I think this study especially missed our indestructible livers, imbeded in our genes through milleneia of strong exposure and reforged in years of practise, starting in our early teens.
You are joking but there was a study done on the effects of alcohol exposure on certain populations, western Europeans have highest tolerance as per the centuries of heavy drinking.
@@Aluzcz I knew that some (most probably) asians and native americans have really low alcohol tolerance so I kinda figured that there must be someone who is the opposite 😂 But its cool to know it has some scientific background.
@Lalala Emerald native americans (at least in the north) have notoriously low alcohol tolerance, because they first came into contact with it when the europeans came. Its the same thing but reversed - they just didnt have the time to develop collective immunity to alcohol. Its the same as with poisons, diseases and dangerous chemicals. It takes a ton of time and few hundred generations but you can build up immunity to almost anything.
I actually forgot to mention one of my main points, which is that Czech people live an unusually low-stress lifestyle...safe and prosperous country, low unemployment, excellent work-life balance, and all the things you mentioned. People here seem to be happy and laid-back in general, and I personally think that does more good for your health than abstaining from beer and cigarettes.
There is also one major factor which makes us Czechs people more healthier then others - feeling of safety. We are 5th most safest country in the world.
@@tomycat4548 the GPI list is a little scam... we loosing points for owning guns in population, having good numbers of LE forces, being in NATO, participation in foreing conflicts , having arms factories etc. ;) so in the end we are maybe the safest country in the world... and remember one thing, we have here more freedom than all countries combined on that list above us... ;)
Because we have a monoculture, not a multiculture - its quite hard to find a reason to hate someone if most of the people are same as you are also the economy is not bad so there is quite little crime. There are also cultural aspect, we Czechs just dont give a fuck too much about stuff like other nations, we just wait all the crap over. Last but not least the alcohol helps to get thru almost anything....
@@Aluzcz Yes monoculture is probably the reason what breaks this nation to be more populated and at the worse point can leads to monoculture degradation extreme nationalism and lost of healthy self-reflection.
As a Czech I actually never thought about the meaning of "Na zdraví!" so deep. Your explanation really makes sense and is absolutely on point. Bravo, sir, another great video!
I really like that you considered "the full picture." While we do have a lot of vices, I feel they are partly outbalanced by the advantages - access to quality healthcare, work-life balance and lower amount of stress in general, the quality of food, calm but active lifestyle, etc. I also enjoyed watching what's happening behind you in this video: at almost any given point, they was someone riding a bike, running, walking, riding a scooter, skateboarding, or inline skating, which sort of nicely illustrates the "healthier" side of the country.
Lucky that so many people came out to illustrate my point for me 😁 and yes, something that I neglected to mention is that Czech people have an exceptionally reasonable approach to work, especially in comparison to the toxic American work culture that promotes productivity and “hustle” above all else. I think that probably has a greater impact on health than any other single factor.
Absolutely perfectly said true about this country. And all this said in the most clear English language you can hear. Thank you for such excellent videos.
1) Lot of alcohol is drunk by tourists as the Czech is known for its beer culture. 2) Cottages (chalupas) are not just a staging areas for outdoor activities. Lot of time is also spend by maintaining those buildings and the land around. So Czech people naturally receive heathy dose of physical activities. 3) Smoking is on the descent in young generation. Cigars much more expensive than they used to let's say 20 years back. There is a smoking restriction in pubs for few years now and smoking is not seen as a normal thing. Also many people (including me) switched to electronic cigars which are at least less dangerous.
yeah many young switched to electronit cigarettes but i definitely disagree with "smoking is on descent in youngsters" i live in Prague and like 80% of my friends around 20s smoke. Mostly normal cigarettes with elecronic ones
@@YoloSwagginscz It is statistically proven, it might to you seem like many people are smoking but you only have the view of Prague, not of the entire nation.
@@karakas9905 no iam from village in stredocesky kraj and its much worse in these parts of Czechia... i would say that least people smoke in Prague then other cities like Kladno,Plzen,Brno etc.
@@YoloSwagginscz Well, I live in the same place and have quite the opposite of the experience, none of my friends are smokers, some smoke socially. The only smokers I knew were when I worked in Kladno and they were all 25 and older.
I'm going to have to disagree with you on the smoking - from what I've experienced people in the younger generation are more aware of the health risks and smokers are in the minority and usually they're the ones being left out as they have to leave the restaurant (or any indoor public space) to have a cigarette. But it depends on one's social circle I suppose. And in general I agree that smoking in Cz is an issue - its not uncommon for people who smoke to smoke one or two packs a day, which is insane. However my view is that its more of a 40+ age group issue. I may be wrong though, its based only on personal experience.
Well... jen nekouří klasický cigarety, ale třeba vodnice je extrémně populární, stejně jako třeba tráva je podle mě mezi mladšíma mnohem oblíbenější než u lidí třeba 30 nebo 40+. Ani jedno z toho ale není na denním menu jako cigarety u stálých kuřáků, proto třeba klasický rozdělení na kuřáky a nekuřáky už taky u mladých lidí moc neplatí. Mladých stálých kuřáků je podle mě relativně málo... stejně jako klasický a úplných nekuřáků. Hodně lidí si dá jednu dvě cigarety, vodnici nebo trávu někde v pátek v baru, ale normálně přes tejden by to do huby nevzali. Tady je krásně vidět, že mladí používají tyhle srajdy z úplně jinýho důvodu, než klasický kuřáci, co kouří denně, aby byly schopný fungovat :/
@@Kilinho98 I have the same experience. This is why I spoke about it the way I did. But I suppose it's very different from one social circle to the next.
Several people have pointed out that most smokers in the Czech Republic are either young people who party a lot or older people 40+. I think I have a skewed view of the prevalence of smoking here because most of my friends are in the musician/artist/expat crowd...i.e., mostly young people who like to party :))
I agree , and just want to say,that people in Czech eat less processed food, they cook often -and from fresh ingredience,which possibly can add some benefits as well, even if you go drunk at 3am in Mcdonald, it is not such a disaster :P Thank you for your fair opinions,it is interesting to hear different perspective. I hope you are having nice time in Czech and cant wait for another video! Take care
Thank you for talking about this! I love listening to your perspective on those issues. As a Czech, it seems surreal to me that there is someone from foreign country who puts so much thoughts into the experiences of other czech people. From watching your other videos I'm blown away by the level of empathy and understanding you have for the country. I hope you'll find the same understanding and care here as well.
I wish TV Nova, Prima, and CT had reporters with your observation skills and positive summary attitude. I want all chronic grumblers to watch your videos so they can feel some gratitude towards our country. Thank you for representing our country in this positive way. I am a very proud Czech citizen after spending 10 years abroad.
Very nicely analysed and thanks for clarifying. 2 parameters smoking & alcohol alone cannot be the basis for judging the health of a community. Very balanced view. Glad that you brought up this topic and is reassuring. Thanks mate.....
Thank you so much, I’m glad you appreciate the points I was making. And yes, it’s reassuring for those of us who’ve moved here from abroad (or are planning to) that it’s perfectly possible to be healthy in the Czech Republic.
I came across your channel today and your view of Czech republic is really refreshing to me. For last few years I was very pesimistic about my country because of things I experienced, but when you talk about all this stuff which at least I took for granted because I live here my entire life, it really shines light on the good things and makes me feel fortunate to live here and that there are things to be proud about.
@@rera012 a to zapomínají kolik alkoholu zde vypijí samotní cizinci .Máme pro ně alkohol cenově výhodný a celkem dostupný prodává se skoro všude ne jen ve specializovaných obchodech .Statistika nuda je jak se říká je to pouze o číslech realita bývá většinou trochu jiná buď horší nebo lepší .
the highest consumption of beer per capita is dubious. pre covid number of tourists coming to czechia was twice or three times the actual number of czechs so the beer consumption was heavily skewed by them. it'd be interesting to see beer consumption stats for 2020 when tourists been barred from the country for most of the year.
but this is not working as well, cause pubs were closed during the pandemic.. but of course this number includes all the 10 million of turists per year who drink their own portion .. to help us become such a drinkers))
@@hanahkonvesz Exactly. And because we produce good quality beer and alcohol, the statistic takes all the products drunk and bought here. There was a lot of turists here just because of the alcohol - from Irish to Danish. And if you take it mathematicaly, we have just 10,5 milion population so every litre drung by tourist is devided by just small amount of inhabitants. I remember that statistics used to say that beer consumption here was cca 190 litres per capita, but only 136 drunk realy by Czech people. Yes, it is still a lot, but the ratio!
This is an important factor that I didn't originally consider. Prague is a popular destination for alcohol tourism and no doubt that inflates the numbers considerably.
@@skeletonkeysprague21 Exactly, mainly for north countries where is prohibition, my friend from norway told me its much cheaper to go to prague and drink 24/7 for entire week than one night at oslo pub.
I worked with a woman from Czech republic some decades ago, I'm from Canada but I live in Portugal now. She would regularly comment on the amount of beer consumed in 'her country' even beer at breakfast.
I found your channel today and I'm so glad I found it. It is always interesting to hear someone from outside talking about our nation, especially when it's mostly in positive vibes. :) 1) About drinking - yes, we have the most drinked beers per person in the world. IMO it's for two reason - beer is cheaper than water and lot of beers are drinked by tourists. We are well know for cheap beer, so here is something like "alcohol tourism" (for example lot of stag parties in Prague from UK). Of course not in this strange times, but when you walk in center of Prague in 2017 and you met drunk people, 90% it was turists. Are we proud that we are nr. 1 in the world in drinking beer? Yes, we are. At least we're first in something. :) 2) Smoking - I think this bad habit is slowly disappearing. I know what I'm talking about. I was smoker too and when I look around it's quite rare to see someone with cigarette (of course compared to the past).
Several other people have brought up the point that the alcohol statistics are probably inflated by the huge number of tourists who come here to drink every year. It’s something I didn’t think about before, but it makes perfect sense. Thanks for pointing this out :)
@@skeletonkeysprague21 There are not enough tourists to be able to significantly increase alcohol consumption in the Czech Republic. According to Wikipedia, 135 liters of beer are drunk in the Czech Republic, 108 liters in Austria and 101 liters in Germany.
Great video. Was a bit shocked to see that title. Agree with you totally. I'v found the medical care to be amazing here better than England. One thing to mention is that outside the city in the villages. Almost everyone grows their own vegetables and fruit if they can and will have chickens. Hiking is also massive here. Living in a village for 2 years I can say that the older grandmas are still very healthy into their 70s/80s always in the Garden keeping busy.
Hi Skeleton, I just discovered your channel yesterday. I was an English teacher there 30 years ago ('91) and have been back a couple of times since (2010 and 2013) and would possibly like to move back again. It's certainly changed a lot in the past 30 years and in a lot of ways I feel like the tables have turned and they have a better quality of life than we do in the US. Their infrastructure has been rebuilt while ours is crumbling here and the quality of the food over there seems to have improved while here we are increasingly being sold fluff and fillers. Anyway, how is the Czech language coming along for you after 1.5 years? I know it's really difficult and it's important to get at least a fundamental grasp of the local language in order to assimilate in the culture. How actively are you studying? Do you take courses...? I saw another video where you mentioned taking a TOEFL course while there. Is there a school you recommend for getting certified or, alternatively, would you recommend trying to do it stateside or even online? Finally, what about the residence visas that Americans seem to get that enables them to freelance? Is that a viable option for someone looking to relocate there and should that be initiated before arriving or once in CR? I met a kid in 2013 who had that kind of residence permit and his "gig" had something to do with some sort of deep water petroleum drilling coupler or something. It sounded very specious to me and I kinda concluded that he wasn't actually active in it but that he was really just a trust fund kid living over there and that was his reason on paper. Anyway, thanks for the videos!
The language is coming slowly but steadily. To be honest, I don’t study as actively as I should, but I’ve still managed to learn a lot just by being surrounded by Czech people. I’m not totally convinced that textbook methods are ideal for learning Czech anyway. The grammar is so complex that you’re often better off just taking wild guesses and letting people gently correct you or just understand your meaning regardless of grammatical correctness. Language learning/acquisition is a deep topic and I’m still not sure what the best methods are, but I will say that I need to get a bit more diligent in my practice. I found my TEFL course in the easiest possible way, through a google search. I wasn’t even looking for courses specifically in Prague, but it came up anyway. If you search “Prague TEFL” on google, I believe the first link is still the school I went to. I can recommend them very highly. Great teachers, excellent infrastructure, and a good network. They also had live classes for teaching practice on a daily basis and gave immediate feedback, and that was all extremely helpful for learning how to be a better language teacher. The freelance visa or “živno” is relatively straightforward to get, and yes it should be initiated before arrival if at all possible. In practice, a lot of people don’t do that, they just hit the ground running and figure it out once they get there. I was one of those. But if someone already knows they want to live in Prague for at least a year, you can complete the whole application process from outside the country. Thanks for commenting!
Hello, I can also recommend youtube channel called Dream Prague - it is focused around american living in Prague, explaining how things are different here etc.
Pls dont have high expentations from infrastructure in today's CZ.. Prague is doing well but thats it and that is why EVERYONE wants to live in the city and prices of real estate including rent are incredibly high there. The rest of country is terribly lacking behind its Western neighbors in terms of highways and fast trains. It's pretty bad.
SKIING!! i really valued the point you made about czechs habitually engaging in physical activity... there are so many outdoor activities us czechs genuinely do in our spare time (not out of some notion to "stay fit" or "be healthy") and we don't even think twice about it - like abundant dog walking and training (czechs own a whole lot of dogs!!), hiking, cycling; all the winter activities like skiing, snowboarding, crosscountry skiing; numerous water based sports like canoeing (even if that often encompasses a lot of drinking...), windsurfing, paddle boats.... all of these probably sound like "fun attractions" to tourists but czech people actually /live/ these!
Wow you really have an amazing knowledge of Czechs..... How long you been living there ? I hope you gonna show one day country side... mountains, lakes, vineyards, people :)) good luck
Thank you, I’ve been here about a year and a half :) great idea, I’ll do a vlog soon all about the Czech wilderness and countryside. Thanks for stopping by :)
@@skeletonkeysprague21 Nice video :-) If you are interested in wine, "open cellars" are taking place in Moravia this weekend and many others during the summer.
"Every Czech person has like encyclopedic knowledge of which mushrooms are good to eat and which mushrooms are toxic." Well, never, under any circumstances, ask me to identify a mushroom for you. My personal mushroom knowledge encyclopedia was written with crayons and chewed on by a dog. There is also a wonderful dark joke about this: "All mushrooms are edible, but some you only eat once." Jokes aside, this is a very fair perspective. I would like to add that younger generations are becoming more and more health conscious, smoking (at least of traditional cigarettes) is on the decline, and eating minimally processed foods is becoming very "in." What's interesting is that while fast food chains definitely are a factor, I'd say they are not that immensely popular. In the US, fast food restaurants are exactly that - a fast and cheap food option. However, because the prices are roughly similar to those in the US, eating in for example McD in the Czechia can be quite expensive, especially for a family with kids. You can get more nutritious meals for cheaper. If you cook at home and do some meal prep, the individual portions can be dirt cheap, even if cooking with a bit pricier ingredients or whole foods.
Thank you for the feedback...I'm glad somebody likes my style! I have no talent for fancy editing or transitions, so this style is what you're stuck with for the foreseeable future :)
Regarding beer consumption: I can barely imagine those "researches" are so complex that it would take into account, for instance, the fact our beer is not so strong, which would slump the real alcohol intake. Expat from Munich. :)
Hi, Brendan, Ondřej here, the local. Let me add some points to enrich your deep analysis, and I thank you for doing that. 1) I don't smoke. I have never had any cigarette or tobacco in my mouth. But from the viewpoint of the state, smokers helps the national budget, because what you can easily atach an tax to? The cigarettes. So raising the tax and raising the price helps the national budget, because the smokers will always spare / save money for their "guilty pleasure". 2) Beer consumption. Yeah. True. But let's give a context to that. Imagine - you eat a rich lunch, you eat almost like a viking, and the beer in this context doesn't serve as medium to become drunk, but as a digestion helper. It helps your tummy to process the food, without having any "gallbladder troubles", ... also beer has some "B family" vitamines ... 3) Obesity thing - According to my life experience, become obese is not connected that much with "what you eat", but more "how regularly per day are you having your meals". And you, Brendan, come from the U.S., where ommiting the lunch isn't preceived as "health issue", but as a proof that you are a "hard worker". 4) Mushrooms - I am a subscriber to "Lex and Cinnabon" TH-cam channel, where Alex Sweers, resident of the state of Michigan, is releasing videos about his cat called "Cinnabon". And I noticed that in the Michigan, the weather during the year seems to be similar with the weather in the Czech Republic. And during April and May, there is a "Morel season", in the woods or forest, you can find species of "morels", czech singular is "smrž" and Alex eats those (with some quick preparation, involving the cleaning and frying the mushrooms). It was lovely to see, that mushroom hunting / picking isn't only the czech thing. 5a) I don't know, if I have already mentioned it earlier (in this case I am sorry for repeating myself), but yeah, while you in the US, you come to your garden and you practice throwing the baseball ball and catching it to the baseball glove, while we come out and we are playing the football, or better said those who are "adroit" enough. 5b) I don't know, if I have already mentioned it earlier (in this case I am sorry for repeating myself), but there is also two things, which you don't find in a mass scale anywhere else in the world, like in the Czech republic - almost everyone attended ZUŠ - which is an abbreviation for "Základní umělecká škola" (lit. Elementary artistic school), which is usually private (paid) institution for kids, where they can learn how to play various musical instrument, they can learn to draw, dance, sculpture ... We also have lessons of "taneční" - "Dancing" (dancing classes), like with the ZUŠ, it is private, paid, but the young adults 15 to 20 attend this course to get very basics in dancing and "interacting with the opposite sex". 6) And one reply to your comment from another video - beef liver dumpling soup - hovězí polévka s játrovými knedlíčky. Have you ever heard some czech covers of american or british songs? I think some czech covers of american songs are better quality, in the terms of the quality of the singing or the lyrics ... :)
Hello! Great video as always. About the rolling cigarettes thing here... if someone already smokes, there is a very high chance he is or will be rolling his own cigarettes, simply because it is miles cheaper and safer than normal packs. Surprisingly tho, you cant really see any adverts for classic tobacco but people still mostly end up rolling their cigs anyway.
Such a clear, articulate, and informed video...thanks for enlightening us again about the Czech Republic! As you well know, here in the U.S.A., just our "SAD" diet---Standard American Diet---which is the perfect addictive combination of sugar, fat, and salt, along with our mediocre mental health system, should rank us as one of the unhealthiest countries on the planet.
Motivated me more to quit smoking. Thanks for great video. Really nice to hear so many possitive things. Maybe we should now hear what are we doing really bad ;)) Have a good day sir :)
Thank you, I’m glad you found it motivating. Yes, there will soon be a video with some less positive things about living in the Czech Republic, but I didn’t want to say all the bad stuff first 😄
Hey! Just found your channel and this video is really great and I honestly didn't expect such complex analysis from American (sorry :D). You've got my subscribe! You are partialy right but you can't generalize in Czechia, because for example Prague and people from Prague are really different than people from Teplice f.e. :D I never thought that my smoking is so unusual in comparison with other countries. You could have point out Czech food as one of the reason of high weight. I didn't check other videos, but you should definitely travel across all the country and make a full picture. But I must say that your analysis is suprisingly accurate and really nice to Czechs. Thank you!
Overall I agree with your conclusions. However, do keep in mind that the obesity rate versus your observation regarding its contrast when compared to physically active people should also take into account the selection bias. You will not see unhealthy people going out and exercising, as they'll mostly stay inside, use private transport and generally do as little exercise as possible due to their already worsened condition.
Man, I loooove your analysis and the other side of the coin you have shown us. I am a Ghanaian, and I plan to travel to Czech and work. My concern, however, is the language. I learned that Czech has about 16 officially recognized languages. Still, English is not part of these 16 languages and I am concerned about the language barrier I might face when I am there. Can you please do a video about languages spoken in Czech just so I can learn more. Thank you.
Something I'd like to add to the smoking in Czechia, in the last couple of years we've seen a ton of people switching over to a thing called IQOS. The way it works is that you have a little holder that you put a special cigarette into, but instead of burning it, it only heats the tobacco enough to release nicotine. So whilst you're still smoking, you're not inhaling any burnt paper or tar. Now a lot of people switch to IQOS not necessarily for the health benefits, it's because you can smoke it indoors in restaurants and pubs, but it's still a step towards a somewhat healthier lifestyle.
i believe canadians have iqos too but it's not really a healthier alternative to smoking as advertised, it is big tobaccos attempt at stealing sales from vaping which isn't regulated and taxed as much as selling a pack of iqos/glo sticks
The amount of beer consumption in the Czech Republic is also greatly influenced by foreign tourists. The Czech Republic is one of the most visited countries in the world per capita. A large part of these tourists, at least from Great Britain and Scandinavia, come here to drink cheap beer. So beer tourism is very widespread here, especially in Prague.
I would agree with the alcohol problem, it is huge, my father died due to alcohol and i had people calling me "strange" for not drinking. When it comes to smoking, i have to disagree, it is getting much better, classic cigarettes are considered unhealthy by everyone, a lot of young people smoke vapes and eCigarretes, but it is getting much better. Obesity is quite a lot because of the beer.
I disagree. Obesity comes more with fast food, acessfull junk food, lack of homemade snacks and less activity of people which are spending most of day on computers (adults and children too). But yes drinking beer is also problem but for much older people.
the first time I drank beer in the CZ it was 10 am and we had to wait, so one of my first words in cz were JEDNO PIVO PROSIM. and I miss it a lot!! lol!!
Actually, no Czech say this phrase at all. 😉 We order Desítku or Dvanáctku which means beer degree (or some special types of beer). Desítka is Gambrinus, Dvanáctka Plzeň.
@@hanapritulova7226 aa yes, i remember thst too. Maybe my friends did it the "jedno..." way or they saw it more easy and I too order that.. my first words in czech language.
I think many of us Czechs don't actively and consciously think about our health as much as some other nations do, but we have a naturally balanced lifestyle because we walk a lot instead of driving everywhere and we eat the healthy stuff at home and then treat ourselves to a burger once a week when we go out to eat. And I think we have a healthy work-and-life balance, and that's what matters most.
@@caifothiazz It depends on a chief. I remeber this study and if you compare it with turkey and other meals in the USA... I think healthier dinner they found only somewhere in Lithua or so. news.expats.cz/weekly-czech-news/czech-christmas-dinner-one-of-worlds-healthiest/
Great video dude, I've never even known about this study before your video! Kind of agree with a lot of your points, this study is kind of strange in itself because well people can be unhealthy from a lot of different things too. And it's absolutely strange to combine only those factors and say that it's true. Sadly I kind of agree with smoking because of my position as a nonsmoker and seeing a lot of people from my generation who do. But I've seen a lot of those who don't! I hope that there aren't that many adolescents who smoke... However, this is only my own personal experience!
In Bohemia people often drink a lot, like a lot of beer, but you cant count 1l of beer to 1l of Vodka, because then someone can say, that people from west drink a lot of alkohol and people from Hanácko(southeast of Czechia) are more healthy, but if you count liters of clear alkohol, you will have completely differnet result, because Hanáci drink a lot of strong alkohol.
Stromovka is my favorite park in Prague. I go there with friends who have kids and we drink some beers at the park while their kids play. A lunch at the Lokal there is also nice. I really only have 1 Czech friend who doesn't drink or smoke. Most of my smoker friends have switched to the IQOS, though. All of my friends have dogs, so they get exercise walking their dogs everyday. You forgot to mention weed. Czechs are big green smokers, but it's not a lifestyle thing like in the USA. It's more of like smoking a few with friends while hanging out or to relax after work. One friend is against it, but I saw she had a joint in her purse one night, and she said it's just in case she gets a headache...
11:40 Actually, most people in czech do sports simply because they like to, most people will start caring for themselfs after seeing a doctor, who gives them a diet which they mostly dont care about 1 month later. We say "na zdraví" (to health) just out of custom (atleast I do).
Hi, as mentioned below, the smoking amongst the younger population is dropping indeed, as in this era it is no longer "cool to smoke", as it was 10 or 20 years ago. Plus the evergrowing prices help as well, more than any anti-smoking campaigns (like the one with putting "ugly pictures of diseased organs" on the cigarette packs) As for the alcohol, they clearly did not counter the fact that the beer is full of vitamin B and one glass of wine per day can help your organism as well :D . Whenever an article like this is released in Czech newspapers, it is always welcomed with a positive response. Obesity is a general worldwide issue with people spending more and more of their time online, so American fastfoods are not the only ones to blame, do not worry! Plus, our cuisine is not exactly the healthiest - fried schnitzel, a ton of various sauces based on flour, dumplings, a lot of minced meat - not exactly healthy either, when eaten on regular basis, I would say. Either way, I would not say we are the unhelthiest nation at all solely based on the fact we drink beer, as this article seems to do :D . Pollution, health service affordability, and other factors need to be weigned in, in order for this study to be atleast a bit serious.
I remember reading somewhere that beer is the richest source of B vitamins in the diets of many people worldwide. The brewer's yeast that's used to make it is basically a B complex supplement. The diet may be more of a problem here, but even then I think the Czech lifestyle, the absence of pollution, the low-stress mentality, and many other factors make it a healthier place to live than the USA and many other countries.
Very well said! I wouldn’t say it better. Also I'd like to point out the fact that Czech people in general have normal working hours and paid vacation unlike people in the US, so they can enjoy more time off without being worried or stressed that they won't get paid for that time... At least that's what I think...Mental health is also important
Several people have pointed this out and I think it was a major omission on my part. I agree that Czechs have a much healthier approach to work-life balance and stress in general than Americans. The safety and security of life here, and the assistance from the government on necessities like healthcare education, also contribute to the laid-back attitude. Life can never really get too bad in the Czech Republic, and that makes a huge difference to the mental health of the people. Thanks for your comment.
Hi. Nice video. On the topic of drinking: I'd say that the consumption rate alone does not paint the whole picture. Because beer is cheap, tasty and ubiquitous it's normal to just sit down with a friend in a pub, have a nice chat, drink a beer or two and go home. I'm not saying that Czechs don't party hard but nobody is urged to get totally blasted because it's the happy hour (and otherwise beer is prohibitively expensive) or because it's nearing the mandatory closing time. Simply said, Czechs don't need to optimize for price vs. drunkenness with every pint they drink.
increase in taxes on tobacco have been a big part in reducing all sorts of tobacco consumption in the US (you can see this in the difference in consumption of tobacco in states with very different taxation on tobacco and also in the immediate reduction in consumption when tax rates increase). How do taxes on tobacco in Czech Republic compare to those in neighboring countries?
Rolling tobacco is usually better. Not like...it is healthier, but people are generaly fed up with that hay that usually comes with regular cigarettes. Used to smoke a lot and I was rolling too...it was expensive, but overall, the experience was way better. I don't smoke anymore, so...can't tell now :D
I don't smoke regularly, but sometimes I'll have a hand-rolled cigarette if a friend rolls one for me. It's much easier on the lungs and much more pleasant to smoke than the alternative.
About the fast food point: Traditional Czech cuisine is very heavy too. As opposed to most other cuisines it utilizes almost no fish, very little vegetables and "salad" is more like a curse word for an average Czech...
Also as an active smoker I have to say we are on a brink of dramatic social change when it comes to smoking. Several years ago all pubs, restaurants, bars and clubs have been banned from allowing smoking inside and people have mostly embraced it. The ostracization of smokers varies very much by age and the younger the more likely to ostracize smokers people are. Smoking in Czech republic is very interconnected with social gatherings especially when those gatherings include drinking beer which ofc happens in pubs, restaurants etc where smoking has been banned for a couple years. Also the ostracization shows a lot when looking for a flat to rent as most ads explicitly discourage smokers from applying.
Tbf, a big chunk of our "heavy cuisine" is still vegetables. Just not in the unatractive raw state (yes, guess im one of the "salad = curse word" :-D ) . Like svíčková. The "heavy" sauce is mostly (or almost entirely, depending on the recipe) vegetables.
On the topic of "Na zdraví", we also wish much luck and health when we are wishing someone on their birthday. In older generations, it's "I wish you much luck and health but mostly the health because that's the only thing that matters". Same with loss for example caused by natural element. "Houses can be build again, things bought and land sowed, but you have only one health".
I think this attitude really comes through in the way Czech people live, work, and relate to each other. I feel it very strongly and that’s one reason I feel at home here.
I really like how you think about everything and how you observe from a lot of different perspectives... I have very similar thinking so I like this video a lot. By the way, I am Czech, I do not smoke I drink just a littlebit from time to time. I was drinking a lot when I was young on parties, but everybody does anywhere on the planet I guess. I am very heavy guy 180 Kg, but I played American football for 20 years and I lift some weights from time to time. So even I am big guy I can still move around and I feel healthy 😉 I wish everyone to feel healthy, feel good and positive and enjoy life and nature while we still have it
You have forgotten to mention the one very important factor regarding the health of Czech people, their diet. What they eat and how much of it. Their national diet is loaded with lots of sugar and saturated fat. For their main dishes the veggies they use are mostly for decoration, also they consume the greatest amount of salt and smoked meat etc. Because of their diet, they are in the 2nd place in EU for cardiovascular decease. The rest of what you have said, I agree almost 100%.
I didn't mention the diet, partly to keep the video from getting too long and partly because I didn't want to piss off the Czech viewers too much ;) But of course you're correct, the diet could use a lot of improvement. I don't think it's anywhere near as terrible as the standard American fast-food diet, and there's clearly a rising awareness of healthy eating at least in Prague, but the stereotype of Czech people eating nothing but rohlik and sausage and cheese is not far off the mark in many cases.
@@skeletonkeysprague21 You are correct but I dont think that this should piss off anyone, it depends on individual cases, I personally eat healthy carbs and fats (max 1/3 unhealthy fats of total daily fat intake) and correct amount of protein. But most of czech are eating shitty meals as You said suasage and rohlik etc..
There has been lot of research lately showing that case against saturated fats is much weaker than we thought decade or two ago. If I had to name two worst problems with average person I would say sugar and lack of activity...
Myslím si, že ku zdraviu ľudí v Českej a Slovenskej republike (podobný štýl života aj zákony) prispieva Zákonník práce, ktorý zamestnancom dáva pomerne štedrý počet dní dovolenky oproti napríklad USA. Takisto možnosť byť na PN (práceneschopnosť, byť chorý) a mať to zaplatené. Daný pracovný čas a obmedzený počet nadčasov. Čas na obedovú prestávku. Nebavím sa tu o tých, čo to nevyužívajú alebo z prevádzkových dôvodov nemôžu využiť, ale všeobecne. A nebolo tu spomenuté, že okrem zbierania húb je národným športom turistika vďaka najlepšie značeným turistickým chodníkom.
Some time ago I had to sit my overseas husband down and give him a little talking to, that he can't be saying "I added mushrooms into this xy dish" to Czechs, because not specifying the mushroom type suggests that he doesn't know what mushroom it is, because he can't confidently identify it and it raises a suspicion it might be poisonous. Or psychoactive.
Lol. That’s so Czech. A funny thing I didn’t mention here is that my first job in Prague was as a primary school teacher, and I had to teach a health class where the curriculum included an entire unit on mushrooms 😂
Im czech and im only going address the smoking part. I do not smoke and Ive never felt "left out" also I do not know many smokers. But that might be due to my social bubble. Many people roll up their own cigs because its cheaper than buying a pack, thats the only reason. The tobacco is usually same (same brand, production, etc) as from the packed cigarettes. Actually I belive the rolled up ones are MORE unhealthy because usually none cares about a proper filter.
The truth is that our traditional cuisine is very meat and fat based and when I look around I see a lot of people with a belly (especially older people). I tend to gain weight myself so I try to balance that with some exercise and gym though.
On the other hand, lunch is our main meal, whereas in US, dinner is the main meal and it's not recommended to stuff yourself before sleeping. I think that this might be one of the reasons our meal is so heavy on stomach, because we have light breakfast and light dinner.
hi thanks for the nice reflection. These are the headlines from newspapers and magazines. Otherwise you're right smoking is a growing problem and drinking hectoliters of beer doesn't add to us either. Moreover, if you realize that only a part of the population will divide that amount. For example, I drink about 5 liters of fruit beer a year, otherwise I drink non-alcoholic. But I'm certainly not a typical Czech in this.
First Brendan, it’s like I hear your dad talk 🤣 ( we are friends in BV). Second, I like your perspective on the health of the Czech people. Being from Holland, I totally agree about the smoking and drinking! Unfortunately so many young people smoke and as a non smoker you’re a bit of an outcast if you try to escape it on a terrace or on the street. I find it terrible and whatever is IN that sigaret, it’s bad for you and your environment! Drinking is also very accepted and it surrounds you. In Europe AND the US! It’s in commercials, in tv shows in movies. Alcohol is a very toxic substance and if it would be discovered today it would never be approved for consumption. But it’s our ‘Teddy Bear’, we ‘earn’ it, we take comfort, it’s with every event, weddings, funerals, etc. So I do see how that takes Czech up the list. But agreed on the cycling and being outdoors! Other than CO and a few other states people just drive or take the metro. It’s a complicated subject. Kudos for Czech having this great healthcare ( like Holland) where everyone can afford a doctor!! I enjoyed listening to you! Take care!
