What is a healthy Nordic diet? Foods and nutrients in the NORDIET study

Figures & data

Table 1. Description of food items included in each food group in the recommended diet, i.e., the planned NORDIET study

Food group
Fruits, berries, vegetables, root vegetables	Hot or cold as snack, side dish or incorporated into the dish. Includes rose hip, blueberry, lingonberry, apple, pear, prune, cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, fennel, spinach, kohlrabi, viper's grass, onion, leek, kale, sugar peas, turnip, carrot, parsnip and beetroot.
Potatoes	Mainly boiled.
Nuts	Mainly almonds.
Legumes	Brown beans, yellow and green peas.
Meat	Beef, pork, lamb, reindeer and sausage.
Poultry	Chicken and turkey.
Dairy products	Low-fat drinking milk or fermented milk (0.5%). Cheese (<17%).
Fish	Herring, Baltic herring, mackerel, salmon and a selection of white fish.
Eggs	Eggs were used for cooking.
Cereals and seeds	Cereals include soft and hard bread, rich in whole grain from rye and wheat (50% whole grain as dry matter) and low in sodium, i.e. <1% NaCl, per day. Oat bran rusks were recommended for snacks. For cold breakfast cereals, muesli and extruded oat bran were advocated .For hot breakfast cereals such as porridge, oat bran, oatmeal or barley flakes were advocated.
	Oat bran porridge was to be consumed for breakfast as a standard. As an option, when pearled oat or barley was included for lunch, any of the other breakfast alternatives could be consumed. Lunch and dinner cereals, such as pearled barley and oat (Mathavre, Matkorn), were used instead of traditional rice. Whole grain pasta (50% whole grain per dry matter) or whole grain β-glucan-enriched pasta was included. Seeds, such as linseed, psyllium and sunflower seeds, were included for breakfast.
Fat and oil	Vegetable low fat spread (38% fat), with no plant sterols added, for bread, and a vegetable liquid margarine for cooking (80% fat), both based on vegetable oil (sunflower, linseed and rapeseed oil). Rapeseed oil was used for dressing.
Sweets, desserts, coffee bread	Sweet-baked goods based on oat bran. Jam for hot and cold cereals, and rusks.
Alcoholic beverages	The subjects’ habitual amount of alcoholic beverage.
Beverages/liquids (non-alcohol)	Tap water, tea, filtered coffee or instant coffee. Juice based on fruits, berries or vegetables. Low-alcohol beer.
Herbs, spices and others	Parsley, dill, mustard, horseradish and chive were used for sensory improvement. Bullion, mustard, vinaigrette, cooking wine, spices, soy sauce, oat-based non-dairy creamer, potato starch and yeast. Table salt, when used, had reduced sodium content.

Table 2. The RI per day of certain food groups and food items in the planned Nordic diet (ND). And actual quantity consumed after 6 weeks on ND compared to an SRP^a

Food groups	The RI, i.e., the planned ND	ND mean±SD Actual quantity consumed	SRP estimate	p ^b
Fruits, berries, vegetables, root vegetables and potatoes^c	Fruit, berries, vegetables, root vegetables: ≥500 per day	807^d±134	382	<0.0001
Legumes^e	No recommendation	91±18	9	<0.0001
Nuts	Mainly almonds: 15 g per day	14	na^f	na^f
Meat products and poultry^g	Meat: ≤500 g per week. Poultry: ≤300 gper week	89^h±10	139	<0.0001
Dairy products^i	Drinking milk and fermented milk: ≤5dl low-fat milk per dayCheese: (<17%) could be used for cooking as long as total fat and quality of fat in the whole diet did not differ from RI	249±119	366	<0.0001
Fish and egg^j	Fish: 3–5 servings per week corresponding to 53–89 g per day, per weekEgg: included as long as the intake of cholesterol not exceeded the RI	72±11	50	<0.0001
Cereals and seeds^k	Bread: 4–6 slices of bread per day corresponding to 160–240 g per dayβ-Glucan-rich food items: food items included to reach the RI of 3 g per dayLunch cereals: one and a half serving per dayWhole grain pasta or whole grain β-glucan enriched pasta: one serving, three times a week	256±58	248	0.3653
Fat and oil^l	5 g per slice of bread. 0.5 dl oil for dressing per day	32±7	23	<0.0001
Sweets and deserts^m	For weekends	38±11	51	<0.0001
Alcoholic beverages^n	Subjects habitual amount	71±82	177	<0.0001
Beverages/liquids (non-alcohol)	Free amount of tap water, tea, filtered coffee or instant coffee. Juice from fruits, berries or vegetables: 4 dl per week. Low alcohol beer: one bottle (33 cl) per day	na^f	na^f	na^f

The intake is expressed as mean±SD per day for ND and a mean value for SRP.

^aSRP, Riksmaten 1997–1998. Dietary habits and nutrient intake in Sweden 1997–1998. The second national food consumption survey.

^bA two-tailed p<0.05 was regarded as significant. Student's t-test, with the null hypothesis that the mean value for ND was equal to the fix value of SRP for each group of food items was used.

^cND includes rose hip, blueberry, lingonberry, apple, pear, prune, orange, cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli, fennel, spinach, kohlrabi, viper's grass, onion, leek, kale, sugar snaps, turnip, carrot, parsnip and beetroot. SRP includes fruit, berries, vegetables, root vegetables, potatoes and dishes thereof.

