NNR 2023 and official dietary advice – from recommendation to menu plan
How to translate the Nordic nutrition recommendations and the 7 diet principles into everyday food
When you plan meals for an entire institution you can't rely on gut feeling. You must be able to document the diet meets residents' or users' needs — and here the Nordic nutrition recommendations NNR 2023 is your most important tool. NNR 2023 is published by the Nordic Council of Ministers and results from five years of work with hundreds of researchers. It's the sixth edition of the recommendations and for the first time addresses not only what's healthy for people but also what's good for environment and climate.
§Energy distribution — the broad strokes
NNR 2023 recommends that fat make up 25-40 percent of total energy intake (E%), carbohydrates 45-60 E% and protein 10-20 E%. For older people over 65 years, a higher protein intake of 15-20 E% is recommended, equivalent to approximately 1.2-1.5 grams of protein per kilo of body weight per day – a figure that is absolutely central when cooking at nursing homes, where malnutrition and loss of muscle mass are a real risk.
| Nutrient | NNR 2023 recommendation | Significance in the kitchen |
|---|---|---|
| Fat | 25-40 E% | Choose plant oils over hard fat; fatty fish contribute healthy fatty acids |
| Carbohydrate | 45-60 E% | Whole grain, potatoes, legumes — no added sugar |
| Protein | 10-20 E% (ældre 15-20 E%) | Extra focus on protein for small eaters and elderly. |
| Dietary fibre | At least 25 g (women) / 35 g (men) daily | Whole grain bread, coarse vegetables, legumes in daily diet |
| Salt | Højst ca. 2,3 g natrium ≈ knap 6 g salt dagligt | Season with acidity, herbs and umami instead of salt |
The dietary fibre recommendation equals approximately 3 grams of fibre per megajoule — a rule of thumb that is easy to use when you calculate daily nutrition. The salt recommendation of at most about 2.3 grams of sodium per day (equivalent to just under 6 grams of salt) is one of the hardest to follow in large kitchens, because ready-made products, stock and bread already contain a lot of salt.
§The 7 official dietary guidelines
The Food Authority's official nutrition advice — 'The Official Dietary Advice, good for health and climate' — came in 2021 and translates science into everyday language. There are seven recommendations, and they are meant as a whole: Eat plant-based, varied and not too much. Eat more vegetables and fruits. Eat less meat — choose legumes and fish. Eat food with whole grains. Choose plant oils and lean dairy products. Eat less of the sweet, salty and fat. Quench your thirst with water.
§From numbers to plate
- 01Plan with margin for unexpected rain during the curing period
- 02Use legumes (lentils chickpeas beans) as a partial replacement for meat in mixed dishes — it lifts both fibre climate account and economy.
- 03Serve fish at least a couple of times a week preferably both lean and fatty fish.
- 04Calculate a typical week's menu and compare with NNR 2023 – then you know where your menus actually stand.
- 05Remember that the recommendations apply to the healthy; the sick and small eaters may need the opposite, e.g. energy-dense food with more fat.
The last point is important: NNR 2023 and dietary guidelines describe healthy food for healthy people. A large part of the nutrition assistant's users — patients weakened elderly small eaters — specifically should not have low-fat high-fiber standard food but individually tailored food according to Food Manual principles. Knowing the difference is the core of the professionalism.
“The recommendations are not an answer key for the individual day, but a benchmark for diet over time.”
— Freely according to the principles of NNR 2023, Nordic Council of Ministers