In this extraordinary and deeply worrying year for international security, some weeks nevertheless stand out as particularly momentous.

Events in Yemen now threaten to escalate the war between the US, Israel and Iran into a regional conflagration. Houthi rebels have captured strategically important positions on the Red Sea coast that will give them the potential to shut down Saudi Arabia’s ability to export oil. And we’ve heard unverified claims from Saudi Arabia it shot down a Houthi drone that was targeting the holy city of Mecca, constituting a “red line” in that years-long conflict.

Meanwhile, after Nato shot down a Russian drone over Lithuania and a Russian warship fired flares at a Danish helicopter in the Baltic Sea, Nato members have been openly canvassing the idea of triggering the alliance’s Article 5 collective defence mechanism in response to Russian aggression.

So far, so seriously unsettling. But we’ve also heard Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, outline his vision for “the next just, stable and prosperous world order” in a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. In it, Carney talked up the idea of his country becoming the first “associate member of the EU”. More about that later.

Middle East

The capture by Iran-backed Houthi rebels of a port and several islands – giving them control of the Bab al-Mandab strait, which carries roughly 10% of the world’s seaborne oil trade – poses a serious threat to Saudi oil exports. These have already been badly hit by Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz on its other coast.

There’s now a serious concern that the Iran war could escalate into regional conflict – or something even more dangerous, writes Simon Mabon, an expert in Middle East politics at the University of Lancaster. Mabon explains why the complex patchwork of alliances involved, the likelihood of further oil price spikes, and the involvement of three major powers in the shape of the US, Russia and China, mean the Iran conflict has the potential to spiral out of control.

À lire aussi :
Houthi offensive in Yemen adds to fear that Iran war could escalate into a wider global conflict

Yemen had been largely quiet since 2022. But the long-running struggle between the Shia Houthis and the Sunni Yemen government, in which Saudi Arabia intervened in 2015, has once again exploded into full-scale war. Vincent Durac of University College Dublin explains the background to this conflict, which now appears to be another moving part in the further destabilisation of the Middle East.

À lire aussi :
Why Yemen has returned to conflict

The rapid Houthi advance on the Red Sea took place as the Brics alliance met in India for its 18th annual summit. Brics began as a group of “emerging economies” based around Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It now claims to represent 49.5% of the global population, 40% of global GDP, and 26% of global trade. Its members portray themselves as a counterweight to a US-led world order.

But as Stefan Wolff of the University of Birmingham points out, the war in the Middle East has exposed deep divisions in that bloc. Iran joined as a full member at the beginning of 2024, at the same time as Saudi Arabia. And both Russia and China are reported to have developed ties with the Houthis.

It’s no wonder that the group’s New Delhi declaration, as Wolff notes, “contains no reference to shipping, to maritime security, or to freedom of navigation”.

À lire aussi :
Houthi rebels’ control of Red Sea oil chokepoint exposes deep divisions in Brics

Nato concerns

Concerns at the prospect of the US-Iran conflict escalating are matched in Europe, where many Nato members are increasingly exercised over what appear to be increasingly belligerent moves from Russia – quite apart from its war of aggression in Ukraine.

Over the past week, we’ve heard from several senior European politicians and former Nato officials about the growing likelihood of a wider conflict with Russia. Their fears were underlined on Tuesday, when an Italian jet shot down a Russian drone over Lithuania. The Baltic state, like its neighbours Latvia and Estonia, is particularly sensitive to Russian interference.

This was just the latest in a long list of incidents in which the war in Ukraine has threatened to spill across into neighbouring countries. Nato experts David Galbreath of the University of Bath and Simon J. Smith of the Royal Danish Defence College have assessed the threat to the North Atlantic alliance.

They conclude that, while there’s no call for Nato to panic, there is an urgent need for it to get to grips with the myriad challenges it faces in an increasingly dangerous world. Especially given the seeming ambivalence of Washington towards guaranteeing European security.

À lire aussi :
Nato is concerned about the threat from Russia. But it isn’t panicking – yet

Mark Carney’s consummate statecraft

Anyone listening to Carney’s speech to the European parliament earlier today will have appreciated the Canadian prime minister’s statecraft. You can read the speech here.

Carney, who spoke last week of wanting “a unique alliance with Europe”, was responding to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who on Wednesday said she wanted to work on “opening the door” to closer ties with Canada. Carney celebrated the already strong ties between Canada and Europe, but spoke of “a deeper partnership” based on “our common values, our compatible systems, and our complementary strengths”.

