Na zdravi! (Cheers!)

In the few days that we have been in Prague, I have come to realize, as I had suspected, that organic produce is extremely difficult to come by. Organic dairy and grain products can be found in many places, but produce and meat not so.

I am not sure how available eco cleaning and hygiene products are, but I haven't seen them yet.

In Portland we were very conscious of the products and food that we bought. We made sure that almost everything we consumed and cleaned with was organic, but here, unfortunately, I don't think that is possible.

I have also noticed that, though cancer rates seem high here (with one of the highest mortality rates in Europe and the world), I don't think most Czechs are really aware that plastics, for example, are one of the major cancer-causing substances. Czechs happily sip on hot coffee, tea, mulled wine and 'grog' from thin plastic cups in which these drinks are sold by most vendors. Lots of people also seem to cook "instant rice" in little plastic baggies. Many of the traditional foods here such as pate, meat and snack foods are filled with artificial ingredients and preservatives. (Of course, they are as well in the States. I am just disappointed that the trend is so far-reaching.)

In fact, I find it ironic that our relatively young good family friend, a food chemist and candy "flavor designer," (could've been working for Willy Wonka!) has been battling breast cancer for some time. Could there be a connection?

Aside from food, the amount of air and general environmental pollution seems high here as well. Well, maybe not compared to China... but still.

A couple of years back the Czech Minister of Health had his blood tested. The chemicals they found in his blood are typical of most Czechs, I presume: a high level of PCB, DDT, a chemical called PBDE used in the making of upholstering, carpets, blinds, and computers, for instance. Perhaps these chemicals are likely to also come up in blood tests of typical Americans, but it's just something I've been thinking about.

We will do our best to continue with our healthy lifestyle choices, given the lack of accessibility here.