有机食品真的更好吗？是健康饮食还是流行骗局？：英语精读讲义

Over the last few years, organic food has spread like wildfire. 習語

过去几年里，有机食品的发展如野火燎原。

Despite higher prices,

尽管价格较高，

buying organic is turning from an alternative into a moral and social responsibility. 語法

购买有机食品正从一种选择变成一种道德和社会责任。

Organic food is supposedly healthier,

人们认为有机食品更健康，

more natural and more ethical.

更自然，更合乎道德。

But what do we even mean when we say organic? 語氣意圖

但当我们说“有机”时，到底是什么意思呢？

There's no global consensus, 短語搭配

目前并没有全球共识，

so different regions have different definitions and rules.

所以不同地区有不同的定义和规定。

In general,

总的来说，

organic food is farmed without GMO seeds,

有机食品在种植时不使用转基因种子、

synthetic fertilizers or synthetic pesticides.

合成肥料或合成农药。

Instead,

相反，

organic farmers use more traditional ways of producing food like crop rotation

有机农场主使用更传统的粮食生产方法，如轮作，

and use organic fertilizers such as compost or manure.

并使用堆肥或粪肥等有机肥料。

While the motivation to buy organic food is clearly noble, 表達脈絡

虽然购买有机食品的动机显然是高尚的，

is it actually effective or just another costly trend we can skip without feeling guilty?

但它真的有效吗，还是只是一种我们可以毫无负罪感地略过的昂贵潮流？

Is organic food healthier?

有机食品更健康吗？

One idea associated with organic crops 短語搭配

与有机作物相关的一个观点是，

is that their natural cultivation is supposed to make them more nutritious and healthier. 語法

它们自然栽培的方式应该会使它们更有营养、更健康。

Indeed,

事实上，

several studies found that organic foods contain more antioxidants.

一些研究发现，有机食品含有更多的抗氧化剂。

Plants produce them as a sort of homemade pesticide. 短語搭配

植物产生抗氧化剂作为一种自制的农药。

Organic plants seem to have to work a little harder, 語法

有机植物似乎要更努力一些，

while regular plants have plenty of help from humans.

而普通植物则得到了人类的大量帮助。

Antioxidants are believed to have some health benefits, 語法

人们认为抗氧化剂对健康有一些益处，

although scientists are still on the fence about them in general. 習語

尽管科学家们总体上对此仍持观望态度。

We have no idea if and how exactly they help us

我们不知道它们是否以及究竟如何帮助我们，

or how much produce you'd have to eat to absorb a certain amount.

或者你需要吃多少农产品才能吸收一定的量。

What about organic being more nutritious?

那么有机食品更有营养吗？

Well, the evidence is mixed. 短語搭配

嗯，相关证据并不一致。

Some studies found that organic food can have slightly higher concentrations of vitamin C and omega-3 fatty acids,

一些研究发现，有机食品中的维生素C和Omega-3脂肪酸浓度可能略高，

while others did not find significant differences.

而另一些研究则没有发现明显差异。

Overall,

总的来说，

the mixed evidence suggests that there are only small differences in nutritional value.

这些不一致的证据表明，两者在营养价值上只有很小的差异。

So,

所以，

from the science available so far,

从目前可用的科学依据来看，

it doesn't look like organic food has significant health benefits. 語法

有机食品似乎并没有显著的健康益处。

What we do know is that eating fruit and veggies in general is good for you, 語法

我们确切知道的是，多吃水果和蔬菜通常对你有好处，

and most of us don't do that enough.

而我们大多数人都吃得不够。

Eating veggies is more important for your health than how they were produced. 語法

吃蔬菜对你的健康来说，比蔬菜是如何生产出来的更重要。

Is organic food more natural?

有机食品更天然吗？

People don't only buy organic to get extra vitamins, 語法

人们购买有机食品不仅是为了获得额外的维生素，

but to avoid something toxic,

也是为了避免有毒物质，

artificial pesticides and fertilizers.

即人造农药和肥料。

And indeed,

实际上，

several studies show that there actually is less pesticide residue on organic produce.

