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I feel much healthier, both physically and mentally, in Portugal than I did in Canada, despite of the stress of starting in a new place at the age of 47 in a place where I don't even have a single friend. From my sinus to chronic insomnia to my eternal depression, everything seems to have improved here 🤷♂️
My husband and I have had the exact same experiences. Every time we spend time in Europe, we eat EVERYTHING we want and still loose weight. I think the walking is a big part of it. It's wonderful! :)
Fun fact: In Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina) McDonalds opened and few months closed down because people were not into it. There are so many other better options. Fast food in US has too much weight (pun intended) in peoples' food choices.
sounds like McDonald's fault. Internationally they are good because they adapt their menu depending on the country's taste. Sounds like they didn't adapt for bosnia so yeaa....
@@kysfggt they can adapt as much as they want but they can't change completely what they sell nor can they compete with ćevapi, as someone already said above.
@@jda974 of course they can, they sell shrimp in asia, and i can't find that in my country. Or rice. Or pancakes, and other meals. And they can totally compete with cevapi, they got an army of food scientists to make it better than any street vendor, they just don't want to invest in a weak market so it's cheaper to fail than to invest
I noticed the same thing when I was over there. My first two weeks in Europe were in Portugal and that's where I noticed the biggest difference. I was walking/exploring more. My stress level dropped to NOTHING and my food seemed much healthier. I went over with a 31" waist and came back to the U.S. at nearly a 30" waist. My 2-liter became a six pack again and I honestly felt 10 years younger. We had Sangria and Gelato on a regular basis but I just have a feeling that everything was more natural and not full of preservatives. Of course, not having the 24/7 work ethic to deal with made me relax for the first time in years and I noticed that change in day 3. I hate to say this but the U.S. lifestyle is just sh*t compared to Europe. Too demanding and too much stress. No one should be on call/working 24/7. The balance is way off. Thanks for the great video. Your transformation has been amazing. I wish more Americans could take four weeks and go there to experience the difference. I also like the "SauDave" tattoo that you got. No need to manscape as you are going to look great anyway as you progress. I have two friends moving to Faro in October and I suspect I won't be too far behind.
I'm from germany. I wouldn't say it's negativ, it's just different. but we in the EU have this great advantage of living and working wherever we want. so everyone can be happy in the country that they like the most😊
@@rebeccarendle3706 How so? The work hours in many jobs are far lower than in other European countries, despite Germans always claiming to be a grind nation. What's really difficult about Germany is the low social mobility, the classism and the really bad and annoying bureaucracy. Also the food is definitely worse than southern European or French food, despite high regulations, just because the food culture is so focused around unhealthy ingredients like high fat meat, butter and beer.
I would say ot is quite positive. They accept college degrees from countries like Slovakia and simply they give a chance to people that are not given any chance anywhere else. Even though a lot of people don't deserve it.
@@rebeccarendle3706 I live in Germany and honestly it's not bad in terms of government and food. What makes it bad is the people who are so stressed and serious all the time. JUST CALM DOWN FOR A SECOND OMG
I lived in Barcelona for a year and the same thing happened to me. And I ate all the things; fresh bread and other baked goods, fried things and drank wine everyday. When I returned to Los Angeles I was lighter than I ever was, and had zero food allergies. Here in L.A. I find it beneficial to eat low carb, gluten free and abstain from alcohol if I want to feel good and not gain weight.
in barcelona is not easy to find good bread. i feel that bread sold in supermarkets (condis, mercadona, etc) makes my belly swells. But there are some bakeries where they let the yeast work for hours enough (12, 14 or even more), and that bread feels much better. One of the best breads that you can eat in barcelona is in the Baluard bakery, in Barceloneta neighbourhood. Of course, the bread from frozen pizzas is bad. Im 47 yo, used to use bicicle on daily basis not for sport, but for short trips to daily stuff or to go to work. i never had problems with cholesterol, blood pressure or overweight. i've never been in U.S., but i think that food in barcelona has room for improving. In peaches, as example, when is the season, if i can, i go to the Ordal region, and i buy there the sweetest most tender and juicy peaches you could imagine. But in the shops in barcelona.. they are tasteless, and their texture is not good either. nor they have a smell that fills the whole house. I don't know how is the food in U.S. though. If i were you, i would try to purchase a tiny land somewhere and plant some figtrees, apricots and trees of that kind. with a bit, nearly no need of caring, they grow by themselves and give you excellent fruit when is the season. just need to cut the higher branches in winter to avoid the tree to grow too much and make the fruit where you can't reach it. if the tree variety is the apropiate for the clime, and california has a similar one as here, you would have wonderful fruit for several moments of the year.
I remember when I lived in Canada as a young man, we would meet European nannies fresh off the boat, slim and good looking. Six months later most of them gained a lot of weight, grew pimples and some became unrecognizable. Its not as if suddenly they started eating twice as much as before. Not only is the food more fattening but they stopped walking since they lived in the suburbs where you get nowhere by foot. I am now living in Portugal and I just eat whatever I feel like and don't gain weight. I eat out often but restaurant food is just as healthy a homemade.
We had a foreign exchange student from Belgium, and she'd gained at least 20 lbs in the first six months at another home, moved to ours and barely stayed at that increased weight even with regular gym visits during her 3 months at our home. She never over-ate, and we cooked from scratch with few convenience foods, but just the lack of quality was a shock to her taste buds and satiety. It was so bad that her mom was worried, but luckily she dropped to her normal healthy weight within a few months of returning home and said she never changed the quantity of what she was eating!
I am from Poland, and I am just back from US, been there for 7 weeks, in Washington DC. Beeing there just for few weeks I didn't have a car. OMG how much walking I had there!!! 😂 Distances between blocks, and to nearest grocery store were double, that in Warsaw. I walked a lot!!!
The thing I notice in the US is that apart from the ridiculous portion sizes, everything is incredibly sweet. I don’t know if more sugar is added to everything in the US but I definitely eat much less sweet things in Portugal
It is the High Fructose Corn Syrup added to everything. Also sugar is GMO beet sugar which is sprayed with weed killer. Even cane sugar and stevia are sprayed with weed killer! I agree everything in America is overly sweetened
I mean American "mustard" is basically just normal mustard with a tons of sugar added. Most Americans have never tasted actual mustard in their life. That tells you everything you need to know xD
Either that, or incredibly salty. The Whopper at BK made my lips curl inwards for the salt which sucked the moisture out of my mouth, while a shake at McD practically burned my tongue because it was so sweet.
I live in the Netherlands, and my sister and I sometimes eat Coco Pops.We went on summerholiday to the US last summer, and bought Coco Pops there as well. Instantly, we noticed how much sweeter the Coco Pops in the US were compared to at home! Everything is made sweeter, more sugar is added for sure.
Americans also have the effect of air conditioning adding to the obesity epidemic. Summer heat naturally reduces appetite and is a time when people would naturally slim down, but that doesn't happen in much of the US anymore. Also it causes people to remain indoors because we've lost our heat tolerance.
I’ve noticed the same! I’m international and most of my international friends and I still cannot understand why they don’t like fresh air here 😂 In the summer instead of opening the windows they just turn their ACs like there’s no tomorrow.
@@whitneyc.3257 I think your friends from outside the US know the air is polluted from all the car exhaust and particulate matter from the tires and brakes and vapors from the auto fluid droppings and spilled gasoline due to the fact that everyone has to drive in the US and unless we live in the country or don't have a car we get stuck in slow-moving traffic and are a part of the traffic causing the pollution.
One doesn't really need AC, with the typical European brick house. During a heatwave, I just close the rolling-shutters on the outside of my windows. I open everything up during the late evening or early morning, when it has cooled down outdoors. Temperature never gets above 25°C (77°F) inside, even without AC in 38°C weather outside. Sure the house will heat up gradually during long heatwaves, meaning our bodies have time to adapt to those temperatures over a time-span of several weeks. Guess that's not the case in the US, where the average wooden house has equivalent insulation properties to my European wooden garden shed...
3:46 A supermarket in an urban area with a parking lot five times it's size... serving exactly ... less customers than a European supermarket with 20 car spots and 100 spots for bicycle parking. Bonus of grocery shopping with a standard bicycle is that it is very tempting to cut out soda.
There are a few crucial differences indeed. In Portugal is more the norm to have a lunch break at work where we are expected to sit down at 30 to 60 min to eat, have a coffee and socialize. Most companies have a cafeteria with the dish of the day. Or there are restaurants nearby offices with the meal of the day concept, which is usually a vegetable soup, main dish with dessert as optional and with prices close enough to a fast food menu. Then there is the thing that grocery shops are everywhere and long term shopping is not required. That translates in less storage of long duration food at home and more fresh produce being eaten. This makes fast food not a necessity but rather a personal preference. To be honest it seems to also be a cultural change for the younger generations to abandon the traditional way of Mediterranean eating in favour of fast food. Who knows how population will look in 10 or 20 years...
@@antoniocruz8083 NON-GMO and NON-Hybrids and Non-Chemicalized food ingredients are used in Europe. In 1975 to 1984 U.S Food Corporations started the gradual sugaring of American foods, then in 1985 they went ALL OUT SUGARING of American foods everywhere and obesity skyrocketed to new heights and created new and more diseases and dementia and alzheimer's disease. Then in 1995 they started introducing GMOs first in the form of GMO wheat and all kinds of GMO crops and HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS TRIPLED IN THE SAME YEAR! No fillers, no additives, no preservatives, no etc are used in European foods.
There is definitely a lot more walking. I lived there as a kid in Obidos. I would have to get a bucket walk all the way to the well, come back, and fill up the shower with it lol. The food there is very fresh so I agree with you. Even the ice cream tastes better. I miss the kinder surpresa eggs. I miss many things. I'm glad you're enjoying the beauty of Portugal. You look great btw! Hope everything works out for you.
Hi Dave, Terry & Jennifer in Caldas, we experienced the same as you after moving to Portugal! In 2019 we spent 3 months in Spain to see firsthand life in Europe. We both slimed down about 10 pounds. The food quality is off the charts when it come to fresh fruits and vegetables. I discovered I could eat bread without any problems. Upon our return to the states to apply for visas, covid hit and delayed our return! Gained it all back over the year and started dropping weight as soon as we returned.
Another excellent video Dave. You’re making it so much easier for me and my husband to plan our trip to Portugal in a few months. Hoping to be there semi permanently in 2024. Many thanks to you!
You can do it. It is very easy nowadays to move to any european country because of the laws of the EU. I'm German and live in austria for 14 years and every year a lot of americans move here too. I met so many of you guys in the last year's, seems that a lot of americans moving overseas nowadays
Except Switzerland is where I really want to be, and their laws are much stricter for Americans. Almost impossible unless you’re highly skilled with an amazing degree in certain fields. Maybe it would be easier to move to a country in the EU. Thanks for the encouragement!
@@zaram131With an EU visa you can live travel to switzerland freely. If you want to work in switzerland you can do what many others do which is live in France, Germany, Austria or Italy and commute to switzerland.
Dave It’s beautiful to see your natural transformation in Portugal. All the variables you mentioned are 100% valid. I think the quality of food is a huge factor because foods in Europe are naturally organic while in the US organic just means 30% organic hence truly organic foods don’t really exist here, not even at Erewhon. When I moved to the US from Venezuela at the age of 21 I gained more than 15 pounds in the span of a few years. Needless to say I was highly depressed and didn’t even recognize myself in the mirror. On my quest to get back to my Pre-US “normal” I enrolled to train for three triathlons and ten marathons but I even had to become a personal trainer and part time yogi in order to loose all that extra weight. Further even these days I have to watch every bite I take and do IF. Luckily I get my break whenever I visit Europe in the summer and like you I am able to indulge on breads, fatty foods, desserts and wines galore and not gain a kilo. What’s your favorite Portuguese wine? I fell in love with the Alvarinhos.
Ditto for me. I spent nearly a year in Spain and there was NO fast food. I only worked a fraction of the time than in the US, so I took 7-mile walks along the Mediterranean daily, previously I would walk about 5 miles a few times a week. No scale, but I think I dropped 50 pounds. Had to buy all new clothes. In EU food is of a different quality and that must play a role. Whole Food stores here are just regular stores in the EU, without the mark up in prices. The lack of crime is great, and the political divisions are minimal.
YES! I am in better shape now that I moved to Portugal. Mostly plant based, limit the sweets and bread, But I love the bread here. I don't indulge in big restaurant meals too often. To me, walking has been the bigest change in my life. I walk 10,000 steps regularly.
I think Portugal amplifies the experience as (warm weather and city design lends itself to more walking and activities). My wife and I always feel we get a health boost from 2 weeks out in Portugal (although being on holiday / not working probably helps also!). Thanks for the content and great to see the body transformation 👍🏾.
I think the mental or psychological component probably has a big impact, perhaps even larger than the physical component. Having higher quality food, better public transportation (more walking), having small grocery shops everywhere (walk to the shop, instead of driving), etc, for sure helps a ton, BUT... The mental component for me is the main thing. Life is just more peaceful. In most of Europe work is a means to an end, not the end itself. Success in most of Europe is making enough to be comfortable and happy, and enjoy the right to be forgotten. "Leave me in peace with my family" sort of thing. the fact that you don't feel so stressed all the time, the fact that you feel safe in Europe, be it from a crime standpoint, or health, or unemployment, etc, gives you an insane PEACE OF MIND! Less stress (no "work work work/ get rich" culture, better food quality (higher food standards and regulations), and easy access to that food (no car centric culture) and health services (free or nearly free, and cheap even if private) seems to do the trick. Enjoy Europe, and spread the word. Europe needs good people that bring an open mind.
💯 👌 RIGHT.ON.POINT Here in North-America, it’s pretty much the same. Now that i live in the suburb of Montreal, I miss my 10+ years in the south of France 😫. I’m seriously planning to move back to Europe. Portugal is in my radar.
Sadly, my husband had developed a sensitivity to bread in the US and tried to avoid it. We were hoping he would be able to eat it in Portugal with better results. After two months in Portugal, we can say yes still sensitive to bread, but he ate so much more of it because it was delicious.
Chuckle chuckle Naughty naughty Your still luckier than me I had to give up gluten and sugar in the uk due to mobillity, balance and cognition issues. Dementia runs in my family…… All reversed and much improved within months and I lost 28lbs :) Enjoy! But giving bread up is not so bad to feel great!?
Food in the US is nearly toxic for the body and digestive flora, what your husband needs is enzymes to support the digestive system and theresd a chance he gets back to normal. I+ve never been in the US, and for the things I hear about the food industry, Im glad I never had to eat there. Hopefully Europe stitck with this healthy food culture.
The fact that there is less obesity in Europe is connected to a combination of multiple factors. People eat less, what they eat has less preservatives and is generally of higher quality. People in Europe as a whole walk a lot more than Americans. The advertising in the US for fast food and the consumption of high carb/high processed sugar food items is off the charts. Pretty much why Americans have a life expectancy that is approximately 5 years lass than Europe.
I believe you, we spent a couple of months with the kids this summer in Spain/Portugal and we all felt +look healthier without consciously trying. Accessibility to fresh foods and slower pace of life works wonder to body and soul. Hope to return soon. ✈️
Ciao. Same experience here i lived 4 years in Italy. I admit that the stress is less here than in Canada. No performance pressure. It is more la dolce vita e dolce far niente. And healthier food for sure. You have to move more to get to the comparable thing or situation. Ex no elevator, no automatic doors, no close parking...
I just moved from Hong Kong to California and gained a bunch of weight. Sure, in large part it is likely a result of comfort-eating/drinking to deal with reverse-culture shock stress, but also I attribute some of this to the car culture here. I walked so much more in Hong Kong on a routine basis than I do here - in California, I really need to make the extra effort.
I had similar results traveling in Europe, Asia & Central America. And when I lived in Africa, I could eat as much bread as I liked without inflaming my joints. That bread would go stale in a day or two, because of a lack of preservatives. It was effortless weight loss.
Totally THIS! I tend to eat very healthy just because I like to graze and I graze on the simplest foods. The feeling of being different disappears when I'm in Europe. There's just so much more healthy food than unhealthy, and the walking that becomes part of every day is effortless. It certainly doesn't hurt that there's so much to do outdoors, either. It's just a better way to go and part of the reason I'm working to move to the Algarge beaches within the year.
Hi Dave - I just retired at 67 and I plan to move to Portugal once my situations in US are settled. I also was born in MI, lived 5 years in Spain, returned to America [Colorado] in 2005 and now, I plan to retire in Portugal. I enjoy watching your videos!❤ My concern is that I know I will someday be homesick - this is so confusing... you know that moving to a foreign country is a nighmare - I am 67 - woman on my own...
If you plan on moving as a retiree, paradise is what awaits you in Portugal. You have money and an amazing life-style waiting for you. If you get homesick you can always go back and spend some time in the US, even a couple months and return. So I will advice to keep you house but sell everything else to cover expenses. Portugal is pretty cheap for an American with a decent pension.
I am from Spain and worked one year in Atlanta and four in the Miami area. I missed the "menu of the day" concept and all the choices we have in Spain for lunch in labor days: many restaurants within walking distance, cheap (11-12€), good quality and we stop longer time for lunch. In the US I had to drive to the food court in a mall and all the choices seemed repetitive, mechanized and not of very good quality. It reminded me a feed hopper in a farm; no individual dishes are cooked unless you pay extra. The Americans told me it was my perception, but seriously, it is not, you just need to know. The bread also, I remember buying that at Publix's... it was not crunchy, it was spongy. On the flip side, the working experience in the US was the best, as well as many other things of the US culture. Americans are open to criticism, while many Europeans don't want to take critics from foreigners (especially from other Europeans). I see many videos comparing America and Europe saying how good is Europe... Well, I agree about the food in Southern Europe, where we have a good diversity of products and we love olive oil, part of the Mediterranean coussine.
Your video is on point! I returned from being on the Amalfi coast for three months and my A1C was lowered by almost three points! I lost five pounds as well! I can definitely attribute it to the food and lots of walking almost every day! The people, slower pace of life, and still ate gelato about every other day, pasta dishes, veggies and fruits! I’ll be going back next spring 😊
The big reason you see this difference in food quality in Europe is that the EU very strictly regulates food and does not allow for any adulteration, it is called the General Food Law and can be read on the EU website, it is quite expansive and what keeps Europeans generally healthier than Americans.
You've definitely adapted (even subconsciously) and are supportive by healthier environments -- the food, the activity, the slow values. I don't doubt the positive changes people who've moved over have had. Every time i've left the U.S. for minimum 2 weeks to 2 months, i've lost significant weight. All the time inhaling crêpes, chocolate croissants, ice cream, barbequed or stewed meats with rice, pasta, vinho verde, cake, biscuits, sandwiches, etc 😄. I was also easily walking 10 or cycling 20 miles a day or exhausting myself in the Pacific. Also i was free from work stress, home stress... so maybe it's about living the life you want the way you want to? When my work as a carer is done, i aim to relo to Portugal to recover from assorted traumas and live the life i choose/can. 🤲🏼
Each time I go to Europe, I lose weight. For me, I know it’s the walking. I spent a month between France and Portugal last June. I lost 10 lbs. I’ve never drank so much wine in my life and walked up so many stairs and hills! Mainly, because it’s so expensive in California, I felt I had to maximize the discount by drinking as much wine as I could. I love fish, so I mostly had fish. But, I had a lamb and beef as well. I was missing my usual quality of vegetables, while in Portugal. That probably balanced out the wine and sangria I was drinking. I’m gluten sensitive, so I didn’t eat the pastries. Another thing that helped. My next trip, I’ll cut down on the wine, I’m sure. 🤥🤦🏾♀️😜
Before a two-week trip to Portugal last spring I decided to lose a couple pounds because I knew I was not going to hold back eating and drinking there (duh). For two weeks I ate whatever I wanted and had wine every day. And walked A LOT. After returning, I got on the scale to see what the damage was and was shocked-I had *lost* two more pounds! And for the record, I gained that back a week in the US before going to Japan for three weeks, and the same thing-ate and drank whatever and walked A LOT and came back two pounds lighter. And then regained the two pounds and more since then while in the US despite watching what I eat and drink.
The main similarity in Europe is walking on food every where. In a lot of cities you can walk on food from the suburbs into the city center. All streets are provided with side walks. In the cities there are often predestrian zones, with shops. And after work we walk outside for a relaxation in medium ir slow speed. In the USA I would miss my daily walk.
Moved from LatAm to US and I always feel ill after meals. As if the food isn’t nourishing my body like it did back home. I’m planning a move to Europe next year, and the quality food is what I’m looking forward to the most.
Dave this is amazing and I 100% agree with everything you said. The US food culture is so bad. After visiting Italy last and Spain in 2019, I have been yearning to outright move to Europe. We will be in your next of the woods next week so we will be looking out for Mario and his tuk-tuk. Ansioso por Portugal!
One thing. When you mean Portugal, don't say Europe. The laidback countries of southern Europe have nothing in common with the Nordic countries of northern Europe. Just as little as Western Europe compared to Eastern Europe. US is one country, Europe is a continent with many different countries.
