EDWARD'S LECTURE NOTES:
More notes at http://tanguay.info/learntracker
C O U R S E
The New Nordic Diet
Charlotte Mitril, University of Copenhagen
 |
C O U R S E L E C T U R E The Components of the New Nordic Diet Notes taken on April 18, 2014 by Edward Tanguay |
•
why there is a need for a Nordic Diet
•
many diseases today are diet related
•
concern for the environment and the planet's health calls for an update for the food culture in many countries
•
goals are to improve:
•
health
•
gastronomic potential
•
Nordic identity
•
sustainability
•
principles
•
1. more calories from plant foods and fewer from meat
•
over the past 50 years, consumption of meat has almost doubled
•
meat is less environmentally friendly than plants to produce
•
more herbs, nuts, potatoes, grains, fruits, vegetables
•
2. more foods from the sea and lakes
•
a large portion of the Nordic fishing catch is currently exported
•
Nordic countries have a vast amount of seaweed, a source of nutrition largely overlooked in the Western world
•
safety issues: some species of seaweed have a high amount of iodine
•
freshwater and sea foods has increases the variety in meals
•
can serve as a high protein diet replacing a large amount of meat
•
3. more foods from the wild countryside
•
Scandinavia has high access to these foods
•
collected by individual for free
•
plants, mushrooms, berries
•
potential systematic gathering and distribution
•
foods from the wild countryside differ from country to country and can be part of the identity of regional cuisine
•
dietary components
•
1. fruits and vegetables
•
average intake is 400 grams per day
•
recommended is 600 grams per day
•
reduces change of cardiovascular disease, obesity, certain cancers
•
Nordic ingredients
•
berries
•
cabbages
•
root vegetables
•
fresh herbs
•
dill, parsley, chives
•
2. potatoes
•
consumption of potatoes has fallen in Nordic countries to rise and pasta
•
dietary fiber
•
vitamins
•
minerals
•
one of the foods with the least negative environmental impact
•
3. plants and mushrooms from the wild countryside
•
at present the Danish population eats practically no plants and mushrooms from the wild countryside
•
New Nordic Diet: 5g/day of wild plants
•
some are toxic so concern should be taken
•
4. whole grain
•
significant inverse association between intake of whole grain and risk of:
•
cardiovascular disease
•
type 2 diabetes
•
cancer
•
weight gain and obesity
•
Danish population currently intakes less than half of recommended levels
•
5. nuts
•
associated with reduction of cardiovascular disease
•
have a lot of flavor and can be used as an alternative to sweets
•
they make salads, cereals and bread more appetizing
•
recommended: 30g/day
•
currently Danish population intakes only 1g/day
•
6. fish and shellfish
•
fatty fish have a high amount of n-3 fatty acids
•
shown to improve child brain development
•
helpl prevent cardiovascular disease in adults
•
high content of vitamins and minerals
•
vitamin D
•
iodine
•
selenium
•
7. seaweed
•
an overlooked source of nutrition in the Western world
•
the intake in the Danish population is close to zero
•
although it was historically part of the poor man's diet all along the Nordic coastline
•
high content of:
•
minerals
•
protein
•
dietary fiber
•
fatty acids
•
the composition of seaweed varies greatly from species to species
•
there is a risk in some species of a relatively high amount of iodine
•
the majority of seaweed in the Nordic region is edible and non-toxic
•
recommendation is set at 5g per day because of the high iodine content
•
8. meat
•
free range livestock and game
•
meat among the least environmentally friendly foods
•
the goal of the New Nordic Diet is to decrease the intake of meat and replace it with more environmentally-friendly protein sources such as
•
fish, shellfish, legumes, nuts
•
focuses on meat from free range animals for sustainability and potentially also for health
•
studies show that meat from animals that graze hae a healthier acid composition with less saturated fat and more polyunsaturated than animals raised indoors without access to grass