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.
    巧克力对健康有益?还是光好吃?许多专家警告说,巧克力中的糖分不利于健康。但医生指出巧克力中含有对健康有益的抗氧化剂。

    VOA's George Putic reports that uncooked, organic chocolate may contain the right balance.
    美国之音慢速英语的乔治·普蒂奇(George Putic)报告称,有机生巧克力可能刚好比较均衡。

    The biggest value in eating cocoa and dark chocolate, besides the taste, may be its ability to lower blood pressure. This comes from the rich, comforting, almost decadent, feeling of cocoa butter melting in your mouth.
    除了口感,食用可可和黑巧克力最大的好处是它能够降血压,这与可可脂在口中融化的那种香浓、满足,几近沉醉的感觉是分不开的。

    That happy feeling may also add to chocolate's anti-depressant qualities, says Kim 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.
    金·霍夫曼(Kim Hoffman)说,那种幸福感可能也会有助于提高巧克力抗抑郁的功效。霍夫曼女士是一位营养师,她为人们的健康饮食提供建议。她讲述了黑巧克力如何让我们感觉内心舒畅并且情绪高昂。

    "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."
    霍夫曼女士说:“黑巧克力中含有苯乙胺,这是脑部发现的一种神经递质,它可以改善心情,还能提高血液中胺多酚的含量。胺多酚被称为快感阿片制剂,当人体兴奋时就会分泌出来。”

    Not all chocolate is equal when it comes to those helpful chemicals. The way commercial chocolate makers produce chocolate affects its health benefits.
    并非所有的巧克力都含有等量的这种有益化学成分。商业巧克力生产商生产巧克力的方法会影响其健康功效。

    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.
    首先存在温度问题。加工商业巧克力所需的温度最高达130摄氏度。一些研究人员表示,高温实际上会降低这些有益化学成分的有效性。

    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·格雷德(Anthony Grid)在南非开普敦市一家名为“诚信巧克力”的店里制作上等巧克力。他将生巧克力的加工温度控制在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.
    格雷德先生说,在美食界烹饪食物时有一种限制温度的生食运动。该运动的追随者表示,高温会降低食物中的健康成分。

    "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 may be. So cocoa is part of that - you can do it raw, with a very good quality bean."
    他说,“有一种做法是最小程度的烹制或加热食物,以保留其自然的抗氧化剂或其它营养成分,比如矿物质等。所以可可豆也属于这个范畴。你可以用高质量的可可豆制作生巧克力。”

    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.
    巧克力生产商另一种降低了健康成分的做法是添加糖分。可可原本很苦。这种苦味来自于可可中一种被称为多酚的抗氧化剂。为了降低可可的苦味,巧克力生产商会去除多酚并添加糖分。

    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(Leonie Joubert)指出,糖分和多种体重相关的疾病相关。朱伯特女士警告说,食用过多糖会导致多种健康问题。

    "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."
    朱伯特女士说,“问题在于,长期大量摄入糖分会导致身体频繁出现炎症反应,这在现在已被证实会导致心脏病。而且显然,它还会带来肥胖等体重问题以及相关疾病。”

    Quality Over Quantity
    质重于量

    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.
    诚信巧克力店的巧克力用的是龙舌兰花蜜而不是蔗糖,而且可可含量非常高。这点正是杰西卡·伯宁(Jessica Bonin)这类顾客所喜欢的。

    "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."
    伯宁说,“我觉得他们的巧克力非常了不起之处在于它没有甜得过份,这样你就可以真正品尝到巧克力本身的味道,它给人一种舒适又放纵的快感。”

    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.
    像许多其它巧克力鉴赏家一样,只要给伯宁女士一小块高品质的巧克力,就能满足她对巧克力的欲望。换句话来说,她认为“质量高于数量”。而这种选择极有可能更有益于健康。

    And that's the Health Report. I'm Anna Matteo.
    以上就是本期美国之音慢速英语健康报道的全部内容。我是安娜·马特奥(Anna Matteo)。(51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利,未经授权请勿转载,违者必究!)