Also we have much less stress than f.e. Americans and other success oriented nations have, because work life balance is much better in Czech republic. We have government granted holiday, many people work at about 40 hours weekly, mother can stay with her newborn child on paid maternity leave for couple of years.Most of us work to live, not live to work. I think this has huge impact on our health too.
Dude, I envy your coolness! You know how calmly and with ease you talk. Anyway, I know very few people that smoke but some of those smoke a lot. Smoking is definitelly not as popular than it used to be say back in 90's. You should come to Ostrava, especially in winter, if you think we have clean air. :-) We will all die of cancer here, I'm pretty sure of it. :-) Anyway, you have seen more Prague in those two years you are here than I have in ten years I was there. I had no idea that there is this stone halfmoon what ever it is called in Prague that you showed us last time. And nobody talked about it as well, it's a hidden gem I guess. Go and visit Tábor you will also like, it's like a small Prague without tourists :-)
Tábor is great. You can take journey: Tábor - Jindřichův Hradec - (Slavonice) - Třeboň - České Budějovice - Český Krumlov. South bohemia with it´s nature and castles and moddle ages and reneissance towns.
Dude, thank you! If you saw how many times I messed up some words and had to start the sentence over again, you wouldn't think I was so cool, haha. But I appreciate it. The stone half-moon...are you talking about the grotto at Havličkovy Sady?
@@skeletonkeysprague21 It's the idea that has been installed in us by movie industry that movie people talks without any flaws. I think in youtube you can let some of the mistakes slip, it just makes you more human. And, yes, I meant Grotta at Havlickovy sady. I know the place around the park pretty well but had no idea something like this is there. So thank you. :-) Btw. Svitavy are great and the road between Svitavy and Havlickuv Brod is super fantastic. Perfect representation of czech nature, small hills, with lovely fields and forests.
Me as czech few years ago I drank like 70+ beers per year and smoked 1/2 package of cigarettes a day, but I walked every day 10-15k steps, so to talk about helth ppl have to think not only about (beer/ cigarets consuption) but what ppl eat and physical activities. If I have to go somewhere distance to 6 km (3,7... miles) so in that cases I mostly go for walk and not to use public transport / car.
I agree, I really think the walking makes a huge difference. So many of those beers just get "walked off" through the course of the day. It's not the same as sitting on the couch at home pounding beers, like people do in the US.
Just visiting Czech r. right now , so much of healthy foods available everywhere… and I was surprised how good and lean everyone looks , specially the women, the men - not so much as you can see the “ beer belly “ even the smoking is way down from the past. Drinking is the same as always ( of course! Hello !! ) and walking everywhere and everyday is great benefit too .if you want to see “ unhealthy “ go to Mississippi… you will not one person who weighs under 300 pounds…
Regarding alcohol - Czechs drink mostly low alcohol beer (desitka) that allows to drink much more than strong ales anywhere in the world. Not so many people drink hard alcohol with some local exceptions - older drink more wine, younger are better vodka drinker. There are some people that drink really in excess (at home mostly) and have huge problem with it but majority is reasonable and drink in company as you said. We say do you want to die healthy? We prefer to enjoy the time with friends than to stay here till 100 (anyway some alcohol drinkers have long life as well). I think obesity problem is bigger than the alcohol one (although somehow connected as well). And beer average is heavily increased by tourists - we will see the sharp decrease when statistics from covid time are published. Anyway no one is better in beer drinking.
I would love to hear your take on relation between Czechs and Slovaks. We have such a rich and interesting history together so if you have any thoughts on this, that would be interesting to hear. I love to hear that you are having great time in our country. It also feels good to hear that we are not such a sh*thole that often even Czechs themselves think we are. I visited quite a few countries to realize that - every country has the same potential for traveler / expat to be a happy place. It is about people. - Czechs are super hospital however I met super hospital people everywhere. It is about traveler's wibe that opens the right doors. - Czech is one of the best countries to live in - very safe on average - no huge strikes or public unrests; and reasonable police - of course occasional hickups but no systemic terror or bullying; reasonably democratic government which is ofcourse rotten - just like any other government in the world. We are simply most western from Eastern Europe and it has its perks :) Thanks for your vids about Cze, feels good to hear it
I would say that that one big difference in Czech Rep. (Europe in general) comparing with US is that people are more used to just to walk. When I was in US I realized that there aren't almost any sidewalks. Just around hospitals etc. Of course it depends on the place, for instance in New York you can see lot of walkers. I get that in US you have to travel to longer distances so it is just logical. Great video by the way. ;)
Thank you! Yes, walking in the USA is a lost art. It's a huge contributor to the obesity epidemic and so many Americans would improve their quality of life quite drastically if they could rediscover the pleasure of walking long distances every day.
Every Czech person knows that our best medicine is slivovice because we say “Kudy teče, tam léčí” - “It cures everywhere it flows” and that’s just a fact ;)
I visited Mcdonald's twice in my life because I was invited, but I never eat there. I don't buy anything from fastfoods tbh, only sometimes some chinese/vietnamese fastfood when I am visiting friends, or pizza about 5 times a year. I am not used to junkfood restaurants and I certainly call them junk and trash whenever I have a chance xD
Regarding smoking, it's really very different in different social groups. In my social bubble of hundreds of people, pretty much nobody smokes and when they do, it's putting them outside of the main group, instead of vice versa. And if I would take all czechs together with some kind of average, I really don't think people smoke all that much. I think you just joined a group or groups that happen to smoke a lot.
1) rolling own cigarettes - actually its worse than bought, that tobacco is infused with chemicals to keep it from completely drying so it would be possible to roll it without tobacco just crumbling to dust, normal cigarettes are better (but more expensive. And czech republic is currently concidered developing economy because of low wages) 2) alcohol is actually healthy in small ammunts. Last time i read about it (5y ago give or take from some medical conference) healthy dose was concidered ~0,5l of wine (or 2 beers) for males and ~0,3l for females (1 beer) per day... Spirits (and other drinks with high % of alcohol) are not even in small ammounts. So in that sense Czech people live really healthy :) 3) about that easy and cheap healthcare - its not cheap, really not, quite the opposite. With average Prague wages around 80000 (~4000$) from cost of your labour goes to healt insurance each year, so its actually extremely costly for you if you arent constantly ill and in need of surgery every year.
Your Czech pronunciation is pretty good, actually! ... But I don't smoke, drink alcohol, and almost do not party, so I don't know much, may be I am not Czech according to WHO:-)))
I think the fact we don´t need to use a car if we want to get to a shop 3 blocks away is important too. I believe it is very common to use public transport + walk when getting around Prague (because car is a nuisance). Some parts of the world are difficult, you basically need to go by car everywhere.. Drinking, smoking- we should do it less. Yeh, I met some old guys in Moravia drinking, smoking all the time, looking ok, but there´s not much stress, but I think the stress levels are rising everywhere, especially in the city. The income is still very low compared to Europe and we work quite a lot? Food- it´s not just fast food, don´t blame just US. :). But the quality of food is lower, so people eat more.
Ahoj, seš hustej! First at all I want to thank you for your insight in our perfect country :) This is 2. video of yours I saw today... At First I was looking for some good music to listen to while I am working, but your video just blinked at me and I needed to play it... It was very interesting topic and your english is so good, that I can just focus for work and listen to your voice. You describe us so perfectly, it touches my heart in so many levels. You see us through and what I very appriciate is your honesty and deep understanding :) I normally really don´t respond for videos on youtube, but I wanted to show you my support and count me as your fan :) I have a feeling, that you might be soon get into more spiritual way of our country... there is so many secrets and misteries, we can´t even imagine and the stories we hear are breathtaking. Let me invite you to visit Dragon city called Trutnov, you can see the panorama of Sněžka and Černá Hora from every hill around. But thats only the begining :) I live in small village of 100 ppl, but its almost like little family, somehow conected by same thoughs. I would like to show you another way of living than in Prague and around. No rush, its up to you, we can connect anytime ;) Katerina JoyGreen
I think this study especially missed our indestructible livers, imbeded in our genes through milleneia of strong exposure and reforged in years of practise, starting in our early teens.
You are joking but there was a study done on the effects of alcohol exposure on certain populations, western Europeans have highest tolerance as per the centuries of heavy drinking.
@@Aluzcz I knew that some (most probably) asians and native americans have really low alcohol tolerance so I kinda figured that there must be someone who is the opposite 😂 But its cool to know it has some scientific background.
@Lalala Emerald native americans (at least in the north) have notoriously low alcohol tolerance, because they first came into contact with it when the europeans came. Its the same thing but reversed - they just didnt have the time to develop collective immunity to alcohol. Its the same as with poisons, diseases and dangerous chemicals. It takes a ton of time and few hundred generations but you can build up immunity to almost anything.
I think another one of points is psychical comfort. Paid holiday, relax in nature, beer with friends etc.. Btw great video.
I actually forgot to mention one of my main points, which is that Czech people live an unusually low-stress lifestyle...safe and prosperous country, low unemployment, excellent work-life balance, and all the things you mentioned. People here seem to be happy and laid-back in general, and I personally think that does more good for your health than abstaining from beer and cigarettes.
Also lazeňská kultúra to ťahá nahoru...
There is also one major factor which makes us Czechs people more healthier then others - feeling of safety. We are 5th most safest country in the world.
That's an excellent point. I actually meant to bring this up in the video but I forgot. Thanks for mentioning it!
Actually we are on 8th place now but usa is not even on the list so-
@@tomycat4548 the GPI list is a little scam... we loosing points for owning guns in population, having good numbers of LE forces, being in NATO, participation in foreing conflicts , having arms factories etc. ;) so in the end we are maybe the safest country in the world... and remember one thing, we have here more freedom than all countries combined on that list above us... ;)
Because we have a monoculture, not a multiculture - its quite hard to find a reason to hate someone if most of the people are same as you are also the economy is not bad so there is quite little crime.
There are also cultural aspect, we Czechs just dont give a fuck too much about stuff like other nations, we just wait all the crap over.
Last but not least the alcohol helps to get thru almost anything....
@@Aluzcz Yes monoculture is probably the reason what breaks this nation to be more populated and at the worse point can leads to monoculture degradation extreme nationalism and lost of healthy self-reflection.
As a Czech I actually never thought about the meaning of "Na zdraví!" so deep. Your explanation really makes sense and is absolutely on point. Bravo, sir, another great video!
Thank you!
You are right on target!!
Actualy, 1 glass of whine or beer a Day health benefits outweight detremental effects.
Your observations are really well balanced, you have a good eye for what is happening around you.
Thank you very much, I appreciate that!
