Diets & Nutrition
There is not just one healthy diet
What we eat plays an essential role in our health and well-being. Healthy diets can look different and according to our experience there is no such thing as “one fits all” when it comes to diets. We are all individuals with different genomes, sensitivities and conditions. Therefore, we are critical when it comes to general nutritional recommendations. Instead, we promote a perzonalised diet free from politics, influence from the food industry and fearmongering. We focus on nutrient dense food that keeps us full for a long time.
Many health studies are funded by food and beverage companies which can (and sometimes does) influence the research. Therefore, you should keep a critical eye every time you read news about new diets and nutrition in the newspaper. On this site we will dig deeper into this but also lift different diets that people use to remain a healthy lifestyle.
For many, a healthy diet is primarily about losing weight or maintaining a desirable weight. We think that you should stick to a healthy diet for many other reasons. A nutrient dense and healthy diet can protect us from diseases like diabetes type 2, stroke and heart disease.
Recent data shows that 41.9% of the US population suffer from obesity. According to the National Institutes of Health the big prevalence of obesity changed between 1980 and 2008. Unfortunately, this trend does not seem to be abating. Of course the roots to the obesity problem is complex and it’s not possible to just point out one villain. For example, the portion sizes are much bigger now than in 1980. We also spend a lot of time in front of screens now compared to before. But there are some interesting things that we would like to highlight in this discussion.
First of all, there was a scientific study published by an American physiologist called Ancel Keys in 1978 called “The Seven Countries Study”. The primary aim with this study was to explore the relationship between dietary habits, lifestyle factors, and the incidence of cardiovascular disease across different populations around the world. Between late 1950s and early 1960s, Keys examined cohorts and collected data from seven countries. The study suggested that there was a strong correlation between dietary fat intake, particularly saturated fat, and the prevalence of heart disease. The result of this was that people was recommended to adopt a low-fat diet to prevent cardiovascular diseases and high cholesterol. For example TIME Magazine had a cover in 1984 with a sad face made up by two eggs and a slice of bacon.
There are many reasons to question and criticize “The Seven Country Study”. For example, the selection of countries was not randomly picked. Researchers have also accused Ancel Keys to selectively choosing data points that supported his hypothesis while countries whose results didn’t match his own conclusions was deleted. It is simply research bias that led to dietary advices that we still live with. Apparently fat can’t be the villain, since we’ve adopted a low-fat diet but still get fatter. And what happens when you remove the fat from a product? You have to add sugar.
Another thing we want to highlight is the increased intake of Ultra-processed food (UPF). This is such a big topic that we have created a special section for it below. Let’s just say that the majority of the “food” we eat today consists of substances that our ancestors never came in contact with.
Sugary Soda is one of the worst sources of sugar and can adversely affect your health. Frequently drinking sugary soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages can lead to weight gain, type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, heart disease and obesity.
Ultra-processed food is directly linked to multiple damaging health outcomes as well as early death. The majority of all UPF has a poor nutritional profile and is engineered to drive excess consumption. The ingrediens of UPF are often chemically manipulated and not near natural. In the US, UPF accounts for 60% of the daily caloric intake.
Some seed oils like Canola Oil are made by canola crops that are genetically modified (GMO). Seed oils goes through a chemical process where the seed is bleached, refined and heated. This makes it ultra-processed food that can cause inflammation and diseases.
Do you want to know if you have a healthy weight? Use our own BMI Calculator to find out your BMI and your current weight status. BMI stands for Body Mass Index and it’s a common used tool in the Health Care Sector. You should be aware that BMI is a blunt tool. For example it’s a tool that makes no difference whether the weight consists of muscle or fat. So, a person could have a high BMI but still be very healthy and athletic.
BMI | Weight Status |
---|---|
Below 18.5 | Underweight |
18.5 - 24.9 | Healthy |
25.0 - 29.9 | Overweight |
30.0 - and Above | Obese |
Your BMR calculator generates the number of calories your body burns per day at rest. Your BMR with activity factor is the number of calories your body burns per day based on the activity factor you selected.
