美國人的飲食結構有多糟糕?

From time to time, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based advocacy group, prepares an updated "report card" on changes in the American diet. The latest, collated by the nutritionist Bonnie Liebman and published in the September issue of the center's Nutrition Action Newsletter, is not one Americans should be especially proud of.
公共利益科學中心(Center for Science in the Public Interest)是一個總部設在華盛頓的宣傳組織，它常常對美國人飲食習慣的變化作出評價，並不時發佈最新的“成績單”。其中最近的一份由營養師邦妮·利布曼(Bonnie Liebman)負責整理，並發表在該中心《營養行動通訊》(Nutrition Action Newsletter)的9月號上。老實說，這份“成績單”可不怎麼能令美國人感到自豪。

The analysis of changes in food consumption from 1970 to 2010 reveals that we still have a long way to go before we come close to meeting dietary guidelines for warding off obesity and chronic health problems like diabetes and heart disease.
這項關於1970年至2010年間食品消費變化的分析表明，要達到可抵禦肥胖和慢性健康問題（如糖尿病和心臟病）的膳食指南的要求，美國人還有很長的路要走。

The news isn't all bad. Our consumption of added sweeteners, though still significantly higher than it was in 1970, has come down from the "sugar high" of 1999 when the average was 89 pounds per person. Nonetheless, an average of 78 pounds per person in 2010, mostly as sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, is still too much, Ms. Liebman points out.
當然，這份報告裏也不全是壞消息。例如，雖然美國人對添加甜味劑（即，並非食物本身天然含有的甜味成分）的消費量仍顯著高於1970年，但已經從1999年的平均每人89磅（約40千克）的“高糖”水平有所下降。儘管如此，利布曼女士指出，2010年美國人的人均消費量（以糖和高果糖玉米糖漿爲主）仍然達到了78磅（約35千克），這個數值依舊太高。

Even our B-plus for cutting back on fats and oils, the highest grade Ms. Liebman awarded, is a mixed bag. Yes, we've dramatically reduced consumption of heart-damaging trans fats and, to a lesser extent, saturated solid fats like margarine and shortening. But there's been a steady, steep climb in total fats added to the diet in the form of salad oils and cooking oils.
在這份“成績單”中，利布曼女士給“控制脂肪和油”這一欄打分最高，爲B+，但即使這方面的情況也是參差不齊。的確，美國人對有害心臟的反式脂肪的消費量已經大幅減少，對人造黃油和起酥油等飽和固體脂肪的消費量也有小幅降低。但以色拉油和烹調油的形式被加入膳食中的總脂肪量卻出現了穩步急劇的攀升。

As a country, we have definitely not been on a "low-fat diet." The average person consumes 20 pounds more in total fat yearly than in 1970, which partly explains why the obesity rate among adults has more than doubled since then, when only 15 percent of Americans were obese.
就整個國家而言，美國絕對未達到“低脂飲食”的水平。與1970年相比，人均脂肪消費總量約增加了20磅（約9.1千克），這從一定程度上解釋了爲何自那時（美國人肥胖率只有15%）起，成年人的肥胖率已然翻了一番。

In 2005, the Agriculture Department has reported, the average American consumed 645 calories a day in added fats and oils, not counting the fats naturally present in foods like meats and dairy products.
2005年，美國農業部(Agriculture Department)報道，美國人在一天內消費的添加脂肪和油類中的熱量平均可達645卡路里，而且這還是刨去了肉類和奶製品等食物中天然存在的脂肪後的數值。

Americans seem to think that if a food is considered a healthier alternative, it's O.K. to swallow as much of it as one might like. People forget, or never knew, that a tablespoon of olive oil or canola oil has about the same number of calories as a tablespoon of lard (about 115), and even more calories than a tablespoon of butter or margarine.
美國人似乎認爲，如果某種食品是較爲健康的替代品，就可以想吃多少吃多少。但人們忘記了，或者從來就不知道，一湯匙橄欖油或菜籽油中所含的熱量與一湯匙豬油大致相當（約115卡路里），甚至還高於一湯匙黃油或人造黃油中所含的卡路里數。

