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“吃啥补啥”比如说,吃耳朵耳朵就会变灵敏,吃猪蹄就会跑得快,吃豆腐就会皮肤变白,还有,“吃什么补什么”,比如吃核桃补脑子什么的。中国人讲究以形补形,但从科学角度看并没有道理。
“You Are What You Eat?”在英文中最早的意思,意思是你吃什么就决定你是什么样的人。西方人这些年大讲饮食健康,甚至菜单上都标明多少卡路里,可能跟这句话有关。就是“吃啥补啥”,是从营养学的意义来说的。后来才逐渐的演变成为“病从口入”,是因为环保运动的兴起。
有个网友这样翻译"吃啥补啥",“as the saying goes people benefits from what they eat.”, 不知大家怎么评价?
中国人还有个说法,“以形補形”。以形补形,据说,通过吃在视觉上与相应身体部位相似的东西来治愈或滋养身体部位,通常是动物的相应身体部位。
to supposedly heal or nourish a body part by eating something that is visually similar to the respective body part, often the corresponding body part of an animal
关于“以形补形”,以及吃动物的睾丸,有篇BBC文章,也介绍了。这篇文章里面的词汇,可以帮助大家做好这一道翻译题。现在摘录如下:
催情剂的英语“aphrodisiacs”一词,字源来自于希腊神话传说中的爱神阿芙罗狄蒂(Aphrodite),据说它们能够刺激性欲、提高性爱表现水平、甚至还能增加快感。巧克力、草莓和牡蛎这样的食物能起到催情效果的说法,已经是老生常谈了。历史上还有很多东西曾被列为催情剂,虽然吃不死人,但也很奇怪——例如有毒的西班牙苍蝇、犀牛角粉末、还有各种珍稀植物的提取物。
《床笫之间》(Intercourses)一书的联合作者霍普金斯(Martha Hopkins)在研究中发现,无论是什么食物,总是在某个时间,被人们错当成春药。
霍普金斯说:“过去被当作催情剂的食品,要么有价无市,要么有市无价。这类食物包括松露、鹅肝、鱼子酱等;还有一些东西,长的酷似生殖器官,比如芦笋、洋蓟;甚至还有动物的睾丸。” 由于形似生殖器官,人们甚至曾把洋蓟当作催情剂食用(Credit: Getty)
赫特福德大学(University of Hertfordshire)的高级讲师埃文斯(Jennifer Evans)研究了食物和生育的历史关系后认为,在17世纪,人们把从鸽子到杏仁,甚至欧洲防风草都列为催情剂。这是因为这些东西都有较强的繁衍能力,因此人们也会把它们当作催情药来服用。 但当真有食物能影响人们的性欲和性爱能力吗?又是出于什么原因,这个观点竟传播了如此之久?
情趣零食
有些人身患血液循环问题的困扰,那么对他们来说,确实有某些食物效果和伟哥一致,即放松血管、加快生殖器内的血液流动。南瓜、核桃和牛肉等食物中富含的氨基酸L-精氨酸会在人体内转化为一氧化氮,而一氧化氮能够起到增加血液流动的效果。富含欧米加3脂肪酸的食物,如鲑鱼和牛油果等,也能起到类似的作用。槲皮素有抗炎的作用,也能够增加血液流动。富含槲皮素的食物有苹果、浆果类、葡萄、红酒、大蒜以及黑巧克力。
然而,美国营养与饮食学会发言人怀特(Lauri Wright)表示,可能只有血液流动受阻的人,吃了这些东西才能明显感受到性功能提升。如果血液循环良好,那么单单通过食补是看不出什么变化的。
然而,一提到催情药,大多数人第一个想到的不是提升性功能,而是激发欲望。
长期以来,人们一直认为有一种食物可以增强性欲,那就是巧克力。研究表明,可可能够增加四肢的血流量。但目前尚未有证据能表明,巧克力能起到催情效果。 科学家发现可可能够增加外周血流量,但并不能激发性欲(Credit: Getty)
事实上,没有证据能够证明,任何食物能起到激发性欲的效果。
只有一个例外:酒精。一些小型研究表明,摄入酒精能够唤起性欲。但酒精对于性能力有一定的阻碍作用。
南加州性健康和性存在医学中心的克里奇曼(Michael Krychman)既是一名妇产科,也是一名临床性顾问。她说,尤其是红酒,由于它能对心脏起到有利作用,因此可能和性能力有间接的联系。但值得注意的是,红酒与心血管健康之间有何种联系尚无定论。
葡萄酒之所以能催情之称,可能也是因为它是地中海食谱中的一部分。地中海饮食是一种基于蔬菜的饮食方式,摄入的食物大多是果蔬、全麦制品、豆类坚果、鱼类和橄榄油等,这种饮食方式主张低油、少肉,尽量不吃奶酪。这便更像是一整套饮食习惯起到的催情作用,而非仅仅红酒这一种食物了。
整体健康
