(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Dandelions: One of the Healthiest Foods on the Planet
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
In many parts of the world, spring is in full bloom. Flowers of all colors and shapes can be seen in gardens, parks and other green spaces. They make our world look and smell better.
So, it is no surprise that people love flowers! Well...except for one.
Dandelions!
There is probably no flower more hated, or misunderstood, than the bright yellow dandelion.
In the United States, they are considered "weeds," the name for any unwanted plant. In an effort to have the perfect green grass lawn, people try their best to kill all dandelions with chemical products. Or they dig them out at the roots — only to see them grow right back.
Dandelions are hard to kill. And that is a good thing because they are actually one of the most nutritious foods in the world.
That's right, dandelion haters: The most hated flower on Earth is one of the healthiest to eat!
A 2014 study ranks dandelion greens as one of the top 41 most nutritious foods. Coming in at number 16, the wild growing "weed" topped popular healthy like kale and broccoli.
The lead writer of that study is Jennifer Di Noia, a professor and researcher at William Paterson University. She is an expert in nutrition and healthy behaviors.
In an interview with the university's television studio, Di Noia explained her goal for the study.
She said she wanted to develop a method for defining "powerhouse fruits and vegetables." These are the foods most strongly linked with reducing chronic disease risk.
She added that she also wanted to give people an exact list of fruits and vegetables that offer them the most nutrition. Oftentimes, she explained, people hear they should eat "leafy greens" or add more "color" to their diet. But, they do not always know how to bring that information to their meal planning.
Based on scientific literature and a huge database that lists the nutrients of all foods, Di Noia picked 41 foods with the highest content of 17 nutrients.
To pick these 17 nutrients, she used research from the U.S. Institute of Medicine and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Those nutrients are potassium, fiber, protein, calcium, iron, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, niacin, zinc, and vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E and K.
Her study was published in Preventing Chronic Disease by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dandelions are packed with goodness!
Dandelions are a great source of vitamin K and also are a good source of vitamins A and C. They also have vitamin E, folate and small amounts of other B vitamins. Also, they provide lots of iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium.
In her book Eating on the Wild Side, writer Jo Robinson says that compared to spinach, dandelion leaves have "eight times more antioxidants, two times more calcium, three times more Vitamin A, and five times more vitamin K and vitamin E."
Nothing goes to waste
Besides nutrition, another great thing about dandelions is that you can eat every part of them — from the bottom of the roots to the top of the flower. Just make sure to take care when picking wild dandelions. Do not eat ones that have been treated with dangerous chemicals or are growing near high traffic areas.
You can eat dandelion greens either raw or cooked. My Italian grandfather used to collect the greens for dinner. He would use the flowers to make dandelion wine. You can also soak the flowers or roots in hot water to make dandelion tea.
Dandelions have long been used as medicine.
Dandelions are said to provide several possible health benefits such as helping in digestion and improving some skin conditions. They may also reduce inflammation.
But, research on these health benefits is either non-existent or has been done on animals. So, we still have a lot to learn about how to best use dandelions.
However, experts do know the vitamins, minerals and compounds found in dandelions are good for human health. The health benefits of fiber are also well known. The root of the dandelion is rich in fiber and may help to support the balance of bacteria in your digestive system.
Dandelions are an easy-to-grow food source.
Dandelions are hearty, drought-resistant flowers. They can grow in environments too dry or difficult for most other crops. One reason they are so hard to kill is that their roots spread easily as do their white, soft, seed-filled tops.
Dandelions are fun for kids!
Here is another reason to love dandelions.
Children in many parts of the world have had the simple pleasure of blowing the soft, white dandelion tops. They watch the seeds float easily in the air.
In fact, there is a game children play with dandelions that have gone to seed. Pick the white top, make a wish, close your eyes and blow! If you blow all of the seeds off in one breath, your wish will come true! Well, that is what many children believe.
Even if the wish does not come true, at least the seeds have traveled far and wide, letting more of this nutritious food source continue to grow.
And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo.
重点解析
重点讲解：
1. except for 除了；除…之外；唯有；
Everyone was late, except for Richard.
除了理查德，其他所有人都迟到了。
2. be rich in 富含…的；含有大量…的；
The area is rich in wildlife.
这个地区的野生动植物很多。
3. go to seed 开花结籽；
If unused, winter radishes goto seed in spring.
如果不去动的话，冬萝卜会在春天开花结籽。
4. come true (梦想、愿望或预言)成真，成为现实；
Winning the medal was like a dream come true.
获得这枚奖牌好比梦想成真。
参考译文
蒲公英：世界上最健康的食物之一
这里是VOA慢速英语健康生活报道。
目前世界上许多地区都已经进入春天。花园、公园和其他绿地可以看到各种颜色和形状的花朵。这些花朵使我们的世界更加美丽，也更加芬芳。
所以难怪人们会喜爱鲜花！嗯，其中一种花除外。
蒲公英！
可能没有花比亮黄色的蒲公英更令人讨厌或误解。
在美国，蒲公英被视为“杂草”，即不需要的植物。为了拥有完美的绿色草坪，人们会尽力用化学产品消灭蒲公英。或者他们会把蒲公英的根挖出来，不过蒲公英会很快再长出来。
蒲公英很难消灭。这是件好事，因为蒲公英实际上是世界上最富有营养的食物之一。
没错，讨厌蒲公英的人听好了：地球上最令人讨厌的花是最健康的食物之一！
2014年进行的一项研究将蒲公英叶列入41种最具营养食物排行榜。蒲公英叶排在第16位，这一野生“杂草”的排名超过了羽衣甘蓝和西兰花等备受欢迎的健康食物。
该研究的首席作者是威廉帕特森大学教授兼研究员詹妮弗·迪诺亚。她是营养和健康行为专家。
在接受威廉帕特森大学电视演播室的采访时，迪诺亚解释了这项研究的目标。
她说，她希望研究出定义“强大果蔬”的方法。“强大果蔬”指与减少慢性病风险联系最紧密的食物。
她表示，她也希望为人们列出最具营养果蔬的确切名单。她解释说，通常人们会听到的建议是，他们应该食用“绿叶蔬菜”或是增加饮食的“颜色”。但是，他们并不总是知道如何将这一信息融入饮食计划中。
基于科学文献和列出所有食物营养物质的巨型数据库，迪诺亚选出了17种养分含量最高的41种食物。
为了选择这17种养分，她参考了美国医学研究所和联合国粮食及农业组织的研究。这些营养成分分别是钾、纤维素、蛋白质、钙、铁、维生素B1、维生素B2、叶酸、烟酸、锌以及维生素A、B6、B12、C、D、E和K。
她的研究被美国疾病控制与预防中心发表在《慢性病预防》期刊上。
蒲公英富含营养！
蒲公英是维生素K的重要来源，也是维生素A和C的主要来源。蒲公英还富含维生素E、叶酸以及少量的B族维生素。另外，蒲公英还含有大量铁、钙、镁和钾。
作家乔·罗宾森在《Eating on the Wild Side》一书中写道，蒲公英叶的抗氧化剂、钙和维生素A以及维生素K和E的含量分别是菠菜的8倍、2倍、3倍和5倍。
蒲公英全身都是宝
除了养分之外，蒲公英另一个伟大之处在于，它的所有部分——从底部的根到顶端的花——都可以食用。不过，在采摘野生蒲公英时要小心。不要食用接触过危险化学物质或生长在交通流量大地区附近的蒲公英。
蒲公英叶可以生吃也可以烹饪后食用。我祖父是意大利人，他经常用蒲公英叶做晚饭。他会用蒲公英花制作蒲公英酒。还可以将蒲公英花或蒲公英根泡在热水里，做成蒲公英茶饮用。
蒲公英长期以来一直被用作药材。
据说，蒲公英可带来多种益处，比如助消化和改善皮肤状况。蒲公英还可以减轻炎症。
但是，至于针对这些健康益处的研究，要么没有人开展过，要么就是在动物身上进行的实验。因此，就如何最有效使用蒲公英来说，我们还有很多需要了解。
不过，专家知道蒲公英中所含的维生素、矿物质和化合物对人类健康有益。纤维素的益处也为人所共知。蒲公英根富含纤维素，可能有助于支持消化系统内部的细菌群平衡。
蒲公英是易种植的食物来源。
蒲公英花易活且耐旱。它们可以生长在极干环境中，也可以生长在对大多数其它作物来说难以存活的环境中。蒲公英很难消灭的其中一个原因是，它们的根和布满毛茸茸种子的白色顶端极易扩散蔓延。
蒲公英对孩子们来说很有趣！
这里还有一个喜爱蒲公英的理由。
对全球许多地区的儿童来说，向蒲公英毛茸茸的白色顶端吹气会令他们获得简单的快乐。他们会看到蒲公英种子轻松地在飘浮在空气中。
实际上，儿童经常会用已经结子的蒲公英玩一个游戏。摘一朵蒲公英，对着它许愿，然后闭上眼睛，将它毛茸茸的白色顶端吹向空中！如果你能用一口气将蒲公英的所有种子吹掉，那你的愿望就会实现！许多孩子都对此深信不疑。
即便愿望没有成真，至少蒲公英的种子飘到了四面八方，令这种富含营养的食物来源可以继续生长。
以上是健康生活报道。我是安娜·马迪奥。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