"We never were on a low-fat diet," Ms. Liebman said in an interview. "We increased our fat intake from pizzas, burgers, French fries, baked goods and restaurant-prepared foods."
“我們從未真正實現過低脂飲食，”利布曼在接受記者採訪時表示。“我們從披薩、漢堡、炸薯條、烘焙食品和餐廳食品中攝入的脂肪量有所增加。”

Likewise, grain products. "There's been a huge increase in grains in the last 30 years — bread, cereal, pasta, rice, burritos, pizza crust, panini, muffins, scones — mostly made from white flour," she said. "We've been blaming the obesity epidemic on sweets, and we are eating too much sugar, but we need to pay more attention to grains.
同樣，在穀物製品方面的情況也是如此。“在過去的30年中，人們對穀物製品——麪包、麥片、意粉、米飯、墨西哥玉米煎餅、比薩餅、意式熱三明治、鬆餅、烤餅——的消費量大幅增長，而這些食品大多由白麪製成，”她說。“我們一直指責是糖果以及吃糖太多導致了肥胖的流行，但現在，我們需要更多地關注穀物製品。

"It would not be great to simply replace refined grains like white flour and white rice with whole grains," she added. "We need to cut back on grains, period."
“只是簡單地將白麪這類精製穀物替換爲全穀物製品並非就萬事大吉了，”她補充道。“我們需要減少所有穀物製品的消費量，至少在一段時間內是如此。”

Whether made from white flour or whole wheat, one unadorned New York-style bagel supplies about 500 calories, and a 21st century muffin often contains as many as 800 calories.
無論是由白麪還是全麥製成，一個沒有添加任何添料的紐約風格貝果的熱量就可達到約500卡路里，而現在一個鬆餅所含的熱量往往多達800卡路里。

For the average adult, who should aim for a daily intake of 2,000 calories, these grain foods displace far more nutritious (and relatively low-calorie) fruits and vegetables. Our consumption of those earned a B-minus on Ms. Liebman's report card.
對於應將每天攝入的熱量控制在2000卡路里左右的普通成年人而言，穀物製品替代比其營養豐富得多，且熱量也相對較低的水果和蔬菜，在膳食中的佔有很大比例。在利布曼女士給出的“成績單”上，美國人在此類食品消費方面的得分爲B-。

"We need to replace sandwiches with salads, swap starches for veggies, and trade cookies, cupcakes and chips for fresh fruit," she wrote. "We started eating more vegetables, not counting potatoes, in the 1980s, but the rise has stalled."
“我們需要把三明治換成沙拉，把澱粉類食物換成蔬菜，並把紙杯蛋糕和薯條換成新鮮水果。”她寫道。“在20世紀80年代，我們開始食用蔬菜（不包括土豆）的量開始增加，但現在這種上升趨勢已經停滯。”

Ms. Liebman was surprised to find that combined consumption of beef and pork is still higher than that of chicken and fish. Although chicken itself is now slightly more popular than beef, our consumption of fish has remained relatively flat.
利布曼還驚訝地發現，牛肉和豬肉的總消費量仍然高於雞肉和魚。雖然現在雞肉比牛肉略受消費者青睞，但美國人的魚類消費量一直保持相對平穩。In the July/August edition of the Nutrition Action Newsletter, Barton Seaver, the director of the Healthy and Sustainable Food Program at the Harvard School of Public Health, noted that Americans "eat only about 16 pounds of seafood per person per year, and about 95 percent of that comes from only 10 species."
在《營養行動通訊》的7月/8月版上，哈佛大學公共衛生學院(Harvard School of Public Health)健康和可持續食品計劃(Healthy and Sustainable Food Program)的主任巴頓·西弗(Barton Seaver)指出，美國人“平均每人每年的海鮮消費量大概只有16磅（約7.3千克），且10種常見物種的總量就佔其中的95%左右。”

Mr. Seaver, a former chef, encourages diners to stray from the familiar to more sustainable — and wholesome — species like pollock, sablefish, Spanish mackerel, haddock, and farm-raised barramundi and shrimp. He champions farm-raised mussels, clams and oysters as sources of "fabulous" lean protein that clean the aquatic environment.
西弗先生曾是一名廚師，他鼓勵食客們避開熟悉的食物物種，去選擇更具有可持續性且更有益健康的物種，如青鱈魚、裸蓋魚、鮁魚、黑線鱈以及農場養殖的澳洲肺魚和蝦等。他提倡以農場養殖的可清潔水環境的貽貝、蛤和牡蠣作爲“頂級”瘦蛋白的來源。

