Lördagsgodis: Sweden's delicious Saturday tradition that prevents decay - BBC Reel

In Sweden, a family of four eats one kilo of sweets a week on average, yet children have better dental health than most Europeans.
This has been attributed to a tradition called 'lördagsgodis' which literally means 'Saturday sweets’.
Video by Maddy Savage and Benoît Derrier

[@theresenydahl9531]

The same goes for soft drinks, only on Friday and Saturday evenings with the family. We have free dental care until the age of 23, yearly checks and cleanings, it contributes a lot to the general good dental health in Sweden.

[@tobybartlett]

That’s amazing that health care covers dental. Here in Canada dental care and eye care is not covered by our “free universal health care”.

[@theresenydahl9531]

@@tobybartlett Thanks, I did not know that. Canada and Sweden are usually mentioned in the same category and I would guess we are alike in many ways, even as a people. Regarding dental care here - whatever needs to be done, $650 is the maximum we pay in a year for any extensive dental work (surgeries, dentures, everything) after the age of 23. We have free school lunches until the completion of high school, in many schools even free breakfast. The lunches are well cooked hot meals, there's a salad buffet to go with it, bread, butter and always milk to drink, often fruit afterwards. No fast food or sugar served, that definetly contributes to good dental health (and that the children can concentrate at school) Equality and solidarity is central in our society and welfare system. Its important for everyone that no one receive less than anyone else due to financial reasons, that everyone has what they need and live well. Welfare means something else to us than what it does in other countries, we are proud of our welfare system. We have worked on it since more than a hundred years, it's the foundation of our society and a big part of our day to day life.

[@tobybartlett]

@@theresenydahl9531 What interesting facts. Canada does do a lot of things well, but dental and eye care are not one of them. I just had a root canal and paid $4,000 for it. Most people here have to get dental coverage through their health plan from their employer which will cover their children. I don’t know what the typical Canadian school lunches are like, the high school I attended had a private restaurant that we had to pay for. It was about $10-$15 for a meal. Unfortunately it wasn’t very healthy. I was raised vegan and there weren’t that many options. I usually went out for lunch so I could eat something healthy. The restaurant in school served fried food and sugar and other things that aren’t healthy. Canada is (unfortunately) becoming more like the United States and less like Europe. We haven’t banned genetically modified food or sugar. Peoples eating habits are very poor compared to Sweden it seems. I’ve heard of the Swedish welfare system and we often discuss it here as an example of not leaving any citizen out of society and admire that ideology. We don’t have a basic income plan in Canada yet. Hopefully we will soon. Our current government made promises of that but we haven’t seen anything progress on that front.

[@theresenydahl9531]

@@tobybartlett Thank you, Toby, it's very interesting to hear how it works in Canada these days. I can see why it's easy for the Canadian system to be influenced by the American one bit it's a shame if it goes too far because their system is not working out well for their citizens. As we say- it's like weeing your pants, it feels warm and cosy at first but it quite quickly becomes cold and uncomfortable😃 Our welfare system is a political choice we made more than 100 years ago, it has progressed, it's always being fine tuned further and is not politically questioned by anyone. Everyone benefit from it every day, from new born children to elderly or anyone coming to our country for asylum for that matter. Sorry to hear about your root canal and that was a hefty price for it. I think I would pay maximum $200 for it here, probably less. I had a cavity a couple of years ago and had to build back the wall of the tooth, that cost me $65. You are insured by employers, we don't have any middle hands like insurance companies. We are all entitled to same dental care whether we are unemployed or millionaires. Those middle hand insurance companies are the ones costing your system, just like in the US. Although Americans pay for their medical healthcare, it costs them 3-4 times more per person than in Canada where it's free, all because of the insurance companies financially draining the system. Free healthcare would be way cheaper to them but they rather pay due to their ideological reasons:) I can understand how difficult it must have been to be vegan under those circumstances at school. We always had and still have vegan alternatives served. Nowadays pork is excempt so that muslim children and parents don't have to worry. The pork excemption was a topic for some hot discussion in some areas when it was introduced 10-15 years ago but that blew over quickly. Pork is part of our traditional food culture but since everyone are on a more vegetarian diet nowadays it's not an issue.

[@BronsteinEmily]

What about sugar in tea or coffee? Is that used during the week?

[@michaelheliotis5279]

I live in New Zealand and I've basically been doing this since I was a kid. I was only ever allowed candy from the pick 'n' mix at the supermarket because it was more cost efficient than other candies, and we only went to the supermarket once a week. My school dentist had said that it's not the quantity of sugar that's bad for your teeth, it's the frequency, so I made a point of always eating my candy bag in one sitting and brushing my teeth afterwards, which I still do today.

[@mona9008]

School dentist? Do you have a dentist at school?

[@gimmemoremusic]

@@mona9008 I'm not from the same country, but yes we did have a school dentist in primary school.

[@mona9008]

@@gimmemoremusic wow! We only have a nurse in the US. And the one in highschool was barely there 🤣. That's so nice! Thanks for responding.

[@rachelcookie321]

What pick n’ mix are you getting? It’s cheaper to buy a bag of party mix than to get pick n’ mix.

