New Nordic Diet

Looking for a diet that helps you shed pounds without having to overhaul your whole fridge or completely cut out your favorite foods? The New Nordic Diet (NND) might be a good bet to drop weight and provide various health benefits, reports a new study from Denmark.

The nutrition regimen, developed by researchers at the University of Copenhagen, focuses on protein from lean meats and seafood, more of your calories coming from fruits and vegetables, and—above all—locally-grown, organic, and in-season eating. The payoff? In the study, 180 obese Danes who ate the NND for six months with no calorie or frequency restrictions lost an average of 10 pounds and had lower blood pressure and body fat counts than less healthy eaters.

Much of the NND’s guidelines echo that of the esteemed Mediterranean Diet: fruit, vegetables, seafood, and fresh herbs. But there are differences, says NND co-creator Arne Astrup, M.D., head professor in the department of nutrition at the University of Copenhagen. For example, canola oil can be swapped in instead of olive and the diet actually allows organic butter, because these are both staples in the traditional Danish diet.

Astrup says the diet isn't about depriving yourself of your favorite foods, just having healthier and more-filling versions. “Healthy cooking shouldn’t be about adopting an entirely new way of eating,” he adds.

So the idea is to consume fish and free-range or game meats. Eat fruits and vegetables that are locally grown or organic so you receive richer nutrients. And cutting out carbs? Astrup specifically calls for potatoes and root vegetables, plus using whole grains like oat, rye, and barley. (Check out the whole dietary list here.)

The NND still requires some of the hardest habits to incorporate—cooking at home more and eating less processed foods—but those are good behaviors for anyone to adopt.

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