美国国家公共电台 NPR How Might Trump's Food Box Plan Affect Health? Native Americans Know All Too Well

 

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

The Trump¹ administration caused an uproar² with its plan to overhaul³ the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly⁴ called food stamps. Instead of some benefits, people would get a box of nonperishable, not fresh foods that are picked out by the government. This actually isn't a new idea. In fact, Native Americans have received that type of federal food assistance for decades. And this type of canned, processed diet has had devastating⁵ implications for their health. Here to explain is NPR's Maria Godoy. Good morning.

MARIA GODOY, BYLINE⁶: Hi. Good morning, Lulu.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So tell us a little bit about the history of these boxes sent to the reservations. What was in them?

GODOY: So the federal government has been giving food aid to Native Americans in one form or another for a very long time. Then in the '70s, when it started the food stamp program, which is now called SNAP, it also started this food distribution program on Indian reservations. Basically, with food stamps, you get vouchers⁷. And you go to a store. And you can buy the food. But a lot of Native American reservations are located in very rural areas where there aren't very many grocery stores. So instead, they would get boxes of foods. We're talking canned nonperishables - things like canned meats and vegetables, canned peaches or powdered milk.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So what's the problem? I mean, a lot of people eat processed foods as part of their diets. Couldn't they also buy fresh food somewhere else?

GODOY: So even though this program was supposed to supplement people's diets, for more than half of the people who received the aid, this was their primary source of food. And those boxes didn't include fresh fruits or vegetables. I talked to one Choctaw Indian who grew up eating these foods. And she said for a lot of her friends, they just didn't even know what the - like, real spinach⁸ tasted - like fresh spinach or pineapples - until they were adults, and they could buy their own groceries. And there was also a visible health effect which she called commod bod. It basically refers to what you look like when you eat this highly processed diet. And, you know, you - tends to promote being overweight or obesity⁹.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Were there other health impacts?

GODOY: Yeah, absolutely. Before the 1950s, you didn't really see nutrition-related diseases like diabetes¹⁰ and obesity among Native Americans. It was pretty rare. And then as they started to adopt a more Western diet, you see the rates of these diseases grow. And then you have the program start in the 1970s. This - FDPIR is what they call it - the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations. And after that, you see diabetes and obesity rates skyrocket among Native Americans.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So what has been the response from Native Americans to the Trump administration's proposal to start sending these boxes to people around the country in place of food stamps, which let people pick out their own groceries at the store?

GODOY: So a lot of the Native Americans I talked to saw this new Trump proposal as really, like, a throwback to what they thought was wrong with the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations. For years, Native Americans have been working to improve the quality of foods they get. And they've had some success. These days, about a third of the tribes that work with the program have these distribution centers that look like small grocery stores like 7-Elevens. And people can go and shop and pick their own food. The program has also brought in more culturally relevant foods like bison or wild rice or blue corn meal. But they've had to fight for these changes.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Do we know if there's any difference between what the Trump administration is proposing from the food aid that the tribes receive?

GODOY: We don't have a whole lot of details about what these Harvest Boxes the Trump administration, as proposed, have. But what we do know is there will be shelf-stable nonperishables like peanut butter or pastas. The USDA has said that states will have a lot of choice in what they order for SNAP recipients¹¹. But, again, we just don't have a lot of details.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: That's NPR food editor Maria Godoy. Thank you so much.

GODOY: Thank you, Lulu.

(SOUNDBITE OF ROGYR'S "BASTION")

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 uproar   

n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸

参考例句：

• She could hear the uproar in the room.她能听见房间里的吵闹声。
• His remarks threw the audience into an uproar.他的讲话使听众沸腾起来。

3 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

4 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

5 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 vouchers   

n.凭证( voucher的名词复数 )；证人；证件；收据

参考例句：

• These vouchers are redeemable against any future purchase. 这些优惠券将来购物均可使用。
• This time we were given free vouchers to spend the night in a nearby hotel. 这一次我们得到了在附近一家旅馆入住的免费券。 来自英语晨读30分（高二）

8 spinach   

n.菠菜

参考例句：

• Eating spinach is supposed to make you strong.据说吃菠菜能使人强壮。
• You should eat such vegetables as carrot,celery and spinach.你应该吃胡萝卜、芹菜和菠菜这类的蔬菜。

9 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

10 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

11 recipients   

adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器

参考例句：

• The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》