地中海飲食的秘密成分

地中海飲食的秘密成分

You've probably heard of the Mediterranean diet. It's touted everywhere from morning news shows to magazine articles as one of the most healthful eating styles around, but you may not know how or why this diet — which is filled with fruits and vegetables from places like Italy, Greece and Turkey — is so good for you.

你可能聽說過地中海飲食。從早間新聞節(jié)目到雜志文章，到處都在吹捧它是最健康的飲食方式之一，但你可能不知道為什么這種飲食法——由意大利、希臘和土耳其等國的水果和蔬菜組成——對你有好處。

Science is only just beginning to decipher why eating some foods, skipping others or combining them in the right ways can thwart illness and ward off disease.

為什么吃一些食物，跳過一些食物，或者以正確的方式將它們結(jié)合在一起可以抵御疾病和抵御疾病，科學才剛剛開始解釋這一點。

The Mediterranean diet is heavy on fruits, vegetables and olive oil. (Photo: Marian Weyo/Shutterstock)

What does the Mediterranean diet look like?

地中海飲食是什么樣的?

The foundation of the diet consists of fruits like apricots, citrus, dates, figs, grapes, apples and pears; veggies like tomatoes, avocados, kale and dark green leafy spinach, onions, garlic and leeks, celery, carrots, cabbage and cucumbers; beans and legumes like chickpeas (hummus), fava beans and kidney beans; nuts like cashews and almonds; red wine (a glass a day); fish three times a week and a serving or two of low-fat dairy or yogurt each day (think Greek yogurt). Olive oil is recommended for cooking and is the main source of dietary fat in salad dressings and baking along with fats from avocado and nuts.

飲食的基礎(chǔ)包括杏仁、柑橘、棗、無花果、葡萄、蘋果和梨等水果;像西紅柿、鱷梨、羽衣甘藍和深綠色葉菠菜、洋蔥、大蒜和韭菜、芹菜、胡蘿卜、卷心菜和黃瓜等蔬菜;豆莢和豆類，如鷹嘴豆(鷹嘴豆泥)、蠶豆和蕓豆;腰果和杏仁等堅果;紅酒(一天一杯);每周吃三次魚，每天一份或兩份低脂奶制品或酸奶(比如希臘酸奶)。烹飪時推薦使用橄欖油，它與鱷梨和堅果中的脂肪一樣，也是沙拉醬和烘焙中飲食脂肪的主要來源。

Why is this food regimen so healthful?

為什么這種飲食養(yǎng)生法如此健康?

A 2016 study presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress backs up the heart health benefits, even among those who are already showing signs of cardiovascular disease.

2016年，在歐洲心臟病學會上發(fā)表的一項研究說明該種飲食對心臟健康的益處，甚至對那些已經(jīng)顯示出心血管疾病跡象的人也是如此。

Using 25,000 random adults from the Italian region of Molise, researchers found 1,197 with histories of heart disease. Those participants who adhered closely to the diet saw their death rate from any cause drop by 37 percent over the study's seven year period. The researchers acknowledged that their study was "observational" and that further research was needed to establish a causal link.

研究人員從意大利莫利斯地區(qū)隨機抽取2.5萬名成年人，發(fā)現(xiàn)其中1197人有心臟病病史。在七年的研究期間，那些嚴格遵循這種飲食的參與者無論何種原因?qū)е碌乃劳雎识枷陆盗?7%。研究人員承認他們的研究是“觀察性的”，需要進一步的研究來確定因果關(guān)系。

How do nitro fatty acids work?

硝基脂肪酸是如何起作用的?

Researchers from King's College London and the University of California, Davis used genetically engineered mice to figure out how this biochemical process worked.

來自倫敦國王學院和加州大學戴維斯分校的研究人員利用基因工程老鼠來弄清楚這個生化過程是如何運作的。

Beneficial omega-6 fats are normally broken down in the body by an enzyme, but these nitro fatty acids block the action of that enzyme. As a result, the "good fats" stay in the blood longer, where they may have a long-lasting effect.

有益的歐米伽-6脂肪酸通常在體內(nèi)被一種酶分解，但是這些硝基脂肪酸阻止了這種酶的作用。因此，“好脂肪”在血液中停留的時間更長，可能會產(chǎn)生長期的影響。

How to make the Mediterranean diet work for you

如何讓地中海飲食對你有效果

If you want to incorporate the Mediterranean diet into your life, Cartwright says to start with plenty of fruits and veggies, then add some unsalted nuts, seeds and legumes to the mix. Sprinkle in plenty of antioxidant-rich spices like curry, cinnamon, paprika, cumin, turmeric and ginger. Add fatty fish two to three times a week. Switch to olive oil for cooking and homemade salad dressings. Eating whole grains plus some low-fat dairy are great ways to get started with this Mediterranean-inspired meal plan.

如果你想把地中海飲食融入你的生活，Cartwright建議你從大量的水果和蔬菜開始，然后加入一些無鹽的堅果，種子和豆類。撒上大量富含抗氧化劑的香料，如咖喱、肉桂、辣椒粉、孜然、姜黃和姜。每周添加兩到三次富含脂肪的魚。烹飪和自制沙拉醬時改用橄欖油。吃全谷物加上一些低脂奶制品是開始這個地中海式飲食計劃的好方法。