WHO ranked Mediterranean diet at top for health

Surely you've heard of the Mediterranean diet as a benchmark for healthy eating. But are there other models to follow?

A review by the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed evidence that both the Mediterranean diet and the Nordic diet can help reduce the risk of no communicable diseases, such as cancer, diabetes or cardiovascular problems, which are often linked to obesity.

But while the Mediterranean diet is well known, what is the Nordic diet?

According to the WHO report, the Nordic diet shares many characteristics with the Mediterranean diet but is based on foods traditionally imported from Northern Europe: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.

Several European countries have promoted this diet as a beneficial food model for health, mainly in that region, with positive results, according to WHO.

The Nordic diet is based on the consumption of these foods: 

• Green leaf and root vegetables, 

• Berries or forest fruits, 

• Fruit, 

• Whole cereals, such as barley, oats or rye, 

• Legumes, 

• Low-fat dairy 

Fish, including fatty ones such as salmon, mackerel or herring, which are eaten several times a week.

Perhaps the biggest difference with the Mediterranean diet, according to the WHO, is that instead of olive oil in the Nordic diet, rapeseed oil predominates. According to the WHO report, for non-Nordic populations, the principles of this Northern European diet may be easier to adapt than the foods themselves. 

In general terms, it is about promoting the consumption of whole grains, fruit, and vegetables while excluding saturated fats.

The WHO notes that several studies have linked it to improvements in the risk factors of both cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, although it has not been as studied as the Mediterranean diet.

The "New Nordic Diet" is a gastronomic interpretation of this traditional diet of the northern European area. It was developed in 2004 by several reference Nordic chefs who signed a manifesto of the same name.

This interpretation is based on four essential principles: health, gastronomic potential, sustainability, and Nordic identity. These principles promote the consumption of local, wild and fresh ingredients.

Throughout the region, policies and events have been developed to promote this new version of the traditional diet, not only from the point of view of health but also from a cultural and even tourist perspective.

In 2012, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Fisheries of Denmark published this general food guide according to this manifesto:

1. Eat more fruits and vegetables every day

2. Eat more whole grain products

3. Eat more seafood and lakes

4. Eat meat of better quality, but in less quantity

5. Eat more food from wild landscapes

6. Eat organic products whenever possible

7. Avoid additives in food

8. Eat more dishes based on seasonal foods

9. Eat more dishes of homemade food

10. It generates less waste.

3 in 1: diet, culture, and health

According to the WHO, both the Mediterranean diet and the Nordic diet are examples of how cultural resources can be used for novel and beneficial health purposes.

"The culinary culture is based on tradition but is also open to change and the adoption of new ideas, as evidenced by the rise of the Nordic diet and the multiple variants of the Mediterranean diet, which are both new and culturally authentic".

A study carried out by researchers from the Irccs Neuroma (Italy) and published in the "International Journal of Cardiology", verified, after analyzing 1,000 people, that "the combo" reduces the risk of death in patients who have suffered a heart attack or an ACV.


The Mediterranean diet is composed of fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals, olive oil, wine in moderation and fish, and low in meat and dairy products, and in the opinion of experts, this effect is due to the fact that, probably, the Mediterranean diet facilitates the beneficial effect of statins.

The scientists also analyzed the possible underlying mechanisms of this positive interaction between drugs and eating habits and found that the combination of statins and the Mediterranean diet also reduces inflammation, a condition that predisposes to an increased risk of disease and mortality.

Our data suggest that we should focus more on these interactions, a much neglected aspect of epidemiological research. Of course, controlled clinical trials will be needed to clarify these findings, but if they are confirmed, new therapeutic possibilities could be designed for those who have already had a cardiovascular event, "the researchers proposed.