近年來，「控糖」成了一種流行，不少愛美人士認為「戒糖=延緩衰老」。然而「戒糖」並非易事，因為添加糖潛伏在各種令人意想不到的食品中。很多「健康食品」實際都含有大量糖分，食品公司用麥芽糖漿、龍舌蘭糖漿甚至果汁這些聽起來更健康的名字給添加糖作偽裝。
《紐約時報》的一篇文章解答了關於「控糖」的常見問題和誤區，比如，為什麼「添加糖」比「天然糖」更不利於健康。如果你是「控糖小白」，一定要仔細閱讀哦~
I have never understood why 「added sugar」 is more unfriendly to health than 「natural sugar,」 which can be found in abundance in so many fruits, starting with morning natural orange juice. Can you explain?
問：我一直不明白，為什麼「添加糖」比「天然糖」更不利於健康。很多水果中都含有「天然糖」，從早上的天然橙汁開始。能解釋一下嗎？
The natural sugar in whole fruit (fructose) is accompanied by fiber and nutrients and makes a slow journey through your body. But when sugar is added to beverages or packaged foods, it’s more quickly absorbed and burdens the liver. Here are three good reasons to choose whole fruits versus foods with added sugar or fruit juice.
答：水果中的天然糖分（果糖）是由纖維和營養物質組成的，它會在你的體內緩慢代謝。但是，當糖被添加到飲料或包裝食品中，它的吸收會更快，會加重肝臟負擔。應當選擇吃完整的水果，而不是添加糖食品或果汁，下面是三個理由。
Fiber: Whole fruits contain fiber, which slows the absorption of fructose. Sugars enter the bloodstream more slowly, so the liver has more time to metabolize them.
纖維：完整的水果都含有纖維，可以減緩果糖吸收。糖進入血液的速度會更慢，所以肝臟會有更多時間來代謝它們。
Satiety: Processed food is digested quickly as soon as it enters our intestines. Fiber-rich foods like whole fruits break down slowly and travel farther through the digestive track, which triggers the release of satiety hormones that make us feel full.
飽腹：加工食品一旦進入腸道就會被迅速消化。而全果這類富含纖維的食物則會慢慢分解，在消化系統中停留更長時間，從而觸發飽腹激素的釋放，讓我們感覺很飽。
Gut Health: The slow journey of the fiber, fructose and nutrients in whole fruit essentially allows the body to feed the healthy bacteria in our intestine, supporting the health of our microbiome.
腸道健康：完整的水果中的纖維、果糖和營養物質在消化道中停留較長，方便身體培養腸道中的健康細菌，有利於體內菌群的健康。
Why aren’t bananas and grapes recommended for people cutting sugar?
問：為什麼不推薦「控糖」人士吃香蕉和葡萄？
While most fruits make a slow journey through the digestive tract, bananas and grapes are particularly high in fructose given the amount of fiber they contain, so they give us a faster sugar spike. Dr. Robert Lustig of the University of California, San Francisco, calls grapes 「little bags of sugar.」 Enjoy bananas and grapes sparingly and opt for a variety of fruits.
答：雖然大多數水果被消化的時間較長，但香蕉和葡萄的果糖含量極高，考慮到它們的纖維含量，它們會讓血糖飆升得更快。加州大學舊金山分校的羅伯特·勒斯蒂格博士說，葡萄堪比「小袋糖」。建議少食香蕉和葡萄，多吃各種各樣的水果。
Can I eat dried fruit on a low-sugar diet?
問：我可以吃低糖的乾果嗎？
Dried fruit is packed with nutrients, but the drying process removes the water and concentrates a lot of fruit sugar in a very small bite. The risk is that it takes more dried fruit to fill you up than whole fruits. Raisins and dates are about 60 to 65 percent sugar, dried figs and apricots are about 50 percent sugar, and prunes are about 38 percent sugar. The good news is that dried fruit still has the fiber, and it can be a great snack as long as you are aware of how much you are eating.
答：乾果富含營養物質，但在乾燥過程中，水分會流失，這樣很小的一口乾果裡就濃縮了大量的果糖。問題在於，要想填飽肚子，就得吃下比全果更多的乾果。葡萄乾和棗幹含有60%到65%的糖，無花果乾和杏幹含有50%的糖，梅幹含有38%的糖。好消息是，乾果內仍然含有纖維，只要控制食量，它也是一種很好的零食。
Another way to weigh the pros and cons of dried fruit is to look at glycemic load, a measure of how fast your body converts a serving of food into sugar. Ideally you should eat foods with a glycemic load of 10 or less. Anything above 20 is considered very high. Prunes have a glycemic load of 10, whereas raisins have a glycemic load of 28. Compare that to whole fruits. Strawberries, apricots, grapefruit, lemon, limes, cantaloupe, nectarines, oranges, pears, blueberries, peaches, plums, apples and pineapple have glycemic loads of 6 or less.
