Healthy Pleasure, a Combined Word of Healthy + Pleasure
A housewife, Ms. A, who is raising a daughter entering the 6th grade of elementary school this year, was taken aback last week before grocery shopping when she heard her daughter's request. The child, who had always seemed young, asked to buy salad and nuts for breakfast to manage her diet going forward.
Ms. A has been worried that her child, who frequently watches short-form content on major social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, seems to be interested only in dieting and meal management without considering her growth stage.
With the global increase in health awareness due to the COVID-19 pandemic over the past three years, a trend called ‘Healthy Pleasure’ has emerged. Healthy Pleasure is a combination of the words Healthy and Pleasure.
Previously, health management was strongly associated with pain and hardship, but Healthy Pleasure focuses on enjoying the meaning of health management. Especially, the MZ generation tends to enjoy low-calorie foods that suit their taste, efficiently manage both physical and mental health, and exercise easily and enjoyably.
Reflecting this trend, global food and beverage companies like Coca-Cola, as well as major Korean food and beverage companies, are launching low-sugar new products with the ‘Zero’ label as if following a fad. Recently, even alcoholic beverages such as soju, popular among older generations, have seen a trend of ‘Zero’ low-sugar products and low-alcohol content drinks.
Moreover, as the incidence of diseases such as obesity and diabetes has increased due to added sugars in foods, some countries have introduced sugar taxes or strengthened related regulations to reduce sugar-added foods, making the low-sugar, or zero-sugar, food trend strong worldwide.
According to the 2021 National Health and Nutrition Survey released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the average sugar intake from processed foods among Koreans was 34.6g, accounting for 7.5% of total daily calories, which is lower than the World Health Organization’s recommended standard of 10%.
Compared to 36.8g in 2019, this represents about a 6% decrease, and sugar intake from beverages decreased from 12.5g to 10.7g per day, reflecting the recent influence of the Healthy Pleasure trend.
However, among children aged 6 to 11 and adolescents aged 12 to 18, more than one in three exceeded the WHO recommended sugar intake. Children consumed the most sugar through snacks, bread, and rice cakes (22.4%), while adolescents consumed the most sugar through beverages (29.4%).
According to data released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2019, the population with severe obesity in South Korea has steadily increased and is projected to reach 9% of the total population by 2030, which is double the current rate. Additionally, the obesity rate among male children and adolescents in South Korea is higher than the OECD average, raising concerns that social and economic problems caused by obesity will worsen in the next decade as these individuals become adults.
The biggest problem with sugar intake among children and adolescents is that it can lead to childhood obesity. This condition, characterized by excessive accumulation of fat tissue to a degree that negatively affects health, can easily progress to adult obesity and may cause early onset of adult diseases such as hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, and fatty liver, requiring caution.
Dr. Kim Cheol-am, a pediatrician at Daedong Hospital, said, “Nowadays, even when eating the same foods, children and adolescents prefer items labeled ‘Zero,’ but many still frequently consume snacks like tanghulu and bubble tea. It is necessary to provide appropriate education at home to help them practice healthy eating habits.” He advised, “Rather than one-sided nagging aimed solely at preventing obesity, parents should actively engage by using educational videos that incorporate play, information, and fun to encourage self-driven behavioral changes in an enjoyable and easy-to-understand way.”
To reduce sugar intake in daily life, it is recommended to choose products with lower sugar content by checking the nutrition information on the back of beverage packages and to keep sugar intake within 10% of total daily calories.
When thirsty, it is better to drink water or sparkling water instead of carbonated drinks, and if drinking carbonated beverages, reduce the amount by half compared to usual. When drinking coffee, avoid adding syrup or sugar.
If you want to taste sweetness, choose fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables, and rather than relieving stress with sweet foods, it is important to find your own stress relief methods.
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