Can you eat yourself more happily?

2019-08-21安徽太湖中学周艳霞

疯狂英语·新悦读 2019年8期

安徽太湖中学周艳霞

人们常说“吃出健康”，因为饮食和健康密切相关。其实不仅如此，科学研究表明，饮食还会影响我们的情绪。

题材饮食与健康体裁说明文文章词数326 难度 ★★★ 建议用时6′

Growing up in Melbourne,Australia,Felice Jacka struggled with anxiety and panic disorders;by the time she enrolled at art school,she was accustomed to regular depression.But in her late 20s Jacka managed to recover and stay well by focusing on her diet,exercise and sleep.The effect was so marked that it inspired her to devote herself to studying the effects of diet on mental health.

For her PhD study in 2010,Jacka found that women who consumed traditional diets higher in vegetables,fruit,and fish,with moderate amounts of red meat,were less likely to have depression or anxiety disorders than those who consumed a typical western diet of processed foods, pizza, chips, burgers, white bread and sweet drinks.After studying 150 peer-reviewed scientific papers,Jacka has collected evidence from all over the world showing that “what we stick in our mouths matters to our mental health”.Overall,Jacka has found that simply following a healthier diet—without other lifestyle changes such as exercise,but taking into account things such as education and income,body weight and other health behaviors，results in a 30%reduced risk of depression.

That healthier diet may vary from country to country,but research has shown that regardless of where you live,eating closer to a traditional, pre-industrial diet rich in plant foods,fish,unrefined grains with less meat and snack foods reduces your risk of depression.It could be the Mediterranean diet or Japanese cuisine rich in fish,seaweed,green tea and tofu.

With half of all mental-health disorders setting in by age 14,the importance of diet is especially relevant to young people—but as in the UK and US,Australian teenagers are eating multiple servings of junk foods every day.

“Messages about obesity and health problems in a distant future actually will be influencing people's eating behaviors as well as their mental health,”says Jacka.She adds that，unluckily,it is not fully recognized and it is far from sufficient（足够的）attention.

——From The Guardian

Reading Check

1.What made Jacka recover and stay well in her late 20s？

A.Enrolling at art school.

B.Growing up in Melbourne,Australia.

C.Studying the effects of diet on health.

D.Taking a balanced diet,exercise and sleep.

2.Which kind of people are less likely to have depression according to Jacka's PhD study？

A.Women consuming traditional diets.

B.People consuming a typical western diet.

C.Women changing their lifestyles constantly.

D.People having a good education and income.