Researchers have found that starting infants on the “Nordic Diet”, a diet consisting mainly of low-protein foods, can prevent childhood obesity and lead to healthier eating habits.
Lead author Dr Ulrica Johansson, a paediatrician at the University of Umeå, and other researchers tracked 250 babies, split into two different dietary groups, until the age of 18 months.
One group followed the “Nordic diet” and received protein-reduced baby foods and recipe ideas, whilst the other followed the conventional diet recommended by Swedish Food Agency. The former ate 42 to 45 per cent more fruit and vegetables between 12 to 18 months than the latter.
“A Nordic diet with reduced protein introduced to infants naive to this model of eating, increased the intake of fruit, berries, vegetables, and roots, establishing a preferable eating pattern lasting over a 12-month period,” Johansson said in a media release.
The Nordic Diet is rich in root vegetables, berries and whole grains.
By following the Nordic Diet from infancy, researchers found that the babies were most likely to follow healthier lifestyles.