多项研究表明，有机农产品上的农药残留确实较少。

But here's where things get complicated. 表達脈絡

但这就是情况变得复杂的地方。

Less pesticide does not mean none at all. 語法

农药较少并不意味着完全没有。

While pesticides are supposed to be a last resort in organic farming, 短語搭配

虽然在有机农业中，农药应该作为最后的手段，

they're not forbidden.

但它们并没有被禁止使用。

Most organic pesticides are natural toxins like vegetable oils,

大多数有机农药是天然毒素，如植物油、

potash soap,

钾盐软皂、

sulfur or copper sulfates,

硫磺或硫酸铜，

but there are synthetic substances as well.

但也存在合成物质。

What's the difference between organic and regular pesticides?

有机农药和普通农药之间有什么区别？

Not a lot,

没太大区别，

actually.

实际上。

Organic pesticides are not necessarily safer than conventional ones. 語法

有机农药不一定比传统农药更安全。

Toxic is toxic,

有毒就是有毒，

no matter if the substance is manufactured or derived from nature. 語法

不管这种物质是人造的还是来源于自然。

In fact,

事实上，

in the case of copper sulfate,

以硫酸铜为例，

often used on organic apples,

它常被用于有机苹果，

the organic pesticide of choice is actually more harmful to humans.

这种常用的有机农药实际上对人类危害更大。

The toxicity of any substance depends on its concentration 語法

任何物质的毒性取决于它的浓度

and your exposure to it,

和你接触它的程度，

not if it's natural or not.

而不是它是否天然。

There are a few recent studies about how our current level of pesticide exposure affects our long-term health.

最近有一些关于我们目前的农药接触水平如何影响长期健康的研究。

A 2018 study from France associated never eating organic food with a higher risk of certain cancers. 短語搭配

法国2018年的一项研究将从不吃有机食品与患某些癌症的较高风险联系起来。

The study was criticized a lot,

这项研究受到了很多批评，

though. 表達脈絡

不过。

The participants reported their dietary habits themselves,

参与者自己报告了他们的饮食习惯，

while no actual tests of pesticide levels in their bodies were done.

而并没有对他们体内的农药水平进行实际检测。

Complicating things even more, 表達脈絡

更复杂的是，

a Danish study from 2018 found that the danger from pesticides for an adult was similar to drinking a glass of wine every three months.

丹麦2018年的一项研究发现，农药对成年人的危害类似于每三个月喝一杯葡萄酒。

The pesticides on your vegetables are nothing to lose sleep over. 習語

蔬菜上的农药并不值得你为此忧心忡忡。

Despite this,

尽管如此，

we should continue to demand strict standards for our food.

我们应该继续对食品要求严格的标准。

All pesticides are regulated and tested very strictly in the EU and the US.

在欧盟和美国，所有的农药都受到了非常严格的监管和测试。

Every year,

每年，

thousands of food samples are screened for pesticides.

成千上万的食品样本被筛查农药残留。

The majority of samples have no residues or just a fraction of the tolerance level.

大部分样本没有残留物，或者只有耐受水平的一小部分。

Right now,

就目前而言，

contamination from bacteria and fungi is much more dangerous,

细菌和真菌的污染要危险得多，

and on this front, the risk is the same,

在这个层面上，风险是一样的，

be it organic or regular food. 語法

无论是有机食品还是普通食品。

Is organic food better for the environment?

有机食品对环境更好吗？

In 2017,

2017年，

a meta-analysis looked at organic farming in detail 用詞

一项荟萃分析详细研究了有机农业，

and analyzed organic and regular foods from over 700 production sources

并分析了来自700多个产地的有机和普通食品

and their impact on categories like greenhouse gas emissions,

以及它们在温室气体排放、

energy consumption and land needs.

能源消耗和土地需求等类别方面的影响。

The result,

结果是，

no production method is clearly better for the environment.

没有哪种生产方法明显对环境更好。

Organic systems use less energy than conventional ones,

有机系统比传统系统使用更少的能源，

but have similar greenhouse gas emissions.

但温室气体排放量相似。

Organic farms use less pesticide,

有机农场使用更少的农药，

but need much more land to produce the same amount of crop.

但需要更多的土地来生产相同数量的作物。

These mixed results were also confirmed by a report from the Swedish Food Agency.