Southern, Western, Eastern, North Europe, are still much more similar to each other than they are to the US. The laid back culture in the South is also seen all over Europe. French have long long lunchs and dinners. Germans and Nordics love to hike and enjoy nature and their saunas. The thing all Europeans share, is "the right to be forgotten". All Europeans want tranquil lifes, without being bothered. As someone that lived in Portugal, Spain, France, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium and spend a couple years in Finland, I can tell you, Europeans are not that different when it comes to the basics of life. The traditions might be different, The fins go to their cottages and saunas, the Spanish go the beach and their tapas place, etc, but the objective is the same, being at peace and unbothered without having to worry about "work work work, money money money". Europeans work so they can live, they don't live to work. I think, from my experience, it's fair to say that the "US dream" is to be a millionaire or billionaire sort of dream, but for your average European that does not seem to be the case.
@@xouri8009It is maybe somewhat true compared to the USA, but it is a romanticized idea. Lot of europian work places are stressful. And lot of us are straguling to leave. Lot of us have bearly enough salary to made it to the next month. So yes we wanna work to leave and not leave for work, but for many of us, this is not the reality. I glad I am european but it is not a fairytail land!
EU has the same INSANELY STRICT food regulations for its members and some for candidates as well. In this regard, EU is similar to the US. What is different, is diet across the continent, which is very diverse, much more than in US. European menues are based on both traditional and modern international recipes. Large food producers export the same food to other countries of the single market from Noth to South, and large percentage is locally produced, even by people themselves in small vegetable gardens.
We lived in Belgium for a year and despite eating chocolate every day, we lost weight. Food was local. There were farms just outside the city where the shops got their food. No big processing plants. We walked everywhere. I stopped eating meat in the U.S. because it makes me feel ill. I am pescatarian. I stopped drinking alcohol in the U.S. because it makes me feel ill. I can drink in Belgium without feeling ill.
I've had the opposite experience, I'm from Europe and I've been in the US for the past few months for an exchannge smester, the lifstyle here (the food, no walkable cities...etc) makes me sick. My body feels wrong, I'm craving good food (not like the fluorescent cake frosting they give us every morning for breakfast), I want to walk but I can't here. And the worst, is when I talk about it to people living here, no ome sees a problem. They've all become so uaed to it that it seems normal.
Another reason is HOW we eat, not just what. We tend to have longer, calmer meals. We get a break from work to sit down and appreciate food, even if it's just a sandwich or a burger. It allows the body to process what you just ate and say "stop, I've had enough". That's also why our portions are smaller. Smaller caloric intake, better digestion, and you get one of the mains components for healthy eating habits.
Been in Lisbon for 2 weeks, just had red fish, fresh bread, olives, butter (from the Azores), tomatoes and onions for dinner - and fresh fruits for dessert. And I had to walk to get it! However, I wouldn't necessarily call Portugal a panacea for health foods. While it is much easier to buy fresh seafood, meats, dairy, breads and produce - their packaged baked goods, snacks, cereals, etc - are still largely ultra-processed, industrialized concoctions, loaded down with cheap palm/vege oils, much like in the U.S. Their produce seems more seasonal as well - wonder how the department will look in the dead of winter. But, on the whole -- totally agree, it's much easier/less expensive to eat a healthy Mediterranean diet in Portugal!
In winter the main fruits are apples, oranges, pears, stuff from local greenhouses or imported from Marroco. The vegetables seem pretty good, also from Spain and Marroco.
Omg i love this Dave! Also! You should probably talk about Évora too since it has a lot of history and cultural things, its really interesting! 💞💞 You’re amazing man thank you for doing this for Potugal!🫶🏼🫶🏼
This is so intriguing to me. I have IBS and I can't have any dairy, regular butter, etc etc. I'm so hopeful going abroad will allow me to eat something I use to love.
I am a french citizen living in Spain since several years now and here we have rarely fast foods...Few who tried to make an implantation here, had to closed down because of the spanish tapas culture (tuna, sardines, tomatoes, olive oil, farm cheese...) No Starbucks except Madrid and few big cities. As there is no consumers and no demand for this, you don't have those US brands. But in Europe unfortunately yes we starts to have higher obesity because of the industrial food. Kids have been targeted by marketing here and unfortunately it starts. Despite local authorities (France as Spain) tries to stop the rise of that obesity phenomena. Indeed in Europe we walks much more than in US ( I went few months in different states when younger) because of the cities configuration. It is just impossible to walk a lot in the US. We did that with a friend in LA and didn't realize how far we were from a 🚇 stop...As around 11pm, we have been arrested by a police officer of LAPD because he thought we were suspicious...as walking in the streets and not driving a car 😂 Then after checking our passports despite we were exhausted and just wanted to reach our hotel, gave us lessons: " you are not in Paris here or France, you can't walk here. You need a car because it's dangerous..." Awkward...The USA for holidays or studying there no problem, but culturally to decide to make your life there, I will not be able. We like to walk, explore areas, etc and find easily correct food while traveling and not being home. That quality of life is priceless.
Congratulations on your transformation. A great example of the incredible benefits of living a slower-paced, more active lifestyle where good quality food is readily available. Organic, high-quality food is so expensive here and it shouldn’t be the case.
I think TV is another factor. Our friends in Italy didn't even have enough seating for everyone in the family to view the TV. Evenings were spent around the table and of course the evening walk. When my husband worked in Denmark, he told me that stores would have bowls of apples at the door for people to grab, and these were not food stores.
England and Ireland are famous for their walks on the moors, or wherever. So it's not just southern Europe where people walk. I can tell you that people walk and cycle in The Netherlands.
Great videos Dave, and yes, you look far more handsome now! Not only by being healthier but by adapting the style of your new home. You look great! Congrats!
Dave I thoroughly enjoy your videos. In Europe they have different traditions and eating habits. For example some European countries they don't snack, yes no snacks. They have a much better quality of food and are proud of it and have decades if not centuries of having their own garden patches, chickens, rabbits etc. very close to the city. I spent 2 yrs in the States and also enjoyed a lot of things there, especially I met lovely people there but not the food. They have fantastic libraries in each town and the country side is magnificent in the States. It is unfortunate that the American Fast Food Chains have inundated the European market. There is an excess of everything, too much stuff. Can you imagine drinking Giant Beverages every day?
Dave is absolutely correct in this video, but it's not just Europe. It's anywhere OUTSIDE the US. I found that anytime I travel outside the US, I seem to loose weight. I don't try to loose weight, I just do. However, whenever I travel within the US, I don't seem to loose weight. None of my travel habits change when traveling inside or outside the US, but I have notice the weight difference when traveling. With this in mind, I do try to travel outside the US more... or maybe it's my excuse to travel outside the US more...
We moved from the U.S. to southeast Italy this past January. The same thing happened to us! We both lost weight and our cholesterol levels dropped. We do walk much more since we don't own a car, eat fresh food including fish, lean meats and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. It's wonderful and we feel great! Really enjoyed this video.
Part of the problem in US was the suburb lifestyle. People stockpile certain food so they don't have to grocery shopping as often. So the manufacturer make the food that last longer. Not to mention some area are good wasteland with no store nearby. Especially in poor income areas. I also heard that bread in US also has a lot more sugar than in Europe.
Hi Dave. We went on two trips to Portugal in the past couple of years. We ate as much as we wanted, including lots of bread. We never had that sluggish feeling we got when we ate bread in the U.S. We concluded that it has to do with the GMOs in American food. We also walked all over Lisbon, Porto, and Coimbra. When we returned to the U.S., we both ended up losing a little weight. Same thing after we took a trip to Paris a few years ago. European cities are made for walking. Not so in the U.S. We really want to move to Portugal but we also don't want to be so far from our families. It's a tough choice. Also, if you don't mind me asking, what do you do to make a living there? Thanks for the video!
US bread is made by chemical rising instead of yeast. That probably causes more digestion issues than the GMO factor. Yeast rising helps break down a lot of what can't be digested in wheat.
I lived in the US before, and I would say it is a mix of everything you mentioned that caused you to become and feel more healthy. We do walk, bicycle etc much more in Europe. Many people eat healthier and smaller portions. We are aware of what's important for us to remain fit. However, it's a choice the individual has to make on a daily basis. Somehow, it's easier to make those choices here though! I live in Sweden by the way. Thanks for an interesting video!
Hi Dave, I spent two weeks in Portugal last month, and my wife and I had a great time! I’m 62, and I’d been wondering if Portugal would be a good place to retire. I’m a technical writer, and my wife is a Psychotherapist, and we both work remotely. I’m also a diabetic, and I ate such good food, and I walked and cimbed so much, that I lost nine pounds, and I didn’t need to take short acting insulin every day. I’m a Canadian living in the States. Since I returned to the States, I’ve been watching your videos while I exercise on my elliptic trainer. I’m impressed with your writing skill, your performance skill, your production skill, and your drone piloting skill. Kudos to a job well done! I haven’t made any serious plans to return to Portugal yet, but I’d like to return in a year or so. If/when we return, I’d love to meet you (maybe take you out for dinner). I love your shows. They’re making me fall in love with Portugal. Keep up the good work Dave! You were meant to do this work. :-) Chris Boorman
Keep up the good work Dave! Sometime the content on these TH-cam channels is dubious. I think you show an insight we consumers seldom see. Your content rings true. I will buy you 2 beers someday. I will be in Porto for one day this trip. I'm not close to Alentejo or Lisbon either. But my retirement dream is gradually moving forward. Slowly. Yes! This is absolutely true. I've arrived in Potugal 3 times in the past 10 months I have dropped at least 10 lbs each time. Then I go back to the USA and gain it all back again.
Yes, JUST living in EUROPE made me HEALTHY. From Bucharest to living in Delaware for 8 years now back in Europe to Vienna the difference can be seen in a few months...I will not make the mistake of leaving EU again, here it is quieter, slower,cleaner and better 👍
I travel too much and indulge when I do so we haven't lost weight since moving, but with the built-in exercise that comes with walking and eating less fast food, its easy to get back to normal after a week or two of eating pasta in Italy or all the pastries in France.
As a Portuguese, the thing that I was astonished when I visited the US (Las Vegas specifically) was the amount of fast-food restaurants there were. I remember one morning a friend of mine decided he wanted to have doughnuts for breakfast, which we didn't have in the hotel (we usually had it there because of convenience since we had schedules to follow, we were both presenting projects at SEMA that year). So we decided to walk from the hotel (it was at the Fremont Street) to the show space. We walk for an hour and all we found was fast-food restaurant after fast-food restaurant. The only one that we found that had doughnuts was closed. And we only found one fast-food restaurant that had pancakes (all others were the typical menu that we eat at lunch in McDonald's in Europe - that was the menu for BREAKFAST). Even the restaurant we found that had the menu with pancakes and coffee, also had a sausage floating in fat... Of course it's not like this everywhere in the States, but both LV and Phoenix was pretty much this. And the only meal we managed to eat anything remotely close to European cuisine was under the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas, which of course was considered "high-end cuisine". I remember both me and my friend (he's from Romania) looked at each other when they told us that, we were like "we eat this at every small joint in Europe dude, wth?".
