Foods for Better Mental Health

Foods for Better Mental Health

By Anna Matteo

13 November, 2017

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From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.来自美国之音英语学习频道，健康与生活方式报告。

There is an old saying: "You are what you eat."有一句老话：“你就是你吃的东西。”

When you eat the right foods, you feel better physically. But what you eat can also make you feel better emotionally and mentally.当你吃正确的食物时，你的身体感觉会更好。但是你吃的东西也会让你在情绪和精神上感觉更好。

American Leslie Korn is a mental health expert. She has been treating people for trauma and depression for more than 40 years.美国人Leslie Korn是一名心理健康专家。 40多年来，她一直在治疗创伤和抑郁症患者。

Sweet potato甘薯

Korn noticed that some of the foods her patients were eating seemed to affect their mental health. She noted that eating foods like dark chocolate, sweet potatoes, eggs and cherries seemed to lower pain levels and ease signs of depression in the patients.Korn注意到她的病人吃的一些食物似乎影响了他们的心理健康。她指出，吃黑巧克力，红薯，鸡蛋和樱桃等食物似乎可以降低患者的疼痛程度并缓解抑郁症状。

She likens the human body to an automobile – a car that needs the right fuel to run.她把人体比作一辆汽车 - 一辆需要合适燃料的汽车。

"I think about our body in some ways like a car engine. We need to give it the right fuel. And each of us have a need for a particular combination of proteins, and carbohydrates and fats."“我认为我们的身体在某些方面就像汽车发动机。我们需要给它合适的燃料。我们每个人都需要蛋白质，碳水化合物和脂肪的特定组合。”

Leslie Korn was so sure of what she observed in her patients that she wrote about it. Her book is called "The Good Mood Kitchen: Simple Recipes and Nutrition Tips for Emotional Balance." In it, she explains the importance of specific foods -- like fats.Leslie Korn非常肯定她在病人身上所观察到的事情。她的书被称为“好心情厨房：简单的食谱和情绪平衡的营养技巧”。在其中，她解释了特定食物的重要性 - 如脂肪。

"The brain is made up of fat. It's made up of chemicals that talk to each other and that are lubricated by the fat in order to communicate across the synapses, and contribute to our ability to focus, to apply attention and to lift our mood."“大脑由脂肪组成。它由相互交流的化学物质组成，并由脂肪润滑，以便在突触之间进行交流，并有助于我们集中注意力，吸引注意力和提升情绪。 “。

She adds that the United States military is studying the effects of Omega 3 fatty acids on human health. These fatty acids are mainly found in fish oil. But they are also in some vegetable oils and foods like walnuts.她补充说，美国军方正在研究Omega 3脂肪酸对人体健康的影响。这些脂肪酸主要存在于鱼油中。但它们也存在于一些植物油和核桃等食物中。

Korn said that researchers suspect Omega 3 fatty acids are helpful not only in treating depression and anxiety, but also for suicide prevention.科恩表示，研究人员怀疑Omega 3脂肪酸不仅有助于治疗抑郁症和焦虑症，还有助于预防自杀。

"Indeed, there is some very good research going on in the military looking at the role of Omega 3 fatty acids for not only treatment of depression and anxiety, but also for suicide prevention."“事实上，军方正在进行一些非常好的研究，研究Omega 3脂肪酸不仅可以治疗抑郁症和焦虑症，还可以预防自杀。”

Wild salmon is rich in these fatty acids, and Korn includes easy directions for cooking salmon.野生鲑鱼富含这些脂肪酸，Korn包含烹饪鲑鱼的简单方向。

Baked Wild Salmon烤野生三文鱼

Sprinkle sea salt and a little olive oil on the salmon and place it on a cookie sheet.在鲑鱼上撒上海盐和少许橄榄油，然后将其放在饼干上。

Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees, then place it under the broiler for at least 5 minutes.在350度烘烤10分钟，然后将其放在肉鸡下至少5分钟。

Keep an eye on the salmon. It should be pink on the inside.留意鲑鱼。里面应该是粉红色的。

However, the health website Prevention notes that all fish contain mercury – some more than others.然而，健康网站预防指出，所有鱼类都含有汞 - 有些比其他鱼类更多。

America's National Resource Defense Council warns that even small amounts of mercury can interfere with brain development.美国国家资源保护委员会警告说，即使少量的汞也会干扰大脑的发育。

FILE - A worker inspects salmon fillets at processing plant. 文件 - 工人在加工厂检查鲑鱼片  

To avoid mercury, experts suggest eating wild Pacific salmon, shrimp, farmed catfish and haddock or smaller fish, such as sardines and anchovies. These all contain Omega 3s, but are low in mercury.为避免汞，专家建议食用野生太平洋鲑鱼，虾，养殖鲶鱼和黑线鳕或较小的鱼类，如沙丁鱼和凤尾鱼。这些都含有Omega 3，但汞含量低。