[@rachelcookie321]

@@mona9008 I live in New Zealand. We don’t have a nurse or a dentist or anything like that at school. If you get sick at school you see the ladies at the office who just get you to sit in the sickbay and call your parents. We do have the dental van which comes to school every year in primary school and you have to go. Maybe it was different at the school of the original commenter but this is how it is at most school in New Zealand currently.

[@girlsquad224]

Wow! Nordic countries never fail to amaze me with their social discipline, policies and etc.

[@famousbowl9926]

And racism.. .

[@famousbowl9926]

Actually no. It's classism nowadays ill be honest. Not much racism..

[@modestoca25]

It's all about controlling the masses...The USA is heading by that way if we keep electing libtard politicians. Suicide rates have gone up since strict COVID policies which have done no good for the economy or mental health.

[@88marome]

@Spirit Talk Yea how terrible to not have your teeth fall out...

[@yabadabadue7889]

@@88marome right! Especially when dental care in the U.S. is costly and dental insurance covers the bare minimum, if you have dental insurance at all.

[@mr.fantastic2211]

The enthusiasm in blond boy's reaction to candy added 10 years to my life.

[@allyson--]

😭😭😭

[@Nottiy]

He is such a little cutie pie

[@Stettafire]

Boy?

[@swehog]

@@Stettafire 0:23

[@melonie_peppers]

He looks like he just walked out of the 60s. A true kid in a candy store

[@user-ux7yg2ch6i]

I'm in the UK and this is what my brother and I did as children. I would eat the sweets and feel sicky and unwell after, so they really lost their appeal and I used to spend my money on other things instead. Feeling that sweets were overrated was excellent for my lifelong health. On the other hand my brother lived for Saturdays and developed a weird binge eating relationship with food, and struggled with his weight all his life. Obviously the less sweets kids eat overall the healthier they will be, but different children respond to things in different ways.

[@iheartigloos]

Thank you for sharing your story along with the impact it had on your brother.

[@HadassaMoon144]

Yeah I binge eat due to this kind of limiting as well. I still struggle at 35. It’s horrible

[@sorinathompson2322]

Hi! I am a foreigner living in Norway (where the same tradition applies). I noticed that people here binge drink in the w/e only. And sadly, most don’t find enjoyment/appreciation of the beverage, but only in getting completely intoxicated. I did wonder if the behaviour is routed in the abstinence/binge sweets tradition bread from childhood???

[@chlorophyllheart]

Limiting or not, your brother would struggle with weight either way. Some people are just more addicted to or just struggle in general with food. Especially if it's connected to being bored or sad.

[@sensimania]

I would've felt sickly as well. I was born and raised in the UK, so my family didn't have that tradition either. But when I was a child, i never understood how the other kids around me could eat whole packets of sweets in one go. I couldn't even eat a whole chocolate bar on the same day otherwise I felt sickly.

[@AskAgainL8ter]

I try to do this with my kids, treats on Friday after school. But here in America there are sweets everywhere, they’re constantly getting them from other people and it drives me nuts!

[@Jaglilpill75]

Same here in Sweden inlyft small kids eats candy once week but teenager and adults stuffs ther face alla the time, candy everywhere 😉🥰

[@sran41]

Please don't do this. My parents did it with me. All it did was make me obsessed with sugar and I would binge at every opportunity. I am still trying to unlearn these patterns several decades later. I would really recommend the book Intuitive Eating for evidence about why diet restriction will backfire.

[@Qrtuop]

@sran41 not always. I binged as a teen to rebel for the sugar restriction of my childhood, but as an adult I have very good self control, probably thanks to my parents, and don't even like soft drinks or things that are too sweet. Intuitive eating only works if your hunger cues are healthy and your eating habits are good and self-regulated. People with binge eating disorder or other disorders where they over-eat are harmed by intuitive eating. Even people who eat pretty intuitively like me need to make themselves eat three pieces of fruit or veg a day and get all out unexciting nutrients. We need to make conscious decisions in order to develop good habits.

[@sran41]

@@Qrtuop very true, but children often unlearn their natural intuitive eating habits and learn disordered eating habits when they fear that they will not have access to food or are made to see certain foods as "forbidden fruit."

[@Fractal227]

My son is now 11 but i started him off early with jucing our own juice with for example carrots, oranges, appels. Today if you ask him to choose between a juice we juice ourselves or a soda, he will pick the juice. I have also always made healthy salads, our standard salad is sun dried tomatoes, 3-4 types of lettuce you like, pickled cucumbers, white rice (for fill), ripped mozorella and than u can always top it with eggs, bacon, shrimps or something else. Making a big portion and placing it in the fridge so he can take it himself, is a huge bonus. This has resulted in when we walk past the candy isle it has never been an issue that he insist on something, he might ask if i can have X and i ask him, would you rather have X or that we make a salad, and he very rarely choose X, a few times a year, maybe.