There are many popular healthy diets to choose from. Not all of these diets are scientifically supported but they are still popular among many people. Trying to figure out which diet to follow is not easy as not all diets fits all people. There are also other factors to consider, such as religion, cultural aspects, geography and climate. Knowing what to eat and what’s good for you can feel like an entire science. But should it really be this hard? We always comes back to; what did our ancestors eat hundreds of years ago? Before we started mixing food with chemicals, artificial flavors and additives?
The Mediterranean Diet is a heart-healthy diet that many clinics promote. This diet emphasizes plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, lentils and beans. The main source of fat in the Mediterranean Diet is extra virgin olive oil. If you want to follow this diet you should limit the amount of red meat and added sugar you eat. When it comes to natural cheese, yoghurt and eggs, you should only eat a moderate amount of these foods each day.
The Mediterranean diet is recommended by American nutrition experts as well as recognized by WHO as a healthy-eating pattern. The diet is based on the eating pattern found in countries close to the Mediterranean Sea.
The Paleo Diet is a modern way to eat what the prehistoric human ate. During the Paleolithic Era which took place between 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago, we where hunters and gatherers. As hunters and gatherers, we ate different kinds of food depending on what was available and where we lived.
Today, a Paleo Diet includes food such as lean meats, eggs, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and extra virgin olive oil. Common for all types of food that’s included in the Paleo Diet is that it’s unprocessed. Things to avoid if you want to follow the Paleo Diet are grains, legumes, refined sugar, starchy vegetables and dairy products. Many people follow this diet to lose weight without having to go hungry.
The Keto Diet is a low-carb high-fat eating plan, also called a ketogenic diet. One could say that the Keto Diet is an extension of the popular Atkins diet that was introduced in 1970. In this eating plan, you reduce your carbohydrate intake to less than 50 grams a day. 70-80% of your daily calories should come from fat and 10-20% from protein.
When you reduce carbs to this extent, your body will enter a metabolic state called ketosis. This means that the body will burn fat for energy in a very efficient way. That’s also why many people use this diet for weight loss. The Keto Diet also reduce insulin levels which is why this eating plan have been used to help control diabetes.
The Vegan Diet has become increasingly popular lately. Mainly for ethical and environmental reasons. This diet is exclusively based on plants food. To go fully vegan requires some knowledge when it comes to nutrition. If you don’t do your homework, you can increase your risk of malnutrition.
On a Vegan Diet you avoid products from animals such as meat, eggs and dairy. Instead, eat foods such as vegetables, fruits, beans, grains, nuts, seeds, tofu, potatoes and pasta. You can also eat dairy alternatives based on soy or almond. If you follow this eating plan and lifestyle make sure to cover your daily need of vitamin B12, calcium, selenium, iron and iodine. Also avoid ultra-processed foods as far as possible.
The Carnivore Diet is a controversial diet that has gained a lot of popularity lately with famous people like Joe Rogan following it. On a carnivore diet, you only eat meat, organs, bone marrow and tallow. If you’re going to start with this eating plan, we recommend you to only eat meat that’s organic. It’s also important that the animals have been fed up on their natural nourishment. Such as grass-fed beef. The diet allows zero carbs.
There are many “carnivores” that add eggs, butter, cheese and raw milk to their eating protocol. Some famous carnivores like Paul Saladino also eat organic fruits and honey. Some claims that that the Carnivore Diet has health benefits such as an anti-inflammatory effect and can help against autoimmune conditions.
Intermittent Fasting can be done in many different ways. The most popular variants are the 5:2 diet and the 16:8 method. When you do intermittent fasting, you don’t eat for a period of time during the day or the week. During the 5:2 diet, you limit your calorie intake 2 days a week and eat normally the other 5 days. If you follow the 16:8 method, you skip one meal a day, such as breakfast and have your last meal by 8 p.m. Research suggest that intermittent fasting may reduce inflammation and reverse diseases like type 2 diabetes. It can also protect against chronic diseases like heart disease and age-related neurodegenerative disorders. When you fast, you activate autophagy which is a way for our body to remove dysfunctional components in your cells.
It’s common that people claim that “a calorie is a calorie” so it doesn’t really matter what you eat, as long as you consume a certain amount of calories every day. In one way they are right since all calories have the same amount of energy no matter what it comes from. In that sense, a calorie really is a calorie. But the thing is that different calories have different effect on our body, our hormones and our eating behavior. All calories consist of different macronutrient proportions that’s relevant for both weight management and health. So 200 calories from a ultra-processed cookie is not the same as 200 calories from a broccoli. The source of the calorie is something that really matters.
