EZCNN 易英网

Atkins Diet 艾特金斯节食法：低醣饮食

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Susie is talking to her friend Freddie while she prepares lunch:  苏丝一边准备午餐，一边和朋友佛瑞迪聊天：

S: I’m considering going on a version of the Atkins diet.

我在考虑要实施艾特金斯节食法。

F: The Atkins diet is that low-carbohydrate one, right?

艾特金斯节食法是采用低碳水化合物的那个，对吧？

S: That’s right. Basically, if you cut down radically on your intake of carbohydrates – things like potatoes, bread, rice – you’ll lose weight.

对的。基本上，如果你大量减少醣类的摄取──像是马铃薯、面包、米饭这些──你的体重就会下降。

F: But you can still eat whatever other foods you like, irrespective of their caloric value or fat content.

但是却还能吃其他所有自己喜欢吃的食物，而无须管它的卡路里或脂肪含量多少？

S: More or less. That’s why the Atkins diet’s been roundly pilloried by many nutritionists and doctors.

大致是如此。所以这就是为什么艾特金斯节食法备受争议，被许多营养学者和医生嘲笑。

F: I heard that on this diet, two-thirds of your calories may come from fat. That’s more than double the standard recommendation.

我听说用这种节食法可以让三分之二的卡路里来自于脂肪，超过推荐标准两倍还不止。

S: Doctor Robert Atkins certainly used to cop a lot of criticism from his mainstream peers. They claimed that increased fat intake can raise blood cholesterol and lead to increased risk of cardiovascular problems, cancer or brittle bones.

显然罗伯特艾特金斯医生以前一定挨了不少主流份子同侪的炮轰。他们宣称提高脂肪摄取会提高心脏血管疾病、癌症和骨质疏松的风险。

F: Used to? Has medical research vindicated him?

以前？难到现在医学界已经证实他的论点正确了吗？

S: Yes. It took nearly forty years, but studies released in February showed that people on the Atkins diet lose weight without compromising their health.

是啊。差不多费时40年的时间，今年二月发表的报告指出，采用艾特金斯节食法的人确实减轻了体重，而且健康并未受损。

F: Did the researchers actually endorse his diet?

研究人员真的为他的节食法背书吗？

S: They stopped short of that. A comprehensive study is underway that will hopefully settle lingering questions over the Atkins diet’s long-term effects.

他们决定不背书。有一项全面性的研究正在进行中，希望能搞定许久以来对艾特金斯节食法长期效果的疑问。

Vocabulary

单词发音

carbohydrate [͵kɑrbəˋhaɪdret] n. 碳水化合物，醣

radically [ˋrædɪk!ɪ] adv. 激进地；极端地; 彻底地；完全地

irrespective [͵ɪrɪˋspɛktɪv] adj. 不考虑…; 不问…〔用来表示某事实﹐如年龄﹑种族﹑某物的大小等﹐对某事没有影响﹐不重要〕

more or less 差不多, 多少有一点

roundly [ˋraʊndlɪ] adv. 严厉地

pillory [ˋpɪlərɪ] v. 使当众受辱

cop [kɑp] v. 获得

cholesterol [kəˋlɛstə͵rol] n.【生化】胆固醇

brittle [ˋbrɪt!] adj. 脆的，易碎的

vindicate [ˋvɪndə͵ket] v.【文】证明……正确；证实；辩明

compromise [ˋkɑmprə͵maɪz] v. 连累，危及

endorse [ɪnˋdɔrs] v.〔正式〕赞同; 认可; 支持

stop short of  不愿超越行动上的某种界限;  不愿逾矩

comprehensive [͵kɑmprɪˋhɛnsɪv] adj. 广泛的；无所不包的；综合的

lingering [ˋlɪŋgərɪŋ] adj. 拖延的﹐久缠不去的

Sentence of the Day

The medical establishment may be changing their tune.

医疗机构可能见风转舵。

establishment [ɪsˋtæblɪʃmənt] n.【正式】机构; 单位〔尤指企业﹑商店等〕

change one’s tune  改变态度;  改变腔调(态度, 决定, 行为)

课文讲解

Freddy and Susie continue their discussion of the Atkins diet:  佛瑞迪和苏丝两人继续讨论艾特金斯节食法：

F: What I don’t get is how you can eat calorie-heavy, protein-rich and fatty foods, and yet still lose weight.

我不懂的是妳怎么可能吃高卡路里、富含蛋白质、油腻的食物，而还能减重？

S: It mystified Atkins too when he cottoned on to it from his own dieting experience.

艾特金斯医生从自己的节食经验中理解到它的作用，这也使得他感到困惑。

F: Understandable! I thought our bodies needed to convert carbohydrates into glucose for energy. And when we deprive ourselves of this carbohydrate-derived energy ….?

这可想而知！我想我们的身体需要将碳水化合物转化成醣类以取得能量。倘若一旦我们断绝了得自碳水化合物的能量…？

S: Well, Atkins believed the body had two fuel systems. The number-one system runs on carbohydrates, which are broken down into glucose. The number-two system uses stored fat.

艾特金斯医生认为人体有两套燃料能量系统。第一套系统燃烧碳水化合物，把它分解成葡萄糖。第二套系统燃烧储存的脂肪。

F: So if you cut off the carbs, you eliminate the glucose, forcing the body to use stored fat..

所以如果妳断绝碳水化合物【注】，去除葡萄糖，就强迫身体改用第二套系统了？

S: That’s right. According to Atkins, if we eat mostly protein and fat, our bodies burn stored fat. But if we load up on carbohydrates, it’s more difficult to burn fat.

对的。根据艾特金斯理论，如果我们吃的内容大多是蛋白质和脂肪，我们的身体就燃烧原先储存的脂肪。但如果我们吃的东西都是碳水化合物，就很难燃烧脂肪。

F: All the same, I’d take it easy on the fatty stuff.

虽如此，但我还是会对高脂肪食物小心为上。

S: Don’t worry, I intended to. There are studies that have shown similar results can be achieved by replacing Atkins’ high-fat foods with lean meat, fish and low-fat dairy.

别担心，我会的。还有研究显示采用瘦肉、鱼、和低脂肪乳制品来取代艾特金斯饮食中的高脂肪食物，也能得到相同的减重成效。

F: Looks like your potato salad days might be over, though.

看来妳以马铃薯色拉度日的模式要结束了。

S: And perhaps yours too, my friend. Care to try some coleslaw?

或许你也是。朋友，要不要尝试看看凉拌卷心菜？

【注】：carbohydrate碳水化合物。这个字常常使用缩写(carb)

－by Colin Gread

Vocabulary

单词发音

mystify [ˋmɪstə͵faɪ] v. 使困惑；使大为惊奇

cotton on to something 【英】【口】明白; 认识到 to perceive the meaning (of)

understandable [͵ʌndɚˋstændəb!] adj.〔行为﹑反应等〕可以理解的﹐合情理的

deprive [dɪˋpraɪv] v. 剥夺，从……夺走；使丧失[（+of）]

glucose [ˋglukos] n.【生化】葡萄糖

load up（使）载满，（使）负重，（给…）装货；加负荷

take it easy on something 有节制地使用 to use less of something

coleslaw [ˋkol͵slɔ] n.【美】凉拌卷心菜

Sentence of the Day

He wants you to live off the fat of the land.

他要你过养尊处优，不需工作的生活。

live off 以…为食, 靠…为生

the fat of the land 山珍海味, 最好的出产