克里奇曼说:“研究发现,喝红酒会影响性功能。但我们尚未明确,真正起到作用的是这种饮食方式,还是饮食、生活方式和基因遗传的结合。我们现在明确的是,有运动习惯且饮食健康、压力较小的人,他们对于性生活的满意度更加高一些。” 人们已经发现,红酒在一定条件下能够增强性欲(Credit: Getty)
怀特说,良好的饮食习惯可以促进血液流动,增加荷尔蒙,或是保持心情愉悦,从而起到催情的作用。
有一项研究调查了600名身患二型糖尿病的女性,结果发现,地中海饮食和性功能障碍呈负相关。还有一项研究的结论是,饮食习惯能够改善男性勃起障碍。怀特说:“至少,我们能得出这样的结论:多吃海鲜、瘦肉、坚果、果蔬和全麦制品的饮食方式(基本就是地中海饮食),能够改善神经功能,增加血液流动,并且促进荷尔蒙分泌。” 健康均衡的饮食比任何一种食物的催情效果都来得好(Credit: Getty)
瑞典隆德大学(Lund University)进化生态学的高级讲师阿伯特(Jessica Abbott)给出了一个很好的理由,说明为什么没有某种特定的食物能够起到催情的效果——任何一种具有如此强大效果的食物都是危险的。
她说:“我们现在吃的东西,大多数是不会有副作用的,这样人们才能放心。如果真有食物有副作用,那么人们一定不会把它当做长期食用的东西。”
“能有催情作用的草药,我们都会避免大量食用的。比如凤仙花和高浓度的植物根部提取物等,因为里面包含了一些活性化合物,以保护自己免被食草动物吃掉。”
精神高于物质
那么为什么总有些人认为有的食物能催情呢?
克里奇曼说,这可能只是主观想法导致的。
他说:“没有证据表明牡蛎能够激发性欲,也确实缺乏严谨的实验结果——因为这个说法的部分原因是自我安慰。”
新泽西州罗格斯大学(Rutgers University)的心理治疗师和性治疗师威斯(Nan Wise)说,性欲关乎方方面面,每一方面都有相应的催情效果。 如果你相信某种食物会增加你的欲望,那它可能真的能发挥作用(Credit: Getty)
“欲望存在于肉体、精神以及关系上,而且受很多东西的影响。如果你觉得一种食物能够激发欲望,其实是心理作用。”威斯说。
赫特福德大学的埃文斯补充道,当然也取决于我们吃的是什么。她说:“如果吃的是Twix的巧克力(包装类似德芙巧克力棒),那就肯定不会觉得巧克力会有催情的效果。 所以,具体处境是很重要的。” 不会有人认为所有巧克力都有催情的效果——巧克力的包装和外型还是很重要的(Credit: Getty)
荷兰格罗宁根大学(University of Groningen)社会和性行为学科的副教授比勒特(Jean-Christophe Billeter)表示,每个人不同的经历也决定了哪一种食物最能够激发个人的性欲。
“人类是非常善于联想的,在一次完美的性爱之后,大脑会把它记忆下来。这样的记忆根据情境的不同而有所不同,如果在这次性爱中发生了什么事情,那么当同样的事情再次出现时,人们的性欲就会被撩拨起来。”
饥饿推动论
事实上,也许所有的食物都有催情的效果。退一步来说,如果有人肚子空空而且附近没有食物,那么这个人一定没有心情享受性爱。 在对的环境下,所有食物都能起到催情的效果(Credit: Getty)
“从进化的角度来说,人类之所以有性欲,是因为要繁殖后代。所以我们必须保持健康的体重以及良好的饮食习惯,这样才能有足够的精力去享受性爱。”比勒特说。
有证据表明17世纪的色情作品中,经常会出现食物,这也是出于同样的原因。埃文斯说:食物给伴侣之间的性爱提供了足够的能量。
比勒特从他的果蝇实验中发现,果蝇的交配方式会因附近是否有食物而发生变化。雌性果蝇处于一个有充足食物的环境中时,附近有雄性就会立刻交配,一天可达七次之多。假如周遭没有任何食物,它们的交配频率则会下降至一天一次。
大自然中也有证据可以表明,什么东西能让我们更加吸引异性,我们就会选择吃什么。有些鸟类有这样的特征:雄性的毛色会更加斑斓,能够更加吸引雌性同类。因此,它们就会摄入更多富含胡萝卜素的食物。
人类亦是如此。“过去,人们认为女性应该以胖为美。因为在那个食物匮乏的时代里,胖一点的女性看起来生育能力更强。”比勒特说。
而送食物给性伴侣的举动可能就含有催情效果——这就不难解释为什么情人节的巧克力、或是家里做的一顿饭都能激发欲望。 由于伴侣间有互赠食物的习俗,一顿自家做的饭菜或许颇具引诱力(Credit: Getty)
阿伯特说:“为了获得交配的机会,雄性蜘蛛会把捕捉到的苍蝇送给雌性,而雄性蟋蟀都会产生一种胶状物质来吸引雌性。”
埃文斯认为,人们对催情剂的存在信以为真,是因为大家被永保青春和旺盛繁殖力的宣传所吸引了。
因此,在未来几个世纪里,人们还是会对此深信不疑。 Do aphrodisiacs really work?
