第1495期:Food and mood

Cosuming food can be a pleasurable thing – we enjoy feasting on the mix of tastes and textures and it stops us feeling hungry too. Of course, food also gives us energy and the vitamins and minerals that our body needs. It's no wonder we spend so much time preparing and eating food. But what many of us don't consider is how our emotions are affected by what we put into our bellies.

食用食物可能是一件令人愉快的事情——我们喜欢品尝各种口味和质地的食物，它也让我们不再感到饥饿。当然，食物也为我们提供能量以及我们身体所需的维生素和矿物质。难怪我们花这么多时间准备和吃食物。但我们中的许多人没有考虑的是，我们的情绪如何受到我们放入肚子里的东西的影响。

For me, it's the unhealthy foods that put a smile on my face – chocolate, cakes and ice cream – well, I do have a sweet tooth! It might seem obvious that food that's bad for our waistline, usually makes us happy, at least in the short term. Most of us get this feeling when we use food as a quick pick-me-up. But dieticians tell us that eating bad food long term, not only makes us put on weight but can lead to other health conditions such as diabetes, and it can also affect our mental state and bring on depression.

对我来说，让我微笑的是不健康的食物——巧克力、蛋糕和冰淇淋——好吧，我确实爱吃甜食！似乎很明显，对我们的腰围有害的食物通常会让我们快乐，至少在短期内是这样。当我们用食物来提神时，我们大多数人都会有这种感觉。但营养师告诉我们，长期吃不好的食物，不仅会增加体重，还会导致糖尿病等其他健康问题，还会影响我们的精神状态，导致抑郁。

The link between our mind and food has been looked at by scientists.They've recently found that it's the bacteria in our gut that affects our mood. It's thought we have 39 trillion of these simple, small organisms in our body. Researchers at McMaster University in Canada and University College Cork in Ireland, have found that certain 'good' bacteria help reduce anxiety in mice. And researchers at Kyushu University also found that germs help reduce stress and anxiety in mice. Experts believe that, for us humans, this means food with 'good' bacteria can improve the way we feel.

科学家们已经研究了我们的思想和食物之间的联系。他们最近发现，影响我们情绪的是我们肠道中的细菌。人们认为我们体内有 39 万亿个这些简单的小生物。加拿大麦克马斯特大学和爱尔兰科克大学的研究人员发现，某些“好”细菌有助于减轻老鼠的焦虑。九州大学的研究人员还发现，细菌有助于减轻老鼠的压力和焦虑。专家认为，对我们人类来说，这意味着含有“好”细菌的食物可以改善我们的感觉。

Many food products are claiming to be high in this 'good' bacteria and some of the best types are homemade fermented food like miso soup, yoghurt and sauerkraut. This really makes me think twice about what I eat – maybe I should change my diet to perk me up! Doctor Michael Mosley would agree. He's been looking into this for the BBC and says the best food to cheer us up is in a "Mediterranean diet. Olive oil; oily fish, full of omega 3, which is really good for the brain; whole grains; lots of fruits and vegetables. Sugar: terrible for you!"

许多食品声称这种“好”细菌含量很高，其中一些最好的类型是自制发酵食品，如味噌汤、酸奶和酸菜。这真的让我对我吃的东西三思而后行——也许我应该改变我的饮食来让我振作起来！迈克尔·莫斯利医生会同意的。他一直在为 BBC 研究这个问题，并表示最能让我们振作起来的食物是“地中海饮食。橄榄油；富含欧米茄 3 的油性鱼，对大脑非常有益；全谷物；大量水果和蔬菜。糖：对你来说太可怕了！

So maybe it's time to lay off the fatty and sugary things. Eating healthily may seem simple, even if the science behind it is complex. It's not rocket science but this is further evidence for the saying 'we are what we eat' – the person we are is determined by the food we eat. There are other factors that can change our mood but it seems we have some ability to improve how we feel by controlling what we put on our plate. Does your diet affect your mood?

所以也许是时候放弃脂肪和含糖的东西了。健康饮食似乎很简单，即使背后的科学很复杂。这不是火箭科学，但这进一步证明了“我们就是我们所吃的东西”这句话——我们是由我们吃的食物决定的人。还有其他因素可以改变我们的情绪，但似乎我们有能力通过控制我们放在盘子里的东西来改善我们的感觉。你的饮食会影响你的情绪吗？

词汇表

pleasurable 令人愉快的
belly 肚子，腹部
a smile on one’s face 某人面带微笑
sweet tooth 爱吃甜食，对甜食喜爱
pick-me-up 使人兴奋的饮品或食品
dietician 营养师
diabetes 糖尿病
mental state 精神状态
depression 抑郁，沮丧
bacteria 细菌（bacterium 的复数）
gut 肠道，消化道
organism 生物体，有机体
anxiety 不安，焦虑
germ 细菌，病菌
stress 压力
fermented 发酵的
sauerkraut 泡菜
perk somebody up 使某人提起精神，使某人活跃起来
omega 3 奥米茄三脂肪酸
lay off 戒掉
'we are what we eat' “吃什么像什么”