2011年ESL之餐饮娱乐 11 Eating Unhealthy Foods

11 Eating Unhealthy Foods

GLOSSARY 1

to help (someone) out – to help another person, especially informally and whenone is not obligated to help, but chooses to do so

* If you have a minute, can you please help me out with the laundry?

to not sound like much – to appear to be insignificant 2, unimportant, orunimpressive

* Making $30,000 per year may not sound like much, but it’s almost twice asmuch as he was making in his previous job.

to make a mean sandwich – to make a very good sandwich that is better thanmost other sandwiches

* This deli makes a mean sandwich. Their tuna salad sandwiches are the best intown!

cold cuts – thinly sliced, processed meat put on sandwiches, like bologna,pastrami, turkey, roast beef, and ham

* That was a really healthy salad before you put all those cold cuts on top.

processed – manufactured; not natural; changed from its natural form throughsome manmade process

* Processed products like apple juice and applesauce have less fiber 3 and fewervitamins than whole foods like raw apples.

additive 4 – chemicals or other substances that are added to foods or medicines,usually to change their color, texture 5, or taste

* With so many additives 6, are those crackers 7 even real food?

sodium 8 – salt; sodium chloride; NaCl

* A high-sodium diet is associated with high blood pressure.

saturated 9 fat – a type of fat that is a solid (not liquid) at room temperature,mostly found in animal products

* Whole milk, yogurt, cheese, and ice cream are high in saturated fat.

greens – leafy vegetables like lettuce 10, spinach 11, and kale

* These greens would be delicious tossed with oil and vinegar dressing,parmesan cheese, and croutons.

organic – grown without using artificial or manmade chemicals

* Organic produce usually isn’t very pretty, because insects often damage thefruits and vegetables.

pesticide 12 – a chemical used to kill insects and other living things that damage orkill crops (plants grown for food, clothing, or other purposes)

* Can washing vegetables with soap and warm water remove all the dangerouspesticides?

chemical – a substance created in a laboratory for a particular purpose

* DDT used to be sprayed in agricultural areas, but now people know it is adangerous chemical that hurts birds and humans.

to sigh – to exhale 14 heavily; to breathe out through one’s mouth so that it can beheard, usually to show that one is tired or disappointed

* As Gabe stared out the window and thought about his mistakes, he sighed.

smoothie – a thick, cold drink made by mixing fruit, ice, and milk, juice, frozenyogurt, or ice cream in a blender

* Every morning, Helena makes a smoothie from bananas, frozen peaches, andnonfat milk.

high-fructose corn syrup 15 – a sweet liquid made from corn, often used as aninexpensive substitute for sugar in manufactured, processed foods

* Sindu won’t let his children eat anything made with high-fructose corn syrup.

to not want to put (someone) to any trouble – to not want to create problemsor additional work for another person

* I don’t want to put you to any trouble, but I’m allergic 16 to eggs, milk, and wheat,so I can’t eat anything you’ve served.

under (one’s) breath – said quietly so that another person cannot hear what onesays

* Huwasa was very frustrated 17 with her co-worker. When they finally finished theproject, she said, “We never would have finished this on time without your help,”

but under her breath she added, “but we probably would have finished it a weekearlier!”

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What does Gabe originally offer to make for Helen?

a) A very spicy 18 sandwich.

b) A very large, filling sandwich.

c) A very good, tasty sandwich.

2. What is a smoothie?

a) A fruit salad.

b) A fruit-based drink.

c) A fruity dessert.

______________

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

processed

The word “processed,” in this podcast, means manufactured, changed from thenatural form through some manmade process: “Processed food that has beenpackaged for weeks seldom tastes as good as natural, fresh food.” The verb “toprocess” can mean to handle paperwork: “How long will it take the agency toprocess our application for a business license 19?” The verb “to process” can alsomean to develop a photograph, printing it onto special paper: “Professionalphotographers might process hundreds of photographs before finding the onethey want to try to sell.” Finally, “data processing” refers to the process ofentering information into a computer and/or processing it: “Olive has a dataprocessingjob at the bank, where she spends all day typing account numbersinto a computer.”

greens

In this podcast, the word “greens” means leafy vegetables like lettuce, spinach,and kale: “Greens are a great source of fiber, vitamin A, and minerals.” In golf, a“green,” is the flat grassy 20 area around the hole where players are trying to hit theball: “Hank hit a great putt on the 13th green.” The word “green” can refer to aperson who cares about the environment or an action or attitude that benefits theenvironment: “Rachel Carson was one of the first American greens.” Or, “Theoffice is trying to become more green by encouraging recycling and installingenergy-efficient light bulbs.” Finally, a “green card” is the document that shows anon-U.S. citizen is legally allowed to live and work in the United States.

CULTURE NOTE

Health-Food and Diet FadsMany “fads 22” (ideas and behaviors that become very popular very quickly, andthen are forgotten) are related to food and especially healthy eating.

One past health-food fad 21 was the low-fat diet. People tried to minimize thepercentage of their “calories” (measurement of food energy) that came from fats.

