Norway is the land of the lean because of their healthy lifestyle. Although Norway is one of the richest countries in the world, Norwegians lead a simple but healthy life.
The results are obvious. Norway’s people are one of the slimmest peoples in the world. According to World Health Organization, less than 6% are significantly overweight, which is an amazing percentage for a developed country.
WHAT IS THE SECRET?
Explanations are numerous. Anyway, undoubtedly, the secret lies in the attitude of the ordinary Norwegian towards life and in the culture of this Nordic country.
There are many differences between Norway and other countries from Europe and North America. Norwegians have a completely different attitude toward transportation. They are not fans of motorized transport, preferring instead, walking or bike. Until recently, fast food wasn’t at all available in Norway, they preferring their traditional diet consisting in fish, many vegetables, potatoes and meat. Even today, dining out is not quite common in Norway.
Another, striking difference is that portion sizes served in restaurants are smaller than those served in Europe or States.
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
How I mentioned above, Norwegians are not fans of motorized transport and therefore they have been equally pretty slow to adopt a sedentary lifestyle, brought in our lives by cars, highways and suburban sprawl.
Many people prefer to bike or walk to work, not to mention their sports lifestyle. This is in fact, in their outdoor culture. They grew up skiing and hiking and they love doing that. This is their tradition; an active lifestyle.
Due to this lifestyle, Norway has a health and full of vitality population. When you compare rates of many diseases such as diabetes (type 2 diabetes), that is mainly associated with overweight, in Norway against those in other countries differences are striking. In the United States, nearly 8% of the population suffers from diabetes compared to only 3.5% in Norway.
NORWEGIAN TRADITIONS
Norwegian families put great emphasis on homemade meals. It is really, incredible but Americans spend almost 180 times as much money as this Northern population on fast food annually. Cooking, chatting and eating together makes you to chew well and slow down thinking about what you’re eating. Eating slowly relax you pancreas. It does not have to pump a big amount of insulin, which in fact, causes diabetes.
Their usually rustic meals are perfect for the cold winters and are pack with a lot of energy. They prefer fresh meat and if the meat is still frozen then they prefer to shave it into very thin slices.
Eating a cake is an art. Norwegian cakes are too beautiful to be eaten with fingers. Table settings is a ritual and are part of the serving cake tradition in Norway.
NORWAY – HEALTHY LIVING & ADVENTURE
Norway – Life, People and Culture (video)
Log cabins and cheery fires always make for a winter tale and Norway is the right place where you can find them both abundantly.
Norway is recognized worldwide for its high level of civilization and living standard.
In fact, Norway is officially the best country in the world, in which to live because of its quality of life.
Norway has also, a very strong welfare system, because in their conception social welfare is a safety net for the disadvantaged ones when they really need help.