这些喜忧参半的结果也得到了瑞典食品局一份报告的证实。

Organic and regular were equal in most regards. 短語搭配

有机食品和普通食品在大多数方面是打平的。

The biggest difference was land use,

最大的区别是土地利用，

and here conventional farming clearly won,

在这方面，传统农业显然获胜，

and ecotoxicity,

以及生态毒性，

where organic farming has a clear advantage.

在这一点上有机农业有明显优势。

So,

因此，

according to these results,

根据这些结果，

conventional farming actually has a little bit less impact on the environment compared to organic.

与有机农业相比，传统农业实际上对环境的影响要略小一点。

The bottom line is, 表達脈絡

总而言之，

organic food isn't superior to regular produce as far as we know. 短語搭配

就我们所知，有机食品并不优于普通农产品。

But organic agriculture also has an impact at a broader level. 短語搭配

但是有机农业也在更广泛的层面上产生影响。

Demand is rising constantly,

需求在不断上升，

and the struggle to supply the market can lead to production methods that are less sustainable in other ways.

而为了满足市场供应的努力可能会导致在其他方面较不可持续的生产方法。

Spain,

例如，

for example,

西班牙

grows tons of regular and organic vegetables destined for export 用詞

种植了数以吨计出口的普通和有机蔬菜

in vast greenhouse areas which use a lot of energy

在消耗大量能源的广阔温室区

and have other environmental impacts

并产生其他环境影响，

such as significantly higher greenhouse gas emissions.

例如显著升高的温室气体排放量。

And because growing demand can't be covered by domestic production,

而且，由于国内生产无法满足不断增长的需求，

the global trade and organic foods is also increasing.

全球贸易和有机食品贸易也在增长。

As supply chains get more and more complex to make all kinds of foods available in organic quality, 語法

随着供应链变得越来越复杂以提供各种有机品质的食品，

ensuring organic quality standards and regulations gets ever more difficult.

确保有机质量标准和规定变得越来越困难。

This has led to incidences of fraud

这导致了欺诈事件的发生，

where conventional food was labeled and sold as expensive organic produce. 語法

传统食品被贴上标签，作为昂贵的有机农产品出售。

But organic versus conventional food isn't even an objective discussion.

但有机与传统食品的对比甚至不是一个客观的讨论。

Organic is not simply a production method.

有机不仅仅是一种生产方法。

For many,

对许多人来说，

it's an ideology.

它是一种意识形态。

Buying organic feels right.

买有机食品感觉是对的。

People want to do the correct thing for the health of their children

人们希望为了孩子的健康

and the well-being of the planet.

和地球的福祉做正确的事。

But our instinct to think of organic as good and conventional as bad

但我们本能地认为有机就是好的、传统就是坏的，

can get in the way of making the most reasonable decision. 習語

这可能会阻碍我们做出最合理的决定。

The solution could be to stop seeing organic and conventional farming as irreconcilable. 語法

解决方案可能是不要再将有机农业和传统农业看作是势不两立的。

They both have pros and cons, 短語搭配

它们各有利弊，

and the best way to produce healthy food efficiently would be a combination of their best features.

而高效生产健康食品的最佳方法将是结合它们各自最好的特征。

And as for your personal shopping, 表達脈絡

至于你个人的购物，

what food you should buy depends on what you expect from it. 語法

你应该买什么食品取决于你对它的期望。

If you simply want to eat healthily,

如果你只是想吃得健康，

you should buy more fruit and veggies of any kind,

你应该多买任何种类的水果和蔬菜，

not necessarily organic.

不一定非要是有机的。

If your concern is for the environment,

如果你关心的是环境，

then simply buying organic won't solve this problem for you.

那么仅仅购买有机食品并不能为你解决这个问题。

The easiest option is to buy local food that's in season. 用詞

最简单的选择是购买当季的本地食品。

Basically,

基本上，

seasonal is the true organic. 表達脈絡

应季的才是真正的“有机”。

To sum up, 表達脈絡

总之，

an organic label is a manufacturing notice, 用詞

“有机”标签只是一个生产提示，

not a security certificate or a silver bullet for your diet. 習語

而不是安全证书，也不是你饮食的灵丹妙药。

What you eat is much more important than how it's produced. 語法

你吃什么比它怎么生产出来的要重要得多。