@@skeletonkeysprague21 most welcome. Looking for your next observations. Do visit the new world if you have not done so yet. Novy mesto
I really like that you considered "the full picture." While we do have a lot of vices, I feel they are partly outbalanced by the advantages - access to quality healthcare, work-life balance and lower amount of stress in general, the quality of food, calm but active lifestyle, etc. I also enjoyed watching what's happening behind you in this video: at almost any given point, they was someone riding a bike, running, walking, riding a scooter, skateboarding, or inline skating, which sort of nicely illustrates the "healthier" side of the country.
Lucky that so many people came out to illustrate my point for me 😁 and yes, something that I neglected to mention is that Czech people have an exceptionally reasonable approach to work, especially in comparison to the toxic American work culture that promotes productivity and “hustle” above all else. I think that probably has a greater impact on health than any other single factor.
Absolutely perfectly said true about this country. And all this said in the most clear English language you can hear. Thank you for such excellent videos.
1) Lot of alcohol is drunk by tourists as the Czech is known for its beer culture.
2) Cottages (chalupas) are not just a staging areas for outdoor activities. Lot of time is also spend by maintaining those buildings and the land around. So Czech people naturally receive heathy dose of physical activities.
3) Smoking is on the descent in young generation. Cigars much more expensive than they used to let's say 20 years back. There is a smoking restriction in pubs for few years now and smoking is not seen as a normal thing. Also many people (including me) switched to electronic cigars which are at least less dangerous.
*cigarettes
yeah many young switched to electronit cigarettes but i definitely disagree with "smoking is on descent in youngsters" i live in Prague and like 80% of my friends around 20s smoke. Mostly normal cigarettes with elecronic ones
@@YoloSwagginscz It is statistically proven, it might to you seem like many people are smoking but you only have the view of Prague, not of the entire nation.
@@karakas9905 no iam from village in stredocesky kraj and its much worse in these parts of Czechia... i would say that least people smoke in Prague then other cities like Kladno,Plzen,Brno etc.
@@YoloSwagginscz Well, I live in the same place and have quite the opposite of the experience, none of my friends are smokers, some smoke socially. The only smokers I knew were when I worked in Kladno and they were all 25 and older.
I'm going to have to disagree with you on the smoking - from what I've experienced people in the younger generation are more aware of the health risks and smokers are in the minority and usually they're the ones being left out as they have to leave the restaurant (or any indoor public space) to have a cigarette. But it depends on one's social circle I suppose. And in general I agree that smoking in Cz is an issue - its not uncommon for people who smoke to smoke one or two packs a day, which is insane. However my view is that its more of a 40+ age group issue. I may be wrong though, its based only on personal experience.
I have the same feeling, in my social bubble 95% of all friends and family are non-smokers
I have opposite experience. When we are in the pub, Im the only one sitting with beer and waiting for other till they come back from smoking
Well... jen nekouří klasický cigarety, ale třeba vodnice je extrémně populární, stejně jako třeba tráva je podle mě mezi mladšíma mnohem oblíbenější než u lidí třeba 30 nebo 40+. Ani jedno z toho ale není na denním menu jako cigarety u stálých kuřáků, proto třeba klasický rozdělení na kuřáky a nekuřáky už taky u mladých lidí moc neplatí. Mladých stálých kuřáků je podle mě relativně málo... stejně jako klasický a úplných nekuřáků. Hodně lidí si dá jednu dvě cigarety, vodnici nebo trávu někde v pátek v baru, ale normálně přes tejden by to do huby nevzali. Tady je krásně vidět, že mladí používají tyhle srajdy z úplně jinýho důvodu, než klasický kuřáci, co kouří denně, aby byly schopný fungovat :/
@@Kilinho98 I have the same experience. This is why I spoke about it the way I did. But I suppose it's very different from one social circle to the next.
Several people have pointed out that most smokers in the Czech Republic are either young people who party a lot or older people 40+. I think I have a skewed view of the prevalence of smoking here because most of my friends are in the musician/artist/expat crowd...i.e., mostly young people who like to party :))
I agree , and just want to say,that people in Czech eat less processed food, they cook often -and from fresh ingredience,which possibly can add some benefits as well, even if you go drunk at 3am in Mcdonald, it is not such a disaster :P
Thank you for your fair opinions,it is interesting to hear different perspective. I hope you are having nice time in Czech and cant wait for another video! Take care
Thank you for talking about this! I love listening to your perspective on those issues. As a Czech, it seems surreal to me that there is someone from foreign country who puts so much thoughts into the experiences of other czech people. From watching your other videos I'm blown away by the level of empathy and understanding you have for the country. I hope you'll find the same understanding and care here as well.
Thank you for the lovely feedback, I really appreciate it. Cheers and best wishes to you as well. :)
Thats exactly what I was about to say. :)
I wish TV Nova, Prima, and CT had reporters with your observation skills and positive summary attitude. I want all chronic grumblers to watch your videos so they can feel some gratitude towards our country. Thank you for representing our country in this positive way. I am a very proud Czech citizen after spending 10 years abroad.
Very nicely analysed and thanks for clarifying. 2 parameters smoking & alcohol alone cannot be the basis for judging the health of a community. Very balanced view. Glad that you brought up this topic and is reassuring. Thanks mate.....
Thank you so much, I’m glad you appreciate the points I was making. And yes, it’s reassuring for those of us who’ve moved here from abroad (or are planning to) that it’s perfectly possible to be healthy in the Czech Republic.
I came across your channel today and your view of Czech republic is really refreshing to me. For last few years I was very pesimistic about my country because of things I experienced, but when you talk about all this stuff which at least I took for granted because I live here my entire life, it really shines light on the good things and makes me feel fortunate to live here and that there are things to be proud about.
Thank you, I’m so glad I could help you see your homeland from another perspective. We all need that sometimes :)
Ano v Americe jsem viděl že moc lidi nekouří, zejména San Francisco, tam totiž místo cigaret lidi všude hulí marihuanu a píchají si do žíly drogy....
Jakoby rozdil mezi hulicem a fetakem a rekl bych ze procentualni zastoupeni populace u nas je dost podobny jako v use
@@hlinenypanacek4028 no právě proto mi přijde jako nesmysl dávat ČR na poslední místo ze 179 zemi.
@@marvan1965 Jako obecne je fakt ze zijeme nezdrave ale jasny chapu tvuj point ty rozdily nejsou takovy.
@@marvan1965 ta studie je absulutně šílená a jediné co ti opravdu řekne je to že pijeme tolik alkoholu že na nás zbytek světa nestačí.
@@rera012 a to zapomínají kolik alkoholu zde vypijí samotní cizinci .Máme pro ně alkohol cenově výhodný a celkem dostupný prodává se skoro všude ne jen ve specializovaných obchodech .Statistika nuda je jak se říká je to pouze o číslech realita bývá většinou trochu jiná buď horší nebo lepší .
the highest consumption of beer per capita is dubious. pre covid number of tourists coming to czechia was twice or three times the actual number of czechs so the beer consumption was heavily skewed by them. it'd be interesting to see beer consumption stats for 2020 when tourists been barred from the country for most of the year.
but this is not working as well, cause pubs were closed during the pandemic.. but of course this number includes all the 10 million of turists per year who drink their own portion .. to help us become such a drinkers))
@@hanahkonvesz Exactly. And because we produce good quality beer and alcohol, the statistic takes all the products drunk and bought here. There was a lot of turists here just because of the alcohol - from Irish to Danish. And if you take it mathematicaly, we have just 10,5 milion population so every litre drung by tourist is devided by just small amount of inhabitants. I remember that statistics used to say that beer consumption here was cca 190 litres per capita, but only 136 drunk realy by Czech people. Yes, it is still a lot, but the ratio!
This is an important factor that I didn't originally consider. Prague is a popular destination for alcohol tourism and no doubt that inflates the numbers considerably.
@@skeletonkeysprague21 Exactly, mainly for north countries where is prohibition, my friend from norway told me its much cheaper to go to prague and drink 24/7 for entire week than one night at oslo pub.
I worked with a woman from Czech republic some decades ago, I'm from Canada but I live in Portugal now. She would regularly comment on the amount of beer consumed in 'her country' even beer at breakfast.
I found your channel today and I'm so glad I found it. It is always interesting to hear someone from outside talking about our nation, especially when it's mostly in positive vibes. :)
1) About drinking - yes, we have the most drinked beers per person in the world. IMO it's for two reason - beer is cheaper than water and lot of beers are drinked by tourists. We are well know for cheap beer, so here is something like "alcohol tourism" (for example lot of stag parties in Prague from UK). Of course not in this strange times, but when you walk in center of Prague in 2017 and you met drunk people, 90% it was turists. Are we proud that we are nr. 1 in the world in drinking beer? Yes, we are. At least we're first in something. :)
2) Smoking - I think this bad habit is slowly disappearing. I know what I'm talking about. I was smoker too and when I look around it's quite rare to see someone with cigarette (of course compared to the past).
Several other people have brought up the point that the alcohol statistics are probably inflated by the huge number of tourists who come here to drink every year. It’s something I didn’t think about before, but it makes perfect sense. Thanks for pointing this out :)
@@skeletonkeysprague21 There are not enough tourists to be able to significantly increase alcohol consumption in the Czech Republic. According to Wikipedia, 135 liters of beer are drunk in the Czech Republic, 108 liters in Austria and 101 liters in Germany.
Great video. Was a bit shocked to see that title. Agree with you totally. I'v found the medical care to be amazing here better than England. One thing to mention is that outside the city in the villages. Almost everyone grows their own vegetables and fruit if they can and will have chickens. Hiking is also massive here. Living in a village for 2 years I can say that the older grandmas are still very healthy into their 70s/80s always in the Garden keeping busy.
Nice to have such open minded and smart guy here.
I really appreciate that, thank you so much.
Nice to see how much you know about us and our habits.
Hi Skeleton, I just discovered your channel yesterday. I was an English teacher there 30 years ago ('91) and have been back a couple of times since (2010 and 2013) and would possibly like to move back again. It's certainly changed a lot in the past 30 years and in a lot of ways I feel like the tables have turned and they have a better quality of life than we do in the US. Their infrastructure has been rebuilt while ours is crumbling here and the quality of the food over there seems to have improved while here we are increasingly being sold fluff and fillers.
Anyway, how is the Czech language coming along for you after 1.5 years? I know it's really difficult and it's important to get at least a fundamental grasp of the local language in order to assimilate in the culture. How actively are you studying? Do you take courses...? I saw another video where you mentioned taking a TOEFL course while there. Is there a school you recommend for getting certified or, alternatively, would you recommend trying to do it stateside or even online? Finally, what about the residence visas that Americans seem to get that enables them to freelance? Is that a viable option for someone looking to relocate there and should that be initiated before arriving or once in CR? I met a kid in 2013 who had that kind of residence permit and his "gig" had something to do with some sort of deep water petroleum drilling coupler or something. It sounded very specious to me and I kinda concluded that he wasn't actually active in it but that he was really just a trust fund kid living over there and that was his reason on paper. Anyway, thanks for the videos!
