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Munch, crunch, munch.

用力咀嚼，嘎吱嘎吱。

One of the snacks I eat at work is not exactly quiet, though I try to keep the noise down.

我工作时会吃一样零食，尽管我努力不发出声音，但这基本不可能做到。

It's not salty, crispy potato chips.

这样点心不是又咸又脆的薯片。

Every day, I bring in a bag of raw celery. In China, 芹菜 (qincai) is not uncommon, but it’s almost always cooked. So, I get strange looks. The rare colleague who has tried it has politely avoided making a face.

每天，我都会带上一袋生芹菜当作点心。在中国，芹菜很普遍，通常炒熟了才能吃。因此，我的同事们都对我生吃芹菜的举动感到惊奇。唯一尝试了生吃芹菜的同事为了礼貌才不得不忍住露出厌恶的表情。

Perhaps they think I have goat in my family tree.

也许他们认为我是山羊的后代吧。

While raw celery may seem like a strange snack, it is undeniable that eating more unprocessed food is healthy. While I'm not vegan, I have made big changes in my eating that, paired with exercise, have enabled me to drop over 20 kilograms over a year’s time. I feel better, though I needed a new wardrobe.

尽管生芹菜看起来像奇怪的零食，但不可否认的是，多吃未经加工的食品有利于身体健康。我虽不是严格的素食主义者，但我在饮食上做出了重大的改变，再辅之以运动锻炼，一年里我就成功减重20公斤。虽然现在我的衣橱得全面换新，但我确实感觉更好了。

This is relevant to China because as my host country has gotten richer, it is experiencing the same weighty problems as my native country, the United States. This means it faces the same higher risk of serious health problems and death from cardiovascular problems, cancer and other maladies.

这与我所在的中国有着千丝万缕的关系。随着中国富裕起来，这个国家正在经历我的祖国美国经历的重大问题。这意味着中国也面临着由心血管疾病、癌症及其他疾病导致的严重健康问题和死亡。

But while I've noticed that the worst problem in my home country occurs in poorer populations – it can be costlier to buy and prepare healthy food – the opposite is true here.

但我注意到，在我的祖国美国，最严重的健康问题往往出现在贫困人群——因为购买健康食品花费更多。然而，在中国，这一现象恰好相反。

As trendy convenience foods such as pizzas and sugary drinks have become popular among higher-income city-dwellers, they also are spending more time on sedentary activities such as video games.

包括披萨、含糖饮料在内的时尚快餐在中国城市高收入居民中广受欢迎，同时，这一群体花在像电子游戏这种让人久坐的活动上的时间也更多。

What’s especially worrisome is that these trends are hitting young people the hardest. While lauding China for remarkable progress in child nutrition, the World Food Programme also noted last year: "Overweight and obesity are becoming prominent in cities, and gradually appearing in rural areas: 23 percent of boys and 14 percent of girls under 20 were now found to be overweight or obese.”

尤其令人担忧的是，这些现象在年轻人中最为明显。2016年，世界粮食计划署（the World Food Programme）在称赞中国在儿童营养方面取得的成就时，还指出“超重和肥胖在中国城市日益凸显，并逐渐出现在农村地区：调查发现在中国二十岁以下的人群中，23%的男孩和14%的女孩处于超重或肥胖状态。”

Problems aggravated by obesity, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, can go undetected, doing serious health damage.

肥胖导致了更多健康问题，例如高血压和糖尿病，这些疾病通常不易察觉，但对身体伤害极大。

As The Guardian noted recently, “The central government has brandished a plan called Healthy China 2030, with the aim of making China healthy again in the next 13 years.” The reported noted that it includes “the introduction of health education into the school curriculum and promoting ‘health as habit’.”

最近，《卫报》（The Guardian）指出，“中国中央政府高调推出‘健康中国2030’规划，旨在在接下来的13年里，使中国重新恢复健康”。报道称规划内容包括“把健康教育列入学校课程大纲以及倡导‘使健康成为习惯’”。

These are positive steps, especially when combined with promotion of sports such as soccer in schools.

以上都是中国政府采取的积极举措，更何况中国政府致力于推广体育运动，例如在学校推广足球。

But it also comes down to personal choices. I’ve seen my younger colleagues struggle with eating healthier. It takes time to shop for and prepare good food, and packaged, ready-to-eat healthy food can be expensive. Most people are very busy, and unhealthy fast food is the ultimate in convenience.

但一切还在于个人选择。我亲眼看见过比我年轻的同事如何与健康饮食斗争的。选购、准备健康食品需要时间，另外，包装好的健康速食食品通常很贵。由于大多数人都很忙，为了方便，不健康的快餐就成为他们的最终选择。

I’m not unsympathetic -- I struggle with the time thing myself. I weigh a lot of my food and track it on an application. But it gets easier as it becomes a habit.

我并非没有同情心——我自己也斗争了很久。我曾把所吃的食物称重，并在一个应用程序上持续跟踪相关情况。但随着健康饮食成为习惯，我也就越来越容易适应了。

Instead of being overwhelmed, start simple with better choices, like smaller portions. Drink water or tea. Take the stairs. Make it a habit. The “future you” will thank you.

一开始不应制定过高的要求，而应该从简单的事情做起，比如减少食量、多喝水或茶、多爬楼梯、养成习惯等。将来的你一定会感谢现在的你。

译者：晏俊

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