水果和蔬菜为什么很重要

Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is important for good health. Find out why experts say Mother Nature's bounty packs better nutrients than supplements.

富含水果和蔬菜的饮食对身体健康很重要。已经发现为什么专家说大自然的丰富赠品比营养补充剂更有营养。

If we are what we eat, then many of us must be tripping all over the place due to a lack of balance. That's because the average American eats about three servings of fruits and vegetables per day — a stark contrast to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) new guidelines stating that we should be eating 5 to 13 servings of nature's best, depending on the number of calories you need.

如果我们吃什么是什么，那么许多人肯定会到处被绊倒，因为缺乏平衡。那是因为美国人平均每天吃三份水果和蔬菜——这跟卫生福利部和美国农业部新指导方针表明的我们每天应该根据所需的热量吃5—13份天然的最佳食物。

So if we want to grow to be strong like Popeye, why can't we just down some supplements instead of devouring a pile of spinach?

所以，如果我们希望长得跟大力水手一样强壮的话，为什么不吃一些营养补充品来代替吞食一堆菠菜呢？

Nutrients in fresh fruits and vegetables work together. Kristine Wallerius Cuthrell, MPH, RD, a research nutritionist and senior project coordinator for Hawaii Foods at the Center on the Family at University of Hawaii at Manoa, says that in the past five to 10 years, many large research studies have found that vitamin supplements don't provide the benefits that foods do. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, created jointly between HHS and USDA and reviewed every five years, say that foods are the best sources of nutrients because they contain naturally occurring ingredients, like carotenoids and flavonoids.

新鲜水果和蔬菜里的营养成分一起发挥作用。公共卫生硕士，注册营养师Kristine Wallerius Cuthrell是夏威夷马诺大学以家庭为中心夏威夷食品的一名研究营养学家和高级项目协调者，他称，过去5到10年里，许多大型研究已经发现维生素营养补充品不能提供和食物一样的营养。2005年，卫生福利部和美国农业部共同建立并每五年进行审查的美国人饮食指南指出，食物是最好的营养来源，因为他们含有天然成分，如类胡萝卜素和黄酮类。

"In addition to the substances we are aware of, there are many present in fruits and vegetables that have yet to be discovered. Food and the nutrients they contain aren't consumed singly, but with each other. As such, they may act in synergistic ways to promote health," Cuthrell says. For instance, eating iron-rich plants, like spinach, and the vitamin C in orange juice, is great for people who don’t get enough iron (typically young women).

“除了我们知道的物质外，水果和蔬菜里面还含有许多没被发现的物质。食物和所含的养分并不是单独消耗掉，而且互相吸收。同样地，它们以互相协作的方式促进了健康。”Cuthrell说。例如，吃富含铁的植物，如菠菜和橙汁里所含的维生素C，对于缺铁的人来说是非常有用的（尤其是年轻女性）。

Fruits and vegetables may prevent many illnesses. Eating fruits and vegetables may reduce your risk of cardiovascular diseases, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and even some forms of cancer. The Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study examined nearly 110,000 people over the course of 14 years. Part of the study revealed that the more fruits and vegetables people ate daily, the less chance they would develop cardiovascular diseases.

水果和蔬菜可以预防疾病。吃水果和蔬菜可以减少患上心血管疾病，中风，第二型糖尿病，甚至一些癌症的风险。护理健康研究和健康专业随访研究观察了接近11万人超过14年里的进程。部分研究发现，人们每天吃越多水果和蔬菜，他们就越少机会患上心血管疾病。

The relationship between fruits and vegetables and cancer prevention has been more difficult to prove. However, recent studies show that some types of produce are associated with lower rates of some types of cancer. For example, the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research suggest that mouth, stomach, and colorectal cancers are less likely with high intakes of non-starchy foods like leafy greens, broccoli, and cabbage. Though studies have been mixed, lycopene, a carotenoid that gives tomatoes their red color, may help stave off prostate cancer.

水果和蔬菜跟预防癌症之间的关系已经变得更难去证明了。然而，最近的研究表明，一些食物跟患上较少一些癌症有关。例如，世界癌症研究基金会和美国癌症研究院表明，高摄入无淀粉食物，如绿叶蔬菜，花椰菜和大白菜，那么患上口腔，胃部和结肠直肠癌症的几率就会减少。尽管研究已经混合在一起了，但是番茄红素，一种使番茄变红的类胡萝卜素也可以帮助预防前列腺癌。

Fruits and vegetables are great for watching your weight. They’re low in fat and calories, and loaded with fiber and water, which create a feeling of fullness. This is particularly helpful for dieters who want more filling calories. Plus, that fiber helps keep you “regular.”

水果和蔬菜有助于控制体重。它们低含热量，富含纤维和水分，可以创造出饱胀感。这对那些希望得到更多补充热量的节食者来说尤其有效。另外，纤维帮你保持匀称。

Fruits and Vegetables: Get Your Fill

水果和蔬菜：使你觉得饱胀

When adding fruits and vegetables to your diet, remember that variety is the spice of life. It's important to eat produce of various colors because each fruit or vegetable offers a different nutrient — think of it as nutritional cross-training. Trying new foods can be exciting, and be sure to sample every color in the produce rainbow.

在饮食中增加水果和蔬菜时，记住：多种类是生活的调味品。吃各种颜色食物是很重要的，因为每种水果或蔬菜提供的营养不同——把这当成营养的交叉训练。尝试新食物是很令人兴奋的，并确保品尝五颜六色的食物。

The right number of servings of fruits and vegetables for you all depends on your daily caloric intake needs. A good way to find out how many servings you should be eating is by using the CDC's online serving calculator. Or make things even simpler by eating a fruit or vegetable at every meal and snack.

你所需的水果和蔬菜的正确分量依靠每天所需的热量摄入而定。计算出你每天要吃多少分量的水果和蔬菜的一个好方法就是使用CDC的网上服务计算器。或者更简单的方法就是每餐和所有零食都吃水果或蔬菜。

Don't let season, accessibility, or cost affect your fruit- and vegetable-friendly diet. If finding fresh produce is difficult, choose frozen, canned (low-sodium), or dried varieties. Also, 100 percent juice counts toward your servings, though it doesn't offer the full fiber of whole fruit.

不要让季节，可获得性或花费影响你水果友好和蔬菜友好的饮食。如果很难找到新鲜产品，那么选择冰冻，罐头或干的种类。同样，100%果汁也算进你的分量，尽管它并没有提供跟水果一样的所有纤维。

The power of prevention may lie in a salad bowl or a plate of fruit. When we take advantage of produce, our bodies return the favor by reducing our risk of developing various illnesses.

预防作用就在于一个沙拉盘或水果盘。当我们从食物中受益，我们的身体将通过减少患上各种疾病的风险给予回报。