[@feedbackaccepted3663]

When I moved from Sweden to England at the age of 12, I was so surprised to see crisps and chocolates sold at school (this was when they were as cheap as 10p) as well as kids downing cans of pop. Teaching kids self control makes a huge impact to their adult life. My uni flat mate legit used to buy 24 pack of coke zero regularly and I wasnt surprised that he said that his mum always had them stocked in the fridge when he was a kid to drink when ever he fancied it. Now he is addicted to it.

[@larsstougaard7097]

So true, nothing like a sugar rush to forget your worries. Better to build up discipline, will benefit you all life.

[@microbios8586]

@@larsstougaard7097 except Coke Zero is sugarless. It has no calories and creates no such rush. It's a harmless but expensive habit long term.

[@larsstougaard7097]

@@microbios8586 yes true but it is even worse in my view. It's sweetened with artificial sweeteners, which have controversial health effects. I would not drink it at all.

[@microbios8586]

@@larsstougaard7097 Aspartame has been studied for many decades. There is no evidence that it's harmful. On the other hand, sugar's ill effects are extremely well documented. Tooth decay is just one of many problems. In contrast, diet sodas do not cause tooth decay. I'm a lifelong diet soda drinker, and though this is purely biased and anecdotal, I have no health problems because of it. Candy in my childhood gave me cavities, however, that are still causing problems for me as an adult.

[@larsstougaard7097]

@@microbios8586 Artificially sweetened beverages like Coke Zero have been linked to other health issues, including: Increased risk of heart disease. An observational study found a link between artificially sweetened beverages and an increased risk of heart disease among women with no prior history of heart disease (20Trusted Source).Increased risk of kidney disease. The high phosphorus content in sodas may cause kidney damage. A study noted that those who drink more than 7 glasses of diet soda per week doubled their risk of kidney disease (21Trusted Source).Could alter your gut microbiome. Several studies indicate that artificially sweetened beverages can alter your gut microbiome, causing poor blood sugar control (22Trusted Source, 23Trusted Source).May increase osteoporosis risk. One study observed that daily cola intake was associated with a lower bone mineral density of 3.7-5.4%. Similar results were found for those who drank diet cola beverages (24Trusted Source).

[@mattimyr2897]

When I grew up in Norway in the 80's I used to think about what to get for days before Saturday would finally arrive. The kiosks back then had the pick and mix behind glass counters and you would point on each item and say how many you wanted. The price was usually per piece of candy, so you would tell the little old lady/man behind the counter how much money you had to spend and they would keep count as they fished out the candy for you. There was usually a queue of kids every Saturday so you'd better come prepared knowing exactly how many sour feet or whiches' scream you could get for a krone.

[@m.j.eriksson2673]

I remember my parents telling me stories of how they used to go shopping for their lördagsgodis in the 1970's. The paper bags back then were about a tenth of today's size, and they had to politely talk to the shop assistant, asking them to fill their neat bag with one or two pieces of sweets at a time.

[@eleo_b]

Ah yes, parents’ stories of the olden days. When they were happy playing with just some marbles and a jump rope, when there was nothing on tv during the day and when they would get one small present for their birthday.

[@kelpforest0068]

Some stores have begun offering the small paper bags again.

[@user-dw5gr6js3d]

That sounds so cute. Good old days!

[@luluowq9827]

Yes I saw a video of it

[@calle9368]

Same for me when I was a kid. There was a very small yellow shop me and my brother always went to and our parents gave us 10 crowns each so we could only buy 10 sweets, always such a struggle to decide haha

[@amalilconfused]

I might just adopt this Swedish tradition myself.

[@susanfarley1332]

When I was a kid I ate candy almost every day. I was living in mexico at the time. I was a sweet fiend. But I also ate other things. Street vendors sold fresh fruits, vegetables like cucumber and jicama root, and chicharron ( fried pork skin with the fat still attached). The jicama, cucumber, and chicharron would be covered in lemon juice and a flavorful lightly spicy sauce. I also ate fresh coconut chunks and the hard crusted bread rolls. Sugar cane was also good and you had to peel the outside of it with your teeth and chew the pulp to get the juice out of it. A lot of these foods gave your teeth a workout. I brushed my teeth when I remembered, which wasn't often. When we came back to the USA the dentist who gave me a check up was surprised that I had no cavities at all. And did not need teeth straightening at all. And he had been a dentist for decades. I was surprised by how soft the food was in the USA. After a year in the states I developed cavities even though I was brushing my teeth every day. I guess eating food that is not soft is good for your teeth. I also only got sick about 3 or 4 times in the 5 years I was in Mexico. All that fresh fruit and raw vegetables with lots of lemon juice might have helped that.

[@GM-xo7yy]

Awesome. Lemon juice has lots of vitamin C 🍋

[@susanfarley1332]

@@GM-xo7yy and tastes good too.

[@katherinetutschek4757]

Interesting anecdote, thanks

[@jasmine9289]

Lucky

[@susanfarley1332]

@@jasmine9289 dont see how luck was involved. But thanks for your comment

[@annierosha5946]

What a great idea. I am going to start this myself, eating sweets only once a week and then brushing my teeth immediately after. I love it! What a brilliant idea.

[@buzzle4271]

Don't brush your teeth immediately after eating. It can damage your enamel.