By Jessica Brown
14th February 2019
Chocolate, strawberries, oysters: we’ve all heard that certain foods can heighten our sexual desire and even performance. But is there any truth to the claims? BBC Future investigates.
Named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, aphrodisiacs are said to increase libido, potency, and sexual pleasure. Who hasn’t heard that chocolates, strawberries and oysters can have such a powerful effect? Historically, aphrodisiacs have included even quirkier edibles – including the toxic Spanish fly, ground rhinoceros and rare plant extracts.
In fact, during research for her book Intercourses, co-author Martha Hopkins found that almost every food has been considered an aphrodisiac at one time.
“Historically, foods considered to be aphrodisiacs were hard to find, rare or expensive, like truffles, foie gras and caviar, or shaped like a sex organ, like asparagus or artichokes, and even animal testicles,” Hopkins says.
Because of their shape, even artichokes have been considered aphrodisiacs (Credit: Getty)
While we tend to think of aphrodisiacs in terms of lust, romance and libido, in the 17th Century – when everything from pigeons to almonds to parsnips were considered aphrodisiacs – they were associated with reproduction and fertility and given to married couples as more of a medical substance, says Jennifer Evans, senior lecturer in history at the University of Hertfordshire who researches the history of food and fertility.
But can any food really affect sexual desire and performance? And why is the idea so persistent?
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Sexy snacks
Certain foods can help in a similar way to Viagra medication – by relaxing blood vessels and improving blood flow to the genitals
For those who have problems with their circulation, it’s true that certain foods can help in a similar way to Viagra medication – by relaxing blood vessels and improving blood flow to the genitals. The amino acid L-arginine, found in foods such as pumpkins, walnuts and beef, is converted to nitric oxide in the body, which increases blood flow. So do foods high in omega 3 fatty acids, including salmon and avocado. Another helper is quercetin. Found in apples, berries, grapes, red wine, garlic and dark chocolate, quercetin has anti-inflammatory properties that can improve blood flow.
However, only people with compromised blood flow will see any improvements to sexual function by eating these foods, says Lauri Wright, spokesperson for the US Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Someone with good circulation isn’t likely to see any changes.
When most of us think of aphrodisiacs, though, we don’t think about sexual function, but desire.
One food that’s long been believed to heighten sexual desire is chocolate. Studies have shown that cocoa can increase blood flow in parts of our body beyond our torso. But when its direct relationship with sexual desire was studied, there was no evidence found to support its use as an aphrodisiac.
Cocoa has been found to increase peripheral blood flow, though not sexual desire (Credit: Getty)
In fact, no evidence has been found proving that any one food heightens sexual arousal or desire.
There is one exception: alcohol. A number of small studies have shown alcohol consumption is linked to arousal. But it can also impede sexual performance.
Red wine in particular may be indirectly linked to sexual function because of its potential benefits to heart health, says Michael Krychman, obstetrician, gynaecologist and a clinical sexual counsellor at the Southern California Center for Sexual Health and Survivorship Medicine. But it’s important to note that the link between red wine and cardiovascular health remains inconclusive.
The Mediterranean diet may have aphrodisiac qualities
Wine’s reputation as an aphrodisiac also may come from the fact that it’s part of the Mediterranean diet, defined as consisting primarily of plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, legumes and nuts, fish and olive oil and being relatively low in sugar, cheese and meat. More of a lifestyle than a single food, the Mediterranean diet may have aphrodisiac qualities.
