VOA慢速英语: 未加工的生巧克力更有利于健康

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Raw Chocolate Is Better For Your Health

未加工的生巧克力更有利于健康

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report.

这里是美国之音慢速英语健康报道。

Chocolate. Is it good for our health? Or is it just good? Many experts warn that the sugar in chocolate is not good for us. But doctors point to the healthful qualities of chocolate’s antioxidants.

吃巧克力对我们的健康有益吗?或者说有百益而无一害吗?许多专家警告说，巧克力中的糖分不利于我们的健康。但是医生指出，巧克力的抗氧化作用是有利于我们健康的特质。

VOA's George Putic reports that uncooked, organic chocolate may contain the right balance.

美国之音的乔治报告称，那些未煮过的天然有机巧克力可能有着有益于健康的营养平衡搭配。

The biggest value in eating cocoa and dark chocolate, besides the taste, maybe its ability to lower blood pressure. This comes from the rich, comforting, almost decadent, feeling of cocoa butter melting in your mouth.

除了口味之外，吃可可豆和黑巧克力的最大价值可能是它能够降低血压。其味道浓醇，让人沉醉，可以感觉到可可脂在你的嘴中融化。

That happy feeling may also add to chocolate's anti-depressant qualities, say skim Hoffman. Ms. Hoffman is a dietician, a person who advises people about what to eat to be healthy. She tells how dark chocolate makes us feel better and raises our mood.

霍夫曼称，那种幸福的感觉可能也会增加巧克力抗抑郁的效果。霍夫曼女士是一位营养师营养师就是对人们的健康饮食给予建议的人。她称，黑巧克力会使我们内心舒畅，提高情绪。

“It contains phenethylamines, which is a neurotransmitter that is found in the brain and actually acts as a mood elevator. It also enhances the blood endorphins, which are the happy opiates, and they are basically around when you are on a high.”

“黑巧克力含有苯乙胺，苯乙胺是在大脑中发现的一种神经传递素，实际上充当一个情绪电梯的作用。而且它会增加血液中的内咖肽，内咖肽是一种可以令人快乐的‘鸦片’，当你大脑处于兴奋时，基本上都会有内咖肽的存在。”

Not all chocolate is equal when it comes to those helpful chemicals. The way commercial chocolate makers produce chocolate affects its health benefits.

并不是所有巧克力中的有益成分都是一样的。商业巧克力制造商生产巧克力的方法影响着其健康功效。

First, there is the issue of temperature. The heat required to process commercial chocolate can be as high as 130 degrees centigrade. Some researchers say temperatures that high can actually lower the effectiveness of those beneficial chemicals.

首先，是温度的问题，加工商业巧克所需的温度可以高达130摄氏度。一些研究人员称，高温会降低那些有益成分的有效性。

Anthony Grid makes fine chocolates at a store called Honest Chocolate, in Cape Town, South Africa. He keeps the temperature of his raw chocolate below 42 degrees.

安东尼·格瑞德在南非开普敦的一家名叫“诚实巧克力”的店里制作好的巧克力。他将他的生巧克力的温度保持在42度以下。

The Raw Food Movement

生食运动

Mr. Grid says that there is a movement in the food world to limit heat when cooking food. Followers of this movement say that high temperatures lower the health benefits of our food.

格瑞德先生称，在美食界有一种生食运动，目的在于限制烹饪食物时食物的温度。该运动的追随者称，高温会降低我们食物的健康营养程度。

“There's a movement for minimal cooking or minimal heating of food, just to retain the natural antioxidants or whatever, the minerals or whatever it maybe. So cocoa is part of that - you can do it raw, with a very good quality bean.”

“这是一个提倡对食物进行最小化的烹饪和加热的运动，只是为了保留住食物本身的天然抗氧化剂或其他矿物质等。所以可可豆也要保留其有益成分，你可以吃生的，可可豆是高品质的食物。”

Another way chocolate makers decrease its health benefits is by adding sugar. The taste of cocoa is naturally sharp, or bitter. This bitterness comes from an antioxidant in cocoa, a chemical called polyphenol. To reduce cocoa’s bitter taste, makers of chocolate products remove the polyphenol and add sugar.

巧克力制造商减少其有益健康成分的另一个做法是添加了糖分在里面。可可本身自然的味道比较浓，或许带些许的苦。这种苦味来自可可里的抗氧化剂，那是一种叫做多元酚的化学物质。为了降低可可粉的苦味，巧克力制造商就会去除多元酚，并添加糖。

Food science writer Leonie Joubert notes that sugar is connected to weight-related illnesses. Ms. Joubert warns that eating too much sugar leads to many health problems.

食品科学作家莱奥尼·朱伯特指出，糖和许多与体重相关的疾病有关。朱伯特女士警告称，吃太多的糖会导致很多健康问题。

“The problem is that overexposure to sugar over a long period of time - it causes this repeated inflammatory response in the body, which now is linked to heart disease. Obviously it's linked to obesity and weight problems and the associated diseases.”

“在很长的一段时间内，过度食用太多糖，会导致身体内重复不断地炎症反应，现在还会诱发心脏病。很显然会引发与肥胖和体重问题相关的疾病。”

Quality Over Quantity

质量高于数量

The chocolates at Honest Chocolate are made with agave nectar, not cane sugar. And they have a very high percentage of cacao. This is something buyer (customer) Jessica Bonin enjoys.

