有機食品真的比較好嗎？是健康飲食還是流行騙局？：英語精讀講義

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

過去幾年裡，有機食品的發展如野火燎原般蔓延。

Despite higher prices,

儘管價格較高，

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

購買有機食品正從一種選擇變成一種道德和社會責任。

Organic food is supposedly healthier,

人們認為有機食品更健康，

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

但當我們說「有機」時，到底是什麼意思呢？

There's no global consensus, 片語搭配

目前並沒有全球共識，

so different regions have different definitions and rules.

所以不同地區有不同的定義和規範。

In general,

總的來說，

organic food is farmed without GMO seeds,

有機食品在種植時不使用基改種子、

synthetic fertilizers or synthetic pesticides.

合成肥料或合成農藥。

Instead,

相反地，

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

有機農夫使用更傳統的糧食生產方法，如輪作，

and use organic fertilizers such as compost or manure.

並使用堆肥或糞肥等有機肥料。

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

雖然購買有機食品的動機顯然是高尚的，

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

但它真的有效嗎，還是只是一種我們可以毫無罪惡感地略過的昂貴潮流？

Is organic food healthier?

有機食品更健康嗎？

One idea associated with organic crops 片語搭配

與有機作物相關的一個觀點是，

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

它們自然栽培的方式應該會使它們更有營養、更健康。

Indeed,

事實上，

several studies found that organic foods contain more antioxidants.

一些研究發現，有機食品含有更多的抗氧化劑。

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

植物產生抗氧化劑作為一種自製的農藥。

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

有機植物似乎要更努力一些，

while regular plants have plenty of help from humans.

而一般植物則得到了人類的大量幫助。

Antioxidants are believed to have some health benefits, 文法

人們認為抗氧化劑對健康有一些益處，

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

儘管科學家們總體上對此仍持觀望態度。

We have no idea if and how exactly they help us

我們不知道它們是否以及究竟如何幫助我們，

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

或者你需要吃多少農產品才能吸收一定的量。

What about organic being more nutritious?

那麼有機食品更有營養嗎？

Well, the evidence is mixed. 片語搭配

嗯，相關證據並不一致。

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

一些研究發現，有機食品中的維他命C和Omega-3脂肪酸濃度可能略高，

while others did not find significant differences.

而另一些研究則沒有發現明顯差異。

Overall,

總的來說，

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

這些不一致的證據表明，兩者在營養價值上只有很小的差異。

So,

所以，

from the science available so far,

從目前可用的科學依據來看，

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

有機食品似乎並沒有顯著的健康益處。

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

我們確切知道的是，多吃水果和蔬菜通常對你有好處，

and most of us don't do that enough.

而我們大多數人都吃得不夠。

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

吃蔬菜對你的健康來說，比蔬菜是如何生產出來的更重要。

Is organic food more natural?

有機食品更天然嗎？

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

人們購買有機食品不僅是為了獲得額外的維他命，

but to avoid something toxic,

也是為了避免有毒物質，

artificial pesticides and fertilizers.

即人造農藥和肥料。

And indeed,

實際上，

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

多項研究表明，有機農產品上的農藥殘留確實較少。

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

但這就是情況變得複雜的地方。

Less pesticide does not mean none at all. 文法

農藥較少並不意味著完全沒有。

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

雖然在有機農業中，農藥應該作為最後的手段，

they're not forbidden.

但它們並沒有被禁止使用。

Most organic pesticides are natural toxins like vegetable oils,

大多數有機農藥是天然毒素，如植物油、

potash soap,

鉀鹽軟皂、

sulfur or copper sulfates,

硫磺或硫酸銅，

but there are synthetic substances as well.

但也存在合成物質。

What's the difference between organic and regular pesticides?

有機農藥和一般農藥之間有什麼區別？

Not a lot,

沒太大區別，

actually.

實際上。

Organic pesticides are not necessarily safer than conventional ones. 文法

有機農藥不一定比傳統農藥更安全。

Toxic is toxic,

有毒就是有毒，

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

不管這種物質是人造的還是來源於自然。

In fact,

事實上，

in the case of copper sulfate,

以硫酸銅為例，

often used on organic apples,

它常被用於有機蘋果，

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

這種常用的有機農藥實際上對人類危害更大。

The toxicity of any substance depends on its concentration 文法

任何物質的毒性取決於它的濃度

and your exposure to it,

和你接觸它的程度，

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.

最近有一些關於我們目前的農藥接觸水平如何影響長期健康的研究。

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

法國2018年的一項研究將從不吃有機食品與患某些癌症的較高風險聯繫起來。

The study was criticized a lot,

這項研究受到了很多批評，

though. 表達脈絡

不過。

The participants reported their dietary habits themselves,

參與者自己報告了他們的飲食習慣，

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

而並沒有對他們體內的農藥水平進行實際檢測。

Complicating things even more, 表達脈絡

更複雜的是，

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.

