Take that Mediterranean: Why a Nordic Diet is Just as Good for You

You’ve probably heard of the Mediterranean Diet and its supposed health benefits for maintaining a healthy weight as well as promoting better overall health. But recently scientists have found another region whose diet is equally as healthy: the Nordic Diet. What should you eat if you’d like to follow the Nordic Diet? And what how can it benefit your health? Keep reading for those answers and more.

The Nordic diet is one of the latest diets to come along that involves foods from a certain region and their health benefits. The Nordic diet is a diet that is rich in rapeseed oil, elk and cowberries. It is considered to be more suitable for those who live in Northern climates than the traditional Mediterranean diet.

Unlike the Mediterranean diet, which is a natural diet that is used by those who live around the Mediterranean, the Nordic diet is being created by scientists at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. The foods that are substituted in this diet are more appetizing to many who live in the Northern climates and are not used to the foods of the Mediterranean. 

The Mediterranean diet grew into a very healthy way of eating after those living along the Mediterranean were observed having fewer instances of heart disease, cancer and cognitive impairment than those in other parts of the world. The Mediterranean diet involves eating fish, bread, vegetables, nuts and olive oil, as well as drinking wine. The amazing aspect about the Mediterranean diet is that it came onto the scene during the height of the Atkins Diet craze when no one was eating carbohydrates. Where most doctors did not agree with the concept of the Atkins Diet, they did agree with the concept of the Mediterranean diet because it was much healthier and included foods from all food groups. 

Like the Mediterranean diet, the Nordic diet incorporates foods from all food groups but includes foods that are better fit for colder climates. Blueberries, cowberries and cloudberries are all high in antioxidants and replace the grapes that thrive in warmer climates. Rapeseed oil is also called canola oil and replaces olive oil as a cooking fat. Rapeseed oil is also very rich in Omega-3 oils as well as vitamin E. Cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale are substituted for the vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers that are part of the Mediterranean diet.

Fatty fish is incorporated in both the Nordic diet as well as the Mediterranean Diet. Fatty fish contain omega-3s which are good for the heart as well as possibly preventing some forms of cancer. Salmon, cod and herring are good examples of the fish that are used in the Nordic diet. 

The foods that are included in the Nordic diet are all healthy substitutes for those that are used in the Mediterranean diet with both diets relying heavily on fish as source of protein. Both the diets incorporate the use of all of the foods in the food groups as part of their diet plan and both diets can fight obesity. As to which diet is right for you, you need to look at the foods in both and decide which are more appetizing to you and then go with that particular diet. It’s a win-win situation!