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Sweden is known as having some of the highest satisfaction levels of any country on the planet. Despite the long nights and harsh winters many Swedes enjoy not having to worry about paying for healthcare and having expanded municipal services. This is thanks to the welfare state that was set up following World War II. In those days after the war a very questionable dental experiment was undertaken. Mentally ill patients were given a diet that was extremely high in sugar and the unmitigated, negative effects on their teeth studied in detail. While this sort of experiment would be illegal in most countries today, it gave doctors and researchers a firm grasp of what a diet high in refined sugar can do to patients’ teeth.

licorice candies popular in Scandinavian countries
Via: Bill Craighead/Unsplash

In order to curb tooth decay and high dental bills a campaign was enacted to convince families to only eat sweets on Saturday. The idea is that you can have all your candy in one day and then brush your teeth, lowering one’s chances of cavities.

The finds of that post-war study, as well as many other countries’ own research, shows that limiting sweets throughout the week also limits the environment for bad bacteria so it cannot grow as readily. And, it seems to be working: despite eating a 1/4 pound of candy each week Swedish children have better dental health than children in other countries.

jar of fruit candies
Via: Joanna Kosinska/Unsplash

The tradition is known as Lördagsgodis or “Saturday candy” and many Swedes -especially children- look forward to this tradition all week long. Sweden is known for their selections of licorice, hard candies, and fruit candies – all of which are still sold pick-and-mix style in most stores. For many families this is a weekly event and the children get to pick their favorites with unfettered delight.

Since many families have been doing this for generations now, it feels very normal to many Swedes. However, there are those who will have sweets at special occasions and perhaps a cheeky mid-week candy or cake as well. And, in Sweden various baked goods are very popular seasonally, including Semla cream buns for Fat Tuesday and a variety of cookies at Christmas.

semla fika coffee
Via: Blondinrikard Fröberg/Flickr

The fika ritual also remains popular as a way to connect with friends over coffee, tea, and sweets. Even so, if most people are only eating sweets on one or two days out of the week then they are doing better than most countries.

Learn more about the Saturday candy tradition in the video below.

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