Same results. I moved from Toronto to Prague, and even during the Lockdowns, I was starting to get healthier. After three years, I am doing way better. It's a mix of lifestyle, healthier foods and being to walk everywhere in the city.
note - it will not apply to Ireland since it's nearly as car based as US and food is worse than on the continent (everything fried, chips added to everything, very little veggies)
I don't think that is true at all. Eire is in the EU and has to abide to the EU standards. However it might be the lack of cycling infrastructure plays a part in that statistic. The greatest challenge is to transition to a more active lifestyle.
@@Paul_C yea EU standards apply, but they don't impact food choices people make - and those are not the best. That combined with lack of physical activity brings it closer to US than the continent.
Ha, ha ! How do you tell people to eat healthier, move to a healthier country, and get more excercise without telling people to eat healthier, move to a healthier country, and get more excercise ?🤣
I 100% believe this is true. I spent thirty days from June into July traveling Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland and France with my wife and two children. I sampled wine in every location. I ate chocolate every day. Carbs, off course. Did we walk a lot, of course. I returned to America two pounds lighter after thirty days of "vacation". I've gained eight if not ten pounds since returning with no particular excessive eating. Unless you grow your own veggies and raise your own meat in America, the food in Europe is superior.
That before / after photo set of you is amazing. Likely the older you become the more pronounced the relative improvement ... whenever I travel to Europe (65 years old) I lose like 10 lbs ... I eat bread, pasta, etc. etc. and yet still do better than in the US. Take the wine ... US wines add so much f-ing sugar it is crazy. The whole US food culture is just terrible. Thanks for your videos. All the best !
Changes on your diet, whatever it might be, will impact heavily on your body. The fact that you have moved to another country implies that your diet will change even if you keep eating the same thing as in your country (ingredients for the same "food brands" differ from one country to the other). As an example, I moved in into the UK from Portugal 10 years ago, and I have instantly gained weight, even maintaining the same diet/meal routines and increasing my body work rate. This had to do with slight changes on the ingredients of some of the food that I was used to eat in Portugal (mainly pasta and bread, but also some biscuits and yogurts for example). The bread for example (freshly cooked), in Portugal the dough is prepared on the same day that it is cooked, while in UK it is mainly manufacturer by a big factory, frozen and sent to diverse bakeries across the UK. It is very hard to find one that does their own dough. Also, the ingredients used are slightly different, which impacts the way your body will react to it. Another factor is the weather. If you move from a cold/mild country into a hotter one, your body will try to get rid of some fat to balance the body natural temperature control, while the other way around also reflects (if you move to cold/mild country from a hotter one, your body will try to store more body fat to keep you warm).
I experienced exactly the same improvements after moving from the US to Brazil and, except for the minor normal effects of aging (greying hair and a little loss of muscle mass), my health has improved with each passing year (over a 10 year period). Other than being careful about sugar intake I just follow the standard Brazilian diet, which actually most Americans would consider unhealthy: high protein (and a lot of red meat) and high fat.
I have lived in Italy for four years now after being born in the United States and living there for 36. I am effortlessly 15 pounds lighter. Viva Italia !
I’m from Spain, move to North America and one of the first things shocked me was that I needed a car to go almost everywhere. Every time I decided to go out for a walk, I realize that people were looking at me like.. where is that guy going walking? In fact wasn’t easy to find safe, good and clear side walks for this. Found myself walking over the gras or even the side of the road with the vehicles passing too close to me. Still happy, don’t get me wrong, at the end of the day I think it is all about actitud. I don’t eat out much, I like to get my fresh food at aldi and cook at home. Not a fan of sodas either so.. still keeping my health to a pretty much acceptable level. 155 p. I’m 5,9 f. Saludos
I would like to know why british people think that can do everything they want in Portugal. Im portuguese and im used to see bad behaviour from british people.
@xaviermarques8061 How true. I was once in the Algarve, but I can't remember now the name of the town. There were several restaurants on a particular area and all of them had signs indicating English breakfast, English ingredients, English music, etc. I wonder why those brits bother to come to Portugal. I was shocked. Até já, Xavier.
Dave, I’ve lost some weight too. Walking, healthier food, less junk food and overall eating less food in general. I’m in the best shape of my life. Older than you and walking 2-4 miles a day on the hills in Porto have allowed me to get in great shape . JP Porto
When ever I go to Europe or Asia I tend loss weight since I'm usually walking and taking public transportation and usually I have a big breakfast which kept me full. I took my mom to Paris and she was really out of shape and she felt more stronger when we got back. I'm lactose intolerant but the dairy in europe doesn't really affect me like it does here but try eat yogurt, cheese or butter if alternatives aren't available.
The lower pace of life, the "work to live and not live to work" etics (also, some better worklaws pro labors) the walkable and people-centered urbanism, the availability of fresh and natural food were one of the few reasons, I, as a LatinAmerica immigrant, were one of the few reasons that I, as a Latin American immigrant, chose Europe over the US or Canada. I simply HATE the NEED to have a car, I cannot stand this toxic work-life where u DIE working and barely has vacation or resting days! I also lvie and Portugal and like de warm wether, the freash food, the small and compact cities, I like to cook my freash food and like to have fresh and natural options when I go out to eat(its not the same level of freashfood variety as my home country, but still good!). In Geral, EU has very strict laws about pesticides, food additives and availability of fresh food over junkfood (I think that snack vending machines are forbidden in schools in Portugal, and the lunch menu is also regulated and values real food) I believe in food as a basic right. And when I say food, I mean quality food, with real, fresh food. We all need to eat every day! And everyone has the right to eat WELL. A good diet reduces health problems (as you said, better blood test results) and makes us more ready for everyday life. But how can people eat well if there is little availability of natural food? If you go to the market, there's a lot more choice of ultra-processed and frozen food than vegetables. The price of one vegetable is much higher than several cans of ultra-processed food. When is a person going to cook if they spend 12-14 hours on the street working? Real food takes time to sow, grow and harvest. When it comes to industry and profit, it's much more advantageous to create everything in a laboratory. An absurd amount, that doesn't need to wait months to be ready, that can be stored for years. What's more, the health problems it will cause will make money for the private health sector. It's not in the interests of big food capital to have more natural food available. So as it is not in the interests of big car capital for cities to have efficient public transporte and people center-urbanism. Of course, Europe has voracious industries, but in certain respects, they are trying to provide a better quality of life for their own population, and they know that if they aim for profit above all else, it will be shit.
Dave: you live in Portugal, and you don't mention air quality ??? Come on: air quality at the coast is usually excellent for all pollutants, except ozone (maritime born ozone is made by the sun, not by human activities). I suffered from very bad asthma for decades; arriving at the Algarve, I was breathing better after one week, much better after two weeks and I reduced my medication, and I stopped all medication after three weeks. My doctors didn't believe me at first, but my allergy tests were so much better. my allergies for cats, dogs, horses etc were gone after two months. Same for my soon who was on chronic lung inflammation and was prescribed antibiotics for months: when he came to visit us, he was healed after three weeks. Most Portuguese doctors are not aware of this. My CT scans show much cleaner arteries. And I too had no problems to loose weight and to improve my fitness and my well being through lumino-therapy. Sorry, I forgot to mention that I am a Dr too. So, in two years you can repeat this video and add that you have added two decades to your probable life expectancy.
There is no magic, but there’s choices. Living in Europe my whole life, Poland and now UK, I can see how much healthier I was when eating what my parents cooked for me back home, they used to cook from scratch, with healthy farm fresh ingredients, than having Indian and Italian takeaways all the time. I think the secret to being healthy is as you said, everything in moderation, moderate portion sizes, no junk food (or very occasionally), walking culture definitely helps, pavements everywhere, drinking more water, teas and coffees. Looking at my parents, both in their 60s now, I can confirm non-smoking, non-alcohol drinking, and making your own food from fresh ingredients definitely helps to keep fit as well.
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Big improvement. I see you removed the hair from your chest and stomach. Did you shave it yourself or have it waxed?
I feel much healthier, both physically and mentally, in Portugal than I did in Canada, despite of the stress of starting in a new place at the age of 47 in a place where I don't even have a single friend. From my sinus to chronic insomnia to my eternal depression, everything seems to have improved here 🤷♂️
Glad to hear it. Welcome to Portugal 💚❤
@@jda974 muito obrigado 🤗
No wonder because Portugal is a very beautiful and relaxing place.
that's great dude!
I feel the same way here
My husband and I have had the exact same experiences. Every time we spend time in Europe, we eat EVERYTHING we want and still loose weight. I think the walking is a big part of it. It's wonderful! :)
Lose*
@@ericlarousse1149 If you want to edit your post, just go to the three dots on the right.
@@ericlarousse1149 luze
@@ericlarousse1149🤓
Better quality food + walking = weight loss :)
Fun fact: In Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina) McDonalds opened and few months closed down because people were not into it. There are so many other better options. Fast food in US has too much weight (pun intended) in peoples' food choices.
If they served ćevapi and sarma they'd probably be open for way longer
@@kikibrnadic8788 Exactly! Better and cheaper!
sounds like McDonald's fault. Internationally they are good because they adapt their menu depending on the country's taste. Sounds like they didn't adapt for bosnia so yeaa....
@@kysfggt they can adapt as much as they want but they can't change completely what they sell nor can they compete with ćevapi, as someone already said above.
@@jda974 of course they can, they sell shrimp in asia, and i can't find that in my country. Or rice. Or pancakes, and other meals. And they can totally compete with cevapi, they got an army of food scientists to make it better than any street vendor, they just don't want to invest in a weak market so it's cheaper to fail than to invest
I noticed the same thing when I was over there. My first two weeks in Europe were in Portugal and that's where I noticed the biggest difference. I was walking/exploring more. My stress level dropped to NOTHING and my food seemed much healthier. I went over with a 31" waist and came back to the U.S. at nearly a 30" waist. My 2-liter became a six pack again and I honestly felt 10 years younger. We had Sangria and Gelato on a regular basis but I just have a feeling that everything was more natural and not full of preservatives. Of course, not having the 24/7 work ethic to deal with made me relax for the first time in years and I noticed that change in day 3. I hate to say this but the U.S. lifestyle is just sh*t compared to Europe. Too demanding and too much stress. No one should be on call/working 24/7. The balance is way off.
Thanks for the great video. Your transformation has been amazing. I wish more Americans could take four weeks and go there to experience the difference. I also like the "SauDave" tattoo that you got. No need to manscape as you are going to look great anyway as you progress. I have two friends moving to Faro in October and I suspect I won't be too far behind.
EU is not all equal.. Germany is definitely very different, in a negative way, to other EU countries.