The language is coming slowly but steadily. To be honest, I don’t study as actively as I should, but I’ve still managed to learn a lot just by being surrounded by Czech people. I’m not totally convinced that textbook methods are ideal for learning Czech anyway. The grammar is so complex that you’re often better off just taking wild guesses and letting people gently correct you or just understand your meaning regardless of grammatical correctness. Language learning/acquisition is a deep topic and I’m still not sure what the best methods are, but I will say that I need to get a bit more diligent in my practice.
I found my TEFL course in the easiest possible way, through a google search. I wasn’t even looking for courses specifically in Prague, but it came up anyway. If you search “Prague TEFL” on google, I believe the first link is still the school I went to. I can recommend them very highly. Great teachers, excellent infrastructure, and a good network. They also had live classes for teaching practice on a daily basis and gave immediate feedback, and that was all extremely helpful for learning how to be a better language teacher.
The freelance visa or “živno” is relatively straightforward to get, and yes it should be initiated before arrival if at all possible. In practice, a lot of people don’t do that, they just hit the ground running and figure it out once they get there. I was one of those. But if someone already knows they want to live in Prague for at least a year, you can complete the whole application process from outside the country.
Thanks for commenting!
@@skeletonkeysprague21 Thanks for the detailed response!
Hello, I can also recommend youtube channel called Dream Prague - it is focused around american living in Prague, explaining how things are different here etc.
@@Deni-mt9bj Thank you, Deni! Yes, I am familiar with that channel as well. Have a great day!
Pls dont have high expentations from infrastructure in today's CZ.. Prague is doing well but thats it and that is why EVERYONE wants to live in the city and prices of real estate including rent are incredibly high there. The rest of country is terribly lacking behind its Western neighbors in terms of highways and fast trains. It's pretty bad.
SKIING!!
i really valued the point you made about czechs habitually engaging in physical activity... there are so many outdoor activities us czechs genuinely do in our spare time (not out of some notion to "stay fit" or "be healthy") and we don't even think twice about it - like abundant dog walking and training (czechs own a whole lot of dogs!!), hiking, cycling; all the winter activities like skiing, snowboarding, crosscountry skiing; numerous water based sports like canoeing (even if that often encompasses a lot of drinking...), windsurfing, paddle boats.... all of these probably sound like "fun attractions" to tourists but czech people actually /live/ these!
Wow you really have an amazing knowledge of Czechs..... How long you been living there ? I hope you gonna show one day country side... mountains, lakes, vineyards, people :)) good luck
Thank you, I’ve been here about a year and a half :) great idea, I’ll do a vlog soon all about the Czech wilderness and countryside. Thanks for stopping by :)
@@skeletonkeysprague21 Nice video :-) If you are interested in wine, "open cellars" are taking place in Moravia this weekend and many others during the summer.
As a lean, non-smoking Czech....I had to open a beer when you got to that part, just because you reminded me. Thanks and cheers to you!
"Every Czech person has like encyclopedic knowledge of which mushrooms are good to eat and which mushrooms are toxic."
Well, never, under any circumstances, ask me to identify a mushroom for you. My personal mushroom knowledge encyclopedia was written with crayons and chewed on by a dog. There is also a wonderful dark joke about this: "All mushrooms are edible, but some you only eat once."
Jokes aside, this is a very fair perspective. I would like to add that younger generations are becoming more and more health conscious, smoking (at least of traditional cigarettes) is on the decline, and eating minimally processed foods is becoming very "in." What's interesting is that while fast food chains definitely are a factor, I'd say they are not that immensely popular. In the US, fast food restaurants are exactly that - a fast and cheap food option. However, because the prices are roughly similar to those in the US, eating in for example McD in the Czechia can be quite expensive, especially for a family with kids. You can get more nutritious meals for cheaper. If you cook at home and do some meal prep, the individual portions can be dirt cheap, even if cooking with a bit pricier ingredients or whole foods.
I really enjoying your long monologues. Such nice concept to hear whole idea just with few pauses.
Thank you for the feedback...I'm glad somebody likes my style! I have no talent for fancy editing or transitions, so this style is what you're stuck with for the foreseeable future :)
Regarding beer consumption: I can barely imagine those "researches" are so complex that it would take into account, for instance, the fact our beer is not so strong, which would slump the real alcohol intake. Expat from Munich. :)
I don’t think they took anything in account except for the easiest and most obvious statistics. The reality is much more complex.
Very nice video. I enjoyed it a lot. Thanks
Thank you so much, cheers :)
Hi, Brendan,
Ondřej here, the local.
Let me add some points to enrich your deep analysis, and I thank you for doing that.
1) I don't smoke. I have never had any cigarette or tobacco in my mouth. But from the viewpoint of the state, smokers helps the national budget, because what you can easily atach an tax to? The cigarettes. So raising the tax and raising the price helps the national budget, because the smokers will always spare / save money for their "guilty pleasure".
2) Beer consumption. Yeah. True. But let's give a context to that. Imagine - you eat a rich lunch, you eat almost like a viking, and the beer in this context doesn't serve as medium to become drunk, but as a digestion helper. It helps your tummy to process the food, without having any "gallbladder troubles", ... also beer has some "B family" vitamines ...
3) Obesity thing - According to my life experience, become obese is not connected that much with "what you eat", but more "how regularly per day are you having your meals". And you, Brendan, come from the U.S., where ommiting the lunch isn't preceived as "health issue", but as a proof that you are a "hard worker".
4) Mushrooms - I am a subscriber to "Lex and Cinnabon" TH-cam channel, where Alex Sweers, resident of the state of Michigan, is releasing videos about his cat called "Cinnabon". And I noticed that in the Michigan, the weather during the year seems to be similar with the weather in the Czech Republic. And during April and May, there is a "Morel season", in the woods or forest, you can find species of "morels", czech singular is "smrž" and Alex eats those (with some quick preparation, involving the cleaning and frying the mushrooms). It was lovely to see, that mushroom hunting / picking isn't only the czech thing.
5a) I don't know, if I have already mentioned it earlier (in this case I am sorry for repeating myself), but yeah, while you in the US, you come to your garden and you practice throwing the baseball ball and catching it to the baseball glove, while we come out and we are playing the football, or better said those who are "adroit" enough.
5b) I don't know, if I have already mentioned it earlier (in this case I am sorry for repeating myself), but there is also two things, which you don't find in a mass scale anywhere else in the world, like in the Czech republic - almost everyone attended ZUŠ - which is an abbreviation for "Základní umělecká škola" (lit. Elementary artistic school), which is usually private (paid) institution for kids, where they can learn how to play various musical instrument, they can learn to draw, dance, sculpture ... We also have lessons of "taneční" - "Dancing" (dancing classes), like with the ZUŠ, it is private, paid, but the young adults 15 to 20 attend this course to get very basics in dancing and "interacting with the opposite sex".
6) And one reply to your comment from another video - beef liver dumpling soup - hovězí polévka s játrovými knedlíčky.
Have you ever heard some czech covers of american or british songs? I think some czech covers of american songs are better quality, in the terms of the quality of the singing or the lyrics ... :)
Hello! Great video as always. About the rolling cigarettes thing here... if someone already smokes, there is a very high chance he is or will be rolling his own cigarettes, simply because it is miles cheaper and safer than normal packs. Surprisingly tho, you cant really see any adverts for classic tobacco but people still mostly end up rolling their cigs anyway.
Such a clear, articulate, and informed video...thanks for enlightening us again about the Czech Republic! As you well know, here in the U.S.A., just our "SAD" diet---Standard American Diet---which is the perfect addictive combination of sugar, fat, and salt, along with our mediocre mental health system, should rank us as one of the unhealthiest countries on the planet.
another great video ! Question: what camera do you use ? thanks !
You are absolutely right about everything! Thank you for getting to know the Czechs correctly. :) Very nice video :)
Thank you! Doing my best :)
Motivated me more to quit smoking. Thanks for great video. Really nice to hear so many possitive things.
Maybe we should now hear what are we doing really bad ;))
Have a good day sir :)
Thank you, I’m glad you found it motivating. Yes, there will soon be a video with some less positive things about living in the Czech Republic, but I didn’t want to say all the bad stuff first 😄
Your eloquence, train of thought and reasoning are excellent; and I am not commenting about this "vlog" only.
Hey! Just found your channel and this video is really great and I honestly didn't expect such complex analysis from American (sorry :D). You've got my subscribe! You are partialy right but you can't generalize in Czechia, because for example Prague and people from Prague are really different than people from Teplice f.e. :D I never thought that my smoking is so unusual in comparison with other countries. You could have point out Czech food as one of the reason of high weight. I didn't check other videos, but you should definitely travel across all the country and make a full picture. But I must say that your analysis is suprisingly accurate and really nice to Czechs. Thank you!
Overall I agree with your conclusions. However, do keep in mind that the obesity rate versus your observation regarding its contrast when compared to physically active people should also take into account the selection bias. You will not see unhealthy people going out and exercising, as they'll mostly stay inside, use private transport and generally do as little exercise as possible due to their already worsened condition.
Man, I loooove your analysis and the other side of the coin you have shown us. I am a Ghanaian, and I plan to travel to Czech and work. My concern, however, is the language. I learned that Czech has about 16 officially recognized languages. Still, English is not part of these 16 languages and I am concerned about the language barrier I might face when I am there. Can you please do a video about languages spoken in Czech just so I can learn more. Thank you.
Your pronunciation at the beginning was very good :)
Thank you!
@SkeletonKeysPrague sorry for the offtopic but can you tell me what brand your glasses are? Please!
I love watching your videos, because it makes me appreciate that I live in Czech republic.
Something I'd like to add to the smoking in Czechia, in the last couple of years we've seen a ton of people switching over to a thing called IQOS. The way it works is that you have a little holder that you put a special cigarette into, but instead of burning it, it only heats the tobacco enough to release nicotine. So whilst you're still smoking, you're not inhaling any burnt paper or tar. Now a lot of people switch to IQOS not necessarily for the health benefits, it's because you can smoke it indoors in restaurants and pubs, but it's still a step towards a somewhat healthier lifestyle.
i believe canadians have iqos too but it's not really a healthier alternative to smoking as advertised, it is big tobaccos attempt at stealing sales from vaping which isn't regulated and taxed as much as selling a pack of iqos/glo sticks
The amount of beer consumption in the Czech Republic is also greatly influenced by foreign tourists. The Czech Republic is one of the most visited countries in the world per capita. A large part of these tourists, at least from Great Britain and Scandinavia, come here to drink cheap beer. So beer tourism is very widespread here, especially in Prague.
I would agree with the alcohol problem, it is huge, my father died due to alcohol and i had people calling me "strange" for not drinking. When it comes to smoking, i have to disagree, it is getting much better, classic cigarettes are considered unhealthy by everyone, a lot of young people smoke vapes and eCigarretes, but it is getting much better. Obesity is quite a lot because of the beer.
I disagree. Obesity comes more with fast food, acessfull junk food, lack of homemade snacks and less activity of people which are spending most of day on computers (adults and children too). But yes drinking beer is also problem but for much older people.
the first time I drank beer in the CZ it was 10 am and we had to wait, so one of my first words in cz were JEDNO PIVO PROSIM. and I miss it a lot!! lol!!
Lol that must be the first phrase every tourist learns when they arrive here :)
@@skeletonkeysprague21 it was my first day of school, that ended at 930 am!
Actually, no Czech say this phrase at all. 😉 We order Desítku or Dvanáctku which means beer degree (or some special types of beer). Desítka is Gambrinus, Dvanáctka Plzeň.
@@hanapritulova7226 aa yes, i remember thst too. Maybe my friends did it the "jedno..." way or they saw it more easy and I too order that.. my first words in czech language.
Man you are so comfortable to listen to...
Such a nice compliment, thank you so much :)
@@Rasam3 wat
@@Rasam3 kekw
I think many of us Czechs don't actively and consciously think about our health as much as some other nations do, but we have a naturally balanced lifestyle because we walk a lot instead of driving everywhere and we eat the healthy stuff at home and then treat ourselves to a burger once a week when we go out to eat. And I think we have a healthy work-and-life balance, and that's what matters most.
There was a study, that traditional czech xmass dinner is the most healthy in the europe
i dont think so. Thats sounds healthy - fish with salad. But fish is fried bold carp, and salad is fatty potato salad full of mayonnaise.
@@caifothiazz It depends on a chief. I remeber this study and if you compare it with turkey and other meals in the USA... I think healthier dinner they found only somewhere in Lithua or so. news.expats.cz/weekly-czech-news/czech-christmas-dinner-one-of-worlds-healthiest/
@@caifothiazz We use white yogurt instead of mayonnaise. And I don't think it's that rare.
great video thanks, never thought about myself in that way you are right in everything you said
Great video dude, I've never even known about this study before your video! Kind of agree with a lot of your points, this study is kind of strange in itself because well people can be unhealthy from a lot of different things too.
And it's absolutely strange to combine only those factors and say that it's true.
Sadly I kind of agree with smoking because of my position as a nonsmoker and seeing a lot of people from my generation who do. But I've seen a lot of those who don't! I hope that there aren't that many adolescents who smoke...
However, this is only my own personal experience!
You know your research paper is rubbish when a TH-camr is able to absolutely dismiss it during a walk in a park peer review. Great video.
In Bohemia people often drink a lot, like a lot of beer, but you cant count 1l of beer to 1l of Vodka, because then someone can say, that people from west drink a lot of alkohol and people from Hanácko(southeast of Czechia) are more healthy, but if you count liters of clear alkohol, you will have completely differnet result, because Hanáci drink a lot of strong alkohol.
To se teda pleteš. Is not true.
My honest laught in the alcohol part of the video was something that I have not experienced for a very long time... Thank you so much!
Glad to be of service :))
Stromovka is my favorite park in Prague. I go there with friends who have kids and we drink some beers at the park while their kids play. A lunch at the Lokal there is also nice. I really only have 1 Czech friend who doesn't drink or smoke. Most of my smoker friends have switched to the IQOS, though. All of my friends have dogs, so they get exercise walking their dogs everyday. You forgot to mention weed. Czechs are big green smokers, but it's not a lifestyle thing like in the USA. It's more of like smoking a few with friends while hanging out or to relax after work. One friend is against it, but I saw she had a joint in her purse one night, and she said it's just in case she gets a headache...
11:40 Actually, most people in czech do sports simply because they like to, most people will start caring for themselfs after seeing a doctor, who gives them a diet which they mostly dont care about 1 month later.
We say "na zdraví" (to health) just out of custom (atleast I do).
Hi,
as mentioned below, the smoking amongst the younger population is dropping indeed, as in this era it is no longer "cool to smoke", as it was 10 or 20 years ago. Plus the evergrowing prices help as well, more than any anti-smoking campaigns (like the one with putting "ugly pictures of diseased organs" on the cigarette packs)
As for the alcohol, they clearly did not counter the fact that the beer is full of vitamin B and one glass of wine per day can help your organism as well :D . Whenever an article like this is released in Czech newspapers, it is always welcomed with a positive response.
Obesity is a general worldwide issue with people spending more and more of their time online, so American fastfoods are not the only ones to blame, do not worry! Plus, our cuisine is not exactly the healthiest - fried schnitzel, a ton of various sauces based on flour, dumplings, a lot of minced meat - not exactly healthy either, when eaten on regular basis, I would say.
Either way, I would not say we are the unhelthiest nation at all solely based on the fact we drink beer, as this article seems to do :D . Pollution, health service affordability, and other factors need to be weigned in, in order for this study to be atleast a bit serious.
I remember reading somewhere that beer is the richest source of B vitamins in the diets of many people worldwide. The brewer's yeast that's used to make it is basically a B complex supplement. The diet may be more of a problem here, but even then I think the Czech lifestyle, the absence of pollution, the low-stress mentality, and many other factors make it a healthier place to live than the USA and many other countries.
Very well said! I wouldn’t say it better. Also I'd like to point out the fact that Czech people in general have normal working hours and paid vacation unlike people in the US, so they can enjoy more time off without being worried or stressed that they won't get paid for that time... At least that's what I think...Mental health is also important
Several people have pointed this out and I think it was a major omission on my part. I agree that Czechs have a much healthier approach to work-life balance and stress in general than Americans. The safety and security of life here, and the assistance from the government on necessities like healthcare education, also contribute to the laid-back attitude. Life can never really get too bad in the Czech Republic, and that makes a huge difference to the mental health of the people. Thanks for your comment.
Great insight. You're taking into account a lot of things, that that research didn't.
Hi. Nice video.
On the topic of drinking: I'd say that the consumption rate alone does not paint the whole picture. Because beer is cheap, tasty and ubiquitous it's normal to just sit down with a friend in a pub, have a nice chat, drink a beer or two and go home.
I'm not saying that Czechs don't party hard but nobody is urged to get totally blasted because it's the happy hour (and otherwise beer is prohibitively expensive) or because it's nearing the mandatory closing time. Simply said, Czechs don't need to optimize for price vs. drunkenness with every pint they drink.
increase in taxes on tobacco have been a big part in reducing all sorts of tobacco consumption in the US (you can see this in the difference in consumption of tobacco in states with very different taxation on tobacco and also in the immediate reduction in consumption when tax rates increase). How do taxes on tobacco in Czech Republic compare to those in neighboring countries?
I’m not sure about tobacco taxes here. I’ll look into it :)
Isn’t Budweiser beer originally from Czech republic??
I fully agree with your thoughts and observations.
Thanks, glad it rang true for you.
Rolling tobacco is usually better. Not like...it is healthier, but people are generaly fed up with that hay that usually comes with regular cigarettes. Used to smoke a lot and I was rolling too...it was expensive, but overall, the experience was way better. I don't smoke anymore, so...can't tell now :D
I don't smoke regularly, but sometimes I'll have a hand-rolled cigarette if a friend rolls one for me. It's much easier on the lungs and much more pleasant to smoke than the alternative.
About the fast food point: Traditional Czech cuisine is very heavy too. As opposed to most other cuisines it utilizes almost no fish, very little vegetables and "salad" is more like a curse word for an average Czech...
Also as an active smoker I have to say we are on a brink of dramatic social change when it comes to smoking. Several years ago all pubs, restaurants, bars and clubs have been banned from allowing smoking inside and people have mostly embraced it. The ostracization of smokers varies very much by age and the younger the more likely to ostracize smokers people are.
Smoking in Czech republic is very interconnected with social gatherings especially when those gatherings include drinking beer which ofc happens in pubs, restaurants etc where smoking has been banned for a couple years.
Also the ostracization shows a lot when looking for a flat to rent as most ads explicitly discourage smokers from applying.
Tbf, a big chunk of our "heavy cuisine" is still vegetables. Just not in the unatractive raw state (yes, guess im one of the "salad = curse word" :-D ) . Like svíčková. The "heavy" sauce is mostly (or almost entirely, depending on the recipe) vegetables.
Beer is the fundation of alcohol pyramid in CZ.... well put! :D The way how you can describe what you see is on another level.
Thank you :)
On the topic of "Na zdraví", we also wish much luck and health when we are wishing someone on their birthday. In older generations, it's "I wish you much luck and health but mostly the health because that's the only thing that matters". Same with loss for example caused by natural element. "Houses can be build again, things bought and land sowed, but you have only one health".
I think this attitude really comes through in the way Czech people live, work, and relate to each other. I feel it very strongly and that’s one reason I feel at home here.
very insightful
Thank you!
I really like how you think about everything and how you observe from a lot of different perspectives... I have very similar thinking so I like this video a lot. By the way, I am Czech, I do not smoke I drink just a littlebit from time to time. I was drinking a lot when I was young on parties, but everybody does anywhere on the planet I guess. I am very heavy guy 180 Kg, but I played American football for 20 years and I lift some weights from time to time. So even I am big guy I can still move around and I feel healthy 😉
I wish everyone to feel healthy, feel good and positive and enjoy life and nature while we still have it
You have forgotten to mention the one very important factor regarding the health of Czech people, their diet. What they eat and how much of it. Their national diet is loaded with lots of sugar and saturated fat. For their main dishes the veggies they use are mostly for decoration, also they consume the greatest amount of salt and smoked meat etc. Because of their diet, they are in the 2nd place in EU for cardiovascular decease.
The rest of what you have said, I agree almost 100%.
I didn't mention the diet, partly to keep the video from getting too long and partly because I didn't want to piss off the Czech viewers too much ;)
But of course you're correct, the diet could use a lot of improvement. I don't think it's anywhere near as terrible as the standard American fast-food diet, and there's clearly a rising awareness of healthy eating at least in Prague, but the stereotype of Czech people eating nothing but rohlik and sausage and cheese is not far off the mark in many cases.
@@skeletonkeysprague21 You are correct but I dont think that this should piss off anyone, it depends on individual cases, I personally eat healthy carbs and fats (max 1/3 unhealthy fats of total daily fat intake) and correct amount of protein. But most of czech are eating shitty meals as You said suasage and rohlik etc..
There has been lot of research lately showing that case against saturated fats is much weaker than we thought decade or two ago.
If I had to name two worst problems with average person I would say sugar and lack of activity...
Myslím si, že ku zdraviu ľudí v Českej a Slovenskej republike (podobný štýl života aj zákony) prispieva Zákonník práce, ktorý zamestnancom dáva pomerne štedrý počet dní dovolenky oproti napríklad USA. Takisto možnosť byť na PN (práceneschopnosť, byť chorý) a mať to zaplatené. Daný pracovný čas a obmedzený počet nadčasov. Čas na obedovú prestávku. Nebavím sa tu o tých, čo to nevyužívajú alebo z prevádzkových dôvodov nemôžu využiť, ale všeobecne. A nebolo tu spomenuté, že okrem zbierania húb je národným športom turistika vďaka najlepšie značeným turistickým chodníkom.
Fell in love with your channel. Thanks for your content! :)
Thank you!
Some time ago I had to sit my overseas husband down and give him a little talking to, that he can't be saying "I added mushrooms into this xy dish" to Czechs, because not specifying the mushroom type suggests that he doesn't know what mushroom it is, because he can't confidently identify it and it raises a suspicion it might be poisonous. Or psychoactive.
Lol. That’s so Czech. A funny thing I didn’t mention here is that my first job in Prague was as a primary school teacher, and I had to teach a health class where the curriculum included an entire unit on mushrooms 😂
Im czech and im only going address the smoking part. I do not smoke and Ive never felt "left out" also I do not know many smokers. But that might be due to my social bubble.
Many people roll up their own cigs because its cheaper than buying a pack, thats the only reason. The tobacco is usually same (same brand, production, etc) as from the packed cigarettes.
Actually I belive the rolled up ones are MORE unhealthy because usually none cares about a proper filter.
We really need more American expats like Skeleton Keys and Dream Prague in Czech republic. Their vids are so open-minded. Two thumbs up!
You’re awesome, thank you so much for the support and encouragement!
Great vid 💪
The truth is that our traditional cuisine is very meat and fat based and when I look around I see a lot of people with a belly (especially older people). I tend to gain weight myself so I try to balance that with some exercise and gym though.
On the other hand, lunch is our main meal, whereas in US, dinner is the main meal and it's not recommended to stuff yourself before sleeping. I think that this might be one of the reasons our meal is so heavy on stomach, because we have light breakfast and light dinner.
@@Deni-mt9bj actually you're right! maybe the Czechs aren't totally doomed yet :)
hi thanks for the nice reflection. These are the headlines from newspapers and magazines. Otherwise you're right smoking is a growing problem and drinking hectoliters of beer doesn't add to us either. Moreover, if you realize that only a part of the population will divide that amount. For example, I drink about 5 liters of fruit beer a year, otherwise I drink non-alcoholic. But I'm certainly not a typical Czech in this.
First Brendan, it’s like I hear your dad talk 🤣 ( we are friends in BV). Second, I like your perspective on the health of the Czech people. Being from Holland, I totally agree about the smoking and drinking! Unfortunately so many young people smoke and as a non smoker you’re a bit of an outcast if you try to escape it on a terrace or on the street. I find it terrible and whatever is IN that sigaret, it’s bad for you and your environment! Drinking is also very accepted and it surrounds you. In Europe AND the US! It’s in commercials, in tv shows in movies. Alcohol is a very toxic substance and if it would be discovered today it would never be approved for consumption. But it’s our ‘Teddy Bear’, we ‘earn’ it, we take comfort, it’s with every event, weddings, funerals, etc. So I do see how that takes Czech up the list. But agreed on the cycling and being outdoors! Other than CO and a few other states people just drive or take the metro. It’s a complicated subject. Kudos for Czech having this great healthcare ( like Holland) where everyone can afford a doctor!! I enjoyed listening to you! Take care!
Also we have much less stress than f.e. Americans and other success oriented nations have, because work life balance is much better in Czech republic. We have government granted holiday, many people work at about 40 hours weekly, mother can stay with her newborn child on paid maternity leave for couple of years.Most of us work to live, not live to work. I think this has huge impact on our health too.
Dude, I envy your coolness! You know how calmly and with ease you talk. Anyway, I know very few people that smoke but some of those smoke a lot. Smoking is definitelly not as popular than it used to be say back in 90's. You should come to Ostrava, especially in winter, if you think we have clean air. :-) We will all die of cancer here, I'm pretty sure of it. :-) Anyway, you have seen more Prague in those two years you are here than I have in ten years I was there. I had no idea that there is this stone halfmoon what ever it is called in Prague that you showed us last time. And nobody talked about it as well, it's a hidden gem I guess. Go and visit Tábor you will also like, it's like a small Prague without tourists :-)
Tábor is great. You can take journey: Tábor - Jindřichův Hradec - (Slavonice) - Třeboň - České Budějovice - Český Krumlov. South bohemia with it´s nature and castles and moddle ages and reneissance towns.
Dude, thank you! If you saw how many times I messed up some words and had to start the sentence over again, you wouldn't think I was so cool, haha. But I appreciate it.
The stone half-moon...are you talking about the grotto at Havličkovy Sady?
@@skeletonkeysprague21 It's the idea that has been installed in us by movie industry that movie people talks without any flaws. I think in youtube you can let some of the mistakes slip, it just makes you more human. And, yes, I meant Grotta at Havlickovy sady. I know the place around the park pretty well but had no idea something like this is there. So thank you. :-) Btw. Svitavy are great and the road between Svitavy and Havlickuv Brod is super fantastic. Perfect representation of czech nature, small hills, with lovely fields and forests.
What a nice thoughtful man.
When was this study done? 1994?
😂 exactly, it seems pretty outdated even though it’s only 3-4 years old
Me as czech few years ago I drank like 70+ beers per year and smoked 1/2 package of cigarettes a day, but I walked every day 10-15k steps, so to talk about helth ppl have to think not only about (beer/ cigarets consuption) but what ppl eat and physical activities.
If I have to go somewhere distance to 6 km (3,7... miles) so in that cases I mostly go for walk and not to use public transport / car.
I agree, I really think the walking makes a huge difference. So many of those beers just get "walked off" through the course of the day. It's not the same as sitting on the couch at home pounding beers, like people do in the US.
Just visiting Czech r. right now , so much of healthy foods available everywhere… and I was surprised how good and lean everyone looks , specially the women, the men - not so much as you can see the “ beer belly “ even the smoking is way down from the past. Drinking is the same as always ( of course! Hello !! ) and walking everywhere and everyday is great benefit too .if you want to see “ unhealthy “ go to Mississippi… you will not one person who weighs under 300 pounds…
wow, your pronunciation is really good
Regarding alcohol - Czechs drink mostly low alcohol beer (desitka) that allows to drink much more than strong ales anywhere in the world. Not so many people drink hard alcohol with some local exceptions - older drink more wine, younger are better vodka drinker. There are some people that drink really in excess (at home mostly) and have huge problem with it but majority is reasonable and drink in company as you said. We say do you want to die healthy? We prefer to enjoy the time with friends than to stay here till 100 (anyway some alcohol drinkers have long life as well). I think obesity problem is bigger than the alcohol one (although somehow connected as well).
And beer average is heavily increased by tourists - we will see the sharp decrease when statistics from covid time are published. Anyway no one is better in beer drinking.
I would love to hear your take on relation between Czechs and Slovaks. We have such a rich and interesting history together so if you have any thoughts on this, that would be interesting to hear.
I love to hear that you are having great time in our country. It also feels good to hear that we are not such a sh*thole that often even Czechs themselves think we are. I visited quite a few countries to realize that
- every country has the same potential for traveler / expat to be a happy place. It is about people.
- Czechs are super hospital however I met super hospital people everywhere. It is about traveler's wibe that opens the right doors.
- Czech is one of the best countries to live in - very safe on average - no huge strikes or public unrests; and reasonable police - of course occasional hickups but no systemic terror or bullying; reasonably democratic government which is ofcourse rotten - just like any other government in the world. We are simply most western from Eastern Europe and it has its perks :)
Thanks for your vids about Cze, feels good to hear it
I would say that that one big difference in Czech Rep. (Europe in general) comparing with US is that people are more used to just to walk. When I was in US I realized that there aren't almost any sidewalks. Just around hospitals etc. Of course it depends on the place, for instance in New York you can see lot of walkers. I get that in US you have to travel to longer distances so it is just logical. Great video by the way. ;)
Thank you! Yes, walking in the USA is a lost art. It's a huge contributor to the obesity epidemic and so many Americans would improve their quality of life quite drastically if they could rediscover the pleasure of walking long distances every day.
Every Czech person knows that our best medicine is slivovice because we say “Kudy teče, tam léčí” - “It cures everywhere it flows” and that’s just a fact ;)
Czech people certainly seem to live by this motto 😂
rum
rychlá univerzální medicína
@@sgt.miningdrill2680 😂😂😂 přesně tak!
No its not a fact. Alcohol has no health benefits.
I visited Mcdonald's twice in my life because I was invited, but I never eat there. I don't buy anything from fastfoods tbh, only sometimes some chinese/vietnamese fastfood when I am visiting friends, or pizza about 5 times a year. I am not used to junkfood restaurants and I certainly call them junk and trash whenever I have a chance xD
I haven’t eaten at McDonald’s since I was a teenager. Which was a long time ago 😆
Regarding smoking, it's really very different in different social groups. In my social bubble of hundreds of people, pretty much nobody smokes and when they do, it's putting them outside of the main group, instead of vice versa. And if I would take all czechs together with some kind of average, I really don't think people smoke all that much. I think you just joined a group or groups that happen to smoke a lot.
Your pronounciation is great :)
You’re too nice, but thank you :))
thank you :)
1) rolling own cigarettes - actually its worse than bought, that tobacco is infused with chemicals to keep it from completely drying so it would be possible to roll it without tobacco just crumbling to dust, normal cigarettes are better (but more expensive. And czech republic is currently concidered developing economy because of low wages)
2) alcohol is actually healthy in small ammunts. Last time i read about it (5y ago give or take from some medical conference) healthy dose was concidered ~0,5l of wine (or 2 beers) for males and ~0,3l for females (1 beer) per day... Spirits (and other drinks with high % of alcohol) are not even in small ammounts. So in that sense Czech people live really healthy :)
3) about that easy and cheap healthcare - its not cheap, really not, quite the opposite. With average Prague wages around 80000 (~4000$) from cost of your labour goes to healt insurance each year, so its actually extremely costly for you if you arent constantly ill and in need of surgery every year.
Love the parks and the public transport in Prague.
One of the best things about this city! In a year and a half I’ve never yet run out of parks to explore.
Thank you for this
Your Czech pronunciation is pretty good, actually! ... But I don't smoke, drink alcohol, and almost do not party, so I don't know much, may be I am not Czech according to WHO:-)))
I think the fact we don´t need to use a car if we want to get to a shop 3 blocks away is important too. I believe it is very common to use public transport + walk when getting around Prague (because car is a nuisance). Some parts of the world are difficult, you basically need to go by car everywhere..
Drinking, smoking- we should do it less. Yeh, I met some old guys in Moravia drinking, smoking all the time, looking ok, but there´s not much stress, but I think the stress levels are rising everywhere, especially in the city. The income is still very low compared to Europe and we work quite a lot?
Food- it´s not just fast food, don´t blame just US. :). But the quality of food is lower, so people eat more.
Ahoj, seš hustej!
First at all I want to thank you for your insight in our perfect country :) This is 2. video of yours I saw today... At First I was looking for some good music to listen to while I am working, but your video just blinked at me and I needed to play it... It was very interesting topic and your english is so good, that I can just focus for work and listen to your voice. You describe us so perfectly, it touches my heart in so many levels. You see us through and what I very appriciate is your honesty and deep understanding :)
I normally really don´t respond for videos on youtube, but I wanted to show you my support and count me as your fan :) I have a feeling, that you might be soon get into more spiritual way of our country... there is so many secrets and misteries, we can´t even imagine and the stories we hear are breathtaking.
Let me invite you to visit Dragon city called Trutnov, you can see the panorama of Sněžka and Černá Hora from every hill around. But thats only the begining :) I live in small village of 100 ppl, but its almost like little family, somehow conected by same thoughs. I would like to show you another way of living than in Prague and around.
No rush, its up to you, we can connect anytime ;)
Katerina JoyGreen
your pronunciation is excellent
I really appreciate that. It still needs work :)