A lot of weight loss diets has come and gone. Some recipes are still being prepared while others are just breaking into the scene. What really matters to the weight loss and flat belly chasers is whether the diet recipes work or not. We bring you the new Nordic diet recipes aka Viking diet.
Whether you have heard about it or this is your first time, you are in the right place. You will learn all about the Nordic diet recipes and how to prepare them.
What is Nordic Diet?
First things first, Nordic is a term used to identify the people of the geographical and cultural regions of Northern Europe.
Nordic countries are Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, etc.
In that vein, a Nordic diet is one invented and practiced by the Nordic people.
What is Nordic about it is that it comprises of foods commonly eaten by the Nordic people.
In the weight loss scenes, Nordic diet recipes are used as meals for people looking to lose weight.
The Nordic diet recipes consist mainly of fresh foods as against the typical western meal. This diet is basically low in sugar and fat but high in fiber and seafood.
Due to the Nordic diet recipes composition, studies have shown that it can aid weight loss. It is a low carb diet that suggests that you take most of your calories from plants.
Nordic Diet Food List
To be sure you are truly using Nordic diet recipes, there are foods you need to be consuming and those to stay away from.
The following are some of the foods you should be using:
- Canola oil
- Berries
- Oily fish
- Whole grains
- Fruits and Vegetables
- Nuts
- Potatoes
- Legumes
- Dairy Products
- Meat and Fish
- Eggs
- Herbs and spices
Food to Avoid When You are on a Nordic Diet
There are also certain foods you need to avoid when you are on a Nordic diet.
These foods might throw you off and make you regress. Some of them are:
- White rice
- White flour
- Pork
- Chocolates
- Junk foods
- Lard
- Soda
7-Day Nordic Meal Plan for Weight Loss
Here is a Nordic diet recipe meal plan you can follow for the next 7 days. For those who have not tried it before, you can use this plan to test waters.
Day 1
Breakfast
- Whole-grain oats with maple syrup, cinnamon, and dates.
- You can top it up with low-sugar fruits such as blackberries or raspberries
Lunch
- Potatoes in a tomato and herb sauce with onion, stewed zucchini, and yellow squash.
Dinner
- A small portion of white fish
- If there is left over of the stew from lunch, you can finish it off
- 2 cups of spinach or arugula with olive oil, tomato, and olive
Day 2
Breakfast
- Whole-grain toast with queso fresco, goat cheese, or ricotta
- Figs or chopped blueberries
Lunch
- A small portion of chicken sprinkled with lemon juice and olive oil
- 2 cups of mixed green with cucumber and tomato
Dinner
- Oven roast vegetables such as sweet potato, tomato, eggplant, carrot, etc. Add some herbs and olive oil before roasting
- 1 cup whole-grain couscous
Read Also- 3 Day Diabetic Diet Plan for a Beginner: Type 2 Diabetes Diet and Weight Loss
Day 3
Breakfast
- 1 cup of Greek yogurt with cinnamon or honey
- Chopped apple and shredded almonds
Lunch
- 1 cup quinoa with bell pepper, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes
- Roasted garbanzo beans with oregano and thyme
- Top it up with avocado or feta cheese crumbles
Dinner
- 2 cups of steamed kale with cucumber, olives, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, and tomato
- Grilled sardine with sliced lemon
Day 4
Breakfast
- 2 egg scrambles with tomato, onions, and bell pepper
- ¼ avocado or 1 oz of queso fresco
Lunch
- Roasted anchovies in olive oil on whole-grain toast with lemon juice
- 2 cups of steamed kale and tomatoes
Dinner
- 1 boiled artichoke with olive oil, garlic powder, and salt
- 2 cups of steamed spinach with herbs and lemon juice
Day 5
Breakfast
- 1 cup of whole-grain oats with honey, dates, and cinnamon
- Low sugar fruits such as raspberries or blackberries
Lunch
- Boiled white beans spiced with laurel, cumin, and garlic
- 1 cup of arugula with feta cheese, cucumber, and tomato with olive oil dressing
Dinner
- One-half cup of whole-grain pasta with grilled vegetable, tomato sauce, and olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese
Read Also: 30 Day Paleo Diet Plan for Beginners to Lose Weight and Belly Fat Fast
Day 6
Breakfast
- 1 cup of Greek yogurt
- A ½ cup of fruits such as chopped nectarines raspberries, or blueberries
- You can also add 1 oz of almonds
Lunch
- Whole-grain sandwich with green vegetables such as ass zucchini, bell pepper, and eggplant, and onion
- You can add a spread of avocado over the bread
Dinner
- One portion of baked salmon or cod with garlic and black pepper as a flavor
- One roasted potato with chives and olive oil
Day 7
Breakfast
- One pan-fried egg
- Whole-wheat bread
- Grilled tomatoes
- You can also add sliced avocado to the bread
Lunch
- 2 cups of mixed green salad with olives and cherry tomatoes
- 2 ounces of hummus
- Whole-grain pita bread
Dinner
- Whole-grain pizza with grilled vegetables, low-fat cheese, and tomato sauce
- You can add some shredded chicken, tuna, or pine nuts for extra calories.
After you have tried the Nordic diet recipe meal plan for 7 days, if you like the effect, you can continue to reap all the benefits that come with it.
