Nordic diet, a trend in healthy eating

It is recognized worldwide that the Mediterranean diet is favorable for people’s health due to the incorporation of foods such as cereals, olive oil, legumes, nuts and a wide content of vegetables and fruits whose benefits have long been demonstrated. The Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet (dietary approaches to stop hypertension) are early and inexpensive alternatives for the prevention of diseases associated with glycemic control, factors associated with cardiovascular risk and treatment of type 2 diabetes, due to the benefits of the Ingredients that include, however, the diet of the Nordic countries is becoming a world reference in nutrition as it would be just as beneficial as the Mediterranean diet and also recommended by the WHO.

Vegetables, grains and oils

Also known as the Baltic Sea diet, the Nordic diet, consumed by countries in the Scandinavian region, emphasizes the consumption of different healthy foods such as whole wheat grains, fruits (berries, apples and pears), less common vegetables such as cabbage or roots. and whole grains (barley, oats and rye) and legumes. It also highlights the use of canola oil and fatty fish such as salmon, herring and mackerel. In addition, the consumption of shellfish, seaweed, lean meats such as poultry, low-fat dairy, salt restriction and low consumption of sugar-sweetened products prevail.

Nordic Diet : Support from the scientific world

A trial conducted by the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, in Iran, where the effect of the Nordic diet was studied when adhering a group of 339 patients with type 2 diabetes indicated that the body mass index was lower in patients who adhered to diet, in addition to this, the result was that adherence to the Nordic diet is associated with a reduction in the prevalence of obesity, LDL levels and blood pressure in patients with type 2 diabetes, however, additional studies are necessary to confirm these findings.

In August 2018, a paper was published on a trial conducted at the Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences using a systematic review and randomized meta-analysis of control trials, the idea was to investigate the effect of a Nordic diet on LDL cholesterol and HDL, triglycerides, and blood pressure in adults. 513 people participated and the results were that LDL decreased significantly compared to the control groups, however, neither HDL nor TG had differences with their respective controls. If there were favorable results also for systolic and diastolic pressure. The conclusion of the study was that the Nordic diet improves blood pressure and some lipid markers in the blood and should be considered as a healthy diet pattern.