^dOf the 807 g consumed, potatoes compriced 73 g.

^eND includes brown beans, yellow and green peas, chickpeas, kidney bean and lentils. SRP includes legumes.

^fNot applicable.

^gND includes beef, pork, lamb, sausages and poultry, such as chicken and turkey. SRP includes meat, poultry and sausages, and dishes thereof.

^hOf the 89 g consumed, poultry comprised 50 g.

ⁱND includes low-fat milk (0.5%), whole milk (3%), yoghurt (0.5–3%), soured cream (12%) and chocolate milk and cheese (<17%). SRP includes milk, fermented milk, yoghurt and cheese.

^jND includes herring, Baltic herring, mackerel, salmon, sardine, caviar and egg. SRP includes fish, seafood, egg and dishes thereof.

^kND includes soft and hard bread rich in whole grain from rye and wheat, and oat bran rusks. Cold breakfast cereals, such as muesli and extruded oat bran, and hot breakfast cereals, such as porridge made of oat bran, oat meal or barley flakes and gruel, linseed, psyllium, sunflower seeds, pearled barley and oats (Mathavre, Matkorn), whole grain pasta, whole grain β-glucan-enriched pasta, maize, rice, bulgur and couscous. SRP includes bread, porridge, gruel, cereals, muesli, buns, biscuits, pasta and rice, and dishes thereof.

^lND includes vegetable low fat spread, no added plant sterols, vegetable liquid margarine for cooking and rapeseed oil for dressing. SRP includes edible fats and fat sauces.

^mND includes sweet-baked goods, sweets, sugar, syrup, ice cream and jam. SRP includes sweet soups, desserts, jam, marmalade, sweets and ice cream.

ⁿND and SRP include wine, beer and hard liquor.

Table 3. Mean intake of energy, nutrients and food components (n=44), after 6 weeks on ND compared to AR and RI, NNR 2004

	ND	AR^a men/women	RI^b men/women
Energy (kcal day^−1)	1,989	na^c	2,200^d
Protein (E%^e)	19	na^c	10–20
Fat (E%)	27	na^c	25–35
Saturated fatty acids (E%)	5	na^c	<8
Mono-unsaturated fatty acids (E%)	11	na^c	12–17
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (E%)	6	na^c	5–10
Carbohydrate (E%)	52	na^c	45–60
Alcohol (E%)	2	na^c	<5
Vitamin A, retinol equivalent (µg)	1,568	600/500	900/700
Vitamin D^a (µg)	8.0	5.2/5.2	7.5/7.5
Tocopherol (mg)	16	6/5 a-TE	10/8 a-TE
Thiamine (mg)	1.6	1.2/0.9	1.4/1.1
Riboflavin (mg)	1.5	1.4/1.1	1.7/1.3
Niacin equivalent (mg)	32	15/12 NE	19/15 NE
Vitamin B6 (mg)	2.4	1.3/1.0	1.6/1.2
Vitamin B12 (µg)	4.8	1.4/1.4	2/2
Folate (µg)	459	200/200	300/300
Vitamin C (mg)	266	60/50	75/75
Calcium^a (mg)	755	552/552	800/800
Phosphorus (mg)	1,391	450/450	600/600
Magnesium^a (mg)	437	241/193	350/280
Iron (mg)	15	7/10–6^f	9/15–9
Zinc (mg)	10	6/5	9/7
Sodium (mg)	1,545	na^c	2,800/2,400
Potassium^a (mg)	3.7	2.4/2.1	3.5/3.1
Selenium (µg)	39	35/30	50/40
Dietary cholesterol (mg)	131	na^c	<300^g
Whole grain (g)	111	na^c	90/70^h
Dietary fibre (g) (g/MJ)	54 (6.4)	25–35 (3)^i	25–35 (3)
β-Glucan (g)	4.9	na^c	>3^j
Dietary fibre (fruit) (g)	5	na^c	na^k
Dietary fibre (cereal) (g)	23	na^c	na^k
Cereal fibre (oat) (g)	8.8	na^c	na^k
Cereal fibre (rye) (g)	6.0	na^c	na^k
Cereal fibre (barley) (g)	2.3	na^c	na^k
Cereal fibre (wheat) (g)	5.5	na^c	na^k
Dietary fibre (vegetable) (g)	15	na^c	na^k
Dietary fibre (legume) (g)	5.0	na^c	na^k

^aAR, according to the NNR. For micronutrients that had no AR in the NNR, an AR was calculated. First, the ratio AR/RI for micronutrients with both AR and RI in NNR was calculated. This ratio was used to calculate a proxy AR for vitamin D, calcium, magnesium and potassium.

^bRI according to NNR.

^cna = not applicable.

^dThe ND was calculated to be isocaloric on a group level through validated formulas NNR 2004. The ND was given ad libitum, i.e., all participants were provided with the same number of calories, but they were at liberty to leave food or ask for more to match their individual needs.

^eE% = Percentage of daily energy intake.

^fRefers to post-menopausal women.

^gReference 9.

^h http://www.slv.se/sv/grupp1/Mat-och-naring/Kostrad/Vuxna/Fullkorn/09-01-2012.

ⁱAnalytical method, AOAC methods for total dietary fibre.

^jReference 29.

^kThere is no RI for dietary fibre sources.

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