Debunking 10 Myths About Dieting
破除減肥十大迷思
Misinformation about dieting is everywhere. How can you drop those unwanted pounds safely and successfully, without falling for bogus claims? Dr. Nancy Snyderman, the chief medical editor for NBC News, has written a smart, comprehensive new book debunking the myths that abound: Diet Myths That Keep Us Fat.
減肥的錯誤資訊無所不在。要如何避免假的宣言，成功地且安全地減去那些不想要的體重？NBC新聞的醫療編輯長Nancy Snyderman博士，寫了一本新書：Diet Myths That Keep Us Fat，聰明又詳盡地破除眾多的減肥迷思。
By Dr. Nancy Snyderman Wednesday, May. 06, 2009
1. You Can Eat After 8 P.M.
It doesn't matter what time of day you eat. It is what and how much you eat and how much physical activity you do during the whole day that determines whether you gain, lose, or maintain your weight. No matter when you eat, your body will store extra calories as fat. If you want a snack before bedtime, think first about how many calories you've eaten that day.
1.晚上八點之後可以進食
幾點鐘吃東西不重要。一天中吃了些什麼、吃了多少、做了多少體能活動才是決定你體重變化的關鍵。不管你是什麼時候進食，多餘的熱量都會被你的身體儲存為脂肪。如果你想在睡前來些點心，先想想這一天你吃進了多少熱量。
Photos:What makes you eat more food.
Seven ways our bodies tell us we're hungry--even when we're not
有圖有真相：什麼原因讓你吃了更多食物
身體告訴我們飢餓感的七種方式--即使我們不是真的餓了
Time of Day
Through routine, we condition our bodies to expect breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same time each day, says Randy Seeley, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati." Part of the reason you're hungry at noon is because that's the time you've eaten for the last 100 days."
生理時鐘
Cincinnati大學的精神病學教授Randy Seeley說，透過例行性的進食，我們讓身體適應在每天固定的時間，期望吃早餐、午餐和晚餐。「當你在中午時覺得飢餓，有部分的原因是因為你在最近一百天的中午時分進食。」
Sight
Research using MRIs shows that brain patterns of people viewing photos of foods they like and foods they don't like are "very different," Seeley says. "The body anticipates when food is about to enter the system." And that's why your mouth starts watering when you see Mom's pie.
視覺
當人們看到喜歡和不喜歡的食物圖片，透過核磁共振的大腦模式是相當不同的，Seeley說：「當食物將要進入消化系統前，身體會預先做反應。」這就是為何你看到你媽的拿手菜，會先流了滿嘴口水。
Variety
Even after eating a large meal, we often "make room" for dessert, because a desire for sweets hasn't been satisfied. Ann Gaba, a registered dietitian at New York Presbyterian Hospital, says that sometimes all it takes is a bit of fruit in a salad during a meal to curb a sugar craving.
多樣性
即便剛吃完一頓大餐，我們經常還有一個胃留給甜點，這是因為對甜食的慾望還沒被滿足。在紐約Presbyterian醫院的駐院營養學者Ann Gaba說，用餐時，偶爾在沙拉裡加一些水果，就能控制對糖份的渴望。
Smell
Scent is one of the key ways we cue our bodies that food is near. Once the trigger goes off, it can induce the insulin secretion that makes us think we're hungry. Says Sharron Dalton, a nutrition professor at New York University: "Smell and sight alone activate the appetite cascade."
味覺
氣味是讓我們提醒身體附近有食物的一個關鍵。一旦食指大動，它會引起胰島素分泌，進而使得我們認為自己餓了。紐約大學的營養學教授Sharron Dalton說：「味覺和視覺大大地啟動了食慾的湧泉。」(譯註：胰島素的分泌會降低血糖，引起飢餓感。)
Alcohol
Drinking has not been scientifically proved to stimulate appetite, but too much beer, wine or liquor can impair judgment, causing us to eat more. "Most people who are on a diet will say it's a lot harder to push themselves away from the table if they've been drinking," observes Seeley.
