Text 1.Do we need extra vitamins?Many people believe that taking vitamin supplements is the best safeguard(保护、保卫)against the dangers of an incomplete diet, but this should be ①a last resort (最后手段)rather than a way out of a problem. Even if there is a genuine(真实的,真正的;诚恳的)need for extra vitamins, then sooner or later the question arises(出现;发生;站立)"which ones do I need, how much of them, and howoften?" There is really no simple answer to this question. The FoodStandards Committee guardians②保护者of our laws on food purity, labelling(标记,贴标签;标明)and advertising clams(保持沉默,闭嘴不言)and descriptions) suggest in their recent report to the government that we do not need any extra vitamins. They say thatthey are "not necessary for a healthy individual个人的;个别的;独特的个人,个体eating a normal diet". Whilst同时;时时,有时;当…的时候few of us would challenge their authority on the subject ofnutrition it is, perhaps, pertinent相关的,相干的;中肯的;切题的to ask the question "how many of us are healthy, and what is anormal diet? "There is an element of doubt in many minds aboutthese two aspects方面;方向;形势;外貌and though few people are familiar熟悉的;常见的;亲近的with the wording措辞;用语;语法of theFood Standards Report they do wonder instinctively本能地if theyare eating the right things. The blame for faulty eating habits is often placed at the door of the ubiquitous③(a. being everywhere, esp. atthe same time 普遍存在的)junk and convenience foods. As wehave seen, some of these are not the criminals they are made out tobe White bread is only slightly些微地,轻微地;纤细地less nutritious than brown bread and frozen vegetables can be almost as "fresh" asfresh food. There are very few foods which can really be described as pure rubbish. Many pre-packed goods contain too much sugar andwe would all benefit by avoiding these, but most tinned, processed处理的,加工过的and dried foods contain useful amounts of fat,protein, carbohydrate④(n. 碳水化合物), vitamins and minerals矿物;矿产,矿产品. The addition of a small amount of fruit or a side salad to convenience foods such as pizzas or hamburgers can turn asnack小吃,快餐;一份,部分into a well-balanced meal.许多人认为,服用维生互补剂是防止出现饮食营养不均衡情况的最好防范办法,但这是解决这一问题的方法中最不可行的作法。
即使真的需要补充维生素,迟早会出现“我需要哪些维生素?需要多少?多久服一次?”这样的问题。
对于这一问题,确实没有简单的答案。
食品标准委员会(我们在食品纯度、标识和食品广告申请、宣传方面的法律卫士)在最近呈送给政府的报告中建议说,人们不需要补充维生素。
他们说,“饮食正常的健康人不需要它们”。
尽管我们没有几个人对他们在营养方面的权威有什么异议,但或许会问“我们中多少人是健康的?正常的饮食是什么样的饮食?”这样的问题。
许多人心里对这两个问题还有点拿不不准尽管没有多少人熟悉食品标准委员会所呈报告中的措辞,但人们确实不由得要问,他们的饮食是否合理。
不良的饮食习惯常常归咎到随处出售的没营养的食品和方面食品上。
如我们所知,这些食品中的某些食品并不象人们认为的那要间(形成不良饮食习惯的)罪魁祸首。
白面包比黑面包只是稍微少了点儿营养,而冷冻的蔬菜几乎和新鲜的食物一样的“新鲜”。
真正可以说成是纯粹没有营养的食物是非常少的。
许多包装好的食品含糖太多,避开它们对我们都有好处,多数罐装食品、加工食品和烘干食品含有大量的脂肪、蛋白质、碳水化合物、维生素和矿物质。
往方便食品(如比萨饼或汉堡包)上加少许的水果或另外添加一道色拉会把快餐变成搭配均匀的营养餐。
'Junk' food is difficult to define定义. White sugar is probably the nearest contender⑤(n. rival, competitor)竞争者,对手for the title. Itcontains plenty of calories for energy but not much else, and is often described as an "empty calorie" food. Alcohol is also high in calories, but beer and wine contain some of the B vitamins and wine is a good source of iron, so even a teetotaler ⑥(a person who never drinksalcohol)滴酒不沾的人could not describe all alcohol as useless,nutritionally speaking. Calories measure测量;措施;程度;尺寸测量;估量;权衡、测量;估量the energy we derive源于;得自;获得from the food we eat, and sugar and alcohol are sometimesdescribed as having a high energy density密度. There is a limit to the amount of energy we need each day (2,000-2,200 calories is theaverage for women and 2,500-3,000 for men) and if we eat too much sugar and alcohol there is no appetite食欲;嗜好left for thevitamin-rich foods we need -- fish, meat, fruit and vegetables.Buying vitamins can be predicted预测的by psychological as well as nutritional motives and it is prudent谨慎的;精明的;节俭的toinvestigate why we think we need them and what benefits we expect from them before we rush off to the health shop to make ourpurchases.给真正“没营养”食品下定义并不容易。
白糖可能是这一头衔的最有力竞争者。
它含有很多提供能量的大卡,但含别的营养不多,因而常常被称为“只含大卡”的食物。
酒含大片也很高,但啤酒和果酒含有一些B族维生素,而果酒富含铁质。
因而从营养角度说,甚至滴酒不沾的人也不能把酒都说成是毫无益处的东西。
大卡测量我们吃食物所得到的能量,而糖和酒有时被说成是单位能量高的物质。
我们每天需要的热量有一个限度(妇女平均为2000-2200大卡,而男人为2500-3000大卡)。
如果我们糖或酒用得太多,就留不下胃口去享用我们需要的含维生阁下高的食物--鱼、肉、水果和蔬菜。
具有讽刺意味的是,真正吃“没营养”食物可能需要补充维生素的人几乎从没想到要补充维生素,而我们这些偶尔吃些食物的人却觉得我们必须把所有能想到的维生素都用来去补充所缺的营养。
购买维生素有的是出于营养方面的动机,有的是受心理因素的驱使。
要认真地考虑一下,我们为什么觉得我们需要维生素,我们希望它们给我们带来什么益处,然后再跑到营养品商店去购买。
Most of us buy vitamins for one of three reasons. Either we believe t hat they are prophylactic⑦(a. 预防性的), that is they will ward off advancing ills, or they are therapeutic⑧(a. 治疗的) and will deal with the ills we have already, or finally we may believe they are wonder drugs and will lift us into a state of super health, wit h all its attendant⑨(a. connected with)伴随的,有联系的 delights高兴. We are protected from some of these wild imaginings by the laws which control advertising but even without false promise we still believe that vitamins will “do us good”. Belief is a very potent有效的;强有力的,有权势的;有说服力的state of mind and the power of the placebo(10n. 安慰剂) pill is never underestimated低估;看轻in clinical临床的;诊所的trials used to test new drugs. A placebo is a harmless 无害的;无恶意的substance物质;实质;资产;主旨 given to one group of patients in the trial and it is similar in taste and appearance to a new drug which is given to a second group of patients. Theoretically理论地;理论上the drug should cure治疗;治愈;使硫化;加工处理or relieve解除,减轻;使不单调乏味;换…的班;解围;使放心any symptoms症状;症候;病徵and the placebo should have no effect. Often these trials produce surprising results and the placebo group recover as well as the group taking the new drug. This has been explained in the light of modern psychology because many of us react反应;影响;反抗;起反作用favourably to any kind ofinterest taken in our problems and derive源于;得自;获得as much benefit from that as we would from a medical drug. It is a “mind over matter” philosophy and for some of us it works. Vitamin pills can sometimes fall into this category种类,分类;[数] 范畴. 我们多数人是基于三个原因之一购买维生素的。