為什么泰國要讓佛教僧侶節(jié)食

為什么泰國要讓佛教僧侶節(jié)食

It's 6 a.m. on a Monday morning, and Bangkok is just starting to wake up. Street food vendors begin to serve breakfast as the streets, and sidewalks fill with morning commuters.

現(xiàn)在是周一早上6點(diǎn)，曼谷剛剛開始蘇醒。街上的小吃攤開始供應(yīng)早餐，人行道上也擠滿了早起的上班族。

Behind the gates of Wat Yannawa temple, barefoot monks emerge, their saffron robes a pop of color in the early morning light. From the youngest to the oldest, they do this same routine every day: collect alms, or offerings, from the Buddhist faithful.

赤腳的僧侶們從龍船寺的門后出現(xiàn)了，他們的藏紅花長(zhǎng)袍在清晨的陽光下閃閃發(fā)光。從最年輕的到最老的，他們每天都做同樣的事情:從佛教信徒那里收集施舍物。

They pray with the person who offers it, and then return home to prepare the meal with what they've been given.

他們?yōu)樗聫R收集食物、飲料和偶爾的現(xiàn)金捐贈(zèng)。他們向提供食物的人祈禱，然后回家準(zhǔn)備食物。

More than 90% of Thailand's population follows Buddhism and the monks here are held in high regard, but there is growing concern about their health: Thailand's monks are gaining too much weight.

泰國90%以上的人口信奉佛教，這里的僧侶受到高度重視，但人們?cè)絹碓綋?dān)心他們的健康:泰國僧侶太胖了。

Restrictive diet

限制飲食

Thailand's National Health Commission Office says there are nearly 349,000 monks in Thailand, and almost half are considered overweight or obese.

泰國國家衛(wèi)生委員會(huì)辦公室說，泰國有將近349,000名僧侶，其中將近一半超重或肥胖。

The monks aren't able to control their own diet -- it's at the mercy of the offerings they receive each morning. Traditionally, those alms are calorie-rich foods, either processed or homemade -- with the Buddhist faithful wanting to offer something of high value and taste.

僧侶們無法控制自己的飲食——這完全取決于他們每天早上收到的食物。傳統(tǒng)上，這些施舍是富含高熱量的食物，要么是加工過的，要么是自制的——僧侶們希望收到一些高價(jià)值和高品味的東西。

The monks are also forbidden from eating anything after 12 p.m., having only one or two meals a day between the hours of 6 a.m. and noon.

僧侶們也禁止在晚上12點(diǎn)以后吃任何東西。在美國，每天從早上6點(diǎn)到中午只有一到兩頓飯。

This means it's hard for monks to change their diet.

這意味著和尚很難改變他們的飲食。

Professor Jongjit Angkatavanich, a pharmacist, dietician, and nutritionist who has been studying the health of Thailand's monks for the past eight years, describes the situation as a "ticking time bomb."

藥劑師、營養(yǎng)師和營養(yǎng)學(xué)家宗集德教授在過去八年里一直在研究泰國僧侶的健康狀況，他把這種情況描述為“一顆定時(shí)炸彈”。

The monks are experiencing conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, eye issues and osteoarthritis in knees, but they know very little about them.

僧侶們正經(jīng)歷著糖尿病、高血壓、眼部疾病和膝蓋關(guān)節(jié)炎等疾病，但他們對(duì)這些疾病知之甚少。

For example, one of the most shocking things Jongjit has seen is monks with amputated toes and feet because of diabetes, but the monks had no knowledge of the condition -- many had never even heard of diabetes.

例如，宗集德所觀察到的最令人震驚的事情之一就是和尚因?yàn)樘悄虿《唤刂?，但是和尚們?duì)這種情況一無所知——很多人甚至從未聽說過糖尿病。

A taste for soda

喜歡喝蘇打水

Obesity rates among Thailand's monks are higher than the wider population -- 48% of them are obese compared to 39% of the Thai male population, according to Jongjit's research. While people might think the monks are simply eating more, Jongjit said that isn't the case. The monks consume 150 less calories than Thai men.

宗集德的研究顯示，泰國僧侶的肥胖率高于整體人口的肥胖率——僧侶肥胖率為48%，而泰國男性的肥胖率為39%。雖然人們可能認(rèn)為僧侶們只是吃得更多了，但宗集德說事實(shí)并非如此。僧侶們攝入的熱量比泰國人少150卡路里。

So what's happening to Thailand's monks?

那么泰國的僧侶們到底怎么了?

"After midday, they have to rely on a drink or beverage," Jongjit explained. "It has changed over time, from the ancient time -- right now, it is a soda, a soft drink, a sweetened beverage."

宗集德解釋說:“中午過后，他們就會(huì)喝飲料。“從古代開始，隨著時(shí)間的推移而改變，到現(xiàn)在，變成一種蘇打水，一種軟飲料，一種甜味飲料。”

What's more, she said, is the monks often consume the sugary drinks on an empty stomach. "The sugar in the liquid is absorbed faster," she said.

她說，更重要的是，這些和尚經(jīng)常空腹喝含糖飲料。“液體中的糖被吸收得更快，”她說。