美国人的饮食结构有多糟糕?

From time to time, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based advocacy group, prepares an updated "report card" on changes in the American diet. The latest, collated by the nutritionist Bonnie Liebman and published in the September issue of the center's Nutrition Action Newsletter, is not one Americans should be especially proud of.
公共利益科学中心(Center for Science in the Public Interest)是一个总部设在华盛顿的宣传组织，它常常对美国人饮食习惯的变化作出评价，并不时发布最新的“成绩单”。其中最近的一份由营养师邦妮·利布曼(Bonnie Liebman)负责整理，并发表在该中心《营养行动通讯》(Nutrition Action Newsletter)的9月号上。老实说，这份“成绩单”可不怎么能令美国人感到自豪。

The analysis of changes in food consumption from 1970 to 2010 reveals that we still have a long way to go before we come close to meeting dietary guidelines for warding off obesity and chronic health problems like diabetes and heart disease.
这项关于1970年至2010年间食品消费变化的分析表明，要达到可抵御肥胖和慢性健康问题（如糖尿病和心脏病）的膳食指南的要求，美国人还有很长的路要走。

The news isn't all bad. Our consumption of added sweeteners, though still significantly higher than it was in 1970, has come down from the "sugar high" of 1999 when the average was 89 pounds per person. Nonetheless, an average of 78 pounds per person in 2010, mostly as sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, is still too much, Ms. Liebman points out.
当然，这份报告里也不全是坏消息。例如，虽然美国人对添加甜味剂（即，并非食物本身天然含有的甜味成分）的消费量仍显著高于1970年，但已经从1999年的平均每人89磅（约40千克）的“高糖”水平有所下降。尽管如此，利布曼女士指出，2010年美国人的人均消费量（以糖和高果糖玉米糖浆为主）仍然达到了78磅（约35千克），这个数值依旧太高。

Even our B-plus for cutting back on fats and oils, the highest grade Ms. Liebman awarded, is a mixed bag. Yes, we've dramatically reduced consumption of heart-damaging trans fats and, to a lesser extent, saturated solid fats like margarine and shortening. But there's been a steady, steep climb in total fats added to the diet in the form of salad oils and cooking oils.
在这份“成绩单”中，利布曼女士给“控制脂肪和油”这一栏打分最高，为B+，但即使这方面的情况也是参差不齐。的确，美国人对有害心脏的反式脂肪的消费量已经大幅减少，对人造黄油和起酥油等饱和固体脂肪的消费量也有小幅降低。但以色拉油和烹调油的形式被加入膳食中的总脂肪量却出现了稳步急剧的攀升。

As a country, we have definitely not been on a "low-fat diet." The average person consumes 20 pounds more in total fat yearly than in 1970, which partly explains why the obesity rate among adults has more than doubled since then, when only 15 percent of Americans were obese.
就整个国家而言，美国绝对未达到“低脂饮食”的水平。与1970年相比，人均脂肪消费总量约增加了20磅（约9.1千克），这从一定程度上解释了为何自那时（美国人肥胖率只有15%）起，成年人的肥胖率已然翻了一番。

In 2005, the Agriculture Department has reported, the average American consumed 645 calories a day in added fats and oils, not counting the fats naturally present in foods like meats and dairy products.
2005年，美国农业部(Agriculture Department)报道，美国人在一天内消费的添加脂肪和油类中的热量平均可达645卡路里，而且这还是刨去了肉类和奶制品等食物中天然存在的脂肪后的数值。

Americans seem to think that if a food is considered a healthier alternative, it's O.K. to swallow as much of it as one might like. People forget, or never knew, that a tablespoon of olive oil or canola oil has about the same number of calories as a tablespoon of lard (about 115), and even more calories than a tablespoon of butter or margarine.
美国人似乎认为，如果某种食品是较为健康的替代品，就可以想吃多少吃多少。但人们忘记了，或者从来就不知道，一汤匙橄榄油或菜籽油中所含的热量与一汤匙猪油大致相当（约115卡路里），甚至还高于一汤匙黄油或人造黄油中所含的卡路里数。

"We never were on a low-fat diet," Ms. Liebman said in an interview. "We increased our fat intake from pizzas, burgers, French fries, baked goods and restaurant-prepared foods."
“我们从未真正实现过低脂饮食，”利布曼在接受记者采访时表示。“我们从披萨、汉堡、炸薯条、烘焙食品和餐厅食品中摄入的脂肪量有所增加。”

Likewise, grain products. "There's been a huge increase in grains in the last 30 years — bread, cereal, pasta, rice, burritos, pizza crust, panini, muffins, scones — mostly made from white flour," she said. "We've been blaming the obesity epidemic on sweets, and we are eating too much sugar, but we need to pay more attention to grains.
同样，在谷物制品方面的情况也是如此。“在过去的30年中，人们对谷物制品——面包、麦片、意粉、米饭、墨西哥玉米煎饼、比萨饼、意式热三明治、松饼、烤饼——的消费量大幅增长，而这些食品大多由白面制成，”她说。“我们一直指责是糖果以及吃糖太多导致了肥胖的流行，但现在，我们需要更多地关注谷物制品。

"It would not be great to simply replace refined grains like white flour and white rice with whole grains," she added. "We need to cut back on grains, period."
“只是简单地将白面这类精制谷物替换为全谷物制品并非就万事大吉了，”她补充道。“我们需要减少所有谷物制品的消费量，至少在一段时间内是如此。”

Whether made from white flour or whole wheat, one unadorned New York-style bagel supplies about 500 calories, and a 21st century muffin often contains as many as 800 calories.
无论是由白面还是全麦制成，一个没有添加任何添料的纽约风格贝果的热量就可达到约500卡路里，而现在一个松饼所含的热量往往多达800卡路里。

For the average adult, who should aim for a daily intake of 2,000 calories, these grain foods displace far more nutritious (and relatively low-calorie) fruits and vegetables. Our consumption of those earned a B-minus on Ms. Liebman's report card.
对于应将每天摄入的热量控制在2000卡路里左右的普通成年人而言，谷物制品替代比其营养丰富得多，且热量也相对较低的水果和蔬菜，在膳食中的占有很大比例。在利布曼女士给出的“成绩单”上，美国人在此类食品消费方面的得分为B-。

"We need to replace sandwiches with salads, swap starches for veggies, and trade cookies, cupcakes and chips for fresh fruit," she wrote. "We started eating more vegetables, not counting potatoes, in the 1980s, but the rise has stalled."
“我们需要把三明治换成沙拉，把淀粉类食物换成蔬菜，并把纸杯蛋糕和薯条换成新鲜水果。”她写道。“在20世纪80年代，我们开始食用蔬菜（不包括土豆）的量开始增加，但现在这种上升趋势已经停滞。”

Ms. Liebman was surprised to find that combined consumption of beef and pork is still higher than that of chicken and fish. Although chicken itself is now slightly more popular than beef, our consumption of fish has remained relatively flat.
利布曼还惊讶地发现，牛肉和猪肉的总消费量仍然高于鸡肉和鱼。虽然现在鸡肉比牛肉略受消费者青睐，但美国人的鱼类消费量一直保持相对平稳。