The Nordic diet can help you sleep better and live longer
The Mediterranean diet’s colder-climate cousin comes with the same health benefits thanks to its combination of anti-inflammatory- and antioxidant-rich foods.
When you think of geographic areas that are known for having healthy diets, Mediterranean countries probably come to mind. But the Nordic diet is another worthy contender for the title of best diet on the planet, as the traditional eating patterns of people living in Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway, and Sweden offer many of the same health benefits.
“It’s basically the Mediterranean diet’s colder-climate cousin,” says Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Chicago and author of The Superfood Swap. “It’s very similar but it includes more foods that grow in cold climates.”
(The Mediterranean diet has stood the test of time for a reason: It works.)
Created by a group of nutritionists, scientists, and chefs in 2004, the “new Nordic Diet” is based on locally sourced, seasonal foods, with a strong emphasis on healthiness, flavor, and sustainability.
“The Nordic diet is not an epiphany about healthy eating—it has a lot in common with other health-promoting diet plans,” says David L. Katz, a preventive medicine specialist, past president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and coauthor of How to Eat. “All good diets are made up of real food, mostly plants. The Nordic diet is a variation on the same theme. Its health benefits translate to overall vitality and longevity.”
In fact, in an October 2025 issue of the European Journal of Nutrition, researchers analyzed 47 studies on health outcomes associated with adherence to the Nordic diet. People who stuck closely to the Nordic style of eating had a 22 percent lower risk of dying prematurely from any cause, a 16 percent lower risk of dying of cardiovascular disease, and a 14 percent reduced risk of dying from cancer, compared to those with lower adherence.
What makes the diet so protective of health is the combination of its anti-inflammatory- and antioxidant-rich foods, along with its high-fiber content and healthy oils. “It’s a high-quality diet that’s firing on all cylinders,” Katz says.
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What’s in the Nordic diet?
The Nordic diet is a primarily plant-based approach to eating, emphasizing fruits (especially berries like blueberries, raspberries, and lingonberries, as well as apples and pears), root vegetables (like beets, potatoes, turnips, parsnips, and carrots) and cruciferous vegetables (like cauliflower and cabbage). It also calls for whole grains (like rye, barley, and oats), fatty fish (like salmon, herring, sardines, and mackerel), legumes (such as lentils, beans, and peas), and nuts and seeds.
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These foods are often cooked with seasonings like parsley, dill, mustard, horseradish, vinegar, and/or chives, plus heart-healthy oils such as canola (a.k.a., rapeseed) oil.
The Nordic diet also includes low-fat dairy foods such as skyr, an Icelandic yogurt that’s high in protein, and kefir, a fermented milk drink.
By contrast, eggs and lean meats like bison, venison, and reindeer are consumed in moderation, and sugar-sweetened foods and highly processed foods are discouraged but not excluded. Like the Mediterranean diet, the Nordic diet doesn’t forbid certain foods. It’s more of a flexible eating style than a structured diet.
Health benefits of the Nordic diet
The Nordic diet isn’t as well studied as the Mediterranean diet, but scientific evidence supporting its benefits is mounting. Indeed, research has found that high adherence to the Nordic diet is associated with reduced risks of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, as well as reductions in LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, and systolic blood pressure.
For example, a 2017 study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that middle-aged people in Denmark who closely followed the Nordic diet had a significantly lower risk of a heart attack over a 13.5-year follow-up period. Then a study in a 2024 issue of Scientific Reports found that people who most closely adhered to the Nordic diet had a 58 percent lower risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, compared to those with the lowest adherence. And study in a 2025 issue of Frontiers in Endocrinology found that people who strictly followed a Nordic diet had a 58 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
And the diet also shows benefits for day-to-day living. A 2022 study found that following a Nordic diet improved sleep quality, while another study found that older women who follow a Nordic diet score better on measures of physical performance—including a six-minute walk test, arm curls, and standing up from a chair. These findings led researchers to conclude that the eating style may help reduce the risk of disability in old age.
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While it’s not meant to be a weight-loss diet, it can have that effect. A review of seven studies on the subject found that people who followed the Nordic diet experienced improvements in their body weight.
An additional benefit: Like other plant-based diets, the Nordic diet may be especially healthy for the planet. “A nice thing about the Nordic diet is it highlights environmental health with foods that are locally sourced and in season,” says Laura Chiavaroli, assistant professor in the department of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto. Locally sourced food requires less transportation and hence produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions. And “legumes and veggies have a lower environmental footprint,” she adds.
Anti-inflammatory effects and other reasons the Nordic diet works
What makes the Nordic diet beneficial for so many different health conditions are the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant-rich foods it contains. This is significant because inflammation is the key pathway to all major chronic diseases, Katz notes.
“The components of the Nordic diet, especially the fruits and vegetables, are rich sources of antioxidants,” says Chiavaroli. In addition, the whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes in the diet are good sources of fiber, which can both help you feel more full and promote the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut, Chiavaroli adds.
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Plus, whole grains such as rye and barley have a lower glycemic index, which helps with blood sugar regulation, notes Andrea Glenn, a registered dietitian and assistant professor of nutrition at New York University. And the omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish are beneficial for heart health and brain health, Blatner says.
What’s more, the Nordic diet “helps balance hormone levels, particularly insulin, stress hormones like epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol, and [appetite-regulating hormones like] ghrelin and leptin,” Katz says.
Indeed, this diet is an example of the sum of its ingredients being greater than the individual parts. “What makes the Nordic diet so healthy is there are a lot of things working together—it’s likely a combination of foods that reduce inflammation and the risk of all these leading causes of death,” says Joan Salge Blake, a dietitian and clinical professor of nutrition at Boston University and host of the nutrition and health podcast Spot On!
Another potential perk: Many elements of the diet are highly affordable. Canola oil, for example, is less expensive than olive oil (which is a mainstay in the Mediterranean diet), and root vegetables tend to be inexpensive, notes Glenn.
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When it comes ingredients that tend to be pricier, such as fish, you can opt for canned or frozen. “When seafood or vegetables are frozen, they’re already clean, chopped, and ready to go, which minimizes food waste,” says Salge Blake. “It’s like having Rachael Ray in your freezer.”
Wherever you live, even if it’s not in a northern or chilly climate, you can adapt the diet to make it work for you. If you can’t find lingonberries, for example, you can opt for other berries. Can’t find a traditional Nordic rye bread in your grocery store? Look for another type of whole-grain rye bread with seeds. Or, choose rye crisp breads instead of regular crackers. The key is to prioritize whole or minimally processed foods, Glenn says.
“There’s plenty of room for variability among those food choices,” says Katz. However you do it, he adds, “the benefit of eating well is having more years in life and more life in years.”
