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The Nordic diet
The local version of the Mediterranean idea, with trials behind it.
The Nordic diet is the Mediterranean pattern translated north: whole-grain rye and oats, fatty fish, rapeseed oil, berries, root vegetables, low-fat dairy, less red meat and less salt. Trials (notably the Nordic diet trials from the Finnish, Danish and Swedish groups) show it lowers blood pressure and cholesterol in the same modest range as other healthy patterns.
The advantage over the Mediterranean original is locality: rye bread, herring and lingonberries are on the local shelf for the price the region charges, and a diet you can actually buy and cook beats a superior diet you cannot.
The numbers
- Trial effects: blood pressure and LDL lowered in the same modest range as the Mediterranean pattern.
- The pattern: rye, oats, fatty fish, rapeseed oil, berries, root vegetables.
Source: Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023 · checked 2026-09-07
Reference, not medical advice. Your targets are set by a clinician from your total risk. Chest pain, breathlessness at rest or fainting are emergency symptoms — get help, do not read on.