Sugars like glucose and fructose contains the same amount of calories. Still, they have different ways to metabolize in the body. For example fructose cause higher ghrelin levels. Ghrelin is a hormone in our body that signals to the brain when it is time to eat or not. So in this example, you won’t feel full and satisfied when you have eaten fructose. At least not in the same way as with glucose. This is why it’s dangerous to just base your diet on calories.
Another reason to why a calorie is not a calorie is that the body uses different amounts of energy to process different nutrients such as fat, body and protein. Generally, the body needs more energy to process protein than it does to process carbs and fat. Protein also reduces appetite more than fat and carbs. According to studies, protein is the most filling macronutrient. So if you eat a lot of protein you will automatically eat fewer calories.
There is also something called Thermic effect of food (TEF). This is the amount of energy used by your body to digest, absorb and metabolize a meal. It has been shown in scientific studies that TEF is higher in the morning. This means that we burn more calories in the morning than we do at noon and in the evening.
Another thing that affects calorie intake is fiber. Fiber is a carbohydrate that does not contribute any calories. Solid fiber will reduce your appetite more than foods that are low in fiber. It also has a low glycemic index (GI) meaning it won’t raise your blood sugar like high GI foods do. This means that you will feel satisfied for much longer and will not have any hunger or cravings.
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A recent study published in the British Medical Journal BMJ revealed that ultra-processed foods are linked to 32 health problems. This makes it a big risk factor for health and longevity. A risk factor that people in the modern society are faced with on a daily basis.
Ultra-processed foods can be described as food that goes through multiple industrial processes. During these processes, extra ingrediens are added, such as sugar, preservatives, fat, artificial colors and salt. Many of the ingredients added are manipulated and not natural for the body to absorb. What the ingredients in ultra-processed food have in common is that they are cheap and offers a long shelf-life. The processes makes the food hyper-palatable and convenient. Ingredients found in ultra-processed food is not anything that you would find in your own kitchen. We are talking about interesterified fats, high-fructose corn syrup, emulsifiers, flavour enhancers etc.
To find out if an ingredient or certain food is ultra-processed, you can search in the NOVA groups for food processing. The NOVA classification system includes four groups ranging from unprocessed or minimally processed foods to ultra-processed food and drink products. Examples of Ultra-Processed Foods are ice cream, frozen meals, packaged cookies, breakfast cereals, carbonated drinks, sausages, mass-produced bread, crisps and flavoured yogurts.
The results of the study in BMJ showed that people that was highly exposed to UPF had an increased risk of cardiovascular disease-related death, anxiety, diabetes type 2 and mental disorders. Findings also showed that diets that include a lot of ultra-processed food may be harmful to many of our body’s systems. Still, nearly 58% of calories eaten in the US come from ultra-processed foods. What’s going to happen to our society if this continues?
That’s probably the question most health-conscious people are asking these days. It is also a subject that is very sensitive and when meat vs. vegan is discussed, it often ends up in heated debates. We want to nuance this debate and would not say that only one party is right and the other wrong. But we want to be clear about the fact that we ourselves eat meat. Although, we only eat meat that’s local, ecologic and not mass-produced. This is meat made from animals that’s been eating their origin food, such as grass. This is also meat free from antibiotics. We are animal lovers but also know that based on archaeological evidence, humans have been eating meat for 2.6 million years. We also see in nature that animals eat other animals. After all, meat and organs are some of the most nutritious foods, especially when it comes to protein.
What we don’t support when it comes to meat is the meat industry. There is a big difference between eating local meat from grass-fed cows and eating meat from industrialized livestock agriculture. Both when it comes to nutrition and the wellbeing of the animals. That’s also why we are skeptical to some of the research that’s been made about red meat. It’s a difference between red meat from a McDonalds burger and red meat from a grass-fed cow at a local small-scale farm. There is also a Harvard study that has led to the general belief that meat causes type 2 diabetes. Even though there isn’t any sugar in meat that can cause a spike in blood sugar levels! That’s why it’s important to check the definition of “red meat” when scanning these studies. It can be anything from a McDonals burger to an ultra-processed lasagne including meat. It is also important to remember that results may lack causality because one group may be more unhealthy at baseline (unhealthy user bias). A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials from last year found no significant impact of red meat intake on insulin sensitivity.