In a cheeky aside, delivered with a grin, Carney reassured listeners he was not proposing a third bloc “to become a great-power rival – only with better manners”. This prompted delighted laughter from much of his audience.

We plan to have more on Carney’s speech tomorrow. But thanks to our Canadian colleagues, we already have this analysis from Stewart Prest, a political scientist at the University of British Columbia. Prest examines Canada’s motivation for seeking a closer association with the EU, and what it might offer on both sides of the deal.

À lire aussi :
Thanks, Trump: Why Canada may become the European Union’s first ever ‘associate member’

Conversation weekly

Speaking of alliances, the latest edition of The Conversation Weekly takes an in-depth look at AUKUS, the trilateral security partnership between the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia, which was signed five years ago.

Justin Bergman, my opposite number in Australia, interviews defence and security analyst Hugh White of Australian National University. It’s well worth a listen.

By DAVID OLASEINDE

Published: 02:15 BST, 19 September 2026 | Updated: 02:17 BST, 19 September 2026

A bus driver was allegedly attacked and thrown from his vehicle before a suspected robber took control of the vehicle and smashed into multiple cars while driving on the wrong side of the road. 

West Mercia Police said a man, in his 20s, has been arrested on suspicion of robbery and dangerous driving over the ‘alarming incident’ in Telford on Friday.

Officers were called at around 6.37pm to Court Street in Madeley following reports that a bus driver had been assaulted.

The bus was then driven along Park Way towards the High Street, driving on the wrong side of the road and colliding with multiple vehicles, the force said.

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Police arrested the suspect after the bus was stopped. He is in police custody while inquiries continue.

The bus driver was treated for minor injuries by paramedics. No one else is believed to have been injured.

Footage circulating online showed concerned members of the public chasing after the bus. 

Detective Sergeant Taigh Lannie said: ‘We understand this will have been an alarming incident for those in the area this evening.

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Officers were called to Court Street in Madeley at 6:37 PM on Friday, September 18, following reports that a bus driver was assaulted and thrown from his vehicle

The suspect drove the hijacked bus along Park Way toward High Street, travelling against traffic and hitting multiple vehicles before police stopped the bus and took him into custody 

‘I’d like to reassure the community that officers responded quickly and a man has been arrested and remains in police custody.’

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Detectives are asking anyone who saw what happened or may have images, perhaps from a dashcam, CCTV, mobile phone or doorbell footage from the Court Street, Park Way or High Street areas around the time of the incident to please check their recordings and contact police.

Witnesses are asked to contact police by emailing TelfordCID@westmercia.police.uk quoting incident number 379i of September 18, 2026.

By REBECCA CAMBER, CRIME AND SECURITY EDITOR

Published: 21:44 BST, 18 September 2026 | Updated: 02:47 BST, 19 September 2026

The head of MI5 should be held in contempt of court after spies lied to judges about a violent neo-Nazi agent, a court has heard. 

Sir Ken McCallum faces the prospect of contempt proceedings after MI5 accepted it had provided false evidence to three courts about a neo-Nazi informant who exploited his role with the agency to violently threaten his girlfriend.

The woman, known only as Beth, claims that she was abused by the agent who attacked her with a machete and used his status to terrorise her into silence.

She complained to the watchdog overseeing MI5 about the spy, known as X, who was being used by MI5 to infiltrate the far-Right.

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In July, Deputy Investigatory Powers Commissioner Sir John Goldring found ‘serious and systemic failings’ by MI5 in the case, concluding that one senior officer lied repeatedly while another misled his colleagues and lied about what he was told about the case.

When the BBC sought to expose the abuse, MI5 initially confirmed that agent X was an informant in order to dissuade a journalist from running the story as they feared X’s life could be in danger.

But later in court proceedings with Beth and the BBC, the agency would only say in public that it could ‘neither confirm nor deny’ its relationship with him, in line with standard policy.

In an unprecedented move, MI5 has since paid compensation and issued a public apology to settle the case. 

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Lawyers representing a victim known as ‘Beth’ are urging the High Court to hold MI5 Director-General Sir Ken McCallum (pictured) and individual security officers in contempt of court

The intelligence agency repeatedly provided false evidence to conceal the actions of a violent neo-Nazi informant

The identity of agent X, a foreign national involved in neo-Nazi movements, remains unknown and he is understood to have left the UK.

