簡單的30秒測試告訴你,你胖是不是因爲碳水化合物!

The answer to the question 'what makes us fat?' isn't always as straightforward as we'd like. Yes, eating too much often plays a part, but there are also non-dietary factors like stress and lack of sleep which can cause us to balloon.
'導致我們發胖的原因是什麼？'這一問題的答案並不總是如我們所以爲的那樣直截了當。是的，吃太多是其中一個原因，但很多非膳食因素，如壓力、缺覺也會導致肥胖。

Then there's all the advice which focuses on specific food groups. Sugar is often public enemy number one, and fats frequently get a hard time, but carbohydrates also get cast in the role of villain.
所以針對特定食物羣體的建議也接踵而至。通常，糖是頭號公敵，脂肪也不例外，但碳水化合物也會扮演'惡棍'一角。

But do carbohydrates actually make you fat?
但碳水化合物真的是導致你肥胖的原因嗎？

Many people put themselves through the misery of a carb-free diet, but in some cases, this may be unnecessary. Dr Xand van Tulleken explores this on his BBC programme, The Truth About Carbs. Speaking to the Mail Online , he says: "As I've now learned, not all carbohydrates are created equal. Some are very good for us, though many are indeed bad, causing us to pile on weight, raise our risk of diabetes and even threatening our fertility."
很多人都會把自己推向無碳水化合物飲食的深淵，但在一些情況下，這是沒有必要的。Xand van Tulleken博士在其BBC節目（The Truth About Carbs）中探討了這一點。接受Mail Online的訪談時，他說道："現在我知道了，並非所有的碳水化合物都是一樣的。有些碳水化合物對人體十分有益，儘管其它類的碳水化合物的確有害，會導致我們增重、增加患糖尿病的風險，甚至對我們的生育能力構成威脅。"

"Learning to eat carbs more intelligently has helped me control my weight more easily. As a medical doctor with a degree in public health, I'm convinced it could bring similar benefits to millions of Britons."
"學會更巧妙的攝入碳水化合物使我控制體重更爲容易。作爲一名有着公共健康學位的醫學博士，我相信這種做法也可以爲數百萬名英國人帶來相似的益處。"

Happily, Dr van Tulleken is sharing his wisdom and a simple test which will show you if you should embrace a lower carb diet or not.
令人高興的是，van Tulleken博士分享了他的智慧，以及一個簡單的測試。這個測試將解答你是否需要接受低碳水化合物飲食。

The cracker test
餅乾測試

"Simply chew on a plain cracker until it changes in flavour from a bland biscuit to quite sweet. If the taste changes in less than 30 seconds, your body probably processes carbs quite effectively. But if the cracker hasn't changed taste after 30 seconds, then you should seriously consider eating a lower carb diet."
"只需嚼一塊原味餅乾，直到其從無味變成很甜。如果這種味道的變化在不到30秒的時間內發生，那你的身體處理碳水化合物的方式可能十分有效。但如果30秒之後，味道還是沒有發生變化，那你可能得認真考慮低碳水化合物飲食了。"

"If you notice the sweetness within 0 to 14 seconds, your body processes carbs efficiently for use as energy - you can have 250g of carbs a day (roughly four slices of wholewheat bread). If it takes 15 to 30 seconds, you can have 175g of carbs a day (around three-and-a-half slices of wholewheat bread)."
"如果0至14秒內，你感覺到了甜味，那就表明你的身體有效的將碳水化合物轉化爲了能量--你每天可以攝入250克碳水化合物（大約四片全麥麪包）。如果你花了15至30秒的時間才感覺到甜味，那你每天可以攝入175克碳水化合物（大約三片半全麥麪包）。"