[@elenaKS230]

Dentists advice waiting 30 minutes to an hour after eating to brush your teeth because it can damage your teeth’s enamel. But absolutely! Good for you for finding a goal and sticking to it

[@paigeconnelly4244]

Noooo! Don't do that! The sugar in your food makes your mouth environment slightly more acidic. That slight acidity softens the protective enamel on your teeth so if you brush when this enamel is soft, you'll be scraping it off and your teeth with be more and more exposed to deacy. Wait 30 minutes to an hour before brushing for your saliva to neutralise the acid and return the pH of your mouth to normal levels.

[@ArcticAirUltraPro]

Consider rinsing/ swishing with water shortly after eating or drinking something sugary, or acidic

[@MellowJelly]

@@ArcticAirUltraPro this is great advice ty

[@gdaymates431]

I have my own little ritual where every Saturday morning I walk down to the bakery and buy 1 jam donut. I eat it with a cup of tea while I listen to a podcast. It's nice to wait for things.

[@Maanemand]

In Denmark there is a similar concept called “fredagsslik” (Friday sweets) it was a Friday evening ritual when I was a child and I see several Danish families keeping the ritual alive till this day

[@devenokearney8984]

I'm Irish and by and large, it's the same for us. I remember when I went to primary school, we were allowed to bring in sweets to school (they were strictly banned any other day), so in my head, I always associate Friday with eating sweets. "Treat day" here is traditionally Friday but that's at the discretion of the parents. It can be Saturday or Sunday, too. Although more and more children are starting to eat sweets and other junk food during the week and because of that, we now have a problem with childhood obesity. Is it the same in Denmark?

[@BusterLund]

In Denmark we are a bit more daring. We eat the Saturday candy on Fridays

[@penguin_in_a_birch_tree]

Wow. I'm from Finland and this is so normal here that I'm very surprised to hear this isn't a thing in many countries. Y'all how do your teeth survive?!

[@GreenGorgeousness]

That's the neat part- they don't.

[@Matheus_Braz]

Rinse your mouth after eating candy, avoid soda and brush your teeth everyday

[@SIC647]

Yes, as a Dane I too thought it was just how people handled kids wanting candy.

[@mish537]

Um pretty good actually. Our kid rarely gets sweets, especially not these carcinogenic ones with artificial colourings and flavourings. Yuck. I would say by today's standards of healthy and clean eating, 7 of these kinds of lollies a week is actually a lot no matter how you dole it out. And, brushing your teeth and eating nutrient rich foods does more to protect your teeth than anything else.

[@jonnamustonen6751]

Well it’s normal for families to have this but it’s not a tradition and most don’t. 😅

[@EyorSnlandJonsson]

We have this tradition in Iceland to 🇮🇸 it’s a very good thing for children to wait all week for eating candy 🍭🤙🏽 We also have a 50% off the candy bar in every store, I loved it when I was younger!

[@peterericson8170]

Same here in Finland. I believe it is a Nordic thing. Perhaps a little less in Denmark?

[@EyorSnlandJonsson]

@@peterericson8170 I really don’t know how this is in Denmark! They probably have if every nordic country have it 🤷🏼

[@peterericson8170]

But they are more stuffed with sugar through coffee cakes etc. I have been in Denmark at least 65 times but haven´t sofar heard anything about this habit. Will try to do some more research.

[@Noitsbeckyy13]

@@peterericson8170 I don’t know if people still do this, but as a kid growing up in Denmark we definitely followed this.

[@peterericson8170]

Ok! So then it might be a Nordic thing after all! :)

[@giuliab8484]

This is a thing in Denmark as well, but on Fridays instead of Saturdays

[@jasminenielsen6073]

Fredagsslik for the win

[@vincentblackwood7144]

Yeah here in Sweden it's fredagsmys also on Fridays. I've been all over and everywhere they do this on Friday, not Saturday. This video might just be another case of Stockholm acting like they're the only place in Sweden again.

[@Ellie-qq9zm]

Friday candy and TV together

[@Niinque]

Nah, it can be on saturdays as well in Denmark. Depends on where you’re from and your family traditions. Jeg fik altid “lørdags-slik”

[@giuliab8484]

@@Niinque I grew up with Fredags-slik 🤷‍♀️

[@user-vj4dp4xr8k]

In Finland we have karkkipäivä=candy day. Karkkipäivä is usually saturday. We also have a candy bag called Lauantaipussi=saturday bag. And Finnish kids chew xylitol gum after food.

[@n0namesowhatblerp362]

It makes sense youd have this day too.

[@hannuback]

I was more surprised that this isn't a thing elsewhere. I'm from Finland too and I was a kid in the 80's and everyone was doing this. It was weird if someone didn't do this.

[@Rikard_Nilsson]

lauantaipussi...omfg im weezing here, sorry but that's just an...interesting word.