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Now lawyers for Beth want the director-general of MI5 and the individual officers concerned to face contempt of court proceedings.

Anyone found to be in contempt can receive a prison sentence of up to two years, or a fine.

Charlotte Kilroy, KC, representing Beth, said in written submissions in the High Court that the false evidence did not emanate from one individual or a ‘bad apple’ but was ‘sustained and long-lasting’.

She said: ‘There have been repeated efforts to prevent the truth emerging. The reality of the dishonesty and false evidence that has taken place has only emerged because MI5 was faced with incontrovertible proof of its wrongdoing.’

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Ms Kilroy claimed that an MI5 officer ‘knew that his dishonesty was likely to result in an interference with the administration of justice’, and others who knew of the false evidence ‘either did not take steps to ensure correct evidence was given, or when they did tell their superiors the truth, the information they provided was ignored’.

She said there was ‘strong and cogent evidence’ that MI5 officers may have committed contempt, and that the service ‘benefited from the dishonesty of its officers’.

But Tim Otty, KC, representing MI5, said there was ‘no basis’ to hold Sir Ken vicariously liable, adding that there was no ‘strong case’ that MI5 could be corporately liable in criminal contempt proceedings. 

He said the spy agency was fully committed to making changes, but that it was ‘not now necessary or appropriate to proceed with contempt proceedings’.

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The three High Court judges said they would hand down their judgment on the case at a later date.

Max Midgley, 38, is now serving 40 months in jail for a series of offences against the nurse who used to be his girlfriend.

She has moved to a secret address as she makes a new life without him.

York Crown Court heard he was a “Jekyll and Hyde” character who was violent when drunk.

Police Staff Investigator Anne Yates from North Yorkshire Police said: “If you are experiencing abuse, stalking, controlling behaviour or harassment, please know that you are not alone and support is available.

We urge anyone going through a similar situation to come forward and report it.

We will listen, we will investigate and we will do everything we can to protect you.”

About Midgley, of Husthwaite Road, Coxwold near Easingwold, she said: “This was a prolonged campaign of abusive, controlling and intimidating behaviour which left the victim fearing for her safety.

“Nobody should have to experience this kind of conduct.

“Midgley’s actions had a devastating impact on the victim and demonstrate how domestic abuse can continue long after a relationship has ended.

“His behaviour was persistent, frightening and completely unacceptable.

“I would like to commend the victim for the courage and resilience she has shown in reporting these offences and supporting the investigation throughout the court process.

“North Yorkshire Police will not tolerate domestic abuse, stalking or harassment in any form.

“We are committed to safeguarding victims, pursuing offenders and bringing them before the courts.”

Anyone experiencing domestic abuse, stalking or harassment is encouraged to report it to North Yorkshire Police via 101, or 999 in an emergency.

Support is also available through specialist victim services and domestic abuse support organisations.

By CHARLIE SPIERING, US POLITICAL REPORTER

Published: 23:07 BST, 18 September 2026 | Updated: 04:15 BST, 19 September 2026

Donald Trump Jr has repaid a Russian oligarch who reportedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for a lavish party in the Bahamas to celebrate his wedding.

President Donald Trump revealed the news to reporters during an event at the White House on Friday afternoon when asked to react to the news.

‘I hear he paid him back. I understand that Don paid him back,’ Trump said, even though he argued that it was ‘totally allowed’ and ‘very common’ for people to pay for parties.

Umar Kremlev, a Russian oligarch and international boxing figure reportedly paid for celebrations surrounding their wedding, which included renting a private island and a fireworks display. 

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The events were attended by several other Trump children, including Ivanka and her husband Jared, Eric and Lara, Tiffany and her husband Michael, and many grandchildren. 

But the appearance of a lavish favor from a Russian oligarch with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, appeared to be too controversial for the family, prompting Trump Jr to make changes. 

A source familiar with Donald Trump Jr’s response to the controversy confirmed to the Daily Mail that he paid Kremlev back for the party. 

President Trump said he spoke to his son about it after the news broke in ProPublica on Monday.

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President Donald Trump told reporters that he spoke with his son who planned to repay a Russian oligarch who paid for a lavish party to celebrate his wedding in the Bahamas 

Donald Trump Jr. and his wife Bettina Anderson were married in May 

Oligarch and friend of Vladimir Putin, Umar Kremlev, partially funded parties surrounding the couple’s nuptials

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Kremlev’s press office told ProPublica the two men became friends based on their common interests in boxing, hunting and the outdoors.

