It might come as a surprise, but Scandinavia doesn't subsist off of meatballs and Danish butter cookies. In fact, the region that includes Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland has a centuries-old tradition of eating whole and plant-based foods. The Nordic or Scandinavian diet refers to a modern style of eating based around these traditional foods. The diet is heavy in complex carbs, lean proteins, and healthy fats, and light on processed foods, sugar, and red meat. And it also emphasizes choosing food with a smaller environmental footprint. The Nordic diet was specifically designed to revolutionize Nordic cuisine and improve public health. Nutritional scientists based at Denmark's University of Copenhagen teamed up with a co-founder of the world-renowned restaurant Noma for this multiyear project. Known as the Nordic diet or New Nordic Diet, it incorporates aspects of Scandinavian tradition and culture. The Nordic diet calls for a lifestyle that embraces a return to relaxed meals with friends and family, centered on seasonal, locally sourced foods, combined with concern for protecting the environment. These 10 concepts underlie the Nordic diet: Eat more fruits and vegetables every day. Eat more whole grains. Include more foods from the seas and lakes. Choose high-quality meat - but eat less meat overall. Seek out more food from wild landscapes. Use organic produce whenever possible. Avoid food additives. Base more meals on seasonal produce. Consume more home-cooked food. Produce less waste. If you're looking for a detailed version of the Nordic diet, the 2017 book "The Nordic Way," incorporates a carb-to-protein ratio based on a combination of low-glycemic index and moderately high-protein foods, including dairy products. Low-GI foods cause a slower, lower elevation in blood sugar compared with higher-GI foods, authors say. Protein-rich foods prevent you from feeling hungry. By properly balancing nutritionally dense foods, according to the book, you can prevent weight gain or regain, reduce inflammation in the body, and lower your risk of diseases like diabetes. When choosing what to eat on the Nordic diet, you could go all-out Scandinavian: Elk meat, rapeseed oil, Icelandic yogurt, lingon berries, rutabaga and herring are just some examples of common foods in Denmark, where the diet originated. But anyone can adapt the Nordic diet because its true focus is on eating wholesome foods that are local to your Several studies suggest that a healthy diet with high emphasis on nutritious, low-energy components such as fruits, vegetables, and seafood tends to be more costly for consumers. Derived from the ideas from the New Nordic Cuisine - and inspired by the Mediterranean diet, the New Nordic Diet (NND) has been developed as a palatable, healthy and sustainable diet based on products from the Nordic region. The objective of the study is to investigate economic consequences for the consumers of the NND, compared with an Average Danish Diet (ADD)..The Nordic diet's whole food, back-to-nature approach is an attractive option for many people trying to eat in a healthier way, says Kristin Kirkpatrick, lead dietitian and manager of wellness nutrition services at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute.