Mackinder in DK

The struggles of becoming a bilingual family in Copenhagen.

Why are the Danes so healthy?

Denmark’s most famous cultural and culinary export is pastry. Not exactly healthy. It’s also cold, dark, windy and wet for a large chunk of the year, which never makes you want to head out for some fresh air and exercise. I’ve lived in Copenhagen for seven years and there’s nothing appealing about going outside when outside feels like a nuclear winter. There’s a reason Danish interior design is world-renowned. They’re inside a LOT. Decades of staring at the same furniture for months on end each year clearly made the Danes think, ‘I’m sure we can make this stuff look nicer.’ back home, and I miss that when I crave comfort food, but what Denmark’s supermarkets lack in variety, they make up for in quality. So much produce here is organically grown and ethically sourced. Must be why it’s all so damn expensive.

So what makes the Danes such a healthy bunch? Well, there’s the biking culture. Admittedly the whole of Copenhagen is flat as a pancake, so you can cycle around without expending too many calories, but biking along the extensive, clearlydemarcated and, crucially, safe cycle routes definitely promotes physical activity with a practical twist. Most people commute by bike all year round and this is only a good thing.

Healthcare here is absolutely superb. After all, when the base rate of tax is 40 per cent, you really want to see where that money goes. Turns out it’s a superior health service that really delivers. You need to see a doctor? You can do so the same day. It’s quite remarkable and long may it continue.

The main reason Danes can boast about being so healthy, however, is more holistic. They have cracked the whole ‘work/life balance’ thing. The working day tends to wind down any time from 4 pm, sometimes earlier. They rarely work weekends. There is a cultural emphasis on downtime, leisure time and especially family time. Danes respect each other’s need for vacation. Unlike some cultures, ‘time off’ isn’t a dirty word. And what all this gives you is rest and therefore energy.

Put it another way, when you continually work long hours flat out, you’re shattered. It’s much harder to eat healthy or prise yourself off the sofa to do a spot of exercise. By not letting work consume their lives, Danes inhabit a culture that is inherently active.

Denmark also promotes healthy eating. Aside from its reputation as a Michelinstarred, sustainable foodie hub, your average Danish supermarket is not filled with aisles of mass-produced processed foods like those in the UK. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the tasty snacks you get

Here I finish work, have time for exercise AND then spend time with my kids in the evening before they get to bed. This means I don’t have to cram it all into the weekend, which in turn becomes more relaxed. I just need to remind myself, with all these hours of downtime, not to eat too many pastries.

Sharon Farrell