Table 1.

Description of food items included in each food group in the Okinawan-based Nordic diet

Food group
Root vegetables	Hot or cold. Red or yellow carrots as snacks or incorporated in the dish. Parsnips, parsley root, rutabaga, celery root, beetroot, artichoke, or sweet potatoes as part of the dishes.
Potatoes	Shredded in potatoes burger, fried raw.
Vegetables	Onion, leek, garlic, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, squash, eggplant, fennel, spinach, various types of salad, tomato, pepper, cucumber, mushroom, and asparagus.
Legumes	Fresh: green peas, sweet peas, and soybean (edamame).
	Dried: white and black beans, kidney beans, and lentils.
Nuts	Walnuts, almonds, and cashews.
Seeds	Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, linseed, and sesame seed, as part of snacks served with fruits and berries.
Fruits and berries	Apple, orange, pear, strawberry, blueberry, lingonberry, dried apricots, and prunes. Coconut milk was used for cooking.
Meat products and poultry	Chicken, rooster, turkey, game meat (hart and deer), and ground beef.
Fish and seafood	Salmon, codfish, plaice, mackerel, herring, and prawns.
Egg	Eggs were used for cooking and as snacks.
Dairy products	Low-fat drinking milk (maximum 1.5% fat), filmjölk (a Swedish fermented product similar to yogurt) and low-fat yogurt (1.5% fat), hard cheese (17% fat), parmesan cheese, cottage cheese, and quark. Whipped cream (36% fat) and soy cream used for cooking, and Turkish yogurt (10% fat).
Fat and oil	Vegetable oil including rapeseed oil, sesame oil, and olive oil for cooking and dressing. Vegetable fat spread (60% fat) for bread.
Rice	Whole-grain rice and black Thai rice. A maximum of half a deciliter of uncooked rice per serving.
Cereals	Rolled oats, rye flakes, whole-grain whole-kernel rye, oat, barley, and wheat. Bread rich in whole grain, a maximum of two slices per day. Whole-grain pasta, bean paste, millet, oat bran, quinoa, and rye flour.
Beverages/liquids (non-alcoholic)	Recommended free amount of tap water or mineral water with the meals. Light products to be avoided. Tea, filtered coffee, or instant coffee.
Spices	Own preference with restrictions on salt.
Sweets and desserts	Homemade dark chocolate (>70%), bean truffles, coconut flakes, ginger, and prune cake. No refined sugar or sweetener was used, but instead natural sweet foods such as prunes, pears, and occasionally honey.
Alcoholic beverages	Maximal intake of alcoholic beverages was set to 30 g ethanol/week.