I'm from germany. I wouldn't say it's negativ, it's just different. but we in the EU have this great advantage of living and working wherever we want. so everyone can be happy in the country that they like the most😊
@@rebeccarendle3706 How so? The work hours in many jobs are far lower than in other European countries, despite Germans always claiming to be a grind nation. What's really difficult about Germany is the low social mobility, the classism and the really bad and annoying bureaucracy. Also the food is definitely worse than southern European or French food, despite high regulations, just because the food culture is so focused around unhealthy ingredients like high fat meat, butter and beer.
I would say ot is quite positive. They accept college degrees from countries like Slovakia and simply they give a chance to people that are not given any chance anywhere else. Even though a lot of people don't deserve it.
@@rebeccarendle3706 I live in Germany and honestly it's not bad in terms of government and food. What makes it bad is the people who are so stressed and serious all the time. JUST CALM DOWN FOR A SECOND OMG
I lived in Barcelona for a year and the same thing happened to me. And I ate all the things; fresh bread and other baked goods, fried things and drank wine everyday. When I returned to Los Angeles I was lighter than I ever was, and had zero food allergies. Here in L.A. I find it beneficial to eat low carb, gluten free and abstain from alcohol if I want to feel good and not gain weight.
in barcelona is not easy to find good bread. i feel that bread sold in supermarkets (condis, mercadona, etc) makes my belly swells. But there are some bakeries where they let the yeast work for hours enough (12, 14 or even more), and that bread feels much better. One of the best breads that you can eat in barcelona is in the Baluard bakery, in Barceloneta neighbourhood.
Of course, the bread from frozen pizzas is bad.
Im 47 yo, used to use bicicle on daily basis not for sport, but for short trips to daily stuff or to go to work. i never had problems with cholesterol, blood pressure or overweight. i've never been in U.S., but i think that food in barcelona has room for improving.
In peaches, as example, when is the season, if i can, i go to the Ordal region, and i buy there the sweetest most tender and juicy peaches you could imagine. But in the shops in barcelona.. they are tasteless, and their texture is not good either. nor they have a smell that fills the whole house.
I don't know how is the food in U.S. though.
If i were you, i would try to purchase a tiny land somewhere and plant some figtrees, apricots and trees of that kind. with a bit, nearly no need of caring, they grow by themselves and give you excellent fruit when is the season. just need to cut the higher branches in winter to avoid the tree to grow too much and make the fruit where you can't reach it. if the tree variety is the apropiate for the clime, and california has a similar one as here, you would have wonderful fruit for several moments of the year.
I remember when I lived in Canada as a young man, we would meet European nannies fresh off the boat, slim and good looking. Six months later most of them gained a lot of weight, grew pimples and some became unrecognizable. Its not as if suddenly they started eating twice as much as before. Not only is the food more fattening but they stopped walking since they lived in the suburbs where you get nowhere by foot. I am now living in Portugal and I just eat whatever I feel like and don't gain weight. I eat out often but restaurant food is just as healthy a homemade.
We had a foreign exchange student from Belgium, and she'd gained at least 20 lbs in the first six months at another home, moved to ours and barely stayed at that increased weight even with regular gym visits during her 3 months at our home. She never over-ate, and we cooked from scratch with few convenience foods, but just the lack of quality was a shock to her taste buds and satiety. It was so bad that her mom was worried, but luckily she dropped to her normal healthy weight within a few months of returning home and said she never changed the quantity of what she was eating!
where do you live? Was it hard finding work and somewhere to live. I am getting more and more interested in moving there.
I am from Poland, and I am just back from US, been there for 7 weeks, in Washington DC. Beeing there just for few weeks I didn't have a car. OMG how much walking I had there!!! 😂 Distances between blocks, and to nearest grocery store were double, that in Warsaw. I walked a lot!!!
The thing I notice in the US is that apart from the ridiculous portion sizes, everything is incredibly sweet. I don’t know if more sugar is added to everything in the US but I definitely eat much less sweet things in Portugal
Yeah, I think more sugar is headed over everything in the United States and if it’s not sugar than it’s corn syrup, etc.
It is the High Fructose Corn Syrup added to everything. Also sugar is GMO beet sugar which is sprayed with weed killer. Even cane sugar and stevia are sprayed with weed killer! I agree everything in America is overly sweetened
I mean American "mustard" is basically just normal mustard with a tons of sugar added. Most Americans have never tasted actual mustard in their life. That tells you everything you need to know xD
Either that, or incredibly salty. The Whopper at BK made my lips curl inwards for the salt which sucked the moisture out of my mouth, while a shake at McD practically burned my tongue because it was so sweet.
I live in the Netherlands, and my sister and I sometimes eat Coco Pops.We went on summerholiday to the US last summer, and bought Coco Pops there as well. Instantly, we noticed how much sweeter the Coco Pops in the US were compared to at home! Everything is made sweeter, more sugar is added for sure.
Americans also have the effect of air conditioning adding to the obesity epidemic. Summer heat naturally reduces appetite and is a time when people would naturally slim down, but that doesn't happen in much of the US anymore. Also it causes people to remain indoors because we've lost our heat tolerance.
Yes. With 40 celcius in Tuscany and gelato everyday i still loose weight
I’ve noticed the same! I’m international and most of my international friends and I still cannot understand why they don’t like fresh air here 😂 In the summer instead of opening the windows they just turn their ACs like there’s no tomorrow.
@@whitneyc.3257 I think your friends from outside the US know the air is polluted from all the car exhaust and particulate matter from the tires and brakes and vapors from the auto fluid droppings and spilled gasoline due to the fact that everyone has to drive in the US and unless we live in the country or don't have a car we get stuck in slow-moving traffic and are a part of the traffic causing the pollution.
Yep ! AC is a pretty big factor I would think.
One doesn't really need AC, with the typical European brick house.
During a heatwave, I just close the rolling-shutters on the outside of my windows. I open everything up during the late evening or early morning, when it has cooled down outdoors. Temperature never gets above 25°C (77°F) inside, even without AC in 38°C weather outside. Sure the house will heat up gradually during long heatwaves, meaning our bodies have time to adapt to those temperatures over a time-span of several weeks.
Guess that's not the case in the US, where the average wooden house has equivalent insulation properties to my European wooden garden shed...
3:46 A supermarket in an urban area with a parking lot five times it's size... serving exactly ... less customers than a European supermarket with 20 car spots and 100 spots for bicycle parking. Bonus of grocery shopping with a standard bicycle is that it is very tempting to cut out soda.
There are a few crucial differences indeed. In Portugal is more the norm to have a lunch break at work where we are expected to sit down at 30 to 60 min to eat, have a coffee and socialize. Most companies have a cafeteria with the dish of the day. Or there are restaurants nearby offices with the meal of the day concept, which is usually a vegetable soup, main dish with dessert as optional and with prices close enough to a fast food menu. Then there is the thing that grocery shops are everywhere and long term shopping is not required. That translates in less storage of long duration food at home and more fresh produce being eaten. This makes fast food not a necessity but rather a personal preference. To be honest it seems to also be a cultural change for the younger generations to abandon the traditional way of Mediterranean eating in favour of fast food. Who knows how population will look in 10 or 20 years...
Even fast food is healthier here. We eat pizzas, kebab and burgers a couple of times a week and it doesn't affect us.
@@antoniocruz8083 NON-GMO and NON-Hybrids and Non-Chemicalized food ingredients are used in Europe. In 1975 to 1984 U.S Food Corporations started the gradual sugaring of American foods, then in 1985 they went ALL OUT SUGARING of American foods everywhere and obesity skyrocketed to new heights and created new and more diseases and dementia and alzheimer's disease. Then in 1995 they started introducing GMOs first in the form of GMO wheat and all kinds of GMO crops and HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS TRIPLED IN THE SAME YEAR! No fillers, no additives, no preservatives, no etc are used in European foods.
Apesar dos miúdos gostarem de fast-food, nunca dispensam a comida de casa.
Hopefully the country won't emulate the USA on anything, that'll be the worst it could happen to you guys
Was that vegetable soup calde verde?
Portugal is such a fabulous place to live if you are health conscious!
It’s not just the healthy food, but fabulous clean air too.
Yeah if you dont depend on the housing market that is
Meager wages too
and the nice and friendly Portuguese people
There is definitely a lot more walking. I lived there as a kid in Obidos. I would have to get a bucket walk all the way to the well, come back, and fill up the shower with it lol. The food there is very fresh so I agree with you. Even the ice cream tastes better. I miss the kinder surpresa eggs. I miss many things.
I'm glad you're enjoying the beauty of Portugal. You look great btw! Hope everything works out for you.
Hi Dave, Terry & Jennifer in Caldas, we experienced the same as you after moving to Portugal! In 2019 we spent 3 months in Spain to see firsthand life in Europe. We both slimed down about 10 pounds. The food quality is off the charts when it come to fresh fruits and vegetables. I discovered I could eat bread without any problems. Upon our return to the states to apply for visas, covid hit and delayed our return! Gained it all back over the year and started dropping weight as soon as we returned.
Another excellent video Dave. You’re making it so much easier for me and my husband to plan our trip to Portugal in a few months. Hoping to be there semi permanently in 2024. Many thanks to you!
100%.. I want to move to Europe as well. I felt so much better over there. I love the culture and the walking and public transportation.
You can do it. It is very easy nowadays to move to any european country because of the laws of the EU. I'm German and live in austria for 14 years and every year a lot of americans move here too. I met so many of you guys in the last year's, seems that a lot of americans moving overseas nowadays
What culture
Except Switzerland is where I really want to be, and their laws are much stricter for Americans. Almost impossible unless you’re highly skilled with an amazing degree in certain fields. Maybe it would be easier to move to a country in the EU. Thanks for the encouragement!
@@zaram131With an EU visa you can live travel to switzerland freely. If you want to work in switzerland you can do what many others do which is live in France, Germany, Austria or Italy and commute to switzerland.
@@hml25 Many kinds of cultural diversity, history and traditions of many places. USA culture is Big Mac and Tiktok.
Dave It’s beautiful to see your natural transformation in Portugal. All the variables you mentioned are 100% valid. I think the quality of food is a huge factor because foods in Europe are naturally organic while in the US organic just means 30% organic hence truly organic foods don’t really exist here, not even at Erewhon. When I moved to the US from Venezuela at the age of 21 I gained more than 15 pounds in the span of a few years. Needless to say I was highly depressed and didn’t even recognize myself in the mirror. On my quest to get back to my Pre-US “normal” I enrolled to train for three triathlons and ten marathons but I even had to become a personal trainer and part time yogi in order to loose all that extra weight. Further even these days I have to watch every bite I take and do IF. Luckily I get my break whenever I visit Europe in the summer and like you I am able to indulge on breads, fatty foods, desserts and wines galore and not gain a kilo. What’s your favorite Portuguese wine? I fell in love with the Alvarinhos.