Over time, people began to “differentiate” (see differences) among different typesof fats. They believed it was best to “avoid” (not have or use) “saturated fats”

(animal-based fats), but that “monosaturated” or “polysaturdated fats” could behealthy “in moderation” (without extremes; without too little or too much ofsomething). More recently, people have become concerned with avoiding “transfats” which are found in highly processed foods.

Over time, low-fat diets “gave way to” (lost popularity as something else becomesmore popular) low-“carb” (carbohydrate) diets and especially the Atkins diet.

People became “obsessed with” (very concerned and preoccupied 23 or alwaysthinking about) reducing the percentage of their calories that came fromcarbohydrates. They tended to eat a lot of “animal products” (foods made fromanimal sources), like meats and cheeses.

Other health-food fads focus on “vegetarian” (eating no meat) or “vegan” (eatingno meat, eggs, or milk) diets, eating only organic foods, or eating only local foodsthat are grown within a certain number of miles of where one lives.

Most “nutritionists” (doctors and others who specialize in knowing what peopleshould eat for good health) advise moderation in everything. They recommendeating a “balanced diet” (with a little bit of everything) that focuses on high-“fiber”

(the part of food that is not as easily digested), “whole” (not processed) foods,“complex carbohydrates” (carbs found in whole grains, not simple sugars), andreduced-fat “dairy products” (foods made from milk).

______________

Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – b

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT 24

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 719: EatingUnhealthy Foods.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 719. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

Our website is eslpod.com. Support this podcast by becoming an ESL Podcastmember. When you do, you can download a Learning Guide for each episode.

This episode is called “Eating Unhealthy Food,” food that would be bad for yourhealth. We’ll listen to a dialogue between Helen and Gabe about someunhealthy foods. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Helen: So, what’s for lunch?

Gabe: Since you were nice enough to spend your Saturday morning helping 25 meout, I’ll make sandwiches for lunch. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but I makea mean sandwich.

Helen: That sounds good, but you’re not going to use those cold cuts, are you?

Gabe: I was. Why?

Helen: Those are processed meats made with additives and a lot of sodium –definitely not what you’d want to put into your body.

Gabe: I eat these kinds of cold cuts all the time.

Helen: You shouldn’t if you don’t want to eat a lot saturated fat.

Gabe: Okay, how about if I make us salads.

Helen: Not with those greens. Unless they’re organic, they’re full of pesticidesand chemicals.

Gabe: [sighs] All right, how about if I make us healthy smoothies?

Helen: Only if you use only fresh fruit. Bottled juices are full of high-fructosecorn syrup. Yuck!

Gabe: I’ve got a great idea.

Helen: What?

Gabe: You pick the restaurant and I’ll buy you lunch.

Helen: I don’t want to put you to any trouble.

Gabe: It’s no trouble at all. [Said under his breath] I’d do anything to get you outof my kitchen!

[end of dialogue]

Helen begins our dialogue by asking Gabe, “So, what’s for lunch?” meaning whatare we going to eat for lunch. Gabe says, “Since you were nice enough to spendyour Saturday morning helping me out, I’ll make sandwiches for lunch.” “To helpsomeone out” means to help another person. Here, “out,” like in a lot of phrasalverbs, has more of a meaning of emphasis. “To help someone” and “to helpthem out” are really the same thing. Often we use this when another personhelps you do some job that you need to get done; they don’t have to but theydecide to help you – they help you out.

Gabe is going to make sandwiches for lunch; he says, “I know it doesn’t soundlike much, but I make a mean sandwich.” The expression “to not sound likemuch” means to appear to be unimportant, not significant, no big deal. Gabesays he makes a mean (mean) sandwich. “Mean” isn’t a kind of meat orsomething you put in the sandwich. It’s an adjective which normally is negative;“to be mean” means to be unkind, not nice. But, it has an informal use, which isthat it is excellent, it is great. So, when Gabe says he makes a mean sandwich,he means he makes a very good sandwich. For some reason, there are lots ofwords in English that have a negative meaning in the dictionary in their normalmeanings, but for some reason have become positive in informal English. Thesechange every year; many of them are part of slang so I won’t talk about them atlength, but “mean” is an example of one that has been around for many years.

Helen says, “That sounds good, but you’re not going to use those cold cuts, areyou?” “Cold cuts” (cuts) are thin pieces of what we would call “processed” meat,things like bologna, pastrami, turkey, roast beef, ham; all of these could be called“cold cuts” when you cut them in thin pieces and use them for a sandwich.

Gabe says, “I was (meaning I was going to use the cold cuts). Why?” Helensays, “Those are processed meats made with additives and a lot of sodium.”

“Processed meats” are meats that are somehow changed; it’s not the same aswhen it came out of the animal. They have done something to it – added,subtracted, changed it somehow. “Process” has a couple of different meaningsin English however; take a look at our Learning Guide for some additionalexplanations. Processed meats often have additives. “To add” means to havemore of something, so an “additive” is something that is extra, something that isput in the food or some other substance in addition to what normally goes inthere. It could be a chemical; it could be some other substance; it could be justsomething to change the color of the food. “Sodium” is another word for salt.