酒精
科學上尚未證明飲酒可以刺激食慾，但是太多的啤酒、紅酒或酒精飲料會降低判斷力，讓我們吃得過量。Seeley觀察到：「大多數在節食的人會說，當他們在喝酒的時候，要讓自己離開餐桌是很困難的。」
Temperature
The colder the temperature, the more people tend to eat, which is why restaurants often keep thermostats low. "Your metabolism drops when it's time to eat, and eating warms you up," says David Ludwig, professor of pediatrics at Harvard. "Heat is a satiety signal."
氣溫
當氣溫越低，人們越想要進食，這也就是為什麼餐廳經常把冷氣開得很強。「當吃飯時間到了，你的新陳代謝降低，且進食會使你溫暖」哈佛的小兒科教授David Ludwig說：「熱能是飽足的訊號。」(譯註：新陳代謝在進食的時候最高，隨著時間經過而下降。當吃飯時間到了，那時候新陳代謝是比較低的，進食之後才會再度提高。)
Refined Carbs
After a meal heavy in refined carbohydrates, like white pasta, the body may crave food again within only a few hours. These foods cause blood sugar to drop, and "when our blood sugar is crashing, we're going to be a lot more interested in food in general," Ludwig says.
精製的碳水化合物
在以精製的碳水化合物(像是白麵條)為主食的一餐之後，身體於短時間內就可能再次燃起對食物的渴望。這些食物使得血糖下降，Ludwig說：「當我們的血糖下降，一般而言，我們會對食物更加感興趣。」
2. There Are No Negative-Calorie Foods
You may have heard that some foods, because they are difficult to digest, will make you lose weight. Dubbed "negative-calorie foods," citrus fruits and celery have both basked in this flattering light in fad diets over the years. The problem is that it's not true. The calories your body burns in fueling the digestive cycle are minuscule compared with the calories in the food itself. Although chewing celery might seem like a strenuous activity, it burns about the same amount of calories as watching grass grow.
2.天底下沒有負卡路里的食物
你可能聽說過，有些食物因為很難消化，所以可以幫你減肥。在減肥風潮流行的這些年，這些「負卡路里的食物」，比如柑橘類還有芹菜，簡直是沐浴在諂媚的光芒之下。問題在於，這根本是不正確的。相較於食物本身的熱量，當身體在消化這些難以消化的食物時，因而增加燃燒的熱量是微不足道的。雖然嚼芹菜可能看來是個費勁的活動，它燃燒的熱量跟看著草生長是差不多的。(譯註：難嚼的食物不會因為多次咀嚼，就額外燃燒多少熱量，watch grass grow在暗示嚼芹菜減肥是個無聊的舉動～～)
3. Liquid Calories Count
If and when you tally up your calories at the end of a meal or a day, do your calculations take into account what you drank? Do you remember to include that can of soda, smoothie, cup of latte, or cocktail? People tend to guzzle their calories and it really adds up, often more than they realize. For example, that can of soda you drink each morning is the calorie equivalent of a piece of fruit and a slice of toast, about 150 calories. A smoothie can run up to an extra 500 to 1,000 calories despite all the good stuff added in, and a 16-ounce latte with whole milk packs 260 calories. The average margarita — my favorite — has more than 500 calories. What's more, the brain doesn't seem to register liquid calories as accurately as calories that are chewed, and it doesn't send stop-eating signals to keep you from eating more food. If you're taking in only 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day, save those calories for food. Liquid calories add up quickly, so stick with water and calorie-free beverages, and you could lose a pound or more a week. I lost 5 pounds last month because I decided not to have a cocktail periodically with friends.
3.飲料的熱量也要計算
當你在加總你一餐或一日的卡路里，你是否把喝下去的東西也計算在內？你是否記得算入氣泡飲料、水果奶昔、拿鐵或是雞尾酒？人們試圖狂飲那些熱量，而它們會累積，這經常超出人們的理解。比如說，每天早上你喝的氣泡飲料大約有150大卡，熱量相當於一份水果和一片土司。儘管加了很多好料，一杯水果奶昔附加的熱量可以從500到1000大卡，一杯十六盎司(約473cc)使用全脂牛奶的拿鐵含有260大卡。一杯普通的瑪格麗特(本文作者的最愛)有超過500大卡的熱量。還有，大腦似乎不能將液體熱量記錄地像那些被咀嚼的食物一樣準確，並且不會發散出停止進食的訊號，來使你避免吃下更多食物。如果你一天只進食1200到1500大卡，把這些額度留給食物。液體熱量累積地很快，所以堅持於水和無熱量的飲料，你一週可以瘦下一磅(0.454公斤)以上。我(本文作者)上個月瘦了五磅，因為我決定不再和朋友定期喝雞尾酒。
4. Dessert Can Be Dinner
Don't call the food police on me for this one, but I say you can enjoy a Rocky Road ice-cream dinner "now and then," which means as an occasional deal and not a steady routine. Don't deny yourself certain cravings. Make a meal out of a favorite treat and you'll be less tempted to overindulge on your splurge foods. Just swap the steak out for the sundae and know that this tactic is for the occasional treat, not the everyday occurrence — and it may help you be more successful in controlling your weight over the long term.