诚实巧克力店里的巧克力是用龙舌兰花蜜制成的，而不是糖，并且他们的巧克力含有很高的可可成分。这一点正是顾客杰西卡·博宁所喜欢的。

“What I find quite remarkable about their chocolate is that you are not overwhelmed by the sugar so you actually get to taste the chocolate itself, which is really so luxurious and quite decadent.”

“我觉得他们的巧克力很了不起，你嘴里不是被糖分所充斥，而是可以真正的品尝到巧克力本身的味道。”

Like many other people who know good chocolate when they taste it --chocolate connoisseurs -- Ms. Bonin satisfies her craving with just one small piece of really good chocolate. In other words, she chooses “quality over quantity.” And this choice is most likely better for her health.

像许多其他品尝巧克力时知道是好巧克力的巧克力鉴赏家一样，只要给博宁女士一小块真正的好巧克力，就能满足她对巧克力的欲望。换句话说就是“质量高于数量”。而且这样选择也更有益于她的健康。

And that’s the Health Report. I’m Anna Matteo.

这就是本期的美国之音慢速英语健康报道的全部内容，我是安娜·马泰奥。

______________________________________________________________

Words in the News

dietician – n. a person whose job is to give people advice about what to eat inorder to be healthy

luxurious – adj. something that is expensive and not necessary (“Luxury,” a noun, is the root word.)

decadent – adj. characterized by or appealing to self-indulgence

connoisseur – n. a person who knows a lot about something (such as art,wine, food, etc.): an expert in a particular subject

crave – v. to have a very strong desire for (something). A craving, a noun,means a strong desire for something

[page]听力原文[/page]

Raw Chocolate Is Better For Your Health

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report.

Chocolate. Is it good for our health? Or is it just good? Many experts warn that the sugar in chocolate is not good for us. But doctors point to the healthful qualities of chocolate’s antioxidants.

VOA's George Putic reports that uncooked, organic chocolate may contain the right balance.

The biggest value in eating cocoa and dark chocolate, besides the taste, maybe its ability to lower blood pressure. This comes from the rich, comforting, almost decadent, feeling of cocoa butter melting in your mouth.

That happy feeling may also add to chocolate's anti-depressant qualities, say skim Hoffman. Ms. Hoffman is a dietician, a person who advises people about what to eat to be healthy. She tells how dark chocolate makes us feel better and raises our mood.

“It contains phenethylamines, which is a neurotransmitter that is found in the brain and actually acts as a mood elevator. It also enhances the blood endorphins, which are the happy opiates, and they are basically around when you are on a high.”

Not all chocolate is equal when it comes to those helpful chemicals. The way commercial chocolate makers produce chocolate affects its health benefits.

First, there is the issue of temperature. The heat required to process commercial chocolate can be as high as 130 degrees centigrade. Some researchers say temperatures that high can actually lower the effectiveness of those beneficial chemicals.

Anthony Grid makes fine chocolates at a store called Honest Chocolate, in Cape Town, South Africa. He keeps the temperature of his raw chocolate below 42 degrees.

The Raw Food Movement

Mr. Grid says that there is a movement in the food world to limit heat when cooking food. Followers of this movement say that high temperatures lower the health benefits of our food.

“There's a movement for minimal cooking or minimal heating of food, just to retain the natural antioxidants or whatever, the minerals or whatever it maybe. So cocoa is part of that - you can do it raw, with a very good quality bean.”

Another way chocolate makers decrease its health benefits is by adding sugar. The taste of cocoa is naturally sharp, or bitter. This bitterness comes from an antioxidant in cocoa, a chemical called polyphenol. To reduce cocoa’s bitter taste, makers of chocolate products remove the polyphenol and add sugar.

Food science writer Leonie Joubert notes that sugar is connected to weight-related illnesses. Ms. Joubert warns that eating too much sugar leads to many health problems.

“The problem is that overexposure to sugar over a long period of time - it causes this repeated inflammatory response in the body, which now is linked to heart disease. Obviously it's linked to obesity and weight problems and the associated diseases.”

Quality Over Quantity

The chocolates at Honest Chocolate are made with agave nectar, not cane sugar. And they have a very high percentage of cacao. This is something buyer (customer) Jessica Bonin enjoys.

“What I find quite remarkable about their chocolate is that you are not overwhelmed by the sugar so you actually get to taste the chocolate itself, which is really so luxurious and quite decadent.”

Like many other people who know good chocolate when they taste it --chocolate connoisseurs -- Ms. Bonin satisfies her craving with just one small piece of really good chocolate. In other words, she chooses “quality over quantity.” And this choice is most likely better for her health.

And that’s the Health Report. I’m Anna Matteo.

______________________________________________________________

Words in the News

dietician – n. a person whose job is to give people advice about what to eat inorder to be healthy

luxurious – adj. something that is expensive and not necessary (“Luxury,” a noun, is the root word.)

decadent – adj. characterized by or appealing to self-indulgence

connoisseur – n. a person who knows a lot about something (such as art,wine, food, etc.): an expert in a particular subject

crave – v. to have a very strong desire for (something). A craving, a noun,means a strong desire for something