Technically 26, it would be sodium chloride; in chemistry class you learn it as NaCl.

There was a great line that my chemistry teacher in high school taught us: “LittleJohnny took a drink / But little Johnny is no more / ‘Cause what he thought wasH2O / Was really H2SO4.” This has nothing to do with sodium now that I realizeit, but I love that little rhyme! “H2O” is water and “H2SO4” is sulfuric acid, whichwould kill you. That’s why little Johnny, when he drank the H2SO4 is no more,because he’s dead. For some reason, that’s the only thing I remember from myhigh school chemistry class!

Anyway, Helen says that you definitely do not want to put these processed meatsinto your body, meaning eat them. Gabe says, “I eat these kinds of cold cuts allthe time.” Helen says, “You shouldn’t if you don’t want to eat a lot saturated fat.”

“Saturated fat” is a type of fat that is solid, not liquid, at room temperature, mostlyfound in animal products. Saturated fat is thought to be bad for your heart,among other things. Helen says so if you don’t want saturated fat you should noteat cold cuts.

Gabe says, “Okay, how about if I make us salads.” Helen says, “Not with thosegreens.” “Greens” refer to vegetables – green vegetables, usually lettuce orspinach, perhaps kale; these are greens that you use in a salad. But Helen says,“Not with those greens. Unless they’re organic, they’re full of pesticides 13 andchemicals.” “Organic,” in general, means grown without using any artificial orman-made chemicals; it has more technical definitions depending on who youtalk to. Helen says that the greens are full of pesticides and chemicals.

“Pesticide” is a chemical used to kill bugs 27 and insects and other living things thatcould hurt or damage the vegetables or other food that you are growing. We callfood that you grow to eat “crops” (crops) – not to be confused with “crap” (crap),which is what you can buy at McDonald’s! Now, pesticides are supposed to killinsects, but some people think they also harm or can make humans sick.

“Chemicals” is a general word for any substance, in this case, created in a laboratory by scientists for a particular purpose. Again, it has a broader use,which we won’t talk about here.

Gabe sighs; he goes “hhhha.” “To sigh” is to breathe out through your mouth sothat other people can hear you; “hhhha,” that’s to sigh. Gabe sighs and says, “Allright, how about if I make us healthy smoothies?” A “smoothie” is a thick, colddrink made with fruit, ice, usually milk, some juice – some fruit juice, sometimeswith frozen yogurt or ice cream. It’s a thick fruity drink, you could call it. Helensays, “Only if you use only fresh fruit.” She says, “Bottled juices are full of highfructosecorn syrup. Yuck!” “High-fructose corn syrup” is a sweet liquid madefrom corn that is used many times instead of sugar in processed foods. It can befound in many different kinds of food. Some people think it’s bad for you, sothat’s why Helen says, “Yuck!” “Yuck” is a word we use to mean it doesn’t tastevery good; it’s not good for you to eat.

Gabe says, “I’ve got a great idea.” Helen says, “What?” Gabe says, “You pickthe restaurant and I’ll buy you lunch.” Helen says, “I don’t want to put you to anytrouble.” When you say you “don’t want to put (someone) to any trouble” youmean you don’t want to create problems for them; you don’t want to create extrawork for them. Of course, Helen doesn’t want to eat anything that Gabe ispreparing, so Gabe says okay, well let’s go to a restaurant, and you pick therestaurant. Helen is what we might call a “pain in the butt 28.” Gabe says, “It’s notrouble at all that,” but of course it is a trouble and so he says under his breath,“I’d do anything to get you out of my kitchen!” “To say something under yourbreath” means to say it quietly to yourself so that the other person can’t hear youor can’t hear exactly what you’re saying.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Helen: So, what’s for lunch?

Gabe: Since you were nice enough to spend your Saturday morning helping meout, I’ll make sandwiches for lunch. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but I makea mean sandwich.

Helen: That sounds good, but you’re not going to use those cold cuts, are you?

Gabe: I was. Why?

Helen: Those are processed meats made with additives and a lot of sodium –definitely not what you’d want to put into your body.

Gabe: I eat those kinds of cold cuts all the time.

Helen: You shouldn’t if you don’t want to eat a lot saturated fat.

Gabe: Okay, how about if I make us some salads.

Helen: Not with those greens. Unless they’re organic, they’re full of pesticidesand chemicals.

Gabe: [sighs] All right, how about if I make us healthy smoothies?

Helen: Only if you use only fresh fruit. Bottled juices are full of high-fructosecorn syrup. Yuck!

Gabe: I’ve got a great idea.

Helen: What?

Gabe: You pick the restaurant and I’ll buy you lunch.

Helen: I don’t want to put you to any trouble.

Gabe: It’s no trouble at all. [Said under his breath] I’d do anything to get you outof my kitchen!

[end of dialogue]

Our scriptwriter helps us out every episode. That’s why we want to thank Dr.

Lucy Tse for her wonderful work.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Comeback and listen to us again here on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright 2011 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment.