As Hippocrates proclaimed, food is medicine, and one of the ways a healthy diet lowers the risk of health problems is by taming inflammation. Studies show a traditional Mediterranean diet fights inflammation, but there’s a new kid on the block for curbing the flames of low-grade inflammation. It’s called the Nordic diet and is a versatile approach to eating that won’t make you feel deprived.
The Nordic diet is a traditional eating plan popular in Scandinavian countries, including Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland (and sometimes the northern parts of Germany). Nordic diets are high in fiber, emphasize fish as a protein source, along with fruit, berries, and vegetables. A Nordic approach to eating also includes modest amounts of dairy products and meat compared to Western diets.
Digging Deeper into the Nordic Diet
The Nordic diet is about choosing meals based on what residents of Scandinavia ate a hundred years ago, foods without food additives or sugar. It’s a healthy and delicious approach to eating that helps with weight control and is health-promoting because of the emphasis on fresh, whole foods. The Nordic diet has been linked with similar benefits as the Mediterranean diet, one of the healthiest diets in the world.
Many health care practitioners recommend a traditional Mediterranean diet because of its high nutrient density, and studies linking it with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality from all causes. But in the future, they might also recommend a Nordic diet for supporting good health and wellness.
The Nordic Diet is Diverse
What can you eat if you adopt a Nordic eating plan? You can enjoy fish, berries, root vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy. The diet is unprocessed, like the Mediterranean diet. One difference is Mediterranean-style eating emphasizes olive oil as a source of fat for cooking, the Nordic diet uses more canola oil.
Like the Mediterranean diet, the Nordic diet is an approach to eating that offers a diversity of whole foods. Other than fish, the Nordic diet allows moderate quantities of lean poultry, like chicken or turkey, but the emphasis is on fish as a source of non-plant protein. The focus is also on eating whole foods and buying locally when possible.
Can the Nordic Diet Reduce Inflammation?
One of the benefits of a traditional Mediterranean diet is it’s rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains, dietary components that help tame inflammation. Studies show that eating a Mediterranean diet reduces inflammatory markers in the bloodstream. That’s important since low-grade inflammation contributes to chronic health problems, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune conditions, and cancer.
Can a Nordic diet offer the same inflammation-lowering benefits? Studies carried out by researchers at the Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition at the University of Eastern Finland found that eating a diet rich in fish lowers gene expression that affects inflammation in fat tissue.
To show that this was the case, researchers biopsied fat tissue and looked at the expression of inflammation-producing genes in study participants. The participants consisted of 362 people with metabolic syndrome. In the study, the group that ate a Nordic diet had less expression of genes that promote inflammation. The participants’ weight didn’t change over the course of the 24-week study.
Why is this important? Inflammation is a driving force behind many chronic health problems, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and autoimmune conditions. Scientists believe inflammation plays a role in almost every health problem.
Reducing inflammation can lower the risk of some health issues and reduce the symptoms, in some cases. For example, there’s evidence that people with arthritis may have fewer joint symptoms on an anti-inflammatory diet. Plus, eating an anti-inflammatory diet helps with blood glucose control and metabolic health.
Why Does the Nordic Diet Reduce Inflammation?
The reduction in inflammatory gene expression may be due to the abundance of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids in the Nordic diet. Fatty fish is one of the best sources of these anti-inflammatory fats. The Nordic diet is also rich in the mineral magnesium, another dietary component that helps curb inflammation. Plus, fruits and vegetables contain anti-inflammatory phytonutrients that have antioxidant activity.
Are There Downsides to the Nordic Diet?
The Nordic diet is a nutrient-dense approach to eating. One downside could be the emphasis on fish in the Nordic diet. Although fatty fish contain long-chain omega-3s that fight inflammation, fish accumulate pollutants from the ocean and heavy metals. It’s safest to stick to smaller fish lower on the food chain to reduce toxins exposure.
Options with lower levels of toxins include sardines and wild-caught salmon. Both are high in omega-3s and less likely to contain substantial heavy metals and other toxins. Still, health agencies don’t recommend eating fish more than twice per week to limit toxin exposure. You can find lists of seafood types with how often it’s safe to eat each one on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) site under “Advice about Eating Fish.”
The Bottom Line
The Nordic diet has the same health benefits as the Mediterranean diet, another eating style that reduces inflammation. Its strength is it de-emphasizes processed foods and encourages you to eat fresh, locally grown fare. It’s been said you are what they eat, so fill your body with healthy foods. Doing so will also help combat low-grade inflammation, which contributes to many health problems. Plus, you won’t get bored with either the Nordic or the Mediterranean diet due to the diversity each offers.
References:
- Lankinen M, Uusitupa M, Schwab U. Nordic Diet and Inflammation-A Review of Observational and Intervention Studies. Nutrients. 2019 Jun 18;11(6):1369. doi: 10.3390/nu11061369. PMID: 31216678; PMCID: PMC6627927.
- Nutrients 2019, 11(6), 1369; doi.org/10.3390/nu11061369.
- “Health-promoting Nordic diet reduces inflammatory gene ….” 05 Jan. 2015, sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/01/150105081800.htm.
- “The Nordic diet: Healthy eating with an eco-friendly bent ….” 19 Nov. 2015, health.harvard.edu/blog/the-nordic-diet-healthy-fare-with-an-eco-friendly-bent-201511198673.
- Galbete C, Kröger J, Jannasch F, Iqbal K, Schwingshackl L, Schwedhelm C, Weikert C, Boeing H, Schulze MB. Nordic diet, Mediterranean diet, and the risk of chronic diseases: the EPIC-Potsdam study. BMC Med. 2018 Jun 27;16(1):99. doi: 10.1186/s12916-018-1082-y. PMID: 29945632; PMCID: PMC6020433.
- FDA.gov. “Advice about Eating Fish”
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