healthy snack (Men- 250 kcal, Women- 200 kcal) | Walnuts -2 pieces, almond- 4 pieces, dry date- 2 pieces, dry fig- 2 pieces, cashews- 4 pieces & raisins- 10 pieces. |
| Dinner (Men- 550 kcal, Women- 450 kcal) | 200g Brown rice (222 kcal) with 100g roasted chicken breast (197 kcal) in 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil (119 kcal). |
| Goodnight Drink | 1 glass of Non-alcoholic hot Toddy Drink. |
| Day 3 | Wednesday |
|---|---|
| Wake up drink | 1 cup of Green Tea. |
| Breakfast (Men- 600 kcal, Women- 500 kcal) | 2 large Egg omelette (188 kcal) with a bowl full of 200g grapes and blueberries (300 kcal). |
| Lunch (Men- 800 kcal, Women- 650 kcal) | 120g Grilled lamb chops (354 kcal) in 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil (120 kcal) with 4 pieces of whole wheat bread (280 kcal). |
| Healthy snack (Men- 250 kcal, Women- 200 kcal) | Walnuts -2 pieces, almond- 4 pieces, dry date- 2 pieces, dry fig- 2 pieces, cashews- 4 pieces & raisins- 10 pieces. |
| Dinner (Men- 550 kcal, Women- 450 kcal) | 3/4 serving of Paneer curry (270 kcal) with 2 multi-grain chapati (270 kcal). |
| Goodnight Drink | 1 glass of Non-alcoholic hot Toddy Drink. |
| Day 4 | Thursday |
|---|---|
| Wake up drink | 1 cup of Green Tea. |
| Breakfast (Men- 600 kcal, Women- 500 kcal) | 1.5 cup Blueberry soup (290 kcal) with 2 large bananas (242 kcal). |
| Lunch (Men- 800 kcal, Women- 650 kcal) | 1 large Swedish sandwich cake (465 kcal) with a dressing of smoked 250g shrimp (300 kcal). |
| Healthy snack (Men- 250 kcal, Women- 200 kcal) | Walnuts -2 pieces, almond- 4 pieces, dry date- 2 pieces, dry fig- 2 pieces, cashews- 4 pieces & raisins- 10 pieces. |
| Dinner (Men- 550 kcal, Women- 450 kcal) | 6 pieces of Swedish meatballs (290 kcal) with 1 bowl of kale salad (240 kcal). |
| Goodnight Drink | 1 glass of Non-alcoholic hot Toddy Drink. |
| Day 5 | Friday |
|---|---|
| Wake up drink | 1 cup of Green Tea. |
| Breakfast (Men- 600 kcal, Women- 500 kcal) | 1 cup of Overnight oatmeal with vanilla extract, almond milk and cinnamon (370 kcal) add 2 large boiled eggs (160 kcal). |
| Lunch (Men- 800 kcal, Women- 650 kcal) | 150g of Roasted tomatoes (135 kcal) and 1.5 cup red pepper soup (165 kcal) with 1 cup of homemade beetroot juice (100 kcal). |
| Healthy snack (Men- 250 kcal, Women- 200 kcal) | Walnuts -2 pieces, almond- 4 pieces, dry date- 2 pieces, dry fig- 2 pieces, peanut- 10 pieces, pistachios- 4 pieces & raisins- 10 pieces. |
| Dinner (Men- 550 kcal, Women- 450 kcal) | 150g of Roasted salmon in 1 tbsp of olive oil (450 kcal) & 200g carrot (80 kcal). |
| Goodnight Drink | 1 glass of Non-alcoholic hot Toddy Drink. |
| Day 6 | Saturday |
|---|---|
| Wake up drink | 1 cup of Green Tea. |
| Breakfast (Men- 600 kcal, Women- 500 kcal) | 1 Bagel with 2 tbsp peanut butter (470 kcal) and 150g raspberry (75 kcal). |
| Lunch (Men- 800 kcal, Women- 650 kcal) | 1 cup of Onion, barley and mushroom soup (160 kcal) with 200gm of Farikal prepared with lamb and cabbage (510 kcal). |
| Healthy snack (Men- 250 kcal, Women- 200 kcal) | Walnuts -2 pieces, almond- 4 pieces, dry date- 2 pieces, dry fig- 2 pieces, peanut- 10 pieces, pistachios- 4 pieces & raisins- 10 pieces. |
| Dinner (Men- 550 kcal, Women- 450 kcal) | 1 piece of Danish burger with chicken breasts (333 kcal) and 250g onion soup (160 kcal). |
| Goodnight Drink | 1 glass of Non-alcoholic hot Toddy Drink. |
| Day 7 | Sunday |
|---|---|
| Wake up drink | 1 cup of Green Tea. |
| Breakfast (Men- 600 kcal, Women- 500 kcal) | 4 servings of Homemade Granola and Yogurt (385 kcal) with 1 cup of Papaya juice (142 kcal). |
| Lunch (Men- 800 kcal, Women- 650 kcal) | 4 servings of Chicken Salad sandwich (381 kcal) with 1 bowl of Onion Mushroom and Barley soup (252 kcal). |
| Healthy snack (Men- 250 kcal, Women- 200 kcal) | 1 ounce of Roasted Almonds (170 kcal) with 100g of Grapes (67 kcal). |