Contrary to popular thought, frozen fish is "comparable to, if not better than, fresh fish," because it is frozen on ships within hours of being caught, Mr. Seaver said.
與流行觀點相反，速凍魚其實“並不遜於鮮魚"，因爲它們在捕獲後的幾小時內就已在漁船上被冷凍了，西弗先生說。

Ms. Liebman applauded the steady, precipitous decline in whole milk consumption and the booming popularity of mostly low-fat yogurt. But she noted that consumption of low-fat and fat-free milk has remained low (displaced by sugary soft drinks) and that our consumption of cheese, rich in dairy fat, is at an all-time high, up threefold since 1970 and still climbing.
利布曼女士對全脂牛奶消費量的穩步陡降以及以低脂爲主的酸奶日益廣受歡迎表示讚許。但她指出，低脂和脫脂牛奶的消費量仍然較低（其在膳食比例中應占的地位被含糖軟飲料所佔據），而美國人對富含乳脂肪的奶酪的消費量一直較高，目前已經達到1970年的三倍，且仍在攀升。

"And we're not just eating more sweets, grains, meat and cheese. We're eating more, about 500 more calories a day per person than in 1970," Ms. Liebman said. "We've lost track of what a normal portion of food should look like."
“我們的問題不僅在於在膳食比例中，甜食、穀物、肉類和奶酪偏多。除此之外，我們的總食量也有所增加，與1970年相比，平均每人每天約多攝入了500卡路里，”利布曼女士說。“我們已經喪失了對正常膳食份額的概念。”

She blamed restaurants for portion distortion. "If you eat what restaurants serve, you will end up like two-thirds of Americans, overweight or obese," she said. "People should assume that restaurants serve double what you should be eating and either share a meal or take half of it home to eat the next day."
她指責餐廳對這種膳食份額的扭曲負有部分責任。“如果您總是將餐廳供應的食物一掃而光，那麼您最後就會變得像三分之二的美國人那樣超重或肥胖，”她說。“人們應該假設餐廳提供的食物是應攝入份量的兩倍，您可以與他人分享，或者把其中一半打包回去第二天再吃。”

While some restaurants have added lean or light meals to their menus, "those should be the standard because that's what we all should be eating, not just dieters," Ms. Liebman said. "And vegetables and fruits should fill up half the plate, not just be treated as a little side dish."
雖然有些餐廳已在他們的菜單中加入了簡餐或輕食，“但這應成爲我們所有人每天食用的標準食物，而不是在節食減肥時才偶爾一試，”利布曼女士說。“此外，不應將蔬菜和水果作爲配菜，其份量至少應占到盤中食物的一半。”

Take or order a salad instead of a sandwich for lunch. And try cut vegetables with a yogurt dip for a munch between meals or before dinner.
在午餐時，點一份沙拉來代替三明治。也可以試試在兩餐之間或晚飯前用沾酸奶的新鮮蔬菜作爲點心。

This summer I discovered a great new way to enhance the family's fruit intake. It's a gadget called Yonanas: using frozen, slightly overripe bananas as a base and other frozen fruits for color and flavor (like strawberries, pineapple, or mango), it produces a sweet, creamy dessert or snack with the consistency of frozen yogurt but no added sugar or cream. With a 20-percent off coupon from Bed Bath & Beyond, this tool costs $40 and — who knows? — could ultimately save hundreds in medical bills.
今年夏天，我發現有一個絕佳的方法可以提高家庭中的水果攝入量。這是一個名爲Yonanas的小工具：它使用略微熟過頭的香蕉作爲基底，加入其他冷凍水果（如草莓、菠蘿或芒果）來調色和調味，可以製成類似於冷凍酸奶的甜點或點心，味道甜甜的，質地光滑細膩，卻沒有添加任何糖份或奶油。使用Bed Bath & Beyond（美國一家主營家居用品及飾品的連鎖零售商）的20%折扣優惠券時，這個小工具的價格是40美元——誰知道呢？——說不定最後它能幫你節約數以百計的醫療費。