Emelie Forsberg, Ida Nilsson and Mimmi Kotka

On a misty autumn morning on the archipelago just outside Stockholm, I lit a fire, ready to cook breakfast for three of the world’s best mountain runners. Before we ate, we shared a run in the forest and over treacherously slippery rocks. The sun was breaking through the mist as I made rainbow chard, squash and brown rice tortilla, and rye and oat porridge with blueberry chia compote.

We sat around the fire to eat and talk about food, and the energy they brought was infectious. All three have a background in food: Ida trained as a chef; Emelie is an experienced baker and lives on her small sustainable farm in northern Norway; and Mimmi has a master’s degree in food science and molecular nutrition.

Their advice was sensible, whether you’re a runner or not: learn to cook; eat local; eat good, unprocessed carbs; follow a Nordic or Mediterranean diet that is high in whole grains and fresh produce; and don’t overcomplicate things – if you are making a spaghetti bolognese, just add extra veggies to get more nutrients.

Emelie is a vegetarian, but both Mimmi and Ida watch the amount of meat they eat, focusing more on plant-based proteins such as beans and pulses than on animal products. They all steer away from ‘white’ carbs in favour of whole grains and root vegetables. In terms of fats, they believe that unrefined oils such as olive oil and coconut oil are great, but you shouldn’t be afraid of a little butter. We also talked about the environmental impact of our diets. Emelie reflected: ‘If you are interested in nature and visiting these beautiful places, how can you not be interested in what you eat, especially when your diet can have such negative effects on the environment?’