Lose Weight and Stay Healthy with the New Nordic Diet Plan

| Author: Manoja Kalakanti

So you thought you have heard about every diet chart in the world! Well, think again! The Nordic Diet Plan is the recent entrant in the fitness world, following the footsteps of the very popular Mediterranean diet. The Nordic Diet is gaining in prominence with its unique approach of improving the blood lipid profile and helping overweight people to lower their blood pressure. The Nordic Diet propagates the idea “think global eat local”. Hailing from Sweden Demark and Norway, this latest diet regime is capturing the imagination of the people.

Lose weight and Stay Healthy with the Nordic Diet Plan

If you wish to look great and feel great a la’ the Vikings, give this new diet regime a chance! Nordic Diet food plan includes a lot of vegetables and fruits which make it a very nutrient dense diet. Fish and a lesser amount of meat form the major chunk of the diet. So if you are wondering how to lose weight, consider the Nordic Diet Plan. Unlike the other diet plans like the GM diet, this diet plan largely twirls around the idea of eating fresh food and eating in-season foods. Learn more about this diet to get its benefits.

Why Nordic Diet Plan?

The Nordic diet plan concentrates on eating healthy and taking care of the heart. Largely known as the heart- healthy diet it reduces the risk of modern ailments like hypertension, diabetes, and other cardiovascular diseases. The idea is to reduce the bad cholesterol and increase the good cholesterol. Instead of worrying about your body shape like whether you are an ectomorph, endomorph or mesomorph.

Nordic Diet

Yes, when it comes to the benefits of the Nordic Diet, the basics count and there is no piggy-backing on any marketing gimmicks. The Nordic Diet Plan impacts the genes and reduces inflammation reducing the risks of chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, and degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s diseases.

If you are wondering what are the special features which separate the Nordic diet from other diets? The following points would give an idea about the diet regime and why it works!

  • A balanced diet chart with a focus on whole grains and fresh and seasonal vegetables.
  • Eat in smaller quantities.
  • Eat less of poultry or meat.
  • Eat more of fish at least twice a week, fish like mackerel, herring, and salmon.
  • Exercise is very important so make it a part of your daily regime.
  • Have meals with your family and friends.
  • Eat more of vegetarian meals.

Top 4 Nordic Diet Recipes

Since fish is such an important part of the Nordic Diet we will begin with a salad and put the very healthy salmon in the recipe. The benefits of salmon are many like it’s full of omega-3 fatty acids and it is rich in protein as well. The following recipe can be prepared in a jiffy and it has the goodness of salmon as well as cabbage.

1. Cabbage Salad with Smoked Salmon

Since fish is such an important part of the Nordic Diet we will begin with a salad and put the very healthy salmon in the recipe. The benefits of salmon are many like it’s full of omega-3 fatty acids and it is rich in protein as well. The following recipe can be prepared in a jiffy and it has the goodness of salmon as well as cabbage.

Cabbage Salad with Smoked Salmon

Ingredients for Dressing:

  • Two tablespoons of cider vinegar.
  • Two tablespoons of sugar.
  • Two tablespoons of cream.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.

Ingredients for Salad:

  • 160 gr of thinly sliced cabbage.
  • One and a half teaspoon of sugar.
  • Two apples
  • One bunch of dill.
  • 160 gr of cold smoked
  • Whole grain bread.

Preparation:

Dressing: Whisk the vinegar sugar and cream till it become thick. Season it with salt and pepper and store it in a fridge.

Salad: Slice the cabbage into thin slices. Slice the stem of the cabbage into thin strips. Mix the salt and sugar into it. Dice the apples and separate the cores. Slice the apples into thin wedges and mix it with the cabbage slices. Sprinkle the dill on top of the salad.

When Serving: Serve the salad with dressing in the smoked salmon and whole bread.

Now that you are done with a starter it would do you good to have some options to keep your palates guessing. And as they say, the more the merrier. The Brussel sprouts are a storehouse of antioxidants and vitamins and minerals. Spelt is a whole grain widely used by the Nordics. It is rich in amino acids and fibre. So prepare the dish and enjoy its delicious wholesomeness.

