泰国僧侣界掀起“减肥风”

Steps are being taken in Thailand to wean Buddhist monks off unhealthy food after a study suggested that almost half of them are overweight.

泰国正在采取各种措施帮佛教僧侣们改掉不健康的饮食习惯，因为已有调查表明，近一半的泰国僧侣超重。

Jongjit Angkatavanich, a health and nutrition expert at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, says 48% of monks are obese, the Bangkok Post reports. Her warning that "Obesity in our monks is a ticking time bomb" seems to have given the religious authorities cause for concern, with her figures showing that 42% have high cholesterol levels, 23% suffer from high blood pressure, and over 10% are diabetic. Dr Jongjit didn't say how many monks were involved in a study, but she's helping to roll out a national programme aimed at slimming down Thailand's holy men.

据《曼谷邮报》报道，曼谷朱拉隆功大学营养饮食专家宗集德提供的数据显示，泰国48%的僧侣过于肥胖，42%的僧侣体内胆固醇含量偏高，23%患有高血压，还有超过10%的僧侣患有糖尿病。宗集德认为，“僧侣肥胖问题是一颗定时炸弹”。宗教当局似乎也开始注意到这个问题了。宗集德教授并未透露此次研究中所涉及的僧侣人数。她本人正在协助推动一个全国性项目的展开，旨在帮泰国圣僧减肥。

The government already covers medical fees for monks, who play a prominent part in Thailand's social and religious life, and spent more than 300m baht (£6m; $8.5m) on countering chronic obesity-related problems in 2012 alone, the paper says. Dr Jongjit singles out the sweet drinks and fatty foods that members of the public donate to the monks, and her Faculty of Allied Heath Sciences university is launching a campaign to promote leaner clerical living.

该报道称，僧侣在泰国的社会和宗教生活中扮演着举足轻重的角色，政府已经为僧侣们下发了医疗拨款，仅2012年一年，政府在解决僧侣们因肥胖导致的各类慢性病上花费的金钱就超过了3亿铢。宗集德教授会在香客捐赠给僧侣的饮食中进行筛选，剔除含糖饮料和高脂食物。她所任教大学的联合健康科学系也推出了帮助僧侣日常瘦身的系列活动。

A monastic college and four temples in Bangkok are pioneering nutritional cooking programmes heavy on fibre, protein and calcium, and encouraging the clerics to take more physical exercise. Dr Jongjit says the monks involved have already lost an average of one kilogram (2.2lb) in weight over eight weeks, cut their waistlines by 1.4cm (half an inch), and seen drops in cholesterol levels. Some monks complain that they don't know how much weight they're putting on, which is why Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital has launched a special girdle that tightens around the waist as a gentle reminder.

曼谷的一所僧侣学院和四座寺庙，都在力推高纤维、高蛋白和高钙质的僧侣营养餐项目，还鼓励僧侣们多运动。宗集德教授表示，参与这些项目的僧侣们在8周时间内平均瘦了1千克，腰围缩小了1.4厘米，体内胆固醇含量也明显下降了。一些僧侣抱怨无法从直观上判断自己到底长了多少肉，为此，朱拉隆功纪念医院推出了一款特制束腰带，可以在僧侣们长胖的时候给他们一点温馨提示。