10.5 Read the text and give your answer to the question. Meat: to eat or not to eat?

However, there is no easy answer to the question. Some people say, meat is bad for us; others claim meat is essential for our health. So where does the truth lie?

Experts say red meat, such as veal, can be harmful: if you eat a lot of it, you may develop heart problems. White meat, such as pork or chicken, is not as bad, according to the experts. Furthermore, it is argued by anti-meat-eating group that if more people switched to a vegetarian diet, there would be less starvation in the world.

In the case of children, doctors agree that they need a balanced diet to help them grow. Meat provides a range of proteins and vitamins that are essential for a healthy body. Finally, although I personally don’t eat meat, very often, many people think it is the most enjoyable and satisfying type of food there is.

Perhaps a reasonable compromise would be to say, “Yes, eat meat but don’t overdo it!”

10.6 Read the text again and say whether these statements are true or false.

1. People must not eat red meat.

2. You may have problems with your heart if you eat a lot of veal.

3. White meat can cause lung diseases.

4. There will be fewer starving people if more people become vegetarians.

5. Children must have a balanced diet.

6. There are practically no vitamins in meat.

7. Many people think that meat is very delicious.

8. Both children and adults must have meat dishes every day.

10.7 Read the text below and say a) how vitamins can be bad for us and b) what we must do if we take supplements.

Vitamins are good for our health, aren’t they? Perhaps not. New research suggests that high doses of certain vitamins may be more harm than good and could even kill you.

A variety of recent studies suggest that these vitamins, when taken in very high doses, may actually increase the risks of cancer and a range of debilitating diseases. Scientists are unsure as to why vitamins, so essential to health, can be toxic in high doses. The most likely explanation is that the body is only equipped to deal with the levels found naturally in the environment. If the intake is too far above the normal range, then there may appear an imbalance in the body’s internal chemistry.

What this means is that the commercially sold vitamins and those provided by nature are not always compatible. The commercial forms may interfere with the body’s internal chemistry by “crowding out” the more natural and beneficial forms of the nutrients. The vitamins obtained from food are also allied with a lot of other substances which may lower their activity in the body.

The latest advice is to eat a balanced diet to ensure you get all the nutrients you need, and if you must take supplements make sure you take the lowest recommended dose and follow the instructions on the bottle.

10.8 Answer the questions to the text above.

1. What does new research suggest?

2. When may vitamins increase diseases?

3. Why can vitamins be toxic to health?

4. Why are the commercial forms not always compatible with natural ones?

5. What can you recommend about taking vitamins?

11.9 a) Read the text below and look carefully at each line. If the line is correct, put a tick (), if it has a word that should not be there, write this word on the line, as in the examples.

Eat to Relax

We all know that eating of healthy foods helps us to 0 of

live longer and to ward off the danger of strokes or 00 

heart disease. A healthy lifestyle, which includes and 1

regular exercise and a diet with lots of fruit and 2

vegetables, not only keeps the doctor away but also 3

makes us to feel good. Being in good health is an 4

important way for to reduce stress, but this is not the 5

only benefit of eating properly. In particular, the types 6

of food that we eat influence on our moods. Eating 7

carbohydrate-rich foods like breads, cereals, rice and 8

pasta it causes the production of serotonin, which 9

makes us feel calm. Fruit and vegetables also set off 10

the production of this chemical, but in too smaller 11

doses. Milk, cheese and the yoghurt can also help, 12

especially when they eaten together with carbohydrates. 13

The next time you feel stressed, try a little piece 14

bread and a glass of milk and you’ll feel relaxed in no time. 15

b) Make a list of products which make you feel calm.

c) Give advice to your friend how to avoid stress.