丹麥2018年的一項研究發現，農藥對成年人的危害類似於每三個月喝一杯葡萄酒。

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

蔬菜上的農藥並不值得你為此憂心忡忡。

Despite this,

儘管如此，

we should continue to demand strict standards for our food.

我們應該繼續對食品要求嚴格的標準。

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

在歐盟和美國，所有的農藥都受到了非常嚴格的監管和測試。

Every year,

每年，

thousands of food samples are screened for pesticides.

成千上萬的食品樣本被篩查農藥殘留。

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

大部分樣本沒有殘留物，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,

細菌和真菌的污染要危險得多，

and on this front, the risk is the same,

在這個層面上，風險是一樣的，

be it organic or regular food. 文法

無論是有機食品還是一般食品。

Is organic food better for the environment?

有機食品對環境更好嗎？

In 2017,

2017年，

a meta-analysis looked at organic farming in detail 用詞

一項薈萃分析詳細研究了有機農業，

and analyzed organic and regular foods from over 700 production sources

並分析了來自700多個產地的有機和一般食品

and their impact on categories like greenhouse gas emissions,

以及它們在溫室氣體排放、

energy consumption and land needs.

能源消耗和土地需求等類別方面的影響。

The result,

結果是，

no production method is clearly better for the environment.

沒有哪種生產方法明顯對環境更好。

Organic systems use less energy than conventional ones,

有機系統比傳統系統使用更少的能源，

but have similar greenhouse gas emissions.

但溫室氣體排放量相似。

Organic farms use less pesticide,

有機農場使用更少的農藥，

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

但需要更多的土地來生產相同數量的作物。

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

這些喜憂參半的結果也得到了瑞典食品局一份報告的證實。

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

有機食品和一般食品在大多數方面是打平的。

The biggest difference was land use,

最大的區別是土地利用，

and here conventional farming clearly won,

在這方面，傳統農業顯然獲勝，

and ecotoxicity,

以及生態毒性，

where organic farming has a clear advantage.

在這一點上有機農業有明顯優勢。

So,

因此，

according to these results,

根據這些結果，

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

與有機農業相比，傳統農業實際上對環境的影響要略小一點。

The bottom line is, 表達脈絡

總而言之，

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

就我們所知，有機食品並不優於一般農產品。

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

但是有機農業也在更廣泛的層面上產生影響。

Demand is rising constantly,

需求在不斷上升，

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

而為了滿足市場供應的掙扎可能會導致在其他方面較不可持續的生產方法。

Spain,

西班牙，

for example,

例如，

grows tons of regular and organic vegetables destined for export 用詞

種植了數以噸計出口的一般和有機蔬菜

in vast greenhouse areas which use a lot of energy

在消耗大量能源的廣闊溫室區

and have other environmental impacts

並產生其他環境影響，

such as significantly higher greenhouse gas emissions.

例如顯著升高的溫室氣體排放量。

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

而且，由於國內生產無法滿足不斷增長的需求，

the global trade and organic foods is also increasing.

全球貿易和有機食品貿易也在增長。

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

隨著供應鏈變得越來越複雜以提供各種有機品質的食品，

ensuring organic quality standards and regulations gets ever more difficult.

確保有機品質標準和規範變得越來越困難。

This has led to incidences of fraud

這導致了欺詐事件的發生，

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

傳統食品被貼上標籤，作為昂貴的有機農產品出售。

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

但有機與傳統食品的對比甚至不是一個客觀的討論。

Organic is not simply a production method.

有機不僅僅是一種生產方法。

For many,

對許多人來說，

it's an ideology.

它是一種意識形態。

Buying organic feels right.

買有機食品感覺是對的。

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

人們希望為了孩子的健康

and the well-being of the planet.

和地球的福祉做正確的事。

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

但我們本能地認為有機就是好的、傳統就是壞的，

can get in the way of making the most reasonable decision. 慣用語

這可能會阻礙我們做出最理性的決定。

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

解決方案可能是不要再將有機農業和傳統農業看作是勢不兩立的。

They both have pros and cons, 片語搭配

它們各有利弊，

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

而高效生產健康食品的最佳方法將是結合它們各自最好的特徵。

And as for your personal shopping, 表達脈絡

至於你個人的購物，

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

你應該買什麼食品取決於你對它的期望。

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,

你應該多買任何種類的水果和蔬菜，

not necessarily organic.

不一定非要是有機的。

If your concern is for the environment,

如果你關心的是環境，

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

那麼僅僅購買有機食品並不能為你解決這個問題。

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

最簡單的選擇是購買當季的在地食品。

Basically,

基本上，

seasonal is the true organic. 表達脈絡

當季的才是真正的「有機」。

To sum up, 表達脈絡

總之，

an organic label is a manufacturing notice, 用詞

「有機」標籤只是一個生產提示，

not a security certificate or a silver bullet for your diet. 慣用語

而不是安全證書，也不是你飲食的靈丹妙藥。

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

你吃什麼比它怎麼生產出來的要重要得多。