一些食物可以作为药物

Some Foods Can Be Medicine 一些食物可以作为药物

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

Food as medicine is not a new idea.

The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates is commonly quoted as saying, 'Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.'

Hippocrates is often called the “father of modern medicine” even though he was born around 460 B.C. But modern medical research confirms that certain foods can help cure, prevent, or even cause some diseases.

That is the subject of a new book called Anti-Inflammation Cookbook, by Amanda Haas. Haas is a professional cook.

Before we talk about her book, let’s first talk about inflammation.

Inflammation is a natural response of our immune system. It is a condition in which a part of your body becomes red, swollen¹ and painful.

Neil Bernard is an associate professor of medicine at George Washington University's medical school. When he explains how inflammation affects the human body, it sounds as if he is talking about a war zone.

"It's the body's way to attacking an invader². So if bacteria or viruses enter the body, inflammation is a way of knocking them out."

Dr. Bernard also says that when inflammation becomes chronic³, the body turns against its own tissue. He compares it, again, to war. He uses the term, friendly fire. This is when a soldier accidentally fires upon his own troops.

"It's a biological equivalent of friendly fire. So for example, in rheumatoid arthritis⁴, the joints⁶ are inflamed⁷ and that's not a bacterium⁸ that's being attacked, it's the lining⁹ of your own joints. That's where inflammation becomes a problem."

Rheumatoid arthritis was one of several conditions that Amanda Haas suffered from. She went to an allergist to try to find out what was wrong with her body. An allergist is a doctor who is an expert in the treatment of allergies¹⁰. And an allergy¹¹ is a medical problem that causes someone to be sick after eating, touching¹² or breathing something that is harmless to most people.

The allergist suggested that perhaps her health problems were caused by the food she was eating.

"Things like chronic heartburn and stomach pain and back problems. And it was an allergist who said to me one day, Amanda, these are just all different forms of inflammation in your body. I think it's something that you're eating. And since you cook for a living, why don't you go and figure out what's going to make you feel great and share it with other people?'"

And that is what she did. She stopped eating some kinds of sugars and reduced the amount of caffeine she drank.

Haas found that some healthy foods were also causing her some problems. People with joint⁵ pain from inflammation, she says, could be sensitive to peppers, tomatoes and eggplants.

Haas is a professional cook. So, she started to look closely at the ingredients she often uses in her recipes.

"… things that we all probably know we shouldn't have too much of, things like refined sugars, too much caffeine. A lot of people (know that) if you have joint and arthritic¹³ issues, you can be sensitive to peppers and eggplants and tomatoes. And I had so much to work with.

She uses a lot of green, leafy vegetables, spices and citrus in her cooking to make it anti-inflammatory.

“And I wanted people to understand that eating an anti-inflammatory diet can be delicious, It’s just you're going to be using a lot of green, leafy vegetables as you can get. I use a lot of spices, fresh herbs as well. You'll see me use a lot of citrus and natural sweeteners, like a little honey or maple¹⁴ syrup¹⁵. You wouldn't see me using a lot of refined sugar at all."

In her Anti-Inflammation Cookbook, Haas shares many of her vegan recipes along with others that use animal protein.

A vegan diet does not include any animal meat or animal by-products such as milk or eggs.

She explains that most people who are trying to eat an anti-inflammatory diet will not eat much animal protein. But, she says that grass-fed beef has omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Those are good for the body. 

“I learned so much about grass-fed beef. So, the thing that's so fascinating is that if cattle is grass-fed, the meat has a lot of the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that we find in salmon¹⁶ and other oily fish that are so good for us. So, most doctors would say 4-ounce portion or less can really be a great part of any inflammatory diet."

One of the author’s favorite recipes in her book is her grandmother’s Country Captain's Chicken. The dish has lots of turmeric, a spice that is known for reducing inflammation in the body. She also uses black pepper in the recipe but not just for flavor. Haas says the black pepper makes it easier for the body to use the turmeric. She calls this “bioavailability.”

“And one little thing to note that's interesting is that turmeric is well-known for being very anti-inflammatory (spice), but to increase the bioavailability of it if you add black pepper it actually becomes more effective.”

Haas even made sweets and desserts healthier by changing the fat she used.

She explains that her Chocolate Coconut¹⁷ Brownies use coconut oil instead of butter. Unrefined, pure coconut oil, she says, can help lower cholesterol¹⁸ levels. And the coconut oil gives the brownies what she calls, “the most incredible texture¹⁹.”

“They have coconut oil in them as the fat source. And you know, we thought coconut oil was bad for us, but that's because it was being so refined. And now we're finding out that good coconut oil can potentially lower our cholesterol. And so they're just these amazing brownies that have the most incredible texture with the coconut oil in them."

Dr. Bernard says he is happy to see more people becoming aware of the importance of healthy eating, especially eating a more plant-based diet.

"We always favor vegan diet, plant-based diet. We want to emphasize some these food as the healthy --nuts or seeds --and getting away of greasy²⁰ stuff. Unfortunately, the medical world tends to rely on prescriptions²¹ and we sometimes neglect things that can be more natural, safer and in the long run, more effective."

Cutting out foods that may be making you sick is one way to make that ancient advice – let food be your medicine – useful in your modern, daily life.

