It's always fun to hear about how the image of low-carb eating is faring in countries other than the U.S., where I live. I've written before about Sweden, where what they call "LCHF" (low-carb high-fat) is now well-established -- as of last spring, up to 25% of the population was at least partially attempting to follow this way of eating, and in a recent podcast interview with Jimmy Moore, Swedish doctor and blogger Andreas Eenfeldt reported that he has the strong impression that interest continues to be on the rise, judging by the interest in his Swedish blog (English version). (Dr. Eenfeldt was a speaker on the 2011 Low Carb Cruise and at the Ancestral Health Symposium). The story of the rise of LCHF in Sweden is fascinating, and is one of those great examples of a single person making a real difference. Dr. Annika Dahlqvist is credited with starting the revolution around 2004. Dr. Dahlqvist had experienced success herself on the diet, with normalized weight and improvements in her health, and had started using the diet with patients in her medical practice, as well as starting a blog about the science and her experiences. Dr. Dahlqvist's influence might have remained fairly quiet and limited, but she was catapulted into prominence when two dieticians in Sweden reported her to the National Swedish Board of Health and Welfare. They were hoping to get Dr. Dahlqvist to be ordered to stop advising her patients to reduce carbohydrates in their diet, or even thrown out of the medical profession for her "sin". What happened instead was quite remarkable! The Board took the complaint seriously and did an investigation of the science of carbohydrate reduction in the diet. When they reached their conclusions in 2008, it was the opposite of what the dieticians had hoped: the board put out a report stating that treating patients with a low-carb high-fat diet was well-supported by science. This report was well-publicized in the media, and that's when LCHF in Sweden really started to take off. We had a large contingent of folks from Sweden on the 2011 Low-Carb Cruise, and the number promises to be even higher this year.
In a strange twist, one of the apparent consequences of LCHF has been butter shortages in Sweden. Since then, the same thing has happening in nearby Norway. In Finland there are reports of a decrease in bread sales. On the other hand, Denmark is the Scandinavian hold-out, with its new tax on saturated fat. It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming years.
Map Image: Jennifer Thermes/Getty Images
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A recent poll showed that only 3% who believe in the fat diet. I think the question was asked in a misleading way in the first survey. This explains the high figure. (Moreover, the figure was lower than 25% (22%)). The first survey was somewhat misleading.
http://mobil.svt.se/2.27055/1.2678688/fa_tror_att_mycket
Anders: It was quite the opposite. The 3% figure is false, they (Livsmedelsverket, kind of FDA I guess) “forgot” to mention that at least another 29%, maybe even 37%, now think that it’s better both for your weight and health to cut down carbs than fat. Even Andreas Eenfeldt said he would put himself in the 29% group.
Daniel Brahneborg
Where is your evidence? The answers depends on what questions you ask. I think that the proportion who truly believe in LCHF is around 3%.
Just read the results yourself:
http://www.slv.se/upload/dokument/nyheter/2012/Fett_konsumenter_fortroendeundersokning_2011.pdf
“Det är inte viktigt för hälsan att minska fettintaget, det finns andra livsmedel som är viktigare att undvika” (It’s not necessary for the health to avoid fat) got 29%.
SLV hates LCHF, and very deliberately has messed up the questions and interpretation to get what they want.
Big Food would certainly have liked to see the low carb/high fat (LCHF) movement at 3%, but that is wishful thinking. Reality is that a significantly higher proportion of the population in Sweden are seeking to reduce their intake of carbs, particularly the fast ones like for example soft drinks (even “no calorie” ones), candy, most fruit (except berries), bread (even whole grain), potatoes, pasta and rice; instead increasing the proportion of vegetables (in particular ones that grow above ground), even though they perhaps aren’t opting for the strictest version of LCHF.
The exact strength of the LCHF movement we won’t know from the SLV study, simply because SLV doesn’t want this to be made known, keeping in mind their close ties with Big Food, just as is the case with other governmental food authorities elsewhere. Thus they make sure that the questions are formulated in a manner that will suit their intentions, which is to prove that Swedish public opinion supports the established food regimen, based on the McGovern report and other similar documents from 30+ years ago.