@litzvivas5681 My favourite is white Esporão. Try it, you won't regret it. I guarantee. 🎉
Ditto for me. I spent nearly a year in Spain and there was NO fast food. I only worked a fraction of the time than in the US, so I took 7-mile walks along the Mediterranean daily, previously I would walk about 5 miles a few times a week. No scale, but I think I dropped 50 pounds. Had to buy all new clothes. In EU food is of a different quality and that must play a role. Whole Food stores here are just regular stores in the EU, without the mark up in prices. The lack of crime is great, and the political divisions are minimal.
Good on you Dave!
A great progression in the lifestyle change, keep on keeping on...
YES! I am in better shape now that I moved to Portugal. Mostly plant based, limit the sweets and bread, But I love the bread here. I don't indulge in big restaurant meals too often. To me, walking has been the bigest change in my life. I walk 10,000 steps regularly.
I think Portugal amplifies the experience as (warm weather and city design lends itself to more walking and activities). My wife and I always feel we get a health boost from 2 weeks out in Portugal (although being on holiday / not working probably helps also!).
Thanks for the content and great to see the body transformation 👍🏾.
I live in sweden and even here where its cold we walk alot and are thin i guess its the food that plays a big role.
I think the mental or psychological component probably has a big impact, perhaps even larger than the physical component.
Having higher quality food, better public transportation (more walking), having small grocery shops everywhere (walk to the shop, instead of driving), etc, for sure helps a ton, BUT...
The mental component for me is the main thing.
Life is just more peaceful. In most of Europe work is a means to an end, not the end itself. Success in most of Europe is making enough to be comfortable and happy, and enjoy the right to be forgotten. "Leave me in peace with my family" sort of thing. the fact that you don't feel so stressed all the time, the fact that you feel safe in Europe, be it from a crime standpoint, or health, or unemployment, etc, gives you an insane PEACE OF MIND!
Less stress (no "work work work/ get rich" culture, better food quality (higher food standards and regulations), and easy access to that food (no car centric culture) and health services (free or nearly free, and cheap even if private) seems to do the trick.
Enjoy Europe, and spread the word. Europe needs good people that bring an open mind.
💯 👌 RIGHT.ON.POINT
Here in North-America, it’s pretty much the same.
Now that i live in the suburb of Montreal, I miss my 10+ years in the south of France 😫.
I’m seriously planning to move back to Europe. Portugal is in my radar.
Sadly, my husband had developed a sensitivity to bread in the US and tried to avoid it. We were hoping he would be able to eat it in Portugal with better results. After two months in Portugal, we can say yes still sensitive to bread, but he ate so much more of it because it was delicious.
Chuckle chuckle
Naughty naughty
Your still luckier than me I had to give up gluten and sugar in the uk due to mobillity, balance and cognition issues.
Dementia runs in my family……
All reversed and much improved within months and I lost 28lbs :)
Enjoy!
But giving bread up is not so bad to feel great!?
Food in the US is nearly toxic for the body and digestive flora, what your husband needs is enzymes to support the digestive system and theresd a chance he gets back to normal. I+ve never been in the US, and for the things I hear about the food industry, Im glad I never had to eat there. Hopefully Europe stitck with this healthy food culture.
Let him try some bread without weat. There are plenty other grains and some are really good with sensitive stomaches
Bread in the us is garbage.
@@flipmanonline yeah. We are talking about bread in the EU, not your sugar sponges...
The fact that there is less obesity in Europe is connected to a combination of multiple factors. People eat less, what they eat has less preservatives and is generally of higher quality. People in Europe as a whole walk a lot more than Americans. The advertising in the US for fast food and the consumption of high carb/high processed sugar food items is off the charts. Pretty much why Americans have a life expectancy that is approximately 5 years lass than Europe.
I believe you, we spent a couple of months with the kids this summer in Spain/Portugal and we all felt +look healthier without consciously trying. Accessibility to fresh foods and slower pace of life works wonder to body and soul. Hope to return soon. ✈️
Ciao. Same experience here i lived 4 years in Italy. I admit that the stress is less here than in Canada. No performance pressure. It is more la dolce vita e dolce far niente. And healthier food for sure. You have to move more to get to the comparable thing or situation. Ex no elevator, no automatic doors, no close parking...
I just moved from Hong Kong to California and gained a bunch of weight. Sure, in large part it is likely a result of comfort-eating/drinking to deal with reverse-culture shock stress, but also I attribute some of this to the car culture here. I walked so much more in Hong Kong on a routine basis than I do here - in California, I really need to make the extra effort.
Hong Honk is a tiny city state and California is a very large state in USA.No comparison in terms of size
@@matildesantos4215 I mean I got bigger. Not that HK is bigger.
I had similar results traveling in Europe, Asia & Central America. And when I lived in Africa, I could eat as much bread as I liked without inflaming my joints. That bread would go stale in a day or two, because of a lack of preservatives. It was effortless weight loss.
Buy artisan baked sourdough bread, then you can eat bread without experiencing the pain. It has made a great change to my health!
@@Saba15-t9d thanks for the tip! 🥰
I was shocked at the transformation, really happy for you
Congratulations Dave! Keep focusing on your goals! Love your videos.
Totally THIS! I tend to eat very healthy just because I like to graze and I graze on the simplest foods. The feeling of being different disappears when I'm in Europe. There's just so much more healthy food than unhealthy, and the walking that becomes part of every day is effortless. It certainly doesn't hurt that there's so much to do outdoors, either. It's just a better way to go and part of the reason I'm working to move to the Algarge beaches within the year.
Hi Dave - I just retired at 67 and I plan to move to Portugal once my situations in US are settled. I also was born in MI, lived 5 years in Spain, returned to America [Colorado] in 2005 and now, I plan to retire in Portugal. I enjoy watching your videos!❤ My concern is that I know I will someday be homesick - this is so confusing... you know that moving to a foreign country is a nighmare - I am 67 - woman on my own...
If you plan on moving as a retiree, paradise is what awaits you in Portugal. You have money and an amazing life-style waiting for you. If you get homesick you can always go back and spend some time in the US, even a couple months and return. So I will advice to keep you house but sell everything else to cover expenses. Portugal is pretty cheap for an American with a decent pension.
I am from Spain and worked one year in Atlanta and four in the Miami area. I missed the "menu of the day" concept and all the choices we have in Spain for lunch in labor days: many restaurants within walking distance, cheap (11-12€), good quality and we stop longer time for lunch. In the US I had to drive to the food court in a mall and all the choices seemed repetitive, mechanized and not of very good quality. It reminded me a feed hopper in a farm; no individual dishes are cooked unless you pay extra. The Americans told me it was my perception, but seriously, it is not, you just need to know. The bread also, I remember buying that at Publix's... it was not crunchy, it was spongy.
On the flip side, the working experience in the US was the best, as well as many other things of the US culture. Americans are open to criticism, while many Europeans don't want to take critics from foreigners (especially from other Europeans). I see many videos comparing America and Europe saying how good is Europe... Well, I agree about the food in Southern Europe, where we have a good diversity of products and we love olive oil, part of the Mediterranean coussine.
Thanks Dave. I was in Europe for 6 weeks walking the Camino and time in Paris, the food quality in Europe is so much better than the US.
Dave, it's great to see that you are so healthy and happy to be living in Portugal 😀
Your video is on point! I returned from being on the Amalfi coast for three months and my A1C was lowered by almost three points! I lost five pounds as well! I can definitely attribute it to the food and lots of walking almost every day! The people, slower pace of life, and still ate gelato about every other day, pasta dishes, veggies and fruits! I’ll be going back next spring 😊
The big reason you see this difference in food quality in Europe is that the EU very strictly regulates food and does not allow for any adulteration, it is called the General Food Law and can be read on the EU website, it is quite expansive and what keeps Europeans generally healthier than Americans.
I was baffled once when a visitor from the US ordered an Uber to skip a 15 minute walk. Explicitly, to "not have to walk so much". On a nice day.
You've definitely adapted (even subconsciously) and are supportive by healthier environments -- the food, the activity, the slow values. I don't doubt the positive changes people who've moved over have had.
Every time i've left the U.S. for minimum 2 weeks to 2 months, i've lost significant weight. All the time inhaling crêpes, chocolate croissants, ice cream, barbequed or stewed meats with rice, pasta, vinho verde, cake, biscuits, sandwiches, etc 😄. I was also easily walking 10 or cycling 20 miles a day or exhausting myself in the Pacific. Also i was free from work stress, home stress... so maybe it's about living the life you want the way you want to?
When my work as a carer is done, i aim to relo to Portugal to recover from assorted traumas and live the life i choose/can. 🤲🏼
What a great perspective to bring to light! Keep up the good work, Dave!
Each time I go to Europe, I lose weight. For me, I know it’s the walking. I spent a month between France and Portugal last June. I lost 10 lbs. I’ve never drank so much wine in my life and walked up so many stairs and hills! Mainly, because it’s so expensive in California, I felt I had to maximize the discount by drinking as much wine as I could. I love fish, so I mostly had fish. But, I had a lamb and beef as well. I was missing my usual quality of vegetables, while in Portugal. That probably balanced out the wine and sangria I was drinking. I’m gluten sensitive, so I didn’t eat the pastries. Another thing that helped. My next trip, I’ll cut down on the wine, I’m sure. 🤥🤦🏾♀️😜
Before a two-week trip to Portugal last spring I decided to lose a couple pounds because I knew I was not going to hold back eating and drinking there (duh). For two weeks I ate whatever I wanted and had wine every day. And walked A LOT. After returning, I got on the scale to see what the damage was and was shocked-I had *lost* two more pounds! And for the record, I gained that back a week in the US before going to Japan for three weeks, and the same thing-ate and drank whatever and walked A LOT and came back two pounds lighter. And then regained the two pounds and more since then while in the US despite watching what I eat and drink.
The main similarity in Europe is walking on food every where. In a lot of cities you can walk on food from the suburbs into the city center. All streets are provided with side walks. In the cities there are often predestrian zones, with shops. And after work we walk outside for a relaxation in medium ir slow speed. In the USA I would miss my daily walk.
I lived in Seville for one year and lost 35 pounds, doing nothing different than I did in the states.
Moved from LatAm to US and I always feel ill after meals. As if the food isn’t nourishing my body like it did back home. I’m planning a move to Europe next year, and the quality food is what I’m looking forward to the most.
Dave this is amazing and I 100% agree with everything you said. The US food culture is so bad. After visiting Italy last and Spain in 2019, I have been yearning to outright move to Europe. We will be in your next of the woods next week so we will be looking out for Mario and his tuk-tuk. Ansioso por Portugal!
One thing. When you mean Portugal, don't say Europe.
The laidback countries of southern Europe have nothing in common with the Nordic countries of northern Europe. Just as little as Western Europe compared to Eastern Europe.
