植物类食物会是你的最佳选择吗？

导读：你尝过植物肉吗？以植物蛋白为原料的植物肉，正变身为炸鸡块、汉堡肉、牛排等美食，逐步走进公众视野。

Many of us like to dine out and treat ourselves to delicious food. Among the top choices are hearty dishes with high-fat meat， despite the fact that they may be unhealthy.

Plant-based food， however， gives diners a smarter choice. According to CGTN， two popular chains—KFC and Starbucks—announced they were debuting items featuring meat substitutes in China.

The plant-based meat substitute has been popular in the US and the UK for years and offers meat-lovers a healthy alternative to an otherwise unhealthy indulgence.

Despite the negative impacts on our health， the tempting taste and convenience of fast food have made it a popular option across the world for decades. But with the introduction of the plant-based food， its likely that fast food wont be considered “junk food” any more， as the calorie intake for typical fast food items will be reduced. The meat substitute also provides rich protein and different minerals and vitamins while still whetting our taste buds.

Another factor contributing to the products popularity is a new breed of environmentally-aware consumers. On average producing 1 kilogram of meat emits 36.4 kilograms of carbon dioxide. With such a high carbon emission， many environmentalists choose to cut down on the intake of meat， making the plant-based diet characterized by environmental protection a popular choice.

Plant-based food seemed to come at a time when increased animal-human interactions blamed for the 2019-nCoV， which is believed to have been transmitted to humans through an intermediate animal host. Therefore， the debut of meatless dishes means a safer choice for consumers.

Without doubt， the newcomers on the Chinese table represent a change in peoples dietary lifestyle that is heading toward “healthy， environmentally-friendly and less animal-human interaction”， CGTN noted.

我們许多人都喜欢下馆子享受美食。最受欢迎的一大选择便是高热量的肉类大餐，尽管这些佳肴或许并不健康。

而植物类食物则为食客们提供了更明智的选择。据中国国际电视台报道，两大知名连锁品牌肯德基与星巴克宣布在中国首次推出肉类替代品。

多年来，植物肉在英美两国大受欢迎，为肉食爱好者们不健康的放纵饮食提供了另一种健康的选择。

尽管快餐无益于健康，但诱人的味道及其便捷令其数十年来在全球大受欢迎。而随着植物类食物的加入，快餐或许也不再会被视为“垃圾食品”了，因为特定的快餐食品的卡路里摄入会有所减少。这种肉类替代品还能提供丰富的蛋白质、不同的矿物质与维生素，同时让人食指大动。

植物肉大受欢迎的另一个因素在于注重环保的新消费者群体。每生产1千克肉平均会产生36.4千克的二氧化碳排放量。如此高的碳排放量让许多环保人士选择减少肉类摄入，令以环保为特点的植物性饮食备受欢迎。

植物类食物的到来似乎恰逢其时。如今人们认为人类与动物的接触增加，从而导致新型冠状病毒通过动物中间宿主传播给人类。因此，推出素食菜品对于消费者而言是更安全的选择。

毫无疑问的是，中国人餐桌上的这一新品代表着人们饮食生活方式变得“健康、环保，与动物的接触更少”，中国国际电视台报道指出。

Word Study

substitute /'s?bst?tju?t/ n. 替代物;替代品

Reduced-calorie cheese is a great substitute for cream cheese.

intake /'?nte?k/ n. 摄取量;吸入量

Your intake of alcohol should not exceed two units per day.

transmit /tr?ns'm?t/ v. 传播;传染

Parents can unwittingly transmit their own fears to their children.