Good nutrition is health

There is a Problem...

1. Today millions of people around the world try to understand the right nutrition in order to promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Even though there is abundance of cheap, healthy food items available around us, somehow the link between good food and health has been missing. Partly, this is because of the lack of clear information regarding, what to eat? Moreover, how you eat?

2. Sometimes we are told that one thing is particularly good for us, and that we should be eating plenty of it, but soon it appears to be off the menu at all. Modern technology, agricultural practices, and transportation methods have increased the year-round availability of many foods, and now we can get them almost anywhere, at any time. Modern food industry uses many preservatives, artificial colorants, additives, and chemicals in order to improve the appearance, flavor, and shelf life of food we eat. The quality and safety of foods are affected by the environment, and the quality and safety of the environment are, in turn¹, affected by foods and food processing.

3. The problem our generation has now is the lack of good foods. Our ancestors got fresh foods from their gardens and farms. They could not store foods for long, so they had a lifestyle of eating fresh foods. They had enough nutrition in their raw foods and got enough nutritional value of their foods. This same reason is their generations were a lot healthier than we are now.

4. Nowadays we have genetically modified food, fast food, junk foods, artificially-bred and injected animals with substances for fast-growing purposes, foods sprayed with chemicals and pesticides, canned foods, foods with additives to make them have longer shelf lives, look nicer, and taste nicer. Well, the effect of all these is that the nutritional value of our foods has steadily declined over the decades.

5. Before we cut down on fat, sugar and salt, we have to know a bit more about the kind of food which we consume. The biggest problem comes when these things are hidden in other foods: biscuits, sausages, meat pies, soft drinks and so on. The best way of solving this problem is to get into the habit² of checking the ingredients and nutritional value on the sides of packets although this isn’t always easy to do.

6. One more thing to know is that when food is cooked, its structure changes. It can change the vitamin and nutrient contents of food. Nowadays so much of the basic food we eat – meat, fish, fruit and vegetables – is grown using chemicals and additives.

7. Although fertilizers and pesticides have greatly increased the quantity of food and helped to improve its appearance, there is a growing concern about the effects of these chemicals on food. This concern has led to a growth in the demand for organically grown products. The food we eat depends on lots of things. Taste is a big factor. Culture, religion and health also play a part what food we eat. Advertising and social factors also have a big influence.

8. Income is also an important factor. That is not surprisingly, money, rather than a lack of knowledge about how to eat well, is at the heart of the problem. Finally, there are three main messages to follow for healthy eating: First, we should eat less fat, particularly saturated fat. Secondly, we are to cut down⁴ on sugar and salt. Thirdly, we must eat more fresh fruit and vegetables.

Пояснения к тексту

1. in turn – в свою очередь

2. to get into the habit – приобрести привычку

3. оne more thing – кроме того

4. to cut down – отказаться

Задание 1. Определите основную идею текста.

The text is about …

Варианты ответов:

a) modern technology and agricultural practices;

b) the author’s interest in the abundance of cheap and healthy food;

c) the problems of the lack of good food;

d) the methods of transportation of food;

Задание 2. Ответьте на вопросы в соответствии с содержанием текста:

a) Why has year-round availability of many foods increased?

b) What is the problem of our generation?

c) Why has the effect of the nutritional value of our foods declined steadily?

d) What is the best way of solving the problem of choosing?

e) What is the heart problem of good nutrition?

Задание 3. Переведите 6-ой и 7-ой абзацы текста, определяя в каждом предложении подлежащее и сказуемое.

TEXT 5

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