4.甜點可以當晚餐
別因為這一項建議就叫食物員警抓我，但我是指你可以「偶爾」享受一頓Rocky Road冰淇淋晚餐，這裡的偶爾是指非經常性、非例行性的偶爾。別讓自己拒絕某些慾望。吃一餐最喜歡的食物，你會比較不沈溺於你揮霍的食物。把牛排換成聖代，且瞭解這個策略是偶爾的款待，並非每天存在，這也許能在長時間內幫你更加成功地控制體重。(譯註：Rocky Road ice-cream是指巧克力口味冰淇淋，加上堅果和棉花糖。)
5. Moderately Overweight Kids Shouldn't Be Put on Restrictive Diets
If you have kids who are 10 to 15 pounds overweight, the current thinking is that they should not be put on restrictive diets. Instead, it's better to help them make basic improvements in their diets, ramp up their activity, and give up some TV and computer time. Perk up your kids' diet by adding more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains while cutting back on the junk foods. That way, you'll automatically slow the rate of their weight gain while they continue to grow in height. Children go through dynamic phases of growth, and a low-calorie diet is not what they need. They need nutrients and activity.
5.稍微過胖的兒童不該嚴格的減肥
如果你的孩子稍微過胖大約10到15磅(5~7公斤左右)，現代的想法是不該嚴格的減肥。取而代之的，幫助他們從飲食上有基本的進步、增加運動量和減少一些看電視打電腦的時間，這樣會更好。在孩子的飲食裡增加多一點水果、蔬菜和全麥食品，同時減少垃圾食物。如此一來，在他們持續抽高的時候，你能自動減緩他們體重增加的速率。兒童正經歷活力充沛的發育期，低熱量的節食不是他們所需要的。他們需要營養和運動。
6. Calorie-Free Soft Drinks May Make You Fat
I've never been a big fan of diet drinks (I prefer good old water), and now I'm glad. A study conducted by the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio followed over six hundred people ranging from twenty-five to sixty-four years old for up to eight years and found that those drinking diet soda — even as little as one can or bottle a day — did not lose weight and were significantly more likely to become overweight than those who drank regular soft drinks or none at all. How can this be? No one knows for sure, but scientists think that artificial sweeteners, perhaps even the caramel coloring, may muddle brain chemistry. The brain in a sense gets a reward, and the desire for more sweets is intensified. The more of these fake sweet products you eat or drink, the more sweets you want.
6.低卡飲料可能讓你變胖
我從來都不是一個低卡飲料的愛好者(我偏好優質、老派的開水)，現在我感到很慶幸。德州大學的健康科學中心在聖安東尼奧進行了研究，花了八年追蹤超過六百個樣本，年紀從二十五歲到六十四歲，發現那些喝低卡飲料的人--即使一天一罐或是一瓶--沒有減輕重量，而且顯著地比那些喝一般飲料或是完全不喝飲料的人，更加可能變成過重。怎麼會這樣勒？沒有人可以確定，但是科學家認為這些人工甜味劑、焦糖色素，可能使得大腦被混淆。大腦某種意義上得到回報，增強了想要更多糖份的慾望。你喝了或吃了越多的這些偽甜製品，你就會想要攝取更多的糖份。
7. You Can Lose More in Cold Weather
Some people swear they gain more weight in the wintertime. Frankly, I think it's because we're not quite as active in winter. But the reality is, your metabolism revs up to keep your body warm in cold temperatures. This may mean marginally more calorie expenditure each day.
