Living in a tropical climate can’t help but wonder if food is much available in the coldest regions on Earth.
For example, in the Nordic countries, I assumed that people in the area lacked food due to the weather.
Food is scarce, but the sceneries are better.
However, I was wrong to assume that. The Nordic diet is one of the healthiest diets that I have ever learned.
The dietary pattern followed traditionally by the people of Finland, Norway, and Sweden was somehow attractive to many people for being “heart first.”
Others are claiming that this diet is a key to quality sleep and a longer life. Let’s see how true this claim about the Nordic diet is.
What is the Nordic Diet?
The Nordic diet is a food built to survive the climate of the Nordic region.
This pattern takes its roots back to the times when the earliest people of the region were in a hunting-and-gathering society.
This diet is perfect when you are about to limit refined snacks, sugary beverages, and processed foods.
Here is the list for the Nordic diet:
Fat: Canola oil
Whole Foods: Oats, Rye, Barley, Seeds, Lentils, and Nuts
Fish: Herring, Mackerel, and Salmon
Vegetables: Carrots, Beets, Potatoes, and Beans
Fruits: Lingonberries and blueberries
Promotes Quality Sleep
The Nordic diet is heavily composed of fatty fish, whole grains, fermented foods, and fruits. These food groups promote quality sleep and a relaxed body.
Here are the three benefits of the Nordic diet in making you achieve quality sleep:
Less Inflammation: Whole grains, berries, and fish reduce inflammation, making the body rest easily.
Strong Sleeping Hormones: The Nordic diet is composed of essential nutrients like Omega-3s, Vitamin B6, and magnesium that boost melatonin, which is responsible for good sleep.
Blood Sugar Regulator: Nordic meals are rich in healthy fats and fiber, which keep your energy steady and sugar stabilized until the morning.
People in the Nordic region have been observed to achieve consistent sleep and feel refreshed in the morning.
Linked to Longevity
Don’t get too excited about the quality of sleep yet. The Nordic diet is also linked to higher life expectancy.
This is because the diet tends to keep the blood vessels healthy, maintain a stable energy, and support long-term body recovery.
Studies confirmed that the Nordic diet also ensures stronger mental health, a great gut balance, sharper memory, and a lower risk of heart complications.
Their longer life expectancy is connected to a healthy diet, which contributes significantly to their lifestyle.
Why Is the Nordic Diet Easier to Adopt?
The Nordic diet promises great food choices, a great lifestyle, and great health.
This comes without the expense of doing the extreme cuts, changes, or unachievable goals.
Nordic meals don’t promote themselves as the healthiest diet plan. It is the least essential to a healthy lifestyle.
It’s a diet you would follow for years, not a weekly plan.
How to Adopt the Nordic Diet?
Adopting a Nordic diet doesn’t require you to travel to the Nordic regions to make it.
In your little way, you can try to change your diet patterns.
Here are some ways you can start eating the Nordic way:
- Cook with canola or olive oil.
- Roast the root vegetables for dinner.
- Add berries to either snacks or breakfast.
- Eat fatty fish at least two times a week.
- Replace white bread with rye or oat bread.
Try these changes, and you will know the difference.
Reduce the Unnecessary, But Don’t Cut Extremely
The Nordic diet is associated with two main benefits: longer life and quality sleep.
But one thing that strikes us the most about it is the fact that it doesn’t deal with extreme measures.
It balances healthy food options and a cheat day, without much affecting your entire lifestyle.
Hence, the Nordic diet taught us to reduce the unnecessary foods we consume, but that doesn’t mean we have to cut them out entirely.
Slow and sure changes still win. A significant change that your body can surely accept over time.