When it comes to a vegan diet, it’s important that it’s well-planned. Otherwise you will not get all essential nutrients that you need like protein, vitamins and minerals. Therefor supplementation may be needed if you are not that well versed in nutrition. It’s also important to eat real food, not just ultra-processed replacement products. If you succeed with this, a vegan diet may lead to health benefits such as decreased blood pressure and lower risks of heart disease and certain cancers. It will also help against obesity. If you are planning on going on a plant-based diet, we would recommend that you learn more about antinutrients. Antinutrients reduce our body’s ability to absorb essential nutrients and these are very common in vegetables like kale, green leafs and legumes.
What’s the most nutritious food?
Some of the most nutrient-dense foods are beef liver, eggs, sardines, salmon, kale, spinach and broccoli.
What is intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting is a voluntary fast that last a certain period of time. It’s like a meal plan where you alternate between completely abstaining from food and eating, with a certain regularity. Common intermittent fasting plans are 16:8, a weekly 24-fast and the 5:2 diet. During the fast, you are only allowed to drink water, tea or coffee.
What are antinutrients?
Antinutrients are compounds in foods that interfere with the absorption of nutrients. It can also have a negative effect on difestion. Antinutrients are naturally occurring substances that are primarily produced by plants as a defense mechanism against predators, pests, or environmental threats. Common types of antinutrients you should watch out for are phytic acid, oxalates, lectins and tannins.
What is UPF?
UPF stands for Ultra-processed food. Ultra-processed foods are products that undergo extensive processing and contain ingredients that are not used in your own kitchen. Ultra-processed foods often contain additives such as preservatives, artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, and other chemical substances. They are typically low in essential nutrients and high in unhealthy components like refined sugars, unhealthy fats, and salt.
Why should I avoid seed oil?
Seed oils like Canola Oil, Soybean Oil and Corn Oil are chemically extracted, refined, bleached and deodorized. When heat is applied during the process it can destroy omega 3 fatty acids and create trans fats. There is also a risk that the oil get contaminated with toxic compounds during the extraction process. Canola Oil also contains high levels of linoleic acid which according to some studies is harmful to humans.
How much water should I drink every day?
The recommendations are 11.5 cups for women and 15.5 cups for men.
What is ketosis?
When you’re on a low-carb diet, your body will switch from burning glucose to burning stored fat for energy. It is a metabolic state called ketosis.
As intermittent fasting is something that could be combined with most modern diets, we though this phenomenon deserved an own section. We have great experience from intermittent fasting and has done it for some years now. Although there are different types of intermittent fasting and different types suit different people. The way we have done intermittent fasting is the 16:8 method combined with a 24-hours fast now and then. The 16:8 method involves skipping breakfast and have an eating window between noon and 8 pm.
Another type of intermittent fasting is the 24-hour fast where you skip eating during 24 hours. The most famous way of doing intermittent fasting is probably the 5:2 diet that was introduced by Michael Mosley in 2012. During this diet, you restrict your food intake to 500-600 calories during two non-consecutive days of the week.
When you fast, you only drink water, tea or coffee. If you drink a juice or anything else containing calories, your fast will break. Some people have a hard time fasting. A recommendation is to eat something rich in protein and fat before going into a fasting mode. This will make you feel full for a long time and you can avoid a blood sugar spikes and blood sugar crashes. It’s also good to break your fast with some protein and vegetables to avoid spiking your blood sugar straight away.
According to neuroscientist Mark Mattson at John Hopkins Medicine, our bodies are designed to go without food for hours or days at a time. When we were hunters and gatherers we survived and thrived without food for long periods. A review article made by Mark Mattson that was published in New England Journal of Medicine revealed many health benefits associated with intermittent fasting. Other research shows similar results. For example research has revealed benefits such as improved blood pressure and resting heart rates, protection against chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and improved cell repair processes. The latter is called autophagy which is a cellular repair process where the body removes waste materials from the cells. A founding that gave Yoshinori Ohsumi the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2016.