7.天冷瘦更多
有些人信誓旦旦地說，他們在冬天胖了更多。坦白說，我想那是因為我們在冬天懶得動。但事實上，為了讓你的身體能在低溫保持溫暖，你的新陳代謝速度增加。這可能代表每天的熱量消耗稍微增加了。
8. Yo-Yo Dieting Won't Wreck Your Metabolism
Because of all the ups and downs I've experienced with my weight through the years, I was afraid that dieting might have messed with my metabolism. Now I've learned I don't have anything to worry about. While extremely low-cal diets temporarily lower your metabolism, recent studies suggest that the effects don't last. Researchers in Canada looked at fifty-two overweight women who'd been dieting on and off for an average of eighteen years. They measured the women's resting metabolic rate, then compared those numbers with what their metabolism was expected to be based on their weights, heights, and ages. The result: There was no difference between actual and predicted metabolic rates in all but four dieters. So even if you've lost and regained weight countless times, don't give up. Yo-yo diets don't hurt you; they just don't get you anywhere.
8.復胖不會影響新陳代謝
因為我這些年經歷的體重上下變化，我很擔心減肥會破壞我的新陳代謝。現在我瞭解到，沒有什麼好怕的。最近的研究顯示，當大幅減少熱量攝取會降低你的新陳代謝，但這個效果不會一直持續。加拿大的研究員觀察52個曾經減肥又復胖的女性十八年，他們測量這些女性的休息代謝率，然後將此數據與他們根據體重、身高和年紀期望的代謝率做比較，結果除了四位正在節食的人之外，實際與預期的代謝率沒有差異。所以即使你曾經瘦了又胖、胖了又瘦無數次，別放棄。復胖不會傷害你的健康，只是無濟於事。
9. There's No Need to Shun Red Meat on a Low-Fat Diet
While it's true that prime and choice grades of meat are high in fat, lean cuts with fewer than 30 percent calories as fat are available. When buying meat, it's best to look for "select" grades of lean cuts like top round and tenderloin as well as extra-lean ground beef. They are among the lowest in fat.
9.低脂減肥不需避免紅肉
上選優質的肉類脂肪確實很高，瘦肉會比肥肉少了百分之三十的熱量。採買肉類的時候，最好尋找特選的瘦肉，像是大腿肉、里脊肉還有超瘦牛絞肉，它們在脂肪含量上是最低的。
10. Diets Do Work
The phrase diets don't work has been drummed into us by book titles, advertising slogans, and other such mantras. But the truth is, you can lose weight following pretty much every diet on the bookstore shelf. The problem is that unless the diet fits your lifestyle, it's bound to fail, and your weight will creep back on. You want a diet you can live with. If you like sandwiches for lunch, for example, you'll have trouble sticking to a low-carb diet. If you hate counting calories and find it much easier to follow rules — like avoiding carbs — Atkins may be for you. And if you really love your olive oil, the Mediterranean diet is more appealing than a true low-fat diet. If you're trying to lose weight, you have to exercise your options.
10.節食確實有效
節食對減肥無效這個句子，已經透過書名、廣告台詞還有其他像咒語一樣的東西，反覆灌輸給我們。但事實上是，幾乎書店架上的每一本節食方法，只要你遵守都能減重成功。問題在於，除非這節食方法符合你的生活方式，否則它很可能失敗，你的體重會緩慢恢復。你要的是一個永續經營的節食方法。比如說，如果你喜歡吃三明治當午餐，你就很難堅持於低碳水化合物的節食方法。如果你痛恨計算熱量並且發現遵守原則簡單的多--像是避免碳水化合物--Atkins節食法可能適合你。如果你很喜歡橄欖油，地中海式的飲食會比低脂節食要更讓人感興趣。如果你試著減肥，你必須做個選擇。(譯註：Atkins節食法就是減少攝取碳水化合物，地中海式的飲食熱量不高，但是攝取的脂質較多。)
出處：http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,1896439,00.html
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翻譯個文章花了我三個小時左右，要信雅達真是不容易，還要對一些專有名詞查字典等等，英文太弱啦……
只是一時興起想翻譯這篇破除減肥迷思的文章給大家參考，網路上道聽途說、以假亂真的說詞實在太多了。
翻得不好的部分歡迎大家指教，要轉錄引用的也都可以，記得加上出處就好。
希望大家都有個健康的身體啦～～
