It’s been hailed as a new spin on the ‘Mediterranean Diet’ and has been developed in collaboration with chefs, guaranteeing it’s tasty and healthy.

The ‘Mediterranean Diet’ has gained a lot of publicity over the past five years, for highlighting how eating healthy fats (such as those found in fish, olive oil, nuts and seeds) can promote heart health. In several ways, The New Nordic Diet is similar tothe Mediterranean diet, but there are some differences.

The main aim of the New Nordic Diet is to promote health and wellbeing as well as individual and environmental sustainability.

The University of Copenhagen partnered with renowned restaurants in Denmark to develop more than 300 recipes that are delicious and are Nordic ingredient based. These experts also developed thefollowing 10 fundamental principles:

1. More fruit and vegetables every day (lots more: berries, cabbages, root vegetables, legumes, potatoes and herbs).
2. More whole grain, especially oats, rye and barley
3. More food from the sea and lakes
4. Higher-quality meat, but less of it
5. More food from wild landscapes
6. Organic produce whenever possible
7. Avoiding food additives
8. More meals based on seasonal produce
9. More home-cooked food
10. Less waste

Large scale ongoing research and studies to measure the effectiveness of The New Nordic Diet have been carried out since 2009.

One study compared weight loss and body fat loss between two groups over 12 weeks (a New Nordic Diet group and an Average Danish Diet group). The study found the group who ate the NND had more body weight loss compared to the ADD group despite no significant energy intake difference.

While in Denmark, I trialled some recipes (including a delicious salad and fish chowder using cold smoked cod) and visited the famous Torvehallerne food market. My conclusion is that the New Nordic Diet is not a meal plan, but is definitely a sustainable and a healthy style of living. For more information about the New Nordic Diet, visit http://denmark.dk/en/lifestyle/food-drink/new-nordic-recipes/

Image thanks to Shutterstock