The heart-healthy Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil and sun-ripened fruits and vegetables may be replaced by the Nordic diet. Scientists have found that the Nordic diet, which is rich in rapeseed oil, elk and cowberries, may be significantly healthier than the traditional Mediterranean diet and much more suited to being produced in Northern climates.
People living in countries surrounding the Mediterranean eat large amounts of vegetables, nuts, fish and bread. This diet, which is low in saturated fats, lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, some cancers, and obesity. Other cultures have adopted the diet to combat growing problems with obesity and cardiovascular disease, but many people who live in more Northern climates have difficulty sticking with the diet.
New research has shown that foods native to colder climates, such as blueberries, cowberries, and cloudberries, are loaded with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. The berries are also rich in antioxidants, which fight heart disease and cancer. Rapeseed oil (also known as canola oil) contains omega-3 oils as well as vitamin E. Cold-weather vegetables such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale contain high amounts of antioxidants.
Traditional Nordic diets feature fish such as salmon, cod, and herring, which are also high in omega-3 fatty acids.
Scientists at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark are developing the new Nordic diet, which they hope will give those who live in Northern climates a healthy diet suited to their geographic surroundings.
“The plan is to develop a counterpart to the Mediterranean diet that is superior in terms of health effects and palatability,” said Professor Arne Astrup, president of the International Association for the Study of Obesity and head of the department of human nutrition at Copenhagen University.
Astrup believes the new diet will help fight the battle of the bulge that so many countries are losing. The key to losing weight and keeping it off, he believes, is a high-protein Atkins-like diet.
Professor Astrup studied 250 dieters and found that while many diets help people lose weight initially, they usually put the weight back on. But high-protein diets helped dieters keep the pounds off.
Astrup also believes that game meat, such as elk, should be chosen over farm-reared animals. “There is increasing evidence that the fat in meat is not as unhealthy as we are led to believe,” he said.
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