Food for thought

Many of us like to dine out and treat ourselves to delicious food. Among the top choices are hearty dishes with high-fat meat, despite the fact that they may be unhealthy.
我们许多人都喜欢下馆子享受美食。最受欢迎的一大选择便是高热量的肉类大餐，尽管这些佳肴或许并不健康。

Plant-based food, however, gives diners a smarter choice. According to CGTN, two popular chains – KFC and Starbucks – announced in April they were debuting items featuring meat substitutes in China.
而植物类食品则为食客们提供了更明智的选择。据中国国际电视台报道，今年四月，两大连锁品牌肯德基与星巴克宣布在中国首次推出肉类的替代产品。

“Today we mark an important milestone ..., advancing our goal of increasing accessibility to plant-based protein globally,” said Ethan Brown, chief executive of Beyond Meat, told Market Watch.
“今天对于我们而言是个重要的里程碑……推动了我们将植物蛋白推广至全球的目标，”Beyond Meat 公司首席执行官伊桑·布朗在接受“市场观察”网站采访时如此表示。

The plant-based meat substitute has been popular in the US and the UK for years and offers meat-lovers a healthy alternative to an otherwise unhealthy indulgence.
多年来，植物肉在英美两国大受欢迎，为肉食爱好者们不健康的放纵饮食提供了另一种健康的方式。

Despite the negative impacts on our health, the tempting taste and convenience of fast food have made it a popular option across the world for decades. But with the introduction of the plant-based food, it’s likely that fast food won’t be considered “junk food” any more, as the calorie intake for typical fast food items will be reduced. The meat substitute also provides rich protein and different minerals and vitamins while still whetting our taste buds.
尽管快餐无益于健康，但诱人的味道以及方便快捷都令其数十年来在全球大受欢迎。而随着植物性食品的加入，快餐或许也不再会被视为“垃圾食品”了，因为多数快餐产品的卡路里摄入都会有所减少。这种肉类替代品还能提供丰富的蛋白质、不同的矿物质与维生素，同时让人食指大动。

Another factor contributing to the product’s popularity is a new breed of environmentally-aware consumers. On average producing 1 kilogram of meat emits 36.4 kilograms of carbon dioxide. With such a high carbon emission, many environmentalists choose to cut down on the intake of meat, making the plant-based diet characterized by environmental protection a popular choice.
植物肉大受欢迎的另一个因素在于注重环保的新消费者群体。每生产1公斤肉平均会产生36.4公斤的二氧化碳排放量。如此高的碳排放量也让许多环保人士选择减少肉类摄入，令以环保为特点的植物性饮食备受欢迎。

Unveiled at the end of April, plant-based food seemed to come at a time when increased animal-human interactions are blamed for the coronavirus, which is believed to have been transmitted to humans through an intermediate animal host. Therefore, the debut of meatless dishes means a safer choice for consumers.
四月底推出的植物性食物似乎恰逢其时。如今人们认为人类与动物的接触增加，从而导致新冠病毒通过动物中间宿主传播给人类。因此，推出素食菜品对于消费者而言是更安全的选择。

Without doubt, the newcomers on the Chinese table represent a change in people’s dietary lifestyle that is heading toward “healthy, environmentally-friendly and less animal-human interaction”, CGTN noted.
毫无疑问的是，中国人餐桌上的这一新品代表着人们饮食生活方式变得“健康环保，与动物的接触也减少了”，中国国际电视台报道指出。

以上文章内容选自《21世纪学生英文报高中版》，详情请见《21世纪学生英文报高中版》高二791期