At first, Trump Jr and his new wife Bettina Anderson defended the party, insisting that Kremlev was a ‘dear friend’ who offered them ’an extraordinarily generous wedding gift.’

Bettina disputed the idea that accepting the generous financial support from a Russian national for the celebrations was inappropriate.

‘It’s unfortunate that something so personal and happy can be recast as something political or sinister simply because of who someone is or where they come from,’ she wrote.

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Other members of the family, however, distanced themselves from Kremlev.

A spokesperson for First Lady Melania Trump distanced her from Kremlev in a statement to the Daily Mail.

‘Mrs. Trump does not, and has never had, a relationship with Mr. Kremlev. Mrs. Trump played no role whatsoever in organizing the wedding event and was not privy to any aspect of its financial planning,’ the statement read.

First Lady Melania Trump distanced herself from the Trump Jr. wedding 

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Bettina Trump addressed the rumors about who paid for her May wedding party and posted never-before-seen photos on Instagram on Monday

Trump Jr’s brother Eric, also distanced himself from Kremlev.

‘Eric has absolutely no clue who this person is, nor has never heard his name,’ his spokesman told ProPublica.

The reports prompted widespread accusations of corruption from Democrats as well as public criticism from even some Republicans.

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‘To me it just stinks. It’s corruption, I don’t like it…this is a big deal,’ Republican Senator John Curtis of Utah said in a video published to social media.

Forget hot yoga, move aside padel, and take a hike, Hyrox, because 2026 was the year that Reformer Pilates studios popped up in every town centre and on every high street. No longer only accessible for an elite few, custom-made Reformer studios are now everywhere, and Reformer has earned its reputation as a powerhouse for building strength, mobility, and mental clarity.

However, when high-intensity exercise culture overtakes classic Pilates principles, the line between effective training and physical breakdown can quickly blur. Nikkii Behrens is the founder of Rare Street Pilates, and has been practising Reformer for more than ten years. She warns that pursuing constant soreness, chasing sweat as a metric of success, or using workouts as self-punishment directly undermines the discipline’s core purpose. 

Behrens says that true progress in Pilates lies in precision, controlled alignment, and sustainable recovery, not sheer exhaustion. Mastering basic foundations and honouring your body’s daily capacity ultimately yields far greater longevity and strength than pushing through painful momentum.

So if you’re aching after a workout, not seeing the results you expected, or beginning to dread every session, something is going wrong. And Behrens says that if not performed properly, Reformer can lead to serious injury. Here are her five red flags to look out for as warning signs that your Reformer routine is doing more harm than good.

1. You’re constantly sore, exhausted or dreading your next class

‘Some muscular fatigue is completely normal with exercise, particularly when you’re progressing or trying something new, but ongoing soreness and exhaustion don’t mean you are “working better”. If you’re never fully recovering between sessions, your body may be signaling that the overall training load is too high. Recovery is part of getting stronger, so don’t overdo it. If you find you are really dreading the next session, maybe consider the class you are doing, the level it is at and whether this is the right thing for you.’ 

2. You feel like every class has to be harder than the last.

‘There’s a tendency in fitness to equate progress with heavier weights, harder exercises and simply doing more. In Pilates, progression should mean better control, greater precision, improved range of motion and the ability to execute an exercise beautifully. 

‘Sometimes making a movement slower and more controlled is far more challenging – and beneficial – than adding another spring.’

Nikki says making sure movement feels slow and controlled is often more challenging.

3. You’re experiencing pain rather than muscular discomfort 

Behrens says there is an important distinction between feeling your muscles work and feeling pain, and it should not be ignored. ‘Repeated discomfort in the lower back, neck, shoulders, hips or knees shouldn’t be accepted as part of reformer training,’ she says. ‘It can indicate poor technique, inappropriate resistance or an exercise that isn’t right for your body at that moment. A good instructor should be able to modify the movement rather than encourage you to push through pain.’

4. You’re ignoring what your body needs that day

‘Your capacity to exercise isn’t identical every time you walk into the studio. Sleep, stress, recovery, menstrual cycle, pregnancy, postpartum recovery and perimenopause or menopause can all influence how you feel and what your body needs. You need to listen to all these factors, not just see a reminder on an app that it’s time for a class and push through. This doesn’t mean women should fear challenging themselves but rather learn when to push through and when adjusting intensity is a smarter form of training.’

5. Exercise has started to feel like punishment

‘This is perhaps the biggest red flag. If you’re choosing classes because you feel guilty about what you’ve eaten, panicking when you miss a session, or judging a workout purely by calories burned, sweat or how destroyed you feel afterwards, it’s worth reassessing your relationship with exercise.

‘Movement should be something that contributes to your health, strength and longevity rather than another way to punish your body.’

Movement should contribute to your health and strength, not punish your body.

What you’re getting wrong about reformer training

Behrens says, ‘One of the biggest misconceptions is that a good reformer class should leave you drenched in sweat or barely able to walk the next day. Sweat is primarily your body’s cooling mechanism; it isn’t a measure of how effective a workout was and the same applies to soreness, which isn’t a reliable scorecard for progress.

‘People can become obsessed with making exercises look more advanced before they have mastered the foundations. Pilates is about control and quality of movement, and a beautifully executed basic exercise can be much more valuable than an advanced variation performed with poor alignment and momentum.’

She says she encourages clients not to view Pilates as their entire movement prescription.

‘Reformer Pilates can be fantastic for strength, control, mobility and stability, but ideally it sits within a broader lifestyle that includes walking or cardiovascular exercise and, depending on the individual and their goals, additional resistance and weight-bearing exercise,’ says Behrens.

‘Ultimately, the goal shouldn’t be to finish every class feeling destroyed and I certainly want my clients and students to leave feeling like they’ve challenged their body intelligently. The best training isn’t necessarily the training that takes the most out of you – it’s the training your body can adapt to, recover from and keep doing consistently.’

Recent AI (artificial intelligence) safety concerns have been fuelled by stark warnings from AI scientists about the growing risks of the technology going rogue.

Some of the most pessimistic predictions warn that there is a greater than 10% chance that AI could wipe out all humans in the next 10 years.

Many of the apocalyptic messages come from observers of the AI world known as ‘AI Doomers’ – but the big question many are asking, is how these Doomers think AI could actually bring an end to mankind.

Cyber Correspondent Joe Tidy looks at some of the scenarios being imagined and assesses how likely they are.

Sunday’s race is also about celebrating the second chance she’s been given to enjoy life after suffering a stroke

A mother-of-two is hoping to set a new Guinness World Record this weekend by running the fastest half-marathon in a sari.

Sumathy Thulasiraman, 44 and from Belfast, will take part in the Phoenix Energy Belfast City Half Marathon this Sunday, September 20.

More than 8,500 runners are expected to take to the streets of Belfast with thousands more spectators expected to cheer them on throughout the course.

For Sumathy it will be a chance to run in an outfit she feels comfortable in while also empowering other women from all ethnic backgrounds around the world.

This will be her second Belfast Half Marathon in a sari, but this time she’s going to attempt the Guinness World Record.

For Sumathy, Sunday’s race is also about celebrating the second chance she’s been given to enjoy life with her husband Rajesh and their two daughters – 18-year-old Jarshini and Deeksha, aged 11, after she suffered a stroke in January 2021.

“Five years ago, attempting a half marathon was not even in my league. I was a couch potato who believed healthy meant being in good shape and at the right weight,” she told Belfast Live.

“But then I had a stroke so that was a turning point in my life. My nutritional levels were at the rock bottom and even though I had a lean figure that was not enough to be healthy.

“There were no warning signs. Even the previous day, I was hale and healthy. I’m a person who talks a lot as I conduct competitions and organise shows. Talking was everything to me, but the stroke hit my fluency, and I started stammering.

“But by God’s grace, it was a relatively minor stroke. I lost part of my memory and ability to speak fluently, but then my recovery was made possible by incredible support from doctors, nurse, physiotherapists, speech therapists, family, and a lovely employer who gave me time and space to heal.

“Everything was quick in terms of recovery. I was able to regain much of my memory, and then almost all of it so it was a very short episode, that did not impact anything around my professional or personal life.”

Sumathy says that experience changed everything: “It taught me that true health is not defined by appearance, but by how well we care for our bodies. After that I committed myself to prioritising my health and embracing an active lifestyle.

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“What was missing in my previous life is that I did not have an active lifestyle. I just went for walks whenever I felt like it was not even routine. I see Sunday’s race as an expression of gratitude for the second chance I’ve been given.

“This Guinness World Record attempt is no different. It’s my way of honouring the doctors, nurses and all those who helped me recover and celebrate this life. I don’t believe there is a current half-marathon record but I have been given a limit of 2 hours and 20 minutes.

“I have a physical fitness coach, Tina, who has been supporting me and who will be running with me as a witness for the Guinness World Record attempt.”

Sumathy added: “I see this as an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of health and wellbeing, especially for women who often place the needs of others ahead of their own.

“Every other responsibility can be delegated, but no one else can take responsibility for your health and fitness. That is a commitment only you can make.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

We live in Denmark, which consistently ranks as one of the world’s healthiest countries. The modern Danish diet, however, may not be quite so world-leading – with many Danes consuming high levels of sugar, salt and convenience food.

Yet, go back a few generations and science is increasingly showing that many of the staple foods of our grandparents’ generation.

Think homemade rye bread, herring, root vegetables and berries – can significantly reduce your risk of chronic disease and help you live longer.

Often described as the Mediterranean diet of the north, the Nordic diet is a predominantly plant-based diet rooted in traditional Nordic foods.

Health Gap / Sundhedskløften is a collaborative series from The Conversation UK and Denmark’s Videnskab.dk exploring what the two countries can learn from each other when it comes to health and wellbeing.

From cycling and alcohol to inequality, healthcare and everyday habits, the series looks beyond hospitals and medical treatment to explore how culture, politics and society shape the way people live – and how healthy they are.

It emphasises whole grains such as rye and oats; fatty fish, like salmon, herring and mackerel, root vegetables and cabbages, Nordic fruits like apples and pears and berries like bilberries – with modest amounts of dairy and rapeseed oil as the main source of fats.

These foods work together to support health.

Rye, oats and vegetables provide a diversity of dietary fibres, which help to regulate cholesterol, blood sugar and digestion. Salmon, herring, mackerel and rapeseed oil supply heart-healthy unsaturated fats. Fruits and berries contribute antioxidants that may reduce inflammation. And the overall diet is typically low in sugar and saturated fat.

A look at the evidence

Much of the evidence for the Nordic diet comes from something researchers call the Healthy Nordic Food Index, a score that ranks people by how closely their everyday eating matches traditional Nordic staples.

One of the earliest studies using this index tracked 57,053 Danes over 12 years. It found that men who ate the most Nordic-style foods ended up with a 36% lower risk of dying than those who ate the least.

Similar studies have linked this pattern of eating to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke.

But the strongest evidence for the health benefits of a Nordic diet comes from a 12-month study in Sweden, a country with broadly similar eating habits to Denmark.

Participants were asked to swap to porridge and rye bread instead of eating white bread and pasta, rapeseed oil instead of butter and more locally grown produce like apples, berries and cabbage alongside fatty fish like salmon and herring.

In this study, people in the Nordic diet group saw improvements across several risk factors for chronic disease compared to the people who weren’t eating in this way. This included the lowering of high blood sugar and cholesterol, a reduction of liver fat, along with decreased inflammation levels – all of which can raise your chances of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, or liver disease over time.

A local diet

The Mediterranean diet and the Nordic diet have a great deal in common. In fact, they share more similarities than differences.

Both are big on plant foods, whole grains, fish and healthy fats. Both diets also treat processed food and red meat as occasional extras rather than staples.

And for people living in northern Europe, like the UK, this more Nordic way of eating may actually be an easier diet to follow than the Mediterranean diet, given that many of the ingredients are already grown locally and familiar.

Plus, because it leans on foods grown and caught close to home, rather than shipped in from afar, this way of eating tends to do more to support local food production. Thus potentially making it better for the climate.

How to adopt the Nordic diet

It’s clear then that adopting some healthy Nordic habits could bring clear health benefits.

Some simple changes might include:

• swapping refined grains for whole grains like oats and rye bread and aiming for 90g a day

• eating more fatty fish each week

• using unsaturated oils instead of butter

• adding more legumes, root vegetables and seasonal produce to meals

• cutting back on highly processed foods

It’s also important to add that healthy eating does not depend on specific “superfoods” or exotic ingredients. Instead, this diet demonstrates the value of simple, local and minimally processed foods. Think: more whole foods, more plants, better fats and fewer sweets and snacks.

Ultimately, though, the healthiest diets are not about perfection, but about consistent, balanced choices that can fit into your everyday life.

This series was commissioned as part of a partnership between Videnskab.dk and The Conversation, where articles are published in English and Danish.