"低脂"就一定好吗？素食就一定健康吗？

Is "low fat" always a good thing? Is a vegetarian dish always healthy?

关于食品，总是有很多误区或偏见。看看下面的一些盛行说法是否正确，挑战一下你习以为常的饮食观念。

There are lots of myths and old wives' tales about food. Check out the following popular beliefs and challenge your assumptions.

误区：标签上写着"低脂"或"减脂"的产品都是健康之选

False: If the label says "low fat" or 'reduced fat' then the product will always be a healthy choice

一种食品的含脂量至少要比正常食品低30%才能被称为"减脂".

To claim that a product is "reduced fat" the amount of fat must be at least 30% lower than standard products

但是，这类产品往往本身就含高脂肪高热量，所以即使标明"减脂",它所含的脂肪和热量仍然很高。

But these types of foods tend to be high in fat and energy in the first place, so the "reduced fat" version can still have quite high amounts of both.

标明"低脂"或"减脂"的食品所含的热量不一定低

Foods labelled "low fat" or "reduced fat" aren't necessarily low in energy.

而它所含的脂肪可能被其他成分所代替，所以到头来，这种食品所含热量（卡路里）可能跟正常食品一样，甚至更高。

The fat is replaced by other ingredients, so the product can end up with the same or an even higher energy （calorie） content.

另外，如果你禁不住诱惑，食用的减脂食品比相应的全脂食品多，那么最后你摄入的脂肪和热量跟食用全脂食品差不多，甚至更高。

Also, if you're tempted to use more of a reduced-fat product than you would of the full-fat version, you might end up having the same, or even more, fat and energy.

误区：如果你想更健康，最好选择素食

False: If you want to have the healthier option it's best to choose a vegetarian dish

有些素食中含有大量脂肪，尤其是用很多油、油酥面或奶油酱做成的或者经过油炸的。所以，它们不一定是健康之选。

Some vegetarian dishes contain a lot of fat, especially if they're made with lots of cheese, oil, pastry or creamy sauces, or if they've been fried. So they aren't necessarily a healthy option.

事实上，如果红肉很瘦或者可见脂肪已被剔除，它的含脂量也很低。

In fact, red meat can be low in fat if it's lean and all the visible fat has been removed

鱼肉和去皮鸡肉也是低脂食物的不错选择，前提是尽量不要用太多动物油来烹饪。

Other low-fat options are chicken without the skin, and fish, if they've been cooked without too much fat.

但是，饮食中有些蔬菜总是有益的，我们一天应该食用至少五份不同的蔬菜水果才能保证营养均衡

But it's always a good idea to have some vegetables with your meal because we should be eating at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day as part of a healthy balanced diet.

误区：喝冰水有助于减肥

False: Drinking ice water helps to lose weight.

喝水对减肥总是很有帮助，但认为喝冰水有助于减肥的人往往相信这是由于我们的身体要燃烧卡路里来让冰水变暖，从而达到减肥的效果。

Drinking water is always good for weight loss, but this concept is related to the idea that if you drink ice water, your body has to burn calories warming it up.

这在技术上说得通，但是让冰水变暖所消耗的热量少之又少，让一盎司的冰水变暖只能消耗1卡路里

Technically correct, but the number of calories you burn are really tiny. It's about 1 calorie per ounce of ice water to warm it up

我们也许觉得让冰水变热会消耗更多的热量，其实不然

We would think it would take more calories to heat up the water, but it doesn't.

所以，喝水可以，但除非你喜欢，否则没有必要喝冰水

So, drink water, but only ice water if you like it.

当然，冰镇饮料（如汽水或果汁）并不会因为凉爽而不含热量，尽管那是个美妙的想法。

Of course, you also don't cancel out the calories of an iced beverage that has calories because it's cold （like soda or juice）, although that would be nice

误区：罐装食品对身体无益

False: Canned food is not good for health

对于罐装肉来说的确如此，但是对于罐装鱼来说却不尽然

In many respects this can be true for canned meat rather than canned fish.

长时间的高温处理使大鱼骨都变得柔软可食，从而增加了有益于我们骨骼的钙质的摄入

Long heat treatment makes even large fish bones soft and edible, thus providing an additional source for calcium intake, which is beneficial for our skeleton

一般人，无论男女老少，每日应摄取大约1,5000毫克的钙。

Daily recommendation of calcium is approximately 1,500 mg, both for men or women, young or old.

误区：进食后一小时内不宜游泳。

False: It is unwise to swim within one hour of eating

这个误区源于半世纪前美国红十字协会印制的一本救生指南，上面说进食后马上游泳会造成胃痉挛甚至死亡

This myth dates half a century back when the American Red Cross has published an instruction on life-saving saying that swimming immediately after meal may cause stomach cramps and even death

但是后来这个说法遭到质疑，很多游泳运动员声称他们在训练期间经常饭后马上进行长距离游泳。

But later this theory was questioned. Many swimmers assert that they usually cover long distances during training sessions immediately after meal.