2. Creamy Pearl Spelt with Brussell Sprout and Onion Relish

The Brussel sprouts are a storehouse of antioxidants and vitamins and minerals. Spelt is a whole grain widely used by the Nordics. It is rich in amino acids and fibre. So prepare the dish and enjoy its delicious wholesomeness.

Creamy Pearl Spelt with Brussell Sprout and Onion Relish

Ingredients for Onion Relish:

  • Two red onions.
  • Fifty-gram walnuts to give it a crunchy texture.
  • One dl of apple cider vinegar.
  • Four tablespoons of sugar.
  • Salt and pepper.
  • Two shallots.
  • Two tablespoons of rapeseed oil or olive oil.
  • One dl dry pear/ apple cider or one dl pear/apple cider vinegar.
  • 6 d chicken or vegetable stock.
  • 50 gramme Vesterbotten
  • Salt and pepper.

Ingredients for Salad:

  • 100 gram Brussels sprouts.
  • Two red apples.
  • 30 grammes of Vesterbotten cheese or any kind of firm cheese.
  • Two tablespoon olive oil.
  • Two tablespoons of pear vinegar.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.

The Onion Relish Preparation: Make the onion relish first. Peel the onions. Put all ingredients into a small pot and bring it to a boil. After putting off the fire let it sit for a few hours so that the onions and walnuts get soaked.

Speltotto Preparation: Clean the spelt with clean water.Finely chop the shallots and lightly saute’ them in oil till they turn glassy. Add the spelt and fry them for a while. Pour in the cider and let it cook for a few minutes. Pour in the spelt and let it cook for about twenty minutes or so. Add the cheese to give it a creamy taste and texture. To get the required consistency add more vegetable stock or water.

Salad Preparation: Remove the outer and softer leaves of the Brussels sprouts. Then scald the rest of the leaves in boiling water, place them in cold water immediately after you scald them in hot water. Remove the core of the apples and add them in thin boats. Add them to a bowl along with cheese, leaves. Toss the oil vinegar and the seasoning and toss the salad.

When Serving: Strain the liquid of the relish and add some walnuts and onion rings on top of the spelt. Serve with the brussel sprout salad and you are good to go. So even if you are having a 1200 calorie diet add this nutritious salad to your diet and watch your pounds a meltaway.

We already know that Nordic diet emphasises on the consumption of fish. So we should explore more recipes on fish to make our recipe book on The Nordic Diet complete. Nuts and seeds are a very important part of the Nordic Diet. So here is a recipe which includes the benefits of fish and nuts.

3. Grilled Mackerel with HazelNut Pesto and Pea Puree

Nuts and seeds are a very important part of the Nordic Diet. So here is a recipe which includes the benefits of fish and nuts.

Grilled Mackerel with HazelNut Pesto and Pea Puree

  • Two dl pearl barley.
  • Eight dl water.
  • Two dl shelled peas.
  • Two dl skimmed milk.
  • Juice of one lemon.
  • One dl hazelnuts.
  • Hal cup cold-pressed olive oil.
  • Four Mackerels of the large fillet.
  • A little oil for grilling purpose.
  • A bunch watercress
  • Salt and pepper.

Preparation:

Clean the fish start the grill shell the fish and clean the watercress. Cook the pearl barley and cook it till it is softer and drain off the excess water. Boil the peas in milk and blend it in a blender into a smooth puree’. Season it with lemon juice , salt, and pepper. Make the hazelnut pesto. Fry it dry in a saucepan and. Drizzle it with olive oil and add the seasoning with pepper and salt. Grill the mackerel with a little bit of salt pepper and by brushing it with oil.

While Serving: Serve the mackerel with pea puree’ and pearl barley. Provide the pesto sauce with the fish and arrange with watercress.

The Nordic Diet Plan adds a lot of root vegetables like carrots. Cutting down on portion sizes is paramount to this diet plan. These may be regarded as easy ways to lose weight. You can eat those foods, chew slowly so that you can savour each bite with pleasure.

Keep your blood sugar levels in control by eating small but healthy meals but overeating is a strict no-no. Given that root vegetables are given so much importance in the Nordic Diet Plan a recipe on the same could give you ideas as to how would you incorporate more root vegetables in your diet. Don’t bother yourself much about how to lose weight or how to lose belly fat in a week, because the Nordic Diet would help you deal with such issues and make you shed the pounds and look great. Check out the following recipe to lose weight.