[@hammasharha]

@@Rikard_Nilsson here in finland wr have the plsaticpussi , paperpussi, trashpussi and many other kinds of pussi 😆

[@stantinkabel6855]

Pussi 😀

[@Celtas87]

As a swede born in the 80's, I grew up with saturday sweets too. Great tradition. 🙂

[@dasikakn]

This is an awesome idea! Also I love how her tone was proud when saying “welfare state”. Here in America, people say it like it’s a bad word and stifles all innovations and work. It doesn’t seem to have stopped the Swedes.

[@NostalgiNorden]

I don't think she sounded proud. She was simply being informative. That said. As a swede i am proud. Sadly the right wing lunatics in sweden has been trying their best to ruint the well fare state for the last 30 years.

[@17thvillain9]

@@NostalgiNorden vilket skitsnack.

[@planefan082]

Virgin workaholics vs chad life enjoyers (joking, mostly)

[@milksomecows]

Growing up, my mum never bought me any sweets. She didn't bring me to the supermarket and let me choose treats. She didn't reward me with sweets either. But she was ok if someone gave me sweets. Or if I was at a party and there was cake or something it was fine to eat it. I don't feel like I missed out on anything during my childhood. Now as an adult, I don't really crave sweets :)

[@andressalessa]

Best thing ever, not seeing sweets as reward.

[@honeybunch5765]

I'm South African and my mom raised us the same way back in the 70's and 80's. Sweeties, chocolates, potato crisps and cool drinks were only allowed on Saturdays and only a controlled portion of it, not an eat as much as you can. She said we were hyper enough, she couldn't cope with us bouncing off the walls during the week. We seldomly ate out and take aways were a Friday treat. None of us were ever overweight as kids.😃

[@MellowJelly]

beautiful regiment! i wanna do that if i ever have kids lol

[@Squirreltasticqueen]

Congrats on the genetics and perpetuating debunked fatphobic myths

[@johannabagelius4177]

As a swede, the thought of giving your kids candy everyday of the week is weird. Candy is for the weekends

[@pattheplanter]

I would have avoided showing that much of someone's credit card details, even if the last digits were obscured.

[@StevieCooper]

It’s actually very easy to work out the full number, won’t explain but they should really reupload this. Can’t do much these days anyway without the rear cvc digits but some ordering and direct debits wont need them

[@rachelcookie321]

As a kid I was only allowed sweets on special occasions. Holidays and birthdays and when we watched movies. I am happy my parents did this because I see people who are always eating sweets and drinking fizzy drinks because they became addicted as kids and I’m happy that’s not me. I want to do the same for my kids. Sadly I still ended up with cavities because my parents didn’t realise fruit juice was bad for you but luckily those cavities were in my baby teeth. After getting those cavities fruit juice became a special occasion thing and my adult teeth are still clear of cavities.

[@soilgrasswaterair]

It’s about genetics too, some are super careful and still get cavities. Some are super sloppy with their dental health and have no cavities. Much goes into it not only diet. But I agree with you and was raised the same way and had my first cavity in my late 20s.

[@MellowJelly]

I'd argue that if a child is restricted too much from having sweets, once they have their own allowance and independence they might over-indulge because they felt they missed out. It depends how much your family has movie night with treats I guess. And depends on the individual. I have known children who don't even like sweets, and when I was a kid I totally loved it like way more than average. Now as an adult I like them more than other adults lol

[@victoriap1649]

@@MellowJelly yes that was me. I have a binge eating disorder. My mom didn’t let me have any sweets soda or basically anything other kids in the US had every day. I’m grateful that she didn’t raise me eating those processed foods. However, because she was so extreme with a zero tolerance policy, I would binge like crazy when everyone was asleep when sleeping over friends and relatives houses. I’m sure my food addiction also had to do with other unsavory aspects of my upbringing, but I definitely think teaching balance is key.

[@mellbell360]

As a Canadian with a large sugar addiction, I kinda wish I grew up this way! I have ADHD and struggle with impulse control, this would have ingrained in me very early how to have limits with sugar.

[@vanefreja86]

I work in a kindergarden in Denmark. The children love fridays as it means candy and watching the weekly one hour cartoon-show. 😆🤗

[@coffeejack7458]

Candy in a kindergarten? 😅😐..

[@vanefreja86]

@@coffeejack7458 no, at home.

[@mariella3172]

Yeah same, I work in a kindergarden in Finland and the kids are always excited on Fridays as they have their candy day coming up! 😁

[@nicolarollinson4381]

I wish this tradition still continued in UK too. We have very similar sweets called Pick n Mix, which I used to treat my children to at the weekend. Now Supermarkets are full of sweet temptations to add to the store cupboard. Its sad the effect that bad advertising and supermarkets have on lifestyle' choices. Advertising of cigarettes is banned and I feel it would be beneficial to restrict advert's for treats too.

[@HoneyIveHeardItAll]

To clarify - dental is 100% covered for children up to age 22 in Sweden!! The only problem is it's not covered for adults (but you can buy insurance)

[@aspannas]

It's up to 25 in my region actually.

[@jordanforbes2557]

We have the same in Finland. It's called Karkkipäivä, "Sweets day".

[@allannyholmnielsen5559]

Sign us Danes up for doing the same - friday or saturday candy. Sweden is on a roll with news coverage - Denmark wants some love too darn it!

