The World War II diet that saved Britain

by Clive Irving

When the British went to war 80 years ago they swiftly lost the individual freedom to make fundamental choices over the way they lived. That's what being on a war footing meant. The state became all powerful. In order to survive, we were told, individual choice was a luxury Britain could no longer afford.

the British 英国人
swiftly /ˈswɪftli/ adv. 迅速地
individual /ˌɪndɪˈvɪdʒuəl/ adj. 个人的、个体的
freedom /ˈfriːdəm/ n. 自由
fundamental /ˌfʌndəˈment(ə)l/ adj. 基本的
be on a war footing 处于战争状态
state /steɪt/ n. 国家、政府
powerful /ˈpaʊəf(ə)l/ adj. 权力大的（由power加后缀-ful变成形容词）
survive /səˈvaɪv/ v. 生存、活下来
luxury /ˈlʌkʃ(ə)ri/ n. 奢侈品

In war Britain's position as an offshore island of Europe had an upside and a downside. The upside was that invasion by land was impossible. The downside was that the population could not be fed from the island's own resources.

offshore /ˌɒfˈʃɔː(r)/ adj. 离开海岸的（由off和shore组成）
upside /ˈʌpsaɪd/ n. 好的一面、优点
downside /ˈdaʊnsaɪd/ n. 坏的一面、缺点
invasion /ɪnˈveɪʒ(ə)n/ n. 侵略
resource /ˈriːsɔːs/ n. 资源

Hitler understood that vulnerability（弱点）. He set out to starve the British by sending swarms of submarines（潜艇） into the north Atlantic to wreak havoc on convoys（船队） bringing food from Canada and America. As a result, Britain's food imports dropped substantially, but the British never starved. In fact, they ate the healthiest diet they had ever enjoyed.

Hitler 希特勒
set out 开始做某事、着手做某事
starve /stɑːv/ v. 挨饿、使挨饿
swarm /swɔːm/ n. 一大群
wreak /riːk/ havoc /ˈhævək/ 造成严重破坏
import /ˈɪmpɔːt/ n. 进口、进口货
substantially /səbˈstænʃ(ə)li/ adv. 大幅度地（由substantial加后缀-ly变成副词）

This was made possible largely by the work of one man, a biochemist named Jack Drummond. As the scientific adviser to the Ministry of Food, he laid down the daily menus for the whole country. But his power extended beyond that. He decided what foods should be imported and what should not.

largely /ˈlɑːdʒli/ adv. 在很大程度上（由large加后缀-ly变成副词）
biochemist /ˌbaɪəʊˈkemɪst/ n. 生物化学家（由chemist加上表示生物的前缀bio-）
adviser /ədˈvaɪzə(r)/ n. 顾问（由advise加上表示人的后缀-er）
ministry /ˈmɪnɪstri/ n. （政府的）部
lay down 正式制定（规章制度等）
extend /ɪkˈstend/ v. 扩展、延伸
import /ɪmˈpɔːt/ v. 进口（注意它做动词和做名词时发音不同）

Drummond had the personal authority that was hard to challenge. He gained recognition by advancing the knowledge of how vitamins worked. He identified and named vitamins A, B and C. At the age of 31 he became the first professor of biochemistry at University College London.

authority /ɔːˈθɒrəti/ n. 威信
recognition /ˌrekəɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 认可、推崇
advance /ədˈvɑːns/ v. 使进步
vitamin /ˈvɪtəmɪn/ n. 维生素、维他命
identify /aɪˈdentɪfaɪ/ v. 识别
biochemistry /ˌbaɪəʊˈkemɪstri/ n. 生物化学（由chemistry加上表示生物的前缀bio-）

Drummond's goal was to reduce Britain's dependence on food imports while guaranteeing that the basic diet was healthy. To cut back on imports of wheat a "national loaf" was produced, virtually a whole-grain bread that retained all the key nutrients（营养物质） in the flour, with calcium carbonate added to provide the calcium; vitamins A and D were added to margarine（人造黄油） as a healthier substitute for butter; and children received a free daily bottle of milk at school. Orange juice, cod liver oil and tablets of vitamins A and D went to pregnant women and small children.

dependence /dɪˈpendəns/ n. 依赖（由depend加后缀-ence变成名词）
guarantee /ˌɡær(ə)nˈtiː/ v. 确保、保证
cut back 削减、减少
wheat /wiːt/ n. 小麦
loaf /ləʊf/ n. 大面包
virtually /ˈvɜːtʃuəli/ adv. 几乎
grain /ɡreɪn/ n. 谷物
retain /rɪˈteɪn/ v. 保留
key /kiː/ adj. 关键的
flour /flaʊə(r)/ n. 面粉
calcium /ˈkælsiəm/ n. 钙（calcium carbonate是碳酸钙）
substitute /ˈsʌbstɪtjuːt/ n. 替代品
cod /kɒd/ n. 鳕鱼
liver /ˈlɪvə(r)/ n. 肝
tablet /ˈtæblət/ n. 药片
pregnant /ˈpreɡnənt/ adj. 怀孕的

What was not imported was sometimes as important as what was: sugar imports were cut to 19th-century levels, with a corresponding improvement in health that was particularly evident to dentists.

cut /kʌt/ v. 减少
level /ˈlev(ə)l/ n. 水平、数量
corresponding /ˌkɒrɪˈspɒndɪŋ/ adj. 相应的、对应的
evident /ˈevɪd(ə)nt/ adj. 明显的

In fact, that was but one measure of what the new British diet achieved. Infant mortality rates were the lowest on record; bone growth and the height of children increased and the rate of every diet-related disease declined dramatically.

but /bʌt/ = only
measure /ˈmeʒə(r)/ n. 衡量、指标
infant /ˈɪnfənt/ n. 婴幼儿
mortality /mɔːˈtæləti/ n. 死亡
rate /reɪt/ n. 率、比率
on record 记录在案的
growth /ɡrəʊθ/ n. 生长
related /rɪˈleɪtɪd/ adj. 相关的、有联系的
decline /dɪˈklaɪn/ v. 下降、减少
dramatically /drəˈmætɪk(ə)li/ adv. 急剧地、显著地

So, rather than being starved into submission the British ended the war in robust health. After the war the American Public Health Association, citing Drummond for an award, said his work was "one of the greatest demonstrations in public health administration that the world has ever seen."

submission /səbˈmɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 投降、屈服
robust /rəʊˈbʌst/ adj. 健康强壮的
association /əˌsəʊsiˈeɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 协会、联合会（由associate加后缀-ion变成名词）
cite /saɪt/ v. 嘉奖、表彰
award /əˈwɔːd/ n. 奖
demonstration /ˌdemənˈstreɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 展示（由demonstrate加后缀-ion变成名词）
administration /ədˌmɪnɪˈstreɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 行政管理

英文原文节选自The Daily Beast
https://www.thedailybeast.com/jack-drummond-invented-the-world-war-ii-diet-that-saved-britain