Trying to Eat The Nordic Diet Way

My ancestors were Swedish, after all...

I decided to try eating like my Scandinavian ancestors, based on teachings from the book The Nordic Way by Arne Astrup, Professor Jennie Brand-Miller, and Christian Bitz.

According to the book’s description on Amazon, the diet claims to be -

“Based on the practically perfect Nordic Diet. This gimmick-free and scientifically proven approach to eating will help you keep unwanted pounds off for good.”

The description goes on to state that these three experts “know that the Nordic Diet is the “best diet in the world” for getting healthy and staying lean, even into middle age and beyond.”

So, how could I lose, right?

The authors are leaders in obesity research, glycemic science, and healthy living, respectively. The description says that together, “they’ve learned that eating a specific ratio of proteins, whole grains, and vegetables and incorporating traditional Nordic ingredients such as rye flour, skyr yogurt, and rapeseed oil into one’s diet are the most effective paths to overall health and stable weight.”

And apparently, these claims aren’t made on a whim. The text proclaims that there’s complex science at the foundation of the Nordic Diet, including peer-reviewed studies that support the diet.

Yet the program is supposed to be remarkably simple and delicious to adopt. This interesting how-to book states that its readers will “see significant improvements in their health and weight—and even prevent the dreaded middle-age spread—without ever having to count a single calorie or eliminate carbs, dairy, and meat.

WHERE DO I SIGN UP?

I have to admit; it sounds too good to be true. I can eat all the food groups, not starve myself, and make myself practically disease-proof. A-n-d lose weight eating this way?

Well, alrighty then! I bought the book!

On Friday, December 23rd, I decided to try following their program. The book says to eat 2:1 carbs to protein ratio, including protein in every meal and focusing on consuming Low-Glycemic Foods.

I wrote the following entry in my diet journal -

“I kind of eyeballed it, starting off my day with:

1/2 c. dry Old Fashioned Oats

1/2 c. liquid egg whites

1 c. water

1 Tbl. crunchy natural peanut butter

1 Tbl. raw honey

1/4 c. raisins

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

sprinkle pink Himalayan sea salt

All cooked together. I also had coffee with half-and-half cream in it.

Continuing from my journal entry:

“Turns out I had too many carbs. Should have skipped the raisins. Not feeling so great. Will do better with my other meals.”

I’ve Thought About My DNA and Diet Before

I like to think I’m a pragmatic person. What I mean is when considering ideas and concepts for use in my own life, I try to consider the realistic, practical aspects of the idea. Does it make logical sense, FOR ME?

And where diet and nutrition are concerned (btw…as I write this, I’m sipping a hot mugful of decaf coffee with heavy cream and Chocolate Keto Collagen with MCT oil from Perfect Keto, and I’m loving it! Delish!), it just doesn’t make sense, from a DNA/ancestry perspective, that I should be eating tropical fruits - at the very least. Because none of that kind of stuff even grows in such northern climates. My ancestors would have eaten lots of animal products. And the few plants they ate would have been consumed mostly seasonally. There likely would have been a few things like grains, cabbages, and root vegetables that could be stored for long periods of time. These would have supplemented any animal foods acquired by hunting throughout the long winter months.

I have tried The Carnivore Diet a few times now, with mostly great results. You can watch a video I made about that HERE. At about 13 minutes in, I specifically address diet and my ancestry.

But the approach in this book sounds a little more balanced and less extreme than that meat-based eating plan to me. So, I wanted to give it a try. I really love rolled oats and potatoes and berries and nuts. So, if I can incorporate those foods into my diet plan with good results, then that would be optimal for me.

I Honestly Haven’t Given It A Real Shot Yet

But I’m going to try to implement it more effectively than I did in my one-meal-experiment above.

Here’s the challenge as I see it so far - I’m not used to having to worry about balancing carbs and protein ratios every time I eat. I’m more accustomed to eating mostly either/or carb-centered or protein-centered meals. So, there is a bit of a learning curve to this program for me. BUT…I do think the concept makes sense.

I’ll keep you posted.