十美元 可以买到这些甜甜圈
With ten dollars, you can buy this many donuts.
或者这些苹果
And this many apples.
如果选择甜甜圈 卡路里更多
If you opt for the donuts, you get a lot more calories.
但卡路里并不是都一样的
But not all calories are created equal.
苹果含有纤维和维生素
Apples contain fiber and vitamins
然而甜甜圈大多是饱和脂肪
while donuts are full of saturated fats and chemically
和化学加工物质
processed ingredients.
即使这些苹果更健康
Even though apples are healthier for you,
但想要得到和甜甜圈一样多的卡路里
you have to eat more of them to get the same
你得要吃更多的苹果
number of calories as one donut.
你也就得多花5美元 这意味着
And it would cost you about five more dollars,which means…
划算的选择并不一定营养健康
the cost-effective choice is usually not the nutritionally-sound one.
肥胖以及糖尿病大多是因为
There’s a strong relationship between diets that are low
日常饮食缺乏水果蔬菜
in fruits and vegetables and obesity and diabetes.
这是目前两种全国最关心的慢性疾病
These two chronic diseases now rank among the nation’s gravest health concerns.
对一个健康的饮食来说农产品很重要
Produce is essential for a healthy diet,
但美国人的摄入量并不够
but Americans aren’t eating enough of it.
部分原因是因为价格
And part of the problem is cost.
那么为了增加美国人餐桌上的农产品 有什么方法呢
So what can be done to add more produce to the American plate?
对农民来说 新鲜的果蔬
Fresh vegetables and fruits are often
相较于其他最终要加工的农作物
more expensive to farm than other types of crops
更加昂贵
that end up in processed foods.
例如 新鲜的草莓需要人工采摘
For example, fresh strawberries have to bepicked by hand.
但制果酱的草莓可以由机器采摘
But strawberries destined for preserves canbe harvested by a machine.
这过程中的碰撞和损伤没多大关系
Bumps and bruises don’t matter in the process,
并且长远来看 相较于人工
and machines are more efficient and cheaper
机器更高效便宜
in the long-run than human labor.
额外的人力不仅体现出
This extra work is reflected
新鲜草莓和其他农作物价格上的不同
in the price difference between fresh strawberries and
也表明新鲜草莓
other crops, and it also makes fresh
比起加工过的草莓更贵
strawberries more expensive to buy than processed strawberries
美国政府的补助金在价格差异方面也有一定影响
Government subsidies also play a role in thecost difference.
例如 美国农业部不会资助蔬菜这类多叶的作物
For example, the USDA doesn’t
而是去资助麦子
subsidize leafy vegetable crops in the same way it subsidizes wheat,
大豆和玉米
soy, and corn.
这三种作物可以加工成很多食物
These three crops make up a lot of processed food,
所以富含高果糖玉米糖浆
so products full of high-fructose corn
和大豆油的产品有着绝对的优势
syrup and soybean oil have an unfair advantage.
当谈及价格 总是营养更少的食品胜出
When it comes to cost, the less nutritious food will win out.
其他使得人们远离便宜加工食物的措施很有必要
Other incentives are needed to keep people away from cheap, processed foods.
烟草类和酒精类产品的税收对抑制消费成效显著
Taxes on products on tobacco and alcohol have been effective at curbing consumption.
这条线表明了过去四十年
This line shows the average price
每包烟的平均价格
per pack of cigarettes over the past forty years
价格的上涨部分是因为
The rising prices are partly fueled
联邦和州政府1983年起增加了香烟税
by federal and state cigarette tax increases in 1983,
直至二十一世纪初2009年
throughout the early 2000’s, and 2009. Meanwhile,
与此同时 人均香烟消费(如图所示)
per capita cigarette consumption(shown by this line) has steadily decreased
随着价格上涨而逐年下跌
as prices have gone up.
研究人员开始思考
And researchers are arguing that what need to start thinking
垃圾食品税是否必要
about a junk food tax.
主要针对非必需食物 如糖果 苏打水 薯片
The tax would focus on non-essential food items like candy, soda and potato chips.
从制造商处向这些不健康的食物收税
These unhealthy foods would be taxed at the manufacturing level,
更高的售价
and higher costs at checkout
可以导致消费者选择更健康的食物
could steer customers toward healthier options.
但仅仅是垃圾食品税并不能控制肥胖
But a junk food tax alone won’t fix obesity.
毕竟健康饮食的花费也不低
Or the already high costs of a healthy diet…
那么能做些什么呢
So what can be done?
我们可以让健康的产品变得迷人
We could make healthy produce sexy. Okay,
当然还有其他的方法了
well there are other things too.
为了解决价格的问题
To address the cost issue,
新出台了一些方案 也使得低收入家庭
some programs are springing up that make produce more affordable
凭借补助金也能负担得起农产品
for lower-income people, through subsidies.
自2014年起 美国农业部拨款超过六千五百万
And since 2014, the USDA has granted
来帮助这些方案覆盖全美国
over $ 65 million to expand these programs throughout the US.
比如果蔬处方方案或FVRX
There’s also the Fruit and Vegetable PrescriptionProgram or FvRX.
医生会发放抵用券给
Doctors can give vouchers
那些收入不高患有饮食方面疾病的高风险病患
for produce to low-income patients who are at high-risk of diet-related disease.
在家或者社区花园种菜也能让
Growing produce in home or community
人们花费不多就可以吃上健康食物
gardens can encourage healthy eating with little investment,
但花费时间做饭
but finding time to cook, let alone garden,
更别说花园 都会成为家庭的负担
can be a burden for families.
我们不确定哪个战略和方案成效最佳
We don’t yet know which strategies and programs are work best,
但都值得一试
but they’re worth testing
最简单来说
for one simple reason:
如果美国人吃更多种的水果蔬菜
if Americans ate a wider variety of fruits
那么更多的水果蔬菜
and vegetables, and more fruits and vegetables,
会给我们更多的健康
we know they’d be a whole lot healthier.