| Dinner (Men- 550 kcal, Women- 450 kcal) | 3 servings of Spiced Salmon Skewers (306 kcal) with 1 bowl of Creamy Herbed Potato salad with Buttermilk (238 kcal). |
| Goodnight Drink | 1 glass of Non-alcoholic hot Toddy Drink. |
Above mentioned diet plan is just a recommendation, you can make changes after taking consultation from a dietitian.
Following this Nordic Diet chart will be helpful in getting several health benefits. Let us discuss some of these below.
How do Nordic Foods help in Weight Loss?
A good number of studies have proved that Nordic foods can make you lose substantial weight.
In one such study, 100 people were asked not to restrict their calorie intake. After 1 year, when weights were taken then it was found that those who were on the Nordic diet had lost 4-5 kg of weight as compared to those on other diets with weight loss of just 3 kg.
But after a year, those who had followed this diet regained most of their weight back. This highlights that the Nordic diet has only short-term benefits in weight loss.
There are 5 other studies as well that prove this diet is more effective in weight loss as compared to other western diets, as participants have lost 4% of their weight by adopting it.
Health Benefits of Nordic Diet
The benefits of healthy dieting always go beyond just weight loss.
Following this diet can help you improve your metabolism and lower the risk of chronic diseases that come with obesity.
There are a good number of studies that prove the health benefits of the Nordic diet on its followers:
Regulates High Blood Pressure
A study of 1 year on 100 obese people who were recommended for a Nordic diet, found that they had reduced their systolic & diastolic blood pressures by 5 mmHg & 3.5 mmHg, respectively.
Another study on participants suffering from high blood pressure showed that the Nordic diet had reduced their diastolic blood pressure along with metabolic syndrome.
Controls Cholesterol
Nordic foods are good when it comes to a heart-healthy diet but unfortunately, its effects on cholesterol & triglycerides are inconsistent.
Only some studies have proved that the Nordic diet can have a major effect on triglycerides. But even if it comes about, reduction in bad cholesterols such as LDL is comparatively insignificant.
On the other hand, one study that included 100 participants has shown that there is a rise in HDL cholesterol in the participants after taking this diet for 1 year.
To lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol & triglycerides, have organic honey included in your meal plan.
Controls Blood Sugar / Diabetes
There is no authentic study that can show a significant reduction in blood sugar levels by following a Nordic diet. However, one such study has shown that blood sugar levels can be controlled by a Nordic meal plan.
Again, including organic honey & apple cider vinegar in your Nordic diet can lower your blood sugar levels to a favourable level as both have significant amounts of antioxidants.
Reduces Inflammation
In most cases of chronic diseases, inflammation remains a major reason for their occurrence.
In the case of a Nordic diet, studies have shown mixed results. One study has shown a significant reduction in the inflammatory substances in the body while another one hasn’t shown any considerable reduction.
Conclusion
In the end, Aashu has a great understanding of the Nordic diet. A diet plan followed mostly in Nordic countries but has great health benefits such as weight loss.
Studies have shown that this diet has short-term effects on weight loss & has a moderate impact on other chronic diseases as well.
Aashu is planning to include other side foods such as organic honey, apple cider vinegar, desi ghee & Indian spices to enhance the taste as well as the health benefits of the Nordic diet.
