VOA慢速英语2014 羽衣甘蓝:“超级食品”

 

Kale: The 'Super Food' 羽衣甘蓝:“超级食品”

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report.

To prove that there is a celebration for just about everything, October 1 officially marked National Kale Day in the United States.

That’s right – National Kale Day.

The big day of national celebration may have passed, but that does not mean you should not eat kale. 

First, what exactly is kale?

Kale is in the same family as broccoli¹, cauliflower and cabbage.

For people in Russia, kale is kapusta. In Italy, it is called cavolo. Hindi speakers call it gobhi. Or if you speak Japanese, the name is karu.

Different areas may have different names for kale, but it is a super healthy food -- whatever you call it.

In fact, in the United States, many people are calling it a “SuperFood.” That does not mean it can fly over tall buildings like Superman and rescue people. (Well, actually, maybe it does). It does keep people healthy and keeps them safe from sickness

Kale's health benefits

Kale is filled with healthy nutrients². It provides 1,000 percent of the daily recommended allowance³ for vitamin K. In other words, by eating kale you more than meet the nutrition requirements set by United States health officials.

Kale also has nearly 100 percent of the daily suggested intake⁴ of both vitamin A and C. That information comes from the U.S Department of Agriculture. Kale also has folate, a B vitamin that is important for brain development. It also has many other essential vitamins and minerals. Kale is good for your heart and may help fight against some kinds of cancer.

So, kale is good for us. It also tastes great. And there are many ways to cook it. 

The vegetable kale can be tough or hard. But it keeps more nutrients if you don’t cook it too much. Here is a trick. Simply rub or massage⁵ the kale leaves with olive⁶ oil and seasonings⁷. The leaves will break down and soften⁸. The stems⁹, or stalks¹⁰, will remain tough. But you can sauté them or place them in soup for added vitamins and taste.

After you massage your kale, add a little more olive oil and sweet balsamic vinegar as a dressing¹¹ – or your own favorite salad dressing. Add your favorite toppings for a healthy and delicious salad.

Steaming kale on the stovetop is a really healthy way of cooking this leafy green vegetable. First boil a pot of water and steam the kale on top in a steamer container.

You can also lightly sauté kale with garlic, some hot pepper and a little salt for a simple, delicious and healthy side dish. A side dish is a smaller dish that goes with the main meal.

Sautéed kale with nuts also goes well with fish. Kale is tasty when sautéed with foods like tomatoes or red peppers.

You can mix or drizzle¹² kale with olive oil and bake it for 15 minutes until it gets crispy. These are called kale chips. You can also bake it on top of pizza for a healthy topping.

So eat some of this wonderful vegetable in your next meal. Your body will thank you.

Do you have a special way to prepare kale? Share your recipe in our comments section. This will give you the chance to use some of the cooking terms you heard in this story. 

Words in this Story

salad – n. a mixture of raw green vegetables (such as different types of lettuce) usually combined with other raw vegetables

drizzle – v. to pour a small amount of liquid onto or over something

boil – v. to become so hot that bubbles are formed in a liquid and rise to the top

steam – v. to cook, heat, or treat (something) with steam; n. the hot gas that is created when water is boiled

sauté – v.  fry quickly in a little hot fat

soup – n. a food made by cooking vegetables, meat, or fish in a large amount of liquid

bake – v. to cook (food) in an oven using dry heat

1 broccoli   

n.绿菜花，花椰菜

参考例句：

• She grew all the broccoli plants from seed.这些花椰菜都是她用种子培育出来的。
• They think broccoli is only green and cauliflower is only white.他们认为西兰花只有绿色的，而菜花都是白色的。

2 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 allowance   

n.津贴，补贴，零用钱

参考例句：

• My monthly allowance is 50 yuan.我每月的津贴是50元。
• I have to work to earn my allowance.我非得工作挣零用钱。

4 intake   

n.吸入，纳入；进气口，入口

参考例句：

• Reduce your salt intake.减少盐的摄入量。
• There was a horrified intake of breath from every child.所有的孩子都害怕地倒抽了一口凉气。

5 massage   

n.按摩，揉；vt.按摩，揉，美化，奉承，篡改数据

参考例句：

• He is really quite skilled in doing massage.他的按摩技术确实不错。
• Massage helps relieve the tension in one's muscles.按摩可使僵硬的肌肉松弛。

6 olive   

n.橄榄，橄榄树，橄榄色；adj.黄绿色的，黄褐色的，橄榄色的

参考例句：

• Have you eaten a kind of fruit called olive?你吃过橄榄这种水果吗？
• She likes olive because It'symbolizes peace.她喜欢橄榄色因为它象征着和平。

7 seasonings   

n.调味品，佐料( seasoning的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It emphasizes the use of seasonings, so no two dishes ever taste alike. 它对调味品十分讲究。因此，没有两个菜会有同样的味道。 来自地道口语脱口SHOW 高中超越版
• The food made of flour and various seasonings is called moon cake. 中秋节的食品也是圆圆的，也象征着团圆，这种用面和各种作料做的食品叫月饼。 来自互联网

8 soften   

v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和

参考例句：

• Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
• This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。

9 stems   

n.（花草的）茎( stem的名词复数 )；词干；（高脚酒杯的）脚；烟斗柄v.遏制[阻止]（液体的流动等）( stem的第三人称单数 )；封堵；遏止

参考例句：

• The present wave of strikes stems from discontent among the lower-paid. 当前的罢工浪潮起因于低工资雇员们的不满情绪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Her interest in flowers stems from her childhood in the country. 她对花卉的兴趣产生于她在乡下度过的童年时代。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 stalks   

n.主茎，花梗，叶柄( stalk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• flowers on long stalks 长茎上的花
• Don't nip any stalks off the plant. 别掐断植物茎！ 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

12 drizzle   

v.下毛毛雨；n.毛毛雨，蒙蒙细雨

参考例句：

• The shower tailed off into a drizzle.阵雨越来越小，最后变成了毛毛雨。
• Yesterday the radio forecast drizzle,and today it is indeed raining.昨天预报有小雨，今天果然下起来了。