But eating healthy fats is not enough. Korn says we also need to eat foods that break down the fat. She suggests eating dark green vegetables.但吃健康的脂肪是不够的。 Korn说我们还需要吃能分解脂肪的食物。她建议吃深绿色的蔬菜。

"For example, if your liver and your gallbladder isn't working, you can't break down the fats that are then absorbed into the blood stream and then support brain function. What we know is that the greens, in particular the bitter greens, help us digest fats and send those fats to the brain where we need it."“例如，如果你的肝脏和胆囊不起作用，你就不能分解脂肪然后被吸收到血液中，然后支持大脑功能。我们知道的是果岭，特别是苦涩的果岭，帮助我们消化脂肪，并将脂肪送到我们需要的大脑。“

Those vegetables are part of what Leslie Korn calls the "Brainbow" diet. Many health experts say we need to eat arainbowof foods -- in other words, vegetables of all colors. She adds the letter "b" for "brain," meaning this diet is good for the brain.这些蔬菜是Leslie Korn称之为“Brainbow”饮食的一部分。许多健康专家说我们需要吃彩虹食物 - 换句话说，就是所有颜色的蔬菜。她为“大脑”添加了字母“b”，这意味着这种饮食对大脑有益。

"I call this the "Brainbow" diet because the colors in food represent different nutrients. And so your orange, and kind of yellow foods provide lots of vitamin A, and lots ofvital nutrients. The variety of greens are very good for our digestion. Your purple foods and your red foods are very anti-inflammatory. Those are beets and are eggplants and are berries."“我称之为”Brainbow“饮食，因为食物中的颜色代表不同的营养成分。所以你的橙子和黄色食物提供了大量的维生素A和许多重要的营养成分。各种绿色食物对我们的消化非常有益你的紫色食物和你的红色食物是非常消炎的。那些是甜菜，是茄子，也是浆果。“

The "Brainbow" Food list also includes:“Brainbow”食物清单还包括：

Red foods: red cabbage, radishes, watermelons红色食物：红甘蓝，萝卜，西瓜

Orange foods: carrots, sweet potatoes, oranges, pumpkins橙色食物：胡萝卜，红薯，橘子，南瓜

Yellow foods: lemons, bananas黄色食物：柠檬，香蕉

Green foods: kale绿色食品：羽衣甘蓝

White foods: garlic, onion, nuts白色食物：大蒜，洋葱，坚果

Every country, she notes, has specific foods that are good for mental well-being. In her book, she provides directions on how to prepare them. For example, plantain is a popular food in India, Mexico and countries in Africa and the Caribbean.她指出，每个国家都有特定的食物，有益于心理健康。在她的书中，她提供了如何准备它们的指导。例如，大蕉是印度，墨西哥以及非洲和加勒比国家的热门食品。

Korn lists steps for making Plantain Soup.Korn列出了制作大蕉汤的步骤。

"Plantain are a large banana, very starchy and a little bit of sweet. And I add some lemon and butter and chopped onion and garlic. And you make it with either a vegetable broth or a chicken broth. And then you add coconut milk and blend. And then I top it with a cilantro, a Chinese parsley, garlic, and grated orange peel and lime juice."“大蕉是一种大香蕉，非常含淀粉，有点甜。我加入一些柠檬和黄油，切碎的洋葱和大蒜。然后用蔬菜汤或鸡汤加入。然后你加入椰奶和然后我用香菜，中国香菜，大蒜和磨碎的橙皮和酸橙汁顶上。“

Leslie Korn reminds us that it is just not about the food. Once you have made a treat designed to improve your emotional health, it is important to slow down and enjoy the meal.Leslie Korn提醒我们，这不仅仅与食物有关。 一旦你做了一个旨在改善你的情绪健康的治疗，重要的是减慢和享受这顿饭。

And that's the Health & Lifestyle report.

I'm Anna Matteo.

Faiza Elmasry reported this story for VOANews. Anna Matteo adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow edited the story.

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Words in This Story

trauma – n. a disordered psychic or behavioral state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress or physical injury创伤 - n。 由严重的精神或情绪压力或身体伤害引起的精神或行为状态紊乱

specific – adj. special or particular : clearly and exactly presented or stated : precise or exact 具体的 - adj。 特殊的或特殊的：清楚，准确地呈现或陈述：精确或准确

lubricate – v. to make smooth or slippery润滑 - v.使光滑或光滑

synapse – n. the point at which a nervous impulse passes from one neuron to another突触 - n。 神经冲动从一个神经元传递到另一个神经元的点

anxiety – n. fear or nervousness about what might happen焦虑 - n。 对可能发生的事情感到恐惧或紧张

rainbow – n. a curved line of different colors that sometimes appears in the sky when the sun shines through rain彩虹 - n。 当阳光透过雨水时，有时会出现在天空中的不同颜色的曲线

vital – adj. extremely important至关重要的 非常重要