Talking about benefits, there have been quite a number of studies that verify the efficacy of the Nordic diet recipes on weight loss.
Read Also-9 Fastest Ways to Lose Weight: Lose 10 Pounds in Just 7 Days
Benefits of the Nordic Diet Recipe
Apart from diets generally helping you to lose some weight, most of them also come with benefits to health.
Nordic diet recipes have their benefits too and some of them are:
Lowers Blood Pressure
The Nordic diet is said to reduce blood pressure due to the type of foods you eat.
Eating less of foods high in cholesterol and more foods rich in protein and anti-inflammatory fats, you reduce your chances of having high blood pressure.
Promotes Weight Loss
Adopting Nordic diet recipes has been found to help reduce obesity.
Due to the foods you eat and those you have to avoid, it is evident that the Nordic diet works.
For those who are looking to lose some fat in their belly, Nordic diet recipes can do you a lot of good.
Due to the high consumption of fibers, you are likely to feel sated eating less than with a regular diet.
Prevents Heart Diseases
Blood pressure, glucose, insulin levels, and bad cholesterol are the main risk factors for heart diseases.
Nordic diet recipes offer foods that reduce the occurrence of these factors, hence lessen the risk of having a heart problem.
Prevents Inflammation
Inflammation is the swelling of the tissues in your body.
This condition is often linked to diabetes, high blood pressure, and other heart diseases.
Adopting a Nordic diet can help reduce or even prevent the swelling of tissues in the body.
Though, a poor diet is not the only thing responsible for this condition. You have to exercise and sleep well too.
It is Environment-friendly
The Nordic diet makes you eat more plant-based foods than animal-based.
This does not only help you become healthy; it is less demanding on the environment.
So, if you are still having a hard time deciding if you want to give Nordic diet recipes a try, remember that you will be helping the environment while you are at it.
Now that you have known about the Nordic diet, are you willing to give it a try?
If so, you can start out with the 7-day meal plan we presented earlier. If you want a more detailed recipe, you are in luck.
The following are some deliciously healthy Nordic diet recipes.
Healthy Nordic Diet Recipes
1. Barley-Oat Pancakes
If you already love pancakes, here is your chance to redefine your experience.
As you might have found out by now, Nordic diet recipes encourage the consumption of whole grains.
According to a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, this Nordic diet recipe can help you shed pounds as against sticking to a diet of refined grains, sugar, and processed foods.
Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil
- About 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons of organic honey
- 1 cup of oat flour
- A teaspoon of sodium-free baking powder
- 1 cup of barley flour
- One-half cups of nonfat milk
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- Maple syrup for serving
How to make:
- Mix the barley and oat flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- In a smaller bowl, mix the rapeseed oil, honey, milk, vanilla extract, and egg.
- Pour the content of the smaller bowl into the larger one and then mix well.
- Now heat up a non-stick skillet.
- Pour about 3 tablespoons of the batter into it and let it cook until the bottom part is golden brown.
- Flip it over and allow the other side to cook to the same consistency.
- Serve with the maple syrup and enjoy.
2. Chicken in Bouillon
This Nordic diet recipe will serve you great for dinner.
Not only is it super healthy, but it is delicious too.
This is a good alternative to most regular chicken meals. Your family will thank you for it.
Ingredients:
- 2 chopped shallots
- 2 tablespoons of cold-pressed rapeseed oil
- About 2 teaspoons of fennel seeds
- 2 cups of wheat grains
- 2 ½ cups of chicken stock or water
- 4 to 6 chicken legs
- 2 2/5 cups of green asparagus
- 2 2/5 cups of kale, spinach, or goutweed
- 4/5 cup of cold-pressed apple juice
- Salt and pepper
How to prepare:
- Add the shallots, apple juice, and fennel seeds in a pot and bring it to boil.
- Then add the stock and let it boil. Simmer it for about half an hour.
- Simmer the wheat grains in another pan for about 10 minutes.
- Add the asparagus, salt, and pepper, then allow it to simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Chop the spinach (if that’s what you used) and goutweed, then add to the dish before serving.
3. Fish Stew
Fish is an important part of the Nordic diet. We all know that fish is quite nutritious and good for the body.
However, there are certain kinds of fish that is used in the Nordic diet.
The type of fish used in this Nordic diet recipe is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids which is anti-inflammatory.
Ingredients:
- 250g of leeks
- 500g of baking potatoes
- 300g of smoked haddock, you can use hake or cod too
- Sour cream
- About two tablespoons of rapeseed oil
- Fish stock
- ¼ bundle of chive and parsley
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper
- Whole-grain bread
How to prepare:
- Sauté the potatoes and leeks in a saucepan for a few minutes on low heat.
- Pour the fish stock and bay leaves and simmer for about 25 minutes.
- Add some of the soup and vegetables in a blender and blend them.
- Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
- Add the smoked fish and let it boil.
- Season it with the salt, pepper, and sour cream before serving.
- Serve it with chopped parsley and chives along with the bread.
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Conclusion
Now you have it all about the Nordic diet. What it is about, its benefits, a 7-day meal plan, and then Nordic diet recipes you can enjoy.
You should give them a try just to see how you can eat delicious foods that are actually healthy.
This type of diet will surely help you lose weight and stay healthy.