[@scorpioteez233]

My mom simply didn't allow me to drink soda at all cost when i was a child. I only drank soda in a big family ocassion. Thanks mom now i am not addicted to sugary drink

[@honeybunch5765]

Soda was the ultimate treat for a Saturday and then only a small glass full. Sweeties were also a Saturday treat and I'm not Swedish.

[@larsstougaard7097]

Your dentist must be proud...or sad, depends on the perspective 😉

[@n0namesowhatblerp362]

Ah i understand,..us rebellious kids

[@squidge125]

Only ever drank fizzy drinks (soda) at parties or birthday/Christmas as a child

[@soniamo4139]

Ironically, the guy in your profile is holding a pepsi.😂

[@yaeshogun69]

Here in Italy we have "pizza day", basically every family has pizza once a week on a specific day Usually it's Saturday, but sometimes people choose Friday

[@Janita_S]

Some companies try to make potato chips and taco friday here in Norway. I'm not biting 😂

[@Freeink93]

Yeah that's true! Saturdays mean PIZZA for me and my family, then we never eat it for the rest of the week. Didn't know it was a tradition that other italian families followed as well... cool! :D

[@charliejohanssen7421]

this is a good wholesome tradition

[@tkc1129]

Seems the key here is that by eating a lot of sweets at once on Saturday, you eat less throughout the week and can easily make sure to brush right after eating candy.

[@spongebobjanapants]

My parents had me drink a cup of unsweetened tea whenever I ate something sweet. They believed it helped with dental health and also reduced symptoms of a sugar rush. Now as an adult I always drink tea with dessert or sweets, it's a good habit.

[@precursors]

IN Turkey baklava always goes with black tea 😂

[@mixthepasta]

My parents never gave me sweets growing up, only fruits as a "sweet" and I actually grew up not to like sweets, even if people would give me them I wouldn't eat them, never developed a taste for it. I find candy very sugary and I never crave it. I like a little dark chocolate once in a while, but I really don't like any other sweets. I think it's a good system, just to give your kids fruits as a "sweet thing" or a biscuit/cake once in a while😋 You can be happy and live without candy, I don't really understand this idea of having to have sweets, it's not necessary and best to cut out

[@zmnicvander]

Exactly. I'm on the Primal Diet and if I sporadic have dessert, it is a cup of sugar-free plain yogurt and berries, sometimes I'll indulge in a drizzle of honey. Or a square of 90% dark chocolate with coconut oil. And tea. I can't stand sweets and desserts anymore.

[@Kerrylinton]

I'm loving these BBC Swedish culture videos. I already knew of these but knowing the origins and reasoning are quite fascinating.

[@calfstream123]

My three grandchildren get to choose 7 pieces of small candies each on Saturday...not to be eaten until after they have had their dinner, though! And if I turn up with cinnamon buns for fika midweek...the parents see to it by putting them in the freezer...until Saturday.😜

[@sawa139]

That's probably the best retail position. Joyful little kids all day long

[@annajordan6789]

I will definitely adopt this tradition.

[@ccityplanner1217]

Wonderful how the sweets at the pick & mix are not mixed up at all. The children are really disciplined in keeping it tidy.

[@LaLaLaAllDayLong]

This is such an adorable tradition

[@lauren8627]

It's really about total sugar and carb intake when it comes to tooth decay. The hidden crap like sugary breakfast cereals and dried fruit roll ups and bars, and juice. Countries with less sugar-related diseases tend to have savoury breakfasts. It's a huge step in thr right direction. Don't restrict your candy intake to one day, it puts it up on a pedestal and the psychology of it won't help a lot of people that already have self control issues. Young kids brought up with it might benefit as they know no difference.

[@khrisi9410]

Back in the day this was a poverty issue for us. Weekends was sweets but during the week no candy. There was occasional bribing but very rare. I hate squash as a kid so the promise of a couple of orange or strawberry nowlaters after dinner inspired me to hold my nose, chew squash and swallow lol.

[@rachelcookie321]

How does it affect money if you eat sweets on the weekend instead of during the week?

[@jfb919]

@@rachelcookie321 sweets and other treats are an extra expense. Makes sense that spending on them once a week rather than every day would work out cheaper.

[@rachelcookie321]

@@jfb919 that’s only saving money because you buy them less. If you only bought sweets on Mondays it would be the same.

[@jfb919]

@@rachelcookie321 yes that's correct. Nothing more to it

[@EM2theBee]

Absolutely brilliant!

[@aeydra]

I applaude anyone having enough self-discipline to only eat sweets once a week 👏😅

[@cat_pb]

Same

[@hnorrstrom]

Agreed. Or have the discipline to say no to their kids.

[@MusicalMissBennett]

My family did this but on Sundays….I knew it was different to many other families in the UK but didn’t know it was a tradition elsewhere! It was a good choice I feel, set us up well for a healthy relationship with sweets in adulthood.

[@Algimantaz]

In finland we do this as well! I just forgot if its saturdays or sundays.. but all kids look forward to it its rly fun

[@sofiemiltoft9580]

In Denmark we get sweets on Friday, but otherwise it’s the same system:) The sweets you see in the bins are cheaper on Fridays, to motivate people to only buy it on that day.

