自古以来，人们就开始食用用植物种子做成的食品，这些食品也常见于现代人的日常饮食中。比如芝麻籽、奇亚籽。种子类食品中富含纤维和不饱和脂肪，对人体有益。本期“随身英语”介绍各种各样用植物种子做成的食品，以及它们对健康的好处。

　　词汇：diet and health 饮食与健康

　　Think of a caveman, and maybe you imagine someone tearing at the flesh of an animal they've just hunted. But this picture may be false – analysis of prehistoric¹ remains² suggests that Stone Age people were skilled in processing and cooking different kinds of seeds, even experimenting with different flavours. Seeds are still an important part of our diets, so maybe food choices haven't changed as much as we think.

　　In botanical terms, seeds are what new plants grow from. Strictly³ speaking, edible⁴ seeds include nuts, pulses and grains, and are a significant source of protein and calories worldwide. Between them, rice and bread are staple⁵ foods in most of the world. Many cuisines⁶ use beans, whether cooked in stews⁷ or curries⁸, or mashed⁹ into pastes, like hummus from the Middle East. This definition of seeds also includes coffee beans and the cocoa beans used to make chocolate.

　　Added to these are culinary seeds. These are what we more often think of as seeds – we often buy them unprocessed and use them whole in cooking, whether as a seasoning¹⁰, as part of a salad or as a topping for bread. This includes chia seeds, sesame seeds and flaxseed.

　　There are clear health benefits to including these seeds in our diet. They are high in dietary fibre, which is good for digestion¹¹ and helps fight illnesses such as diabetes¹² and bowel¹³ cancer. They are also a good source of unsaturated fat. Experts believe that using this to replace saturated¹⁴ fats, such as those from meat and dairy products, can lower cholesterol¹⁵ and help keep our heart healthy. The minerals contained in many culinary seeds, such as zinc¹⁶, copper¹⁷, and folate, can be beneficial for the immune system.

　　However, it's not all good news. Seeds can cause an allergic¹⁸ reaction, especially sesame seeds. Sesame is one of the top ten causes of food allergies¹⁹ in the UK. Different types of seeds can share allergy-causing proteins, and other seeds that can cause allergies include sunflower seeds and poppy seeds.

　　词汇表

　　flavour 口味，味道

　　diet （日常）饮食

　　botanical 植物学的

　　edible 可食用的

　　nut 坚果

　　pulse 豆类

　　grain 谷物

　　protein 蛋白质

　　calorie 热量，卡路里

　　staple food 主食

　　bean 豆类，豆子，豆科植物

　　mash 将（食物）捣成泥状

　　culinary seed 烹饪用的籽类食物

　　topping （食物上的）配料

　　chia seed 奇亚籽

　　sesame seed 芝麻籽

　　flaxseed 亚麻籽

　　dietary fibre 膳食纤维

　　unsaturated fat 不饱和脂肪

　　cholesterol 胆固醇

　　folate 叶酸

　　allergic 对…过敏的

 

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