白土豆迴歸:專家稱土豆不是有營養的廢柴
White potatoes have gotten a bad rap.
白土豆的口碑很不好。All the starch contained in spuds can raiseblood potatoes — which are often consumed with loads of fat (think french fries and chips) — may not do our waistlines any favor.
土豆所含澱粉會提高血糖。並且土豆常常和大量脂肪一起被吃掉——例如一大堆的炸土豆條和土豆片——會不利於我們的腰圍。
But the reputation of the humble spud may be on the mend.
但是土豆卑微的名聲有望修復。
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.
在一篇新聞報道中，一個來自醫學會的專家委員會向人們推薦白土豆，稱它符合用“婦嬰童”優惠券購買的標準（“婦嬰童”優惠券是向婦女、嬰兒和兒童提供特殊營養計劃的簡寫）。“婦嬰童”計劃是爲低收入及缺乏營養的婦女、嬰兒和兒童提供食品援助的計劃。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.
美國醫學研究院在一份報告中總結稱：土豆爲美國人的膳食提供大量有用的，而大部分人卻攝入不足的鉀和纖維。And, the panel says, many Americans — including women and children — are falling short of the recommended targets for starchy vegetables.
該專家小組也說包括婦女而兒童在內的大量美國人，吃的澱粉蔬菜不夠推薦量。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，美國醫學研究院反對白土豆加入“婦嬰童”計劃，並撤銷對白土豆的推薦。於是2007年，美國農業部規定凡是在“婦嬰童”計劃登記的人，不能用“婦嬰童”優惠券買土豆。But, as we've reported, politicians on Capitol Hill and potato lobbyists have been fighting to overturn WIC's anti-potato stance
不過，正如我們所報道的那樣，國會山的政客們和土豆的說客們已經設法改變了“婦嬰童”計劃的反土豆姿態。"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.
馬克·賽門斯基是國家土豆委員會的發言人，在2013年就曾對《鹽報》說：“這就造成了一種土豆沒營養的錯誤認識。”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.
那麼美國醫學研究院的委員會是爲何要決定改弦易轍的呢？對此我們詢問了康奈爾大學的營養學教授凱瑟琳·拉斯姆森，正是她執掌該美國醫學研究院委員會。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.
結果我們發現2010年最新一版的《膳食指南》所推薦的澱粉類蔬菜攝入量要高於美國醫學研究院所參照的2006年版。澱粉類蔬菜包括土豆、玉米和豌豆。許多美國人攝入不達標。"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.
拉斯姆森女士告訴我們：“該《指導原則》做了這麼多改變，令我很吃驚。”該《指導原則》現在建議婦女每週要攝入5杯澱粉類蔬菜，而2006年的目標量是3杯。Today's decision has its cheerleaders on Capitol Hill. Maine n Collins, a Republican, released a statement in support of the recommendation.
今天的決定得到來自國會山的強有力支持。緬因州參議員蘇珊·柯林斯是一位共和黨員，發表了一份聲明支持這個新的推薦量。"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.
柯林斯在聲明中說：“一份中等分量的烤土豆含有每日纖維攝入推薦量的15%，每日維生素B6攝入推薦量的27%，每日維生素C攝入推薦量的28%。”So, it seems — as is typical in nutrition science — it's easy to make the case for and against the potato.
所以，不管是支持土豆還是反對土豆似乎都很容易。這在營養科學中極具代表性。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型糖尿病或處於糖尿病前期，屬於那一百萬需要控制血糖的美國人，那麼吃大量土豆不是明智之舉。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“婦嬰童”計劃援助的婦女兒童，如果想要提高像鉀和纖維那樣的營養，就不必從食物中剔除土豆。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.
並且記住：想要從你的土豆中得到儘可能多的營養，就吃掉土豆皮吧。因爲德克薩斯大學的註冊營養師維克多利亞·賈茲科瓦斯基說過：“一盎司接着一盎司地吃掉土豆皮吧，因爲土豆皮中含有大部分的植物纖維，遠遠多於土豆的剩餘部分。”