A couple of nights ago there was a mini-debate broadcast on Swedish national television, with proponents of LCHF, among them Dr. Eenfeldt, and the “Food Establishment” which included a couple of dietitians. Despite Dr. Eenfeldt’s very calm suggestion that the Establishment ought to take heed of published research on low carb diets (16 to date), it wasn’t long until one of the Board members of the Swedish Association of Dietitians was screaming at the LCHF side, realizing how weak her argumentation was, and instead airing her environmental concerns (which were unfounded)…..
LCHF moves all over Europe and has now reach Malta. A woman, Maja Vähä is working very hard ( and very succesfully so far) to teach the maltese people about this in a mediterrian way.
If you want to know more, search for LCHF Malta on FaceBook, she needs all support….
The same debate has been riding Norway the last 6 months. Media and dietists are trying their best to shutup the movement.
Good results and scientific evidence is ignored, still the movement is growing, and I’m pleased to be a part of it. Go Sweden, Norway and Finland
As a dane,i feel very alone when it comes to low carbing.I really hope to see some good sweedish influence comming this way, as we are only separated by a bridge.But it could be troubled water, i’m afraid…
I´m a swedish wommen how lives in USA and think it is difficult to shop food here. Everthting is full of sugar and low or non fat.
What happens when you remov all the fat? You have to add something else to get the same texture and taste. Also more sugar and other bad things….
Must everything be so sweet?
I am amazed by all this drinking soft drinks and children who eat fruit as they dipped in syrup or caramel sauce…
It is hard to break old habits. And all the fast food here is made up mostly of carbohydrates.
I suspect it will take many years before LCHF can break through here and to reverse the food industry.
I wonder how come there are so many obese people in the U.S. when there is no fat left in your food?
It’s all of these carbohydrates in the form of sugar, flour and potatoes are the cause of obeses and diabeters. Sweden are now treating more diabeterspatienter and overweight with LCHF diet with amazing results.
I wish all of you who are struggling to reduce carbohydrate consumption good luck!
I trained to teach a class called Living Well with Chronic Conditions. It is based on research, supposedly, and licensed by Stanford University in California. There is one chapter on Diabetes. Then, since Diabetes is a rising star in the chronic illness field, Stanford put together a Living Well with Diabetes class, also under their license. I took both trainings, hoping to help other people with diabetes, and gain some insight into my own. Was I disappointed. It is nothing but the same old high carb to deal with diabetes crap. And I am forbidden, under threat of losing my certification, to even mention anything not in the curriculum, like Dr. Bernstein! So, despite the need for instructors, I no longer teach either of the classes. My doctor’s hand outs make the same recommendations as both classes: women are told to get 45 grams of carbs per meal. Men are allowed more because their bigger bodies need more. I know what my blood sugars would look like at that carb intake. I sum up my own diet approach (as a woman Norweigan ancestry), as Less Lefse-More Lutefisk. But,really, I can’t stand Lutefisk!
I am DELIGHTED at all the comments from Sweden and other countries! Thanks!!! Laura
I’m from Sweden and moved to UK since 2 years back, it’s also hard to find good products over here. I change my lifestyle to LCHF 1½ year ago, and I have to say LCHF has change my life, just wish it was more easy to find good products.
Here in UK it seem like they are 15-20 year behind Sweden when it comes to what is “good/fashion” to eat, last year Co-op stop making full fat cottage cheese, .. why ?? cuz ppl need to eat more healthy.. doh !! told the Co-op boss at the supermarket, to rather then remove all cookies, candy, crisps.. anyway I remember how it was 20 years ago in Sweden, same o same o ongoing in UK
i live in canada i say go sweden ,there is so much suger in everything you eat its insane,wheat is made into bread cakes pastas everthing that is so called good for you ,the govenment makes to much money from sugar even with our rising medical bills they still profit from our obesity so lo carbs high fat protein is the way to go iam 5 foot tall and weigh 190 pounds i have just lost 11 pounds in 2 weeks on atkins diet and i feel great i have ecsema and since i have cut cabs to 20 gms per day my skin is 90 % better everything is better iam never hungrey i feel so good so enyone reading this who is trying to lose weight on low fat high carbs should get atkins diet in the book store he is the one that dicoverd this way of eating years ago and had the same problams with AMA good luck to all
I live abroad as well – in Malta – and it´s hard to find products here too…there are sooooo much sugar in everything and as the island is just south of Sicily the “pasta culture” is huge here. You need to have imagination and just buy fresh products – the selection of fresh products isn´t that great though. Go Sweden I´d say! Let´s spread the word!