Do you Know that Tofu is harming the planet more than meat 豆腐对地球的危害比肉还大

Do you Know that Tofu is harming the planet more than meat
English lesson for intermediate level, today’s English conversation lesson is about Global environment.
中级英语课程,今天的英语会话课程是关于全球环境的
Tofu is harming the planet more than meat 豆腐对地球的危害比肉还大

Soy meat substitutes such as tofu have a worse impact on global warming than the consumption of lamb, pork or chicken, according to researchers and scientists who presented their findings at a British National Farmers’ Union conference on Tuesday.

本周二,研究人员和科学家在英国全国农民联盟会议上公布了他们的研究结果。研究人员称,与食用羊肉、猪肉或鸡肉相比,豆腐等豆制品对全球变暖的影响更大。

A vegetarian diet is also harmful to health, leads to higher emissions in farm production, and contributes to the destruction of the global ecosystems, said the researchers at the conference in London.

研究人员在伦敦的会议上说,素食对健康也有害,会导致农业生产中的高排放,并会破坏全球生态系统。

The results of the research appear to refute the research of other scientists who claim the opposite.

这项研究的结果似乎反驳了其他科学家提出相反观点的研究。

According to Graham McAuliffe of the Rothamsted School, researchers usually do not take into account the fact that it is more difficult for the human body to process plant-based proteins, which means that people have to eat more.

根据罗瑟姆研究所的Graham McAuliffe的说法,研究人员通常没有考虑到这样一个事实,即人体处理植物蛋白更加困难,这意味着人们必须吃更多。

From this point of view, the research suggests that to receive the same amount of protein from the tofu as from meat, one has to eat more of the soy substitute, which leads to higher greenhouse gas emissions.

从这个角度来看,研究表明,要从豆腐中获得与肉类相同的蛋白质,人们必须食用更多的大豆替代品,这会导致更高的温室气体排放。

However, McAuliffe added that the results of his research should be interpreted with caution.

然而,麦考利夫补充说,他的研究结果应该谨慎解读。

Soybeans and other products that vegans tend to gravitate to, such as palm oil, are also linked with deforestation and massive mono-culture planting, which is said to deplete soil nutrients and contribute to climate change.

纯素食者倾向于食用的大豆和其他产品,如棕榈油,也与森林砍伐和大规模的单一栽培种植有关,据说这种种植会耗尽土壤养分,导致气候变化。

According to Minette Batters, president of the British National Farmers’ Union, campaigns against meat consumption are more of a problem than Brexit.

英国全国农民联盟(British National Farmers’Union)主席米内特•巴特斯(Minette Batters)表示,反对肉类消费的运动比英国退欧更成问题。

Dairy farmers alone saw their profits decline 50 percent in just one year, largely influenced by the shift towards plant-based drinks.

仅奶农一年的利润就下降了50%,这主要是受转向植物性饮料的影响。

“The vegan way of life has been enormously detrimental to farmers’ mental health. We want people to get involved more than just by eating vegan food,” she said at the conference, adding that people equate eating vegan food to fighting climate change.

“纯素食的生活方式对农民的心理健康非常有害。我们希望人们不仅仅通过吃纯素食品来参与环保。”她在会议上说,并补充说人们把吃纯素食品等同于对抗气候变化。

Furthermore, researchers point out that vegan versions of unhealthy foods such as fish fingers, sausages, bacon, or burgers can be far more harmful to health than the meat versions. According to the BBC, these processed substitutes often contain higher levels of salt or sugar in addition to more indigestible substances.

此外,研究人员指出,纯素食版本的不健康食品,如炸鱼条、香肠、培根或汉堡,对健康的危害可能远远大于纯素食版本的肉类食品。据BBC报道,这些加工过的替代品通常含有更高水平的盐或糖,此外还含有更多不易消化的物质。