Making vegetables more appealing
让蔬菜看起来更加美味诱人
As a child, I was always told to 'eat my greens'. These were the unappealing vegetables that sat on the edge of my plate. Peas, broccoli and green beans, all looked and tasted disgusting. Let's face it, when there were so many other edible treats to enjoy, why eat boring veg?
我小时候总是被告知“把蔬菜吃掉”。我的餐盘边上总有看着不好吃的蔬菜。有看起来和吃起来都特别让人反胃的豌豆，西兰花和四季豆。我们要面对这个现实：为什么要那么多好吃的可以享用，偏偏要吃最不讨人喜欢的蔬菜呢？
Since then my taste buds have developed and I'm also fully aware of the health benefits of eating fresh vegetables. But we still need reminding of the amazing goodness these green superfoods give us. In the UK, a campaign based on advice from the World Health Organization has been running for several years to encourage us to eat our '5 A Day' - five portions of fruit and vegetables. That's because evidence has shown there are significant health benefits to getting at least five 80g portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day.
味蕾发育之后，我就完全意识到了吃新鲜蔬菜对健康的好处。但我们还要记住这些绿色超级食品带来的惊人好处。在英国，基于世界卫生组织建议而开展的鼓励市民“每天五份果蔬”的活动已经持续了很多年——也就是每天吃五种水果和蔬菜。因为已经有证据表明，每天至少食用400g水果和蔬菜对健康有极大好处。
But I struggle trying to fit these five portions into my daily diet, partly because I have a sweet tooth and vegetables are, well, tasteless. Researchers have been looking at how to make eating vegetables more attractive. They analysed the psychology behind our food choices and found that most of us are motivated by taste. Brad Turnwald from Stanford University says that "studies show that people tend to think of healthier options as less tasty for some reason."
但要让我每天都吃五种蔬菜很困难，部分原因是我偏好甜食，而刚好蔬菜又是无味的。研究者们已经关注到如何让蔬菜变得更具有吸引力这个问题。他们分析我们选择食物背后的心理因素，发现大多数人都是根据口味选择。斯坦福大学的布拉德·图恩瓦尔德表示：“研究表明，人们因为某些原因会选择好吃的而不会选择更健康的。”
His team carried out an experiment in the university cafeteria where they gave vegetables seductive names and found sales increased by 25 per cent. They got rid of healthy labels such as 'wholesome' and gave identical dishes names like 'sizzlin' beans', 'dynamite beets' and 'twisted citrus-glazed carrots'. It seems that these indulgent names tempted diners to fill their plates. Brad Turnwald says that "labels really can influence our sensory experience, affecting how tasty and filling we think food will be."
他的团队在大学食堂里开展了一项试验，给蔬菜贴上吸引人的标签能提升25%的销量。他们把诸如“健康的”这类标签换成了“咸香豆子”、“激情甜菜”和“螺旋柑橘酱胡萝卜”等。这些时髦的标签得到了就餐者的欢迎。布拉德·图恩瓦尔德表示“食品标签真的能影响我们对食物的感觉，真能引起就餐者对食品味道的遐想。”
In Europe, a project called VeggieEAT has also been trying to find ways to get people to eat more veg. Project leader, Professor Heather Hartwell believes in "health by stealth", subtly nudging people into eating the right things. One idea has been to put a picture of a tasty looking fruit on a supermarket trolley as a hint about buying something from the fruit aisle. She says, "Choice is a really complex thing. But this study suggests that giving vegetables an indulgent tag can help raise their hierarchy."
欧洲开展了一项名为VeggieEAT的活动项目，旨在让人们多吃蔬菜。项目领导人Heather Hartwell教授相信“无形之中的健康”，巧妙劝说人们吃正确的食品。其中一个方法是在超市购物车贴上一张看起来很可口的水果图片，以此来引导人们购买水果。她表示：“选择是一件非常复杂的事情。但这项研究表明，给蔬菜贴上诱人的标签能提升人们选择的几率。”
Certainly, eating 'twisted citrus-glazed carrots' does sound tempting, even if it just tastes like a carrot, but if it makes us eat more vegetables then that can only be a good thing for our health.
当然了，“螺旋柑橘酱胡萝卜”听起来确实很诱人，虽然吃起来就是胡萝卜的味道。但如果这能让我们多吃蔬菜，也是一种对健康有好处的事。
词汇表
greens
青菜、绿叶菜（多用作复数）
edible
可食用的，可以吃的
taste buds
味蕾（多用作复数）
benefit
好处
superfood
对健康有益的“超级食品”
5 A Day'
“每天五份果蔬”，这是由世界卫生组织为增强健康饮食意识而发起的每日至少食用400g（相当于）水果或蔬菜的宣传活动。
significant
非常重要的，效果显著的
diet
日常饮食
sweet tooth
爱吃甜食
psychology
心理
motivated
被…驱使
seductive
诱人的
wholesome
对健康有益的
indulgent
任由（消费者）放纵的，易上瘾的
sensory
感官的
stealth
不知不觉的行动，隐性手段
nudge
劝说
hierarchy
等级，地位