The answer to the question 'what makes us fat?' isn't always as straightforward as we'd like. Yes, eating too much often plays a part, but there are also non-dietary factors like stress and lack of sleep which can cause us to balloon.
'导致我们发胖的原因是什么？'这一问题的答案并不总是如我们所以为的那样直截了当。是的，吃太多是其中一个原因，但很多非膳食因素，如压力、缺觉也会导致肥胖。

Then there's all the advice which focuses on specific food groups. Sugar is often public enemy number one, and fats frequently get a hard time, but carbohydrates also get cast in the role of villain.
所以针对特定食物群体的建议也接踵而至。通常，糖是头号公敌，脂肪也不例外，但碳水化合物也会扮演'恶棍'一角。

But do carbohydrates actually make you fat?
但碳水化合物真的是导致你肥胖的原因吗？

Many people put themselves through the misery of a carb-free diet, but in some cases, this may be unnecessary. Dr Xand van Tulleken explores this on his BBC programme, The Truth About Carbs. Speaking to the Mail Online , he says: "As I've now learned, not all carbohydrates are created equal. Some are very good for us, though many are indeed bad, causing us to pile on weight, raise our risk of diabetes and even threatening