衡量乾果利弊的另一種方法是看血糖負荷指數，它是用來衡量身體將食物轉化為糖的速度。理想情況下，食物的血糖負荷指數應該在10或10以下，高於20則是過高的。梅幹的血糖負荷指數是10，而葡萄乾的血糖負荷指數是28。以完整水果作對比，草莓、杏子、葡萄柚、檸檬、酸橙、哈密瓜、油桃、橙子、梨、藍莓、桃子、李子、蘋果和菠蘿的血糖負荷指數不超過6。
I use milk in my coffee. Is that added sugar?
問：我會在咖啡裡加牛奶。這是添加糖嗎？
A quarter-cup of milk contains about 3 grams of a natural sugar called lactose. The sugar in milk is not considered an 「added sugar,」 and it doesn’t overwhelm the liver the way added sugar does. Adding milk or cream to your coffee and enjoying the naturally sweet taste of milk is a great way to kick the added sugar habit in the morning.
答：四分之一杯牛奶含有約3克被稱為乳糖的天然糖。牛奶中的糖不算是「添加糖」，它也不像添加糖那樣加重肝臟負擔。在咖啡中加入牛奶或奶油，享受牛奶天然的甜味，這是從早上開始戒掉添加糖習慣的好方法。
Drinkers of soy and nut milks need to check the label. Many of those products have added sugar. If you love a few teaspoons of sugar in your morning coffee, try adding more milk and cut the sugar in half to start.
喝豆奶和堅果奶時需要檢查食品標籤。這類產品中有許多添加了糖。如果你喜歡在早上的咖啡裡加幾茶匙糖，試著加更多牛奶，然後把糖減半。
Can a few more details be provided about a no-sugar, no-grain breakfast? Doesn’t bacon have sugar? What if I don’t want eggs all the time?
問：可以提供關於無糖、無穀物早餐的更多細節嗎？培根裡含糖嗎？如果我不想早飯總吃雞蛋怎麼辦？
With so much added sugar lurking in granola, cereals, pastries, breads and yogurts, you might as well just call it dessert. But readers have had a tough time figuring out alternatives to popular grain-based breakfast foods. Here are some ideas.
答：即食麥片、穀物、糕點、麵包和酸奶中都含有大量添加糖，不妨把它們稱為甜點。常見的早餐食品以穀物為主，讀者們很難找到其他替代品。以下是一些想法。
High-protein breakfast: Eggs are a high-protein option, and while they are also high in cholesterol, many people can probably eat them in moderation without worrying about heart risks. But many people don’t want to eat eggs every day. Bacon is also high in protein but, like other processed meats, also shouldn’t be consumed daily. (Most plain bacon does not have added sugar, though if it’s maple-cured or brown-sugar-cured, it probably does.) Consider eating smoked salmon, tuna or chicken salad for breakfast. Make a vegan breakfast bowl of sweet potatoes, beans and avocado.
高蛋白早餐：雞蛋是提供高蛋白的選擇，雖然它們也含有高膽固醇，但許多人也許可以適量食用，無需擔心心臟病的風險。不過很多人不想每天都吃雞蛋。培根也富含蛋白質，但和它其他加工肉類一樣，不應每天食用。（大多數普通培根是不加糖的，不過如果是楓香燻或紅糖燻的，可能會加糖。）可以考慮早餐吃煙燻三文魚、金槍魚或雞肉沙拉。或者用紅薯、豆子和鱷梨做一份素食早餐。
Sweet alternatives: Try plain, unsweetened yogurt with berries and nuts or sliced apples with sugar-free peanut butter. Or just eat and savor a whole orange or make a fruit salad.
甜食替代品：嘗試原味無糖酸奶，加入漿果和堅果，或者蘋果片和無糖花生醬。要不就吃一個完整的橘子，或者做一份水果沙拉。
Greens and vegetables: Try a breakfast salad with avocado and hard-boiled eggs. Use a big kale leaf to make a breakfast burrito or egg salad wrap. Experiment with cauliflower to make hash browns. Bake a sweet potato and add salsa, yogurt or nuts.
綠色蔬菜：試試用鱷梨和水煮蛋做早餐沙拉。用一片大甘藍葉做早餐卷或雞蛋沙拉卷。做一個花椰菜版的土豆絲餅。烤一個紅薯，加入辣番茄醬、酸奶或堅果。
If I can’t have orange juice, what am I supposed to drink in the morning?
問：如果不能喝橙汁，早上應該喝什麼?
Even though orange juice is a natural food, the juicing process eliminates much of the fiber and concentrates the sugar, making it a poor choice. Make juice a once-a-week treat. Instead, try ice water with an orange wedge.
答：儘管橙汁是一種天然食品，但榨汁過程會消除很多纖維，並濃縮糖分，因此這不是一個好的選擇。每周喝一次果汁即可。你可以嘗試橙子塊加冰水來代替。
來源：英語世界
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