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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Hold The Butter! Modern Diets Meet Holiday Traditions 别放黄油!符合节日传统的现代饮食
Rich, heavy food is a major part of the end of the year holidays in the United States.
People in the US celebrate Thanksgiving on the third Thursday of November. People around the world celebrate Christmas on December 25.
Both holidays involve traditions of cooking large meals. The food at these meals usually has lots of sugar, salt and butter in it. Turkey and pie are some of the most common foods at these holidays.
Terri Price has hosted a holiday party on the last Saturday before every Christmas for 30 years.
"It started when my children were very, very small. In fact, there was only one of them. And it's sort of my Christmas gift to me. Many of the dishes I have been preparing for most of the 30 years."
But over time, some traditions do change. The Neveldines are a family who hope to be healthier by changing what they eat. Mick Fury1, the Neveldine's oldest child, said this change is important during the holidays and the rest of the year, too.
"The holidays are actually, sort of, the most exciting time because it's a chance to see if we can achieve traditional dishes in a way that is organic2 and healthy and fun. And maybe, we don't tell people. Like, 'Hey! Here's turkey dinner!' But then, it turns out, if they love it we tell them, 'It's organic. It's great.'"
Mick and his girlfriend, Michelle, try to eat only organic food. Organic food is any plant or animal food product made without the use of unnatural3 chemicals or processes.
The United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA, is the part of the U.S. government that creates laws about food. The USDA began identifying which foods are organic in 2002.
Mick chose to eat only organic food after his girlfriend found she felt sick when eating gluten. Gluten is in products which include wheat. Mick began looking more closely4 at the ingredients5 in the food he bought. The amount of unnatural ingredients in most food surprised him.
But, Mick is not the only Neveldine who changed their diet. Felicia Neveldine, Mick's sister, decided6 nine years ago to become a vegan. A vegan is a person who does not eat or use animal products of any kind.
Felicia became a vegan because of her concern for the treatment of animals and the environmental effects of animal farming. She said that her change in diet also improved her health.
"I used to have a lot of problems with my stomach and digestion7 and since I became a vegan, I feel just better every day."
Choosing these special diets means the Neveldines choose their foods carefully. Mick grows a garden behind his home where he gets fresh vegetables. They also make traditional holiday food like mashed8 potatoes without milk or butter.
This may seem like a completely new method for traditional cooking. But, Mick does not agree. He says agricultural companies began using chemicals because organic farming costs more money.
"For a long time they used great food and they used great products. I hope, 20 or 30 years from now, the tradition is exactly the same, it's just done with better quality stuff9."
Ruth Kava is the Senior Nutrition Fellow at the American Council10 on Science and Health, or ACSH. The ACSH is an organization that studies issues involving food and health. Kava said that being vegetarian11 is also not new.
"Vegetarianism12 has been around for probably centuries. And the thing about a vegetarian diet is that it can be lower in calories."
Studies show that high calorie diets can cause people to become overweight. The Centers for Disease13 Control, or CDC, is the top national public health organization in the U.S. A 2014 report from the CDC showed 69 percent of adults in the U.S. over 20 years old are overweight.
Being overweight can lead to health problems like heart disease and cancer.
But, Kava does not think modern beliefs about different diets are correct.
"These diets are getting a lot of press now. And so people think that maybe they're healthier or better for you, which is not necessarily14 the case. A balanced diet where things are eaten in moderation is probably the best way to go."
She also said that the current system for identifying organic food is not what it should be.
"I think that the organic program that the USDA runs was really set up as a way to market foods and it has nothing to do with health."
Faunalytics is an organization that collects research to help protect animals. A 2014 Faunalytics report said that only 2 percent of people over the age of 17 in the U.S. are vegetarian or vegan. But Google reported that people searched the word "vegan" more than ever before in 2015.
Felicia thinks the more people learn, the more popular these special diets will become.
"At first I would make my own things and bring my own things to holidays. But, now as other people are becoming more educated and know what it means, people really go out of their way to make sure that there's always something that I can eat"
Holiday traditions may not change, but the way these traditions happen just might.
Words in This Story
rich – adj. tasting good and making your stomach feel full
turkey – n. a large American bird that is related15 to the chicken and that people hunt or raised for its meat
pie – n. a food that consists of a pastry16 crust17 that is filled with fruit or meat
dish(es) – n. food that is prepared in a particular way
achieve – v. to get or reach something by working hard
girlfriend – n. a woman that someone is having a romantic or sexual18 relationship with
gluten – n. a substance in wheat and flour that holds dough19 together
ingredient(s) – n. one of the things that are used to make a food or product
digestion – n. the process by which food is changed to a simpler form after it is eaten
mashed potatoes – n. a dish of potatoes that have been cooked and pressed, usually prepared with milk and butter
stuff – n. used to refer to something when you do not need to name exactly what it is
vegetarian – n. a person who does not eat meat
calorie(s) – n. a unit of heat used to shows the amount of energy that foods will produce in the human body
overweight – adj. weighing more than the normal or expected amount
in moderation – n. in a way that is reasonable and not excessive
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1
fury
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| n.狂怒，激烈，狂怒的人，（希神）复仇女神 | |
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organic
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| adj.有机的，有机物的；有组织的 | |
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unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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closely
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| adv.紧密地；严密地，密切地 | |
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ingredients
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| n.（混合物的）组成部分( ingredient的名词复数 )；（烹调的）原料；（构成）要素；因素 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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digestion
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| n.消化，吸收 | |
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mashed
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| a.捣烂的 | |
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stuff
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| n.原料，材料，东西；vt.填满；吃饱 | |
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council
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| n.理事会，委员会，议事机构 | |
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vegetarian
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| n.素食者；adj.素食的 | |
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vegetarianism
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| n.素食，素食主义 | |
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disease
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| n.疾病，弊端 | |
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necessarily
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| adv.必要地，必需地；必定地，必然地 | |
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related
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| adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的 | |
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pastry
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| n.油酥面团，酥皮糕点 | |
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crust
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| n.(一片)面包皮，硬外皮，外壳；地壳 | |
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sexual
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| adj.性的，两性的，性别的 | |
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dough
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| n.生面团；钱，现款 | |
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