US is one country, Europe is a continent with many different countries.
Southern, Western, Eastern, North Europe, are still much more similar to each other than they are to the US.
The laid back culture in the South is also seen all over Europe.
French have long long lunchs and dinners. Germans and Nordics love to hike and enjoy nature and their saunas.
The thing all Europeans share, is "the right to be forgotten". All Europeans want tranquil lifes, without being bothered.
As someone that lived in Portugal, Spain, France, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium and spend a couple years in Finland, I can tell you, Europeans are not that different when it comes to the basics of life. The traditions might be different, The fins go to their cottages and saunas, the Spanish go the beach and their tapas place, etc, but the objective is the same, being at peace and unbothered without having to worry about "work work work, money money money".
Europeans work so they can live, they don't live to work.
I think, from my experience, it's fair to say that the "US dream" is to be a millionaire or billionaire sort of dream, but for your average European that does not seem to be the case.
No worries, you will be part of russia very soon !
@@jsilvamaintenanceIn your dreams, vatnik.
@@xouri8009It is maybe somewhat true compared to the USA, but it is a romanticized idea. Lot of europian work places are stressful. And lot of us are straguling to leave. Lot of us have bearly enough salary to made it to the next month. So yes we wanna work to leave and not leave for work, but for many of us, this is not the reality. I glad I am european but it is not a fairytail land!
EU has the same INSANELY STRICT food regulations for its members and some for candidates as well. In this regard, EU is similar to the US.
What is different, is diet across the continent, which is very diverse, much more than in US. European menues are based on both traditional and modern international recipes. Large food producers export the same food to other countries of the single market from Noth to South, and large percentage is locally produced, even by people themselves in small vegetable gardens.
We lived in Belgium for a year and despite eating chocolate every day, we lost weight. Food was local. There were farms just outside the city where the shops got their food. No big processing plants. We walked everywhere. I stopped eating meat in the U.S. because it makes me feel ill. I am pescatarian. I stopped drinking alcohol in the U.S. because it makes me feel ill. I can drink in Belgium without feeling ill.
Their chocolate is the finest
Brother can you tell me your pescatarian diet? Like run me through week by week?
I've had the opposite experience, I'm from Europe and I've been in the US for the past few months for an exchannge smester, the lifstyle here (the food, no walkable cities...etc) makes me sick. My body feels wrong, I'm craving good food (not like the fluorescent cake frosting they give us every morning for breakfast), I want to walk but I can't here. And the worst, is when I talk about it to people living here, no ome sees a problem. They've all become so uaed to it that it seems normal.
Thanks Dave, loved the beaming smile at the end. 😊🎉
Another reason is HOW we eat, not just what. We tend to have longer, calmer meals. We get a break from work to sit down and appreciate food, even if it's just a sandwich or a burger. It allows the body to process what you just ate and say "stop, I've had enough". That's also why our portions are smaller. Smaller caloric intake, better digestion, and you get one of the mains components for healthy eating habits.
Been in Lisbon for 2 weeks, just had red fish, fresh bread, olives, butter (from the Azores), tomatoes and onions for dinner - and fresh fruits for dessert. And I had to walk to get it! However, I wouldn't necessarily call Portugal a panacea for health foods. While it is much easier to buy fresh seafood, meats, dairy, breads and produce - their packaged baked goods, snacks, cereals, etc - are still largely ultra-processed, industrialized concoctions, loaded down with cheap palm/vege oils, much like in the U.S. Their produce seems more seasonal as well - wonder how the department will look in the dead of winter. But, on the whole -- totally agree, it's much easier/less expensive to eat a healthy Mediterranean diet in Portugal!
produce is fine in the winter too
In winter the main fruits are apples, oranges, pears, stuff from local greenhouses or imported from Marroco. The vegetables seem pretty good, also from Spain and Marroco.
@@antoniocruz8083 That's good to know.. thank you!
Portugal isn't on the Mediterranean.
@@tompiper9276 To have a Mediterranean diet you don't have to be in the Mediterranean.
Also, topography.. hills, walking, olive oil, you have moved to a blue zone compared to Michigan. Where I am, but I know what to do.
Omg i love this Dave! Also! You should probably talk about Évora too since it has a lot of history and cultural things, its really interesting! 💞💞 You’re amazing man thank you for doing this for Potugal!🫶🏼🫶🏼
This is so intriguing to me. I have IBS and I can't have any dairy, regular butter, etc etc. I'm so hopeful going abroad will allow me to eat something I use to love.
why not moving here? in europe we have great laws related to food and especially dairy products. i promise you, you will not feel sick 😇
Experienced the same thing moving to Argentina from the US
I am a french citizen living in Spain since several years now and here we have rarely fast foods...Few who tried to make an implantation here, had to closed down because of the spanish tapas culture (tuna, sardines, tomatoes, olive oil, farm cheese...) No Starbucks except Madrid and few big cities. As there is no consumers and no demand for this, you don't have those US brands. But in Europe unfortunately yes we starts to have higher obesity because of the industrial food. Kids have been targeted by marketing here and unfortunately it starts. Despite local authorities (France as Spain) tries to stop the rise of that obesity phenomena. Indeed in Europe we walks much more than in US ( I went few months in different states when younger) because of the cities configuration. It is just impossible to walk a lot in the US. We did that with a friend in LA and didn't realize how far we were from a 🚇 stop...As around 11pm, we have been arrested by a police officer of LAPD because he thought we were suspicious...as walking in the streets and not driving a car 😂 Then after checking our passports despite we were exhausted and just wanted to reach our hotel, gave us lessons: " you are not in Paris here or France, you can't walk here. You need a car because it's dangerous..." Awkward...The USA for holidays or studying there no problem, but culturally to decide to make your life there, I will not be able. We like to walk, explore areas, etc and find easily correct food while traveling and not being home. That quality of life is priceless.
Congratulations on your transformation. A great example of the incredible benefits of living a slower-paced, more active lifestyle where good quality food is readily available. Organic, high-quality food is so expensive here and it shouldn’t be the case.
I think TV is another factor. Our friends in Italy didn't even have enough seating for everyone in the family to view the TV. Evenings were spent around the table and of course the evening walk. When my husband worked in Denmark, he told me that stores would have bowls of apples at the door for people to grab, and these were not food stores.
Awesome! Good for you man!
England and Ireland are famous for their walks on the moors, or wherever. So it's not just southern Europe where people walk. I can tell you that people walk and cycle in The Netherlands.
Great videos Dave, and yes, you look far more handsome now! Not only by being healthier but by adapting the style of your new home. You look great! Congrats!
This is so true. I have lived in Portugal since birth and I am so healthy due to my diet of bifanas, cozido, pastéis de nata and moscatel.
Hahahaha all protein and moscatel for dessert
@@daveinportugal A pastel de nata is a true vitamin bomb.
Dave I thoroughly enjoy your videos. In Europe they have different traditions and eating habits. For example some European countries they don't snack, yes no snacks. They have a much better quality of food and are proud of it and have decades if not centuries of having their own garden patches, chickens, rabbits etc. very close to the city.
I spent 2 yrs in the States and also enjoyed a lot of things there, especially I met lovely people there but not the food. They have fantastic libraries in each town and the country side is magnificent in the States. It is unfortunate that the American Fast Food Chains have inundated the European market. There is an excess of everything, too much stuff. Can you imagine drinking Giant Beverages every day?
If you snack you won`t enjoy next meal as much as you could. And snacking makes you fat.
i dont´t know a single person around me that eats snacks hahaha, it´s not typical, but yeah mediterranean food are one of the healthiest in the world!
Dave is absolutely correct in this video, but it's not just Europe. It's anywhere OUTSIDE the US. I found that anytime I travel outside the US, I seem to loose weight. I don't try to loose weight, I just do. However, whenever I travel within the US, I don't seem to loose weight. None of my travel habits change when traveling inside or outside the US, but I have notice the weight difference when traveling. With this in mind, I do try to travel outside the US more... or maybe it's my excuse to travel outside the US more...
Everytime I see the clip of Dave walking up the cobble street hill- I laugh & click like. Lol great video about health in living in EU.
We moved from the U.S. to southeast Italy this past January. The same thing happened to us! We both lost weight and our cholesterol levels dropped. We do walk much more since we don't own a car, eat fresh food including fish, lean meats and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. It's wonderful and we feel great! Really enjoyed this video.
It's a given, A1c and lipid panel drop when one loses weight
Exactly the same thing happened to me when I moved to France 14 years ago!
Just noticed your house in Rio Major, where we stayed 10 years ago ! I know that nice place !
Part of the problem in US was the suburb lifestyle. People stockpile certain food so they don't have to grocery shopping as often. So the manufacturer make the food that last longer. Not to mention some area are good wasteland with no store nearby. Especially in poor income areas. I also heard that bread in US also has a lot more sugar than in Europe.
Hi Dave. We went on two trips to Portugal in the past couple of years. We ate as much as we wanted, including lots of bread. We never had that sluggish feeling we got when we ate bread in the U.S. We concluded that it has to do with the GMOs in American food. We also walked all over Lisbon, Porto, and Coimbra. When we returned to the U.S., we both ended up losing a little weight. Same thing after we took a trip to Paris a few years ago. European cities are made for walking. Not so in the U.S.
We really want to move to Portugal but we also don't want to be so far from our families. It's a tough choice. Also, if you don't mind me asking, what do you do to make a living there? Thanks for the video!
US bread is made by chemical rising instead of yeast. That probably causes more digestion issues than the GMO factor. Yeast rising helps break down a lot of what can't be digested in wheat.
@@kittimcconnell2633 Thanks for that info. I never knew that.
I lived in the US before, and I would say it is a mix of everything you mentioned that caused you to become and feel more healthy. We do walk, bicycle etc much more in Europe. Many people eat healthier and smaller portions. We are aware of what's important for us to remain fit. However, it's a choice the individual has to make on a daily basis. Somehow, it's easier to make those choices here though! I live in Sweden by the way. Thanks for an interesting video!
Hi Dave,
I spent two weeks in Portugal last month, and my wife and I had a great time! I’m 62, and I’d been wondering if Portugal would be a good place to retire. I’m a technical writer, and my wife is a
Psychotherapist, and we both work remotely. I’m also a diabetic, and I ate such good food, and I walked and cimbed so much, that I lost nine pounds, and I didn’t need to take short acting insulin every day.
I’m a Canadian living in the States. Since I returned to the States, I’ve been watching your videos while I exercise on my elliptic trainer. I’m impressed with your writing skill, your performance skill, your production skill, and your drone piloting skill. Kudos to a job well done! I haven’t made any serious plans to return to Portugal yet, but I’d like to return in a year or so. If/when we return, I’d love to meet you (maybe take you out for dinner).