Holistic health
“Research has found that red wine effects sexual function, but we don’t know if it’s the diet, or a combination of diet, lifestyle and genetics,” Krychman says. “What we do know is that, for people who exercise, have a healthy diet and lower stress, all these elements work together and they have better sex lives.”
Red wine has been found to affect sexual function – but with caveats (Credit: Getty)
Our overall diet can work as an aphrodisiac through benefits like improved blood flow, increased hormones or elevated mood, says Wright.
One study involving 600 women with type two diabetes found that the Mediterranean diet was linked to lower levels of sexual dysfunction, while another study concluded the diet may also be associated with an improvement of erectile dysfunction. “The bottom line is that a healthy diet of seafood, lean meats, nuts, fruit, vegetables and wholegrains, which is basically the Mediterranean diet, helps support nerve function and supports blood flow and hormones,” Wright says.
More than any single food, a healthy, balanced diet may have aphrodisiac qualities (Credit: Getty)
The reason there is no supporting evidence for any individual food to be an aphrodisiac is a good one: any one food having such a potent effect would be dangerous, says Jessica Abbott, senior lecturer in evolutionary ecology at Lund University in Sweden.
“Most of the food we eat isn’t going to have side effects, which is reassuring. If they did, it wouldn’t be safe to eat them regularly,” she says.
“Any herbs that have been associated with aphrodisiacs are the types of food we wouldn’t usually eat much of, such as touch-me-not plants and high-dose root extract, which have active compounds used as defence against herbivores.”
Mind over matter
So why do some people swear that certain foods have aphrodisiac qualities?
It may simply be because they believe they will, says Krychman.
“Oysters have limited evidence of having an effect on sexual desire, but a rigorous trial [proving that effect] is lacking – partly because the placebo effect is so big,” he says.
The fact that sexual desire is so multifaceted and individual for all aphrodisiacs can work to its advantage, says Nan Wise, psychotherapist and sex therapist at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
If you believe a certain food increases your desire, it probably will (Credit: Getty)
“Desire is physical, psychosocial and relational, and involves a lot of variables. If you believe a food increases desire, the psychology of the placebo effect affects our capacity to get turned on or off,” Wise says.
It’s all about the context of the food we’re eating, adds the University of Hertfordshire’s Evans. “You don’t think of chocolate as an aphrodisiac every time you break into Twix. You have to be in the right context,” she says.
We don’t think every kind of chocolate is an aphrodisiac – the context matters (Credit: Getty)
Our individual experiences also could be strong determinants of which foods boost sexual desire in each of us, says Jean-Christophe Billeter, associate professor of social and sexual behaviour at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.
“Humans are very suggestive, and the brain is wired to form a strong memory when we have sexual success. Depending on the situation, if something happened in the environment where a person had sex, this will become something to trigger the desire to have sex in the future.”
Hunger drive
In fact, it may turn out that any food can have aphrodisiac qualities. At the very least, if a person is starving and there’s no food around, it makes sense that their sex drive would go down.
In the right context, any food can have aphrodisiac qualities (Credit: Getty)
“Evolutionarily speaking, humans have a desire to have sex in order to reproduce, and we need to be of a healthy weight and have a diet that provides the right nutrients in order to do this,” Billeter says.
There is evidence that food regularly appeared in 17th-Century pornography for the same reason, says Evans: it was there to help fuel a couple for the next round.
Mating patterns change significantly when food isn’t nearb
In his experiments with fruit flies, Billeter has found that mating patterns change significantly when food isn’t nearby. If fruit flies are in an environment where there is food, they’ll mate with the first male they encounter up to seven times a day. If there’s no food, they only mate once.
There is also evidence from nature that we eat foods that make us look appealing to the opposite sex. Consider the characteristics of certain birds: males are more colourful because females find it attractive, and they achieve this colour by eating foods with carotenoids.
This applies to humans, too. “In the past, women deemed the most attractive tended to be fatter, as being fat when there wasn’t much food around could indicate the woman is good at reproducing,” Billeter says.
There may also be an aphrodisiac quality inherent in the practice of giving food to a sexual partner – which perhaps explain the real reason a box of Valentine’s chocolates or a home-cooked meal can induce desire.
A home-cooked meal may be an aphrodisiac because of the practice of giving and receiving food from a partner (Credit: Getty)
“Spiders catch flies to present to females in order to mate, while a species of cricket produces a jelly-like structure to induce females into mating with them,” Abbott says.
The idea of aphrodisiacs has survived so long because people have always been drawn to concepts that promise youth, longevity and fertility, Evans argues.
And for this reason, it’s likely we’ll continue to believe in them for centuries to come.
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