4. Pot Roasted Celery Root with Celery and Buttermilk

Given that root vegetables are given so much importance in the Nordic Diet Plan a recipe on the same could give you ideas as to how would you incorporate more root vegetables in your diet. Try the following recipe which has the goodness of celery root and buttermilk.

Pot Roasted Celery Root with Celery and Buttermilk

Ingredients:

  • Three tablespoons and four tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
  • Six small celery roots unpeeled trimmed and some stem still attached.
  • Hundred gramme unsalted butter cut into one-inch cubes.
  • Twelve sprigs thyme
  • Six sprigs rosemary
  • Six sprigs sage
  • One tablespoon beans
  • 5 dl buttermilk.
  • Half a lemon.
  • Half dl black olives oil-cured and pitted.

Preparation:

Heat three tablespoons of oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the celery roots and cook for a good eight to ten minutes and cook until it turns golden brown. Add the required amount of butter and wait till it foams up, add salt and add salt.

Add water the herb sprigs and coffee beans. Cover for one hour till the celery roots are tender. Remove the herbs and coffee beans from the pot and throw it away. Dip the celery roots in the buttery juices. Remove the celery roots from fire cut it into two and place the two halves on the plate. Warm the buttermilk but not too much to break it. Make a loose sauce by adding drops of lemon, salt.

While Serving: Place the celery roots pour the sauce and serve with sauce and olives Give the extra punch of flavour by squeezing lemon juice and salt.

Top 5 Lifestyle Changes Using Nordic Diet

A healthy diet with exercise and the concept of eating together would be the few things that make up this unique diet regime. Incorporate the following changes in your lifestyle and you would soon be able to boast of a healthy and fit body.

Exercise and Get Going

While you have got your recipes, It’s also important to get at least thirty minutes of exercises if not more. There is common adage doing the rounds in Denmark that there is no such thing as a bad weather you need to wear the right kind of clothes and not wear the wrong ones. Yes, you need to go out and put in as much of activity as you possibly can. Exercises to lose weight is one of the common features of the Nordic Diet.

Exercise and Get Going

Care For the Environment

The Nordic people care for the environment as the belief you need to give something back to the environment and they use fuel-free vehicles a lot, they cycle to work and don’t bother about getting caught in the traffic. Eating fresh or seasonal foods is their way of life and it does them a lot of good as you see people there lead a healthier kind of life with the lesser amount of food and more of fresh organic produce.

Care For the Environment

Reduce the intake of meat to three times a day. As the lesser amount of meat, you eat you would do more for the environment and not bother of limiting yourself of the nitty-grittiness of eating a 2000 calorie diet plan. Yes, the focus is on eating healthy and everything including the weight bit will fall into place.

Whole-grains a part of Nordic Diet

Incorporate whole grains like rye, barley quinoa. As we know the many benefits of Quinoa and other whole grains we must include them in our lives and edge out the refined flours gradually. The Nordics swear by fresh home-baked bread, which leaves out the additives and preservatives which make it frightfully unhealthy. To increase the shelf-life of bread we are sacrificing health, so we must bake at home.

Whole-grains a part of Nordic Diet

Eating Together

The Nordics place, special emphasis on eating together as eating together means sharing the food and generally there is a spirit of bonhomie and laughter. The feeling of togetherness could bring people to concentrate more on the finer details of life than just food.

Eating Together

Consumption of Tea and Coffee

Is green tea good for you? Why are we asking that because the Nordics have more than a few cuppas of steaming hot beverage they believe in the oolong tea benefits and benefits of tea and coffee in general as it gives the body the right amount of anti-oxidants. There is no specific number as to how many cups should you really consume but you must include them in your diet plan as it’s considered to be healthy, though we need to care about the caffeine bit as too much of anything is not good.

Consumption of Tea and Coffee

The question is if you want to stay healthy how far you are willing to go? Because the choice of being healthy is in your own hands. The Nordic Diet is primarily a fruit and vegetable diet and if we make the Nordic way of living our own then we would be slowly inching towards reaching the ultimate goal of staying fit and staying healthy.

Lose Weight and Stay Healthy with the Nordic Diet Plan – PDF

Download App

Get our wellness newsletter

Health and Diet tips, Fitness,
Beauty and more.