I love your shows. They’re making me fall in love with Portugal. Keep up the good work Dave! You were meant to do this work. :-)
Chris Boorman
The bread in Europe is fermented which is healthier than that of d US...They do not ferment their bread..that is why they have issues with gluten...
Keep up the good work Dave! Sometime the content on these TH-cam channels is dubious. I think you show an insight we consumers seldom see. Your content rings true.
I will buy you 2 beers someday. I will be in Porto for one day this trip. I'm not close to Alentejo or Lisbon either.
But my retirement dream is gradually moving forward. Slowly.
Yes! This is absolutely true. I've arrived in Potugal 3 times in the past 10 months I have dropped at least 10 lbs each time. Then I go back to the USA and gain it all back again.
Yes, JUST living in EUROPE made me HEALTHY. From Bucharest to living in Delaware for 8 years now back in Europe to Vienna the difference can be seen in a few months...I will not make the mistake of leaving EU again, here it is quieter, slower,cleaner and better 👍
Another excellent video... as usual!!! Well done!!
I travel too much and indulge when I do so we haven't lost weight since moving, but with the built-in exercise that comes with walking and eating less fast food, its easy to get back to normal after a week or two of eating pasta in Italy or all the pastries in France.
As a Portuguese, the thing that I was astonished when I visited the US (Las Vegas specifically) was the amount of fast-food restaurants there were. I remember one morning a friend of mine decided he wanted to have doughnuts for breakfast, which we didn't have in the hotel (we usually had it there because of convenience since we had schedules to follow, we were both presenting projects at SEMA that year).
So we decided to walk from the hotel (it was at the Fremont Street) to the show space. We walk for an hour and all we found was fast-food restaurant after fast-food restaurant. The only one that we found that had doughnuts was closed. And we only found one fast-food restaurant that had pancakes (all others were the typical menu that we eat at lunch in McDonald's in Europe - that was the menu for BREAKFAST). Even the restaurant we found that had the menu with pancakes and coffee, also had a sausage floating in fat...
Of course it's not like this everywhere in the States, but both LV and Phoenix was pretty much this. And the only meal we managed to eat anything remotely close to European cuisine was under the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas, which of course was considered "high-end cuisine". I remember both me and my friend (he's from Romania) looked at each other when they told us that, we were like "we eat this at every small joint in Europe dude, wth?".
Absolutely! Honestly, not to be rude or anything, but I feel like living in some kind of a food-nightmare here. 😫
Same results. I moved from Toronto to Prague, and even during the Lockdowns, I was starting to get healthier. After three years, I am doing way better. It's a mix of lifestyle, healthier foods and being to walk everywhere in the city.
Good on ya Dave!!!!Cheers from Down under!!
note - it will not apply to Ireland since it's nearly as car based as US and food is worse than on the continent (everything fried, chips added to everything, very little veggies)
I don't think that is true at all. Eire is in the EU and has to abide to the EU standards. However it might be the lack of cycling infrastructure plays a part in that statistic. The greatest challenge is to transition to a more active lifestyle.
@@Paul_C yea EU standards apply, but they don't impact food choices people make - and those are not the best. That combined with lack of physical activity brings it closer to US than the continent.
Ha, ha ! How do you tell people to eat healthier, move to a healthier country, and get more excercise without telling people to eat healthier, move to a healthier country, and get more excercise ?🤣
I 100% believe this is true. I spent thirty days from June into July traveling Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland and France with my wife and two children. I sampled wine in every location. I ate chocolate every day. Carbs, off course. Did we walk a lot, of course. I returned to America two pounds lighter after thirty days of "vacation". I've gained eight if not ten pounds since returning with no particular excessive eating. Unless you grow your own veggies and raise your own meat in America, the food in Europe is superior.
That before / after photo set of you is amazing. Likely the older you become the more pronounced the relative improvement ... whenever I travel to Europe (65 years old) I lose like 10 lbs ... I eat bread, pasta, etc. etc. and yet still do better than in the US. Take the wine ... US wines add so much f-ing sugar it is crazy. The whole US food culture is just terrible. Thanks for your videos. All the best !
Changes on your diet, whatever it might be, will impact heavily on your body. The fact that you have moved to another country implies that your diet will change even if you keep eating the same thing as in your country (ingredients for the same "food brands" differ from one country to the other). As an example, I moved in into the UK from Portugal 10 years ago, and I have instantly gained weight, even maintaining the same diet/meal routines and increasing my body work rate. This had to do with slight changes on the ingredients of some of the food that I was used to eat in Portugal (mainly pasta and bread, but also some biscuits and yogurts for example). The bread for example (freshly cooked), in Portugal the dough is prepared on the same day that it is cooked, while in UK it is mainly manufacturer by a big factory, frozen and sent to diverse bakeries across the UK. It is very hard to find one that does their own dough. Also, the ingredients used are slightly different, which impacts the way your body will react to it.
Another factor is the weather. If you move from a cold/mild country into a hotter one, your body will try to get rid of some fat to balance the body natural temperature control, while the other way around also reflects (if you move to cold/mild country from a hotter one, your body will try to store more body fat to keep you warm).
I experienced exactly the same improvements after moving from the US to Brazil and, except for the minor normal effects of aging (greying hair and a little loss of muscle mass), my health has improved with each passing year (over a 10 year period). Other than being careful about sugar intake I just follow the standard Brazilian diet, which actually most Americans would consider unhealthy: high protein (and a lot of red meat) and high fat.
My family is going to be in Portugal on Thursday! Love watching your videos. Can’t wait to magically lose weight in Portugal! Lol love your content!
I personally experienced this also after living in Mexico for 3 months this summer.
I have lived in Italy for four years now after being born in the United States and living there for 36. I am effortlessly 15 pounds lighter. Viva Italia !
I’m from Spain, move to North America and one of the first things shocked me was that I needed a car to go almost everywhere. Every time I decided to go out for a walk, I realize that people were looking at me like.. where is that guy going walking? In fact wasn’t easy to find safe, good and clear side walks for this. Found myself walking over the gras or even the side of the road with the vehicles passing too close to me. Still happy, don’t get me wrong, at the end of the day I think it is all about actitud. I don’t eat out much, I like to get my fresh food at aldi and cook at home. Not a fan of sodas either so.. still keeping my health to a pretty much acceptable level. 155 p. I’m 5,9 f. Saludos
Hi Dave, I’m English but have spent many happy times in Arrifana , fantastic Fish and Pasteis de nata also I adore arroz doce, great video.
I would like to know why british people think that can do everything they want in Portugal. Im portuguese and im used to see bad behaviour from british people.
@xaviermarques8061 How true. I was once in the Algarve, but I can't remember now the name of the town. There were several restaurants on a particular area and all of them had signs indicating English breakfast, English ingredients, English music, etc. I wonder why those brits bother to come to Portugal. I was shocked.
Até já, Xavier.
@@valsblueforrest2961 ya. Its very common there, specially in Albufeira.
Dave, I’ve lost some weight too. Walking, healthier food, less junk food and overall eating less food in general. I’m in the best shape of my life. Older than you and walking 2-4 miles a day on the hills in Porto have allowed me to get in great shape . JP Porto
Is everyone required to grow a hipster mustache when moving to Europe? 🤔🤣
When ever I go to Europe or Asia I tend loss weight since I'm usually walking and taking public transportation and usually I have a big breakfast which kept me full. I took my mom to Paris and she was really out of shape and she felt more stronger when we got back. I'm lactose intolerant but the dairy in europe doesn't really affect me like it does here but try eat yogurt, cheese or butter if alternatives aren't available.
The lower pace of life, the "work to live and not live to work" etics (also, some better worklaws pro labors) the walkable and people-centered urbanism, the availability of fresh and natural food were one of the few reasons, I, as a LatinAmerica immigrant, were one of the few reasons that I, as a Latin American immigrant, chose Europe over the US or Canada. I simply HATE the NEED to have a car, I cannot stand this toxic work-life where u DIE working and barely has vacation or resting days! I also lvie and Portugal and like de warm wether, the freash food, the small and compact cities, I like to cook my freash food and like to have fresh and natural options when I go out to eat(its not the same level of freashfood variety as my home country, but still good!).
In Geral, EU has very strict laws about pesticides, food additives and availability of fresh food over junkfood (I think that snack vending machines are forbidden in schools in Portugal, and the lunch menu is also regulated and values real food)
I believe in food as a basic right. And when I say food, I mean quality food, with real, fresh food. We all need to eat every day! And everyone has the right to eat WELL. A good diet reduces health problems (as you said, better blood test results) and makes us more ready for everyday life.
But how can people eat well if there is little availability of natural food? If you go to the market, there's a lot more choice of ultra-processed and frozen food than vegetables. The price of one vegetable is much higher than several cans of ultra-processed food. When is a person going to cook if they spend 12-14 hours on the street working? Real food takes time to sow, grow and harvest. When it comes to industry and profit, it's much more advantageous to create everything in a laboratory. An absurd amount, that doesn't need to wait months to be ready, that can be stored for years. What's more, the health problems it will cause will make money for the private health sector. It's not in the interests of big food capital to have more natural food available. So as it is not in the interests of big car capital for cities to have efficient public transporte and people center-urbanism. Of course, Europe has voracious industries, but in certain respects, they are trying to provide a better quality of life for their own population, and they know that if they aim for profit above all else, it will be shit.
Walking up and down in Lisbon would whip anyone in shape.
Dave: you live in Portugal, and you don't mention air quality ??? Come on: air quality at the coast is usually excellent for all pollutants, except ozone (maritime born ozone is made by the sun, not by human activities). I suffered from very bad asthma for decades; arriving at the Algarve, I was breathing better after one week, much better after two weeks and I reduced my medication, and I stopped all medication after three weeks. My doctors didn't believe me at first, but my allergy tests were so much better. my allergies for cats, dogs, horses etc were gone after two months. Same for my soon who was on chronic lung inflammation and was prescribed antibiotics for months: when he came to visit us, he was healed after three weeks. Most Portuguese doctors are not aware of this. My CT scans show much cleaner arteries. And I too had no problems to loose weight and to improve my fitness and my well being through lumino-therapy. Sorry, I forgot to mention that I am a Dr too. So, in two years you can repeat this video and add that you have added two decades to your probable life expectancy.
There is no magic, but there’s choices. Living in Europe my whole life, Poland and now UK, I can see how much healthier I was when eating what my parents cooked for me back home, they used to cook from scratch, with healthy farm fresh ingredients, than having Indian and Italian takeaways all the time.
I think the secret to being healthy is as you said, everything in moderation, moderate portion sizes, no junk food (or very occasionally), walking culture definitely helps, pavements everywhere, drinking more water, teas and coffees. Looking at my parents, both in their 60s now, I can confirm non-smoking, non-alcohol drinking, and making your own food from fresh ingredients definitely helps to keep fit as well.