[@RageSondrayy]

I'm Norwegian and I grew up with the same tradition. i personally do not abide by it as an adult, because the natural result is binge eating. It feels a lot better on my stomach, and the small pleasures throughout add up in a way binge eating on the cheat day doesn't.

[@CampingforCool41]

I have Swedish family and have been there twice in my life but I never knew about this tradition. But I remember going into convenience stores and seeing those bins of candy just like that. We have lots of candy in convenience stores here but it’s all just prepackaged brand name stuff. A lot less fun. Also I agree with that kid, the cola flavored sour “pacifiers” are a very good choice hehe Not so much the salty liquorice though

[@elisabetbenson]

Also a Swede. When I was a kid we had Saturday candy, but our budget was our weekly allowance and when we were really young that was only around 2 euros so that greatly limited the amount of candy we could buy. It's actually an amount I stick to even as an adult if I'm buying loose candy. But as an adult I must admit to eating candy on other days as well. It is fun though to try and be sneaky if my niece and nephew are around 😆

[@Lucyinthskyy]

Those candies look amazing. I would love to try them all .

[@Temptation666]

I'm Danish and i remember some friends of mine who got Saturday candy in 1971. So not only a Swedish tradition.

[@llc1976]

this is so cool! I wish I could move back, my moms moms family was from near malmo. we had the tradition you coukd have a rootbeer float on saturday night. We werent allowed soda other days

[@fireice2037]

I think every country should practice this. Saturday sweet day. Healthier kids and longer lives.

[@lunix3259]

Thank god for the subtitles

[@Falconlibrary]

My Swedish mother only allowed us sweets on Saturday but I never knew the word for it until now. Candy tastes extra good if you have to wait all week for it.

[@7cooli]

We do this in Norway to. It`s really common. I`m honestly really surprised this isn`t more common in more countries

[@sunna8476]

This is a tradition in Iceland and Norway as well

[@Gottsnus]

My mom (on top of adhering to lördagsgodis) never bought the candy when i was with her, and instead poured it in a bowl. So i didn't recognize packaged candy when i was in the supermarket till i was a bit older.

[@moomeow4373]

Same in Iceland, laugardagur (Saturday) is also nammidagur (candy day), everyone goes to the store and gets candy with their kids or friends and get their fill of candy for the week.

[@wilbur9416]

I visited Sweden in the early 80s as a child, I remember riding the train on the ferry across the bay the horrible winter and the candy stores.😁

[@neeeaaan]

as a swede who followed this rule until i was 12, i now have problems with sugar but i try my best to at least keep it to friday and saturday

[@n0namesowhatblerp362]

I moved abroad and tried to "follow the inhabitants ways of doing things", its not going well.

[@coffeejack7458]

I was also addicted to sugar back in the day. The trick is to cut out all soda/candy for 2 months+. And then limit it to the weekend. Heard its something to do with the gut bacteria/stomach fauna that send the signal to the brain to eat more sugar.

[@nikobellic570]

@@coffeejack7458 hmmm .. might try that after Christmas and New year. New year resolution: nothing sweet

[@imeaiwteh7540]

Those kids are so adorable bless them

[@Frumess]

This is brilliant!

[@rosemaryhowes8047]

This was the same when I was a child, and I'm 73, only on a weekend did we eat something sweet as a treat. We were all very slim in the 50s and 60. No overweight children at all.

[@marsian909]

Swede here! Me and my partner usually go get candy on Friday to sort of celebrate the end of the work week! Then we usually have some left on Saturday. In regards to what Richard said about swedes being healthy and eating better food, I've heard recently that many McDonalds restaurants along with all the Starbucks cafés here has been closed as the high fat, high sugar foods don't appeal to the general public here! Not sure if this goes for everyone in Sweden but I thought it was an interesting read as it does indeed apply to myself!

[@kimchi8022]

I like this idea. I’m going to give it a shot!

[@tylermacdonald8924]

Thank God, I love this.

[@inflikktion]

I grew up with this also in Iceland and had no idea it was a thing elsewhere. We probably got it from Sweden originally, lol.

[@rotties-rules]

It's the same in Norway, might be more a Nordic tradition.

[@emerana]

My English parents did the same with me for primary school age in South Africa. Saturday trips with 50c pocket money to buy as much sugary junk as possible. Talk about min/maxing that 50c. Rest of week, sad soggy but worthy sandwiches for school, and home cooked meals for dinner. It has had a positive lifetime influence on my relationship with food as an adult. Except for the sandwiches... never again.

[@haruruben]

Those candies look so good

[@allyson--]

Those kids are so adorable!!!

[@sheenawarecki92]

My brother and I had free access to candy and stuff but we just never really went overboard and never craved sweets that much 🤔 we just kinds naturally only ate them once a week or so and thats true even today. It's rare I crave sweets or eat them frequently. I don't even crave the sugar in soda, I crave the bubbles, so I often just drink sparkling water

[@hnorrstrom]

Yes, I think that is because then you didn't get candy as a reward and don't connect it to joy and weekend. Many kids get programmed that sugar and candy is fun and party and the brain remembers that. My daughter drinks water all the time, I never denied her soda. She is just drinking what she likes.

