俗话说：早饭要吃好。有人认为早餐是一天中最重要的一顿饭，但它可能并不是你需要认真考虑的唯一一餐。本期 “随身英语” 讨论早餐的重要性。

词汇：diet 日常饮食

Have you ever heard someone say, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”, or give you advice about why it’s vital to start the day with a healthy breakfast? It seems that this feast, for many of us, is necessary for our day to start well, but is it really that important?

The word ‘breakfast’ comes from ‘breaking the fast’ – the idea of ending the period in which we didn’t eat during the night. The regeneration process that takes place while we sleep consumes some of our natural food reserves to heal our bodies. Breakfast gives us an opportunity to replenish those depleted stores of things like protein and calcium. So, in that way, a healthy breakfast makes sense.

There are also many often-quoted studies which seem to correlate a state of obesity with skipping breakfast. In fact, it leads many health experts to advise a healthy breakfast to not only regulate but also lose weight. In a US study, 50,000 people were monitored over seven years, and those who ate a healthy breakfast were found to have a lower BMI, which seems to suggest that breakfast may indeed help people maintain a healthy weight.

But it might not be as simple as that. Some experts, like Alexandra Johnstone, professor of appetite research at the University of Aberdeen, suggest those who skip breakfast might be less aware of healthy diets and nutrition, and people who eat breakfast might have a healthier lifestyle overall – exercising and not smoking, for example. And with the rise in popularity of intermittent fasting to lose weight – there may also be some benefits to skipping breakfast. Intermittent fasting can improve blood sugar control, insulin sensitivity, and lower blood pressure.

So, while breakfast has its benefits, it might not be the most important meal. It seems that a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet might be more important for many of us than just one single meal.

词汇表

vital 极其重要的
feast 大餐
fast 禁食期
regeneration 再生
consume 消耗
food reserves 食物储备
replenish 补充，补足
depleted 耗尽的，枯竭的
protein 蛋白质
calcium 钙
correlate 和…相关
skip 略过（这里指 “不吃”）
regulate 控制，调节
BMI (body mass index) 身体质量指数
appetite 食欲
intermittent 间歇性
insulin 胰岛素
blood pressure 血压

测验与练习

1.  阅读课文并回答问题。

1. Which idea does the word ‘breakfast’ come from?

2. What nutritional stores does breakfast replenish?

3. What did a US study of 50,000 people find in people who ate a healthy breakfast?

4. What does Alexandra Johnstone suggest about people who skip breakfast?

5. What are the results of intermittent fasting?

2.  选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. I’m not hungry – I don’t have an _______.

appetite                        fast                               replenish                   regulate

2. I’m so tired! I need to sleep to _______my energy levels!

fast                              replenish                       insulin                        regulate

3. You shouldn’t _______ class. The next lesson is important!

replenish                      fast                               skip                            appetite   

4. I’ve decided to _______ to help me lose weight.

insulin                          fast                               skipping                      replenish  

5. Have you tried exercise to _______ your blood pressure levels?

fast                              replenish                       regulate                      BMI

答案

1.  阅读课文并回答问题。  

1. Which idea does the word ‘breakfast’ come from?
The word ‘breakfast’ comes from ‘breaking the fast’ – the idea of ending the period in which we didn’t eat during the night.

2. What nutritional stores does breakfast replenish?
Breakfast gives us an opportunity to replenish those depleted stores of things like protein and calcium.

3. What did a US study of 50,000 people find in people who ate a healthy breakfast?
People who ate a healthy breakfast were found to have a lower BMI.

4. What does Alexandra Johnstone suggest about people who skip breakfast?
Alexandra Johnstone suggests those who skip breakfast might be less aware of healthy diets and nutrition.

5. What are the results of intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting can improve blood sugar control, insulin sensitivity, and lower blood pressure.

2.  选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. I’m not hungry – I don’t have an appetite.

2. I’m so tired! I need to sleep to replenish my energy levels!

3. You shouldn’t skip class. The next lesson is important!

4. I’ve decided to fast to help me lose weight.

5. Have you tried exercise to regulate your blood pressure levels?