White potatoes have gotten a bad rap.
白土豆的口碑很不好。
All the starch contained in spuds can raiseblood sugar.And potatoes — which are often consumed with loads of fat (think french fries and chips) — may not do our waistlines any favor.
土豆所含淀粉会提高血糖。并且土豆常常和大量脂肪一起被吃掉——例如一大堆的炸土豆条和土豆片——会不利于我们的腰围。
But the reputation of the humble spud may be on the mend.
但是土豆卑微的名声有望修复。
In a new report, an expert committee from the Institute of Medicinerecommends that white potatoes be eligible for purchase with WICvouchers – that's shorthand for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. WIC is a food assistance program for low-income, nutritionally at-risk women, infants and children.
在一篇新闻报道中,一个来自医学会的专家委员会向人们推荐白土豆,称它符合用“妇婴童”优惠券购买的标准(“妇婴童”优惠券是向妇女、婴儿和儿童提供特殊营养计划的简写)。“妇婴童”计划是为低收入及缺乏营养的妇女、婴儿和儿童提供食品援助的计划。
The IOM report concludes that potatoes "contribute useful quantities of potassium and fiber to Americans' diets" — something most of us aren't getting enough of.
美国医学研究院在一份报告中总结称:土豆为美国人的膳食提供大量有用的,而大部分人却摄入不足的钾和纤维。
And, the panel says, many Americans — including women and children — are falling short of the recommended targets for starchy vegetables.
该专家小组也说包括妇女而儿童在内的大量美国人,吃的淀粉蔬菜不够推荐量。
The recommendation is a reversal of IOM's earlier position, in 2006, when it weighed in against supporting white potatoes' eligibility in WIC. The following year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture ruled that people enrolled in WIC couldn't use program vouchers to pay for spuds.
在2006年,美国医学研究院反对白土豆加入“妇婴童”计划,并撤销对白土豆的推荐。于是2007年,美国农业部规定凡是在“妇婴童”计划登记的人,不能用“妇婴童”优惠券买土豆。
But, as we've reported, politicians on Capitol Hill and potato lobbyists have been fighting to overturn WIC's anti-potato stance
不过,正如我们所报道的那样,国会山的政客们和土豆的说客们已经设法改变了“妇婴童”计划的反土豆姿态。
"It creates a misperception that the potato doesn't have nutritional value," Mark Szymanski, spokesman for the National Potato Council,told The Salt back in 2013.
马克·赛门斯基是国家土豆委员会的发言人,在2013年就曾对《盐报》说:“这就造成了一种土豆没营养的错误认识。”
So, why did the IOM committee decide to reverse course? We askedKathleen Rasmussen, a Cornell University nutrition professor, who was chair of the IOM committee.
那么美国医学研究院的委员会是为何要决定改弦易辙的呢?对此我们询问了康奈尔大学的营养学教授凯瑟琳·拉斯姆森,正是她执掌该美国医学研究院委员会。
It turns out that the Dietary Guidelines (which were last revised in 2010) recommend higher intakes of starchy vegetables compared to the guidelines that were in place when the IOM reviewed the issue in 2006. Starchy vegetables include potatoes, corn and peas. And many Americans are not reaching those targets.
结果我们发现2010年最新一版的《膳食指南》所推荐的淀粉类蔬菜摄入量要高于美国医学研究院所参照的2006年版。淀粉类蔬菜包括土豆、玉米和豌豆。许多美国人摄入不达标。
"I was surprised by how much the guidelines had changed," Rasmussen told us. The guidelines now advise women to consume 5 cups of starchy vegetables per week, compared to the target of 3 cups that was in place in 2006.
拉斯姆森女士告诉我们:“该《指导原则》做了这么多改变,令我很吃惊。”该《指导原则》现在建议妇女每周要摄入5杯淀粉类蔬菜,而2006年的目标量是3杯。
Today's decision has its cheerleaders on Capitol Hill. Maine Sen.Susan Collins, a Republican, released a statement in support of the recommendation.
今天的决定得到来自国会山的强有力支持。缅因州参议员苏珊·柯林斯是一位共和党员,发表了一份声明支持这个新的推荐量。
"A medium baked potato contains 15 percent of the daily recommended value of dietary fiber, 27 percent of the daily recommended value for vitamin B6, and 28 percent of the daily recommended value of Vitamin C," Collins' statement said.
柯林斯在声明中说:“一份中等分量的烤土豆含有每日纤维摄入推荐量的15%,每日维生素B6摄入推荐量的27%,每日维生素C摄入推荐量的28%。”
So, it seems — as is typical in nutrition science — it's easy to make the case for and against the potato.
所以,不管是支持土豆还是反对土豆似乎都很容易。这在营养科学中极具代表性。
On one hand, if you're among the millions of Americans aiming to control your blood sugar due to type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes, perhaps going heavy on potatoes isn't a good idea.
一方面,如果你患有2型糖尿病或处于糖尿病前期,属于那一百万需要控制血糖的美国人,那么吃大量土豆不是明智之举。
But, as is the case with many others — including many of the women and children reached by WIC — if you're looking to boost nutrients such as potassium and fiber, don't rule the spud out.
但是,剩下的人,包括“妇婴童”计划援助的妇女儿童,如果想要提高像钾和纤维那样的营养,就不必从食物中剔除土豆。
And remember: To get the most from your potatoes, eat the skins. "Ounce for ounce, the skin contains more nutrients — including the majority of the vegetable's fiber — than the rest of the potato," according to Victoria Jarzabkowski, a registered dietician at the University of Texas at Austin.
并且记住:想要从你的土豆中得到尽可能多的营养,就吃掉土豆皮吧。因为德克萨斯大学的注册营养师维克多利亚·贾兹科瓦斯基说过:“一盎司接着一盎司地吃掉土豆皮吧,因为土豆皮中含有大部分的植物纤维,远远多于土豆的剩余部分。”