[@DieGurkenfresser]

Same here. The others stuffed their faces until it nearly Came back up again at every Chance they got because their parents made such a fuss about it instead of Beeing chill

[@white_tulip2189]

Scandinavian languages are so beautiful, the rhythm of Swedish sentences is similar to that of Danish.

[@helfiherman87]

Oh gotta try this at home!

[@je55777]

They're so adorable 😭😭

[@FatherRina]

Wow okay so I’m Swedish-American and never knew this is where my family’s tradition probably came from!! Soda (only non caffeinated) once a week, minimal candy once a week!! It’s so cool seeing how immigrants pass down their culture and seeing them live on in both places 🥰

[@annasahlstrom6109]

Proudly part-Swedish! I love this tradition.

[@pearline4684]

I think it‘s a good way of teaching not just self-discipline but making choices as well as a healthy view on sweets. You can eat them and indulge in it, just not always, and that‘s perfectly fine. I mean i do think many of these kids probably sometimes have some other sweets like cake or something during the week too, but not every week, so basically that is also more on special occasions.

[@mmps18]

Very interesting and cool tradition!

[@THERESEALMSTROM]

It’s so funny that this is such a tradition here in Sweden. As an adult you simply could eat candy any day of the week, which many people do as a single household or if you don’t have kids. But as soon there’s kids involved it’s all about eating candy mainly only on saturdays. I even get a little upset if someone tells me they give their children candy on fridays 😂

[@linnealindelundin2880]

This is mind blowing I thought it was this way everywhere 🤯🇸🇪

[@alondragutierrez2280]

Sweet Saturday sounds nice

[@beanmoo]

I LOVE THISSSS I wanna do this with my kids

[@voraciousreader3341]

I never had any trouble saying, “nope!” to my children....why do we need to feel apologetic about that? They never had candy unless it was a holiday, like Christmas, and then I always made sure they had handmade, locally made, milk chocolate candy which they loved but never completely ate. We’d put peppermint candy canes on the Christmas tree, which were never eaten! Halloween candy was never finished. They didn’t develop a taste for it, I guess, yet their psychological development progressed just fine, lol! Now 25 and 31, they have no cavities and swear they feel no lack!

[@vivianscircle]

My mom did the same. I am 33. No cavities at all! 😁

[@coffeejack7458]

As long as it wasn't full on Adolf Hitler control over your kids candy consumption when visiting their friends etc its "ok" i guess.

[@Flybabyfish]

Some doctors say that it’s actually the shape of the tooth that is genetically prone to develop cavities, plus ph levels in water.

[@ReapTheWhirlwind]

This is a good idea for me as an adult. Sweets have become somewhat less attractive but now I can buy them whenever I want and my impulse control is especially poor under stress. Once I get into a new routine I follow it well so I think I could stick to this. I'm not toothless because I hate cake, am lactose intolerant, and tend to prefer water. Soda is my biggest weakness right now. 😭

[@hellie_el]

wonderful! thanks. :)

[@johannesofie777]

In Norway it used to be 18.00 / 6pm on Saturday when the children's program started. No snacks before that. Of course this has changed because the children's programs can be watched 24/7 if you want to.

[@Piss-shark]

My parents were pretty strict until I was about 11, and I could choose what was good and bad. No fizzy drinks, only 1 sweet a day, and always ask permission before eating unhealthy food. And those habits have stuck, and to this day I have never had a cavity:D teaching your children good habits goes a long way !

[@NiePieerdol]

And I always did the exact opposite, haven't had one cavity either. I'm actually sipping on Dr peppers right now 😂

[@microbios8586]

I learned about this tradition in Sweden on a bag of candy at work. It created some good conversation with coworkers.

[@MAYK1NG]

This is AWESOME.

[@enoch4499]

Everyone everywhere should embrace this tradition. So many benefits!

[@REXFORGT]

It seems like every time there's a something interesting Scandinavians do, it's a Swedish tradition lmao

[@Annaonesun]

A lot of the time it's stuff that all the nordic countries have their own version of, but for some reason we swedes get credited with it... I suspect it's because the world seem to have a strange fascination with us that has almost mythicised us lmao

[@hannuback]

Nordic countries are culturally really closely knit. Historically Sweden used to be a local superpower that governed here in Finland too. The exchange of ideas and habits goes way back. It's interesting that sometimes even finnish people are depicted as swedes even though were the "weird cousin" of the bunch :D

[@justicebeske5704]

Actually seems like a pretty good idea, I might try that. When I was younger, my parents only let me watch tv on the weekends and that made tv feel more special.

[@Ahldor]

In Sweden we call the TV "dumburken" which wouod translate to something like "the stupid box". :D Many parents are wary about too much "screen time" for their children here aswell but that includes phone, computer, TV, tablet etc.

[@KaustubhPatil]

Amazing solution

[@bintangdilangit3348]

Good point gonna apply it in my future family