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Scandinavian diet

The Scandinavian diet is one of the trend eating plans today. It is not a miracle diet, but a lifestyle that helps you lose weight and help maintain good health.

Currently, there is an increasingly general trend towards taking care of the body , which sometimes happens to lose weight. Thus, there are those who start following what are known as “miracle diets”, which promise to lose many kilos in a short period of time. Nothing could be further from the truth. With this type of diet, the body suffers a lot since the consumption of certain essential nutrients for its functioning is restricted. In addition, the rebound effect is practically assured once the diet is finished.

What is the Scandinavian diet?

That is why it is much more advisable to follow a balanced and healthy eating plan, such as the Scandinavian diet. Experts consider this to be one of the simplest diets in the world . You do not have to count calories, or calculate the ratio of protein and fat, or measure food portions …

The main rule that defines this diet is that each meal should be made up of four handfuls: a handful of protein, one of carbohydrates , two handfuls of vegetables, and a teaspoon of fat .

The Scandinavian Diet was created by Suzy Wengel , a Danish dietitian and CEO of a biotech company. As she herself has explained in recent interviews, the most important thing about a diet is that it be healthy; otherwise, you can lose weight but there is a high risk that your health condition will deteriorate.

After trying numerous strict eating plans, he was encouraged to create his own diet, losing 40 kilos in just 10 months , and without having to give up any type of food.

How does this diet work?

As we have noted, the main rule of the Scandinavian diet is that each meal consists of four handfuls of foods divided as follows.

Two handfuls of vegetables

50% of the food eaten during meals should be vegetables , which have a wide selection of properties and health benefits. They provide the body with the nutrients it needs to function properly. In addition, many of the vegetables are high in fiber, so they promote intestinal transit.

Another of the most outstanding properties of vegetables is that they favor the elimination of fluids and toxins from the body. They are also rich in antioxidants, thus preventing premature aging of both skin and cells.

A handful of carbohydrates

Foods rich in carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the body both physically and mentally . Within this group we find bread, cereals, rice and pasta.

It is convenient to opt for those foods rich in complex carbohydrates, which are digested more slowly by the body, so that they produce a greater sensation of satiety. They are rice, whole grains, legumes or carrots, among others.

Foods rich in simple carbohydrates are less healthy since the body absorbs them very quickly to be able to use them for energy. Thus, the feeling of hunger comes faster. Some of these foods are soft drinks, sweets, sweets …

A handful of protein

In the Nordic diet a handful of the food should be dedicated to foods rich in protein. It is important to note that the proteins provided by foods of plant origin have a lower quality than those provided by foods of animal origin.

The foods richest in protein, and whose consumption is highly recommended in a healthy eating plan, are: eggs, fish such as tuna or cod, lean meats and dairy. As for foods with proteins of vegetable origin, legumes, green leafy vegetables and nuts are included in this group.

A teaspoon of fat

Although it may seem a bit contradictory in a healthy eating plan, the Scandinavian diet allows you to ingest a teaspoon of fat at each meal . And that is precisely what a balanced diet consists of; in not restricting the consumption of any food.

The most recommended foods with healthy fats of plant origin are the following: avocado , nuts, seeds, olives and legumes. There are also foods with healthy fats of animal origin whose consumption is recommended, such as oily fish or eggs.

The Scandinavian diet is therefore a very simple eating plan to follow. Unlike other more restrictive plans, it is not designed to follow for a certain period of time and then continue with the usual eating plan. The Scandinavian diet is designed to be integrated into everyone’s lifestyle and make it a long-lasting eating plan.

Benefits of the Scandinavian diet

Below we have compiled the main health benefits of this eating plan.

  • Weight loss: Although it is not a miracle diet that promises to lose several kilos in a few days, the Scandinavian diet favors weight loss. The consumption of carbohydrates is enough to provide energy to the body and accelerate metabolism and, in addition, the consumption of sugars and trans fats is very low.
  • Neurodegenerative diseases: recent studies have indicated that the Scandinavian diet is one of the best to alleviate the symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s .
  • Pain relief: another of the great benefits of this diet is that it helps to alleviate the signs of inflammatory diseases such as arthritis or osteoporosis , which are very common in elderly people.
  • It does not restrict foods: the Scandinavian diet is characterized by in no case restricting the consumption of certain foods. Although it is true that each of the meals is limited to four handfuls, they include all the nutrients that the body needs for its proper functioning.
  • For everyone: and, finally, note that the Scandinavian diet is suitable for everyone, even athletes. In general, carbohydrate consumption is slightly increased in the days leading up to competition.

Scandinavian diet for athletes

More and more athletes are convinced of the benefits of the Scandinavian diet to guarantee their good health, as well as to enhance their performance.

In this case, the eating plan goes through two phases and begins the seven days prior to the competition.

  • The first phase takes place the first three days of the week. In it, the consumption of foods rich in carbohydrates is reduced, prioritizing those with a high content of proteins and unsaturated fats. High intensity workouts must be added to the eating plan to deplete the body’s deposits.
  • The second phase occurs during the next three days and the process is just the opposite. Low intensity workouts are carried out and the consumption of carbohydrates in the diet is increased, until they make up 80 or 90 percent of each meal.

It is worth bearing in mind that during the first three days of a diet there is a certain risk of extreme fatigue and weakness due to a lack of glucose. Thus, the risk of suffering a certain injury increases. That is why it is only recommended to follow this eating plan in combination with the training plan for athletes with certain experience.

This Scandinavian diet format is aimed at those athletes who are going to carry out very demanding and high intensity stress tests . In this case, the goal is not to lose weight, but to discharge the body’s deposits to later recharge them until reaching the highest level of them. This optimizes performance and delays the feeling of fatigue in demanding competitions.

Conclution

The Scandinavian diet is one of the most popular in the world today. One of its main advantages is that it is very easy to follow since you only have to count four handfuls at each meal. In addition, it does not restrict the consumption of any type of food; For example, chocolate or wine can be included, although always using common sense.

It is not just a diet, it is a true lifestyle, so that the dreaded rebound effect is avoided.

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Hello Readers, I am Nikki Bella a Psychology student. I have always been concerned about human behavior and the mental processes that lead us to act and think the way we do. My collaboration as an editor in the psychology area of ​​Well Being Pole has allowed me to investigate further and expand my knowledge in the field of mental health; I have also acquired great knowledge about physical health and well-being, two fundamental bases that are directly related and are part of all mental health.

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