Words in This Story

ingredient – n. one of the things that are used to make a food, product, etc.

recipe – n. a set of instructions for making food

chronic medical : continuing or occurring again and again for a long time

allergist medical : a doctor who is an expert in the treatment of allergies

spice – n. a substance (such as pepper or nutmeg) that is used in cooking to add flavor to food and that comes from a dried plant and is usually a powder or seed

citrus – n. a juicy fruit (such as an orange, grapefruit, or lemon) that has a thick skin and that comes from a tree or shrub²² that grows in warm areas

honey – n. a thick, sweet substance made by bees

maple syrup – n. a sweet, thick liquid made from the sap of maple trees

refined sugar – n. White and brown table sugars are refined, meaning they have gone through a chemical process that removes impurities²³ and beneficial nutrients²⁴.

vegan – n. a person who does not eat any food that comes from animals and who often also does not use animal products (such as leather)

bioavailability – n. the degree and rate at which a substance (as a drug) is absorbed into a living system or is made available at the site of physiological²⁵ activity

potentially – adv. capable of becoming real

texture – n. the way that a food or drink feels in your mouth

greasy – adj. containing or cooked with a large amount of fat

long run – n. a relatively long period of time —usually used in the phrase in the long run

1 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。

2 invader   

n.侵略者，侵犯者，入侵者

参考例句：

• They suffered a lot under the invader's heel.在侵略者的铁蹄下，他们受尽了奴役。
• A country must have the will to repel any invader.一个国家得有决心击退任何入侵者。

3 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

4 arthritis   

n.关节炎

参考例句：

• Rheumatoid arthritis has also been linked with the virus.风湿性关节炎也与这种病毒有关。
• He spent three months in the hospital with acute rheumatic arthritis.他患急性风湿性关节炎，在医院住了三个月。

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

6 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

7 inflamed   

adj.发炎的，红肿的v.（使）变红，发怒，过热( inflame的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His comments have inflamed teachers all over the country. 他的评论激怒了全国教师。
• Her joints are severely inflamed. 她的关节严重发炎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 bacterium   

n.(pl.)bacteria 细菌

参考例句：

• The bacterium possibly goes in the human body by the mouth.细菌可能通过口进入人体。
• A bacterium is identified as the cause for his duodenal ulcer.一种细菌被断定为造成他十二指肠溃疡的根源。

9 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

10 allergies   

n.[医]过敏症；[口]厌恶，反感；（对食物、花粉、虫咬等的）过敏症( allergy的名词复数 )；变态反应，变应性

参考例句：

• Food allergies can result in an enormous variety of different symptoms. 食物过敏会引发很多不同的症状。 来自辞典例句
• Let us, however, examine one of the most common allergies; hayfever. 现在让我们来看看最常见的变态反应的一种--枯草热。 来自辞典例句

11 allergy   

n.(因食物、药物等而引起的)过敏症

参考例句：

• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。
• The patient had an allergy to penicillin.该患者对青霉素过敏。

12 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

13 arthritic   

adj.关节炎的

参考例句：

• Somehow the geriatric Voyager 2, arthritic and partially deaf, managed to reach Neptune. 得了关节炎而且局部变聋、衰老的“旅行者2号”最后总算抵达海王星。 来自百科语句
• Femoral head ostectomy is a surgery performed on severely arthritic dogs. 股骨断截骨术’都是针对关节炎严重的狗狗的手术。 来自互联网

14 maple   

n.槭树，枫树，槭木

参考例句：

• Maple sugar is made from the sap of maple trees.枫糖是由枫树的树液制成的。
• The maple leaves are tinge with autumn red.枫叶染上了秋天的红色。

15 syrup   

n.糖浆，糖水

参考例句：

• I skimmed the foam from the boiling syrup.我撇去了煮沸糖浆上的泡沫。
• Tinned fruit usually has a lot of syrup with it.罐头水果通常都有许多糖浆。

16 salmon   

n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的

参考例句：

• We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
• Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗？

17 coconut   

n.椰子

参考例句：

• The husk of this coconut is particularly strong.椰子的外壳很明显非常坚固。
• The falling coconut gave him a terrific bang on the head.那只掉下的椰子砰地击中他的脑袋。

18 cholesterol   

n.（U）胆固醇

参考例句：

• There is cholesterol in the cell of body.人体细胞里有胆固醇。
• They are determining the serum-protein and cholesterol levels.他们正在测定血清蛋白和胆固醇的浓度。

19 texture   

n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理

参考例句：

• We could feel the smooth texture of silk.我们能感觉出丝绸的光滑质地。
• Her skin has a fine texture.她的皮肤细腻。

20 greasy   

adj. 多脂的，油脂的

参考例句：

• He bought a heavy-duty cleanser to clean his greasy oven.昨天他买了强力清洁剂来清洗油污的炉子。
• You loathe the smell of greasy food when you are seasick.当你晕船时，你会厌恶油腻的气味。

21 prescriptions   

药( prescription的名词复数 )； 处方； 开处方； 计划

参考例句：

• The hospital of traditional Chinese medicine installed a computer to fill prescriptions. 中医医院装上了电子计算机来抓药。
• Her main job was filling the doctor's prescriptions. 她的主要工作就是给大夫开的药方配药。

22 shrub   

n.灌木，灌木丛

参考例句：

• There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。
• Moving a shrub is best done in early spring.移植灌木最好是在初春的时候。

23 impurities   

不纯( impurity的名词复数 )； 不洁； 淫秽； 杂质

参考例句：

• A filter will remove most impurities found in water. 过滤器会滤掉水中的大部分杂质。
• Oil is refined to remove naturally occurring impurities. 油经过提炼去除天然存在的杂质。

24 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 physiological   

adj.生理学的，生理学上的

参考例句：

• He bought a physiological book.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• Every individual has a physiological requirement for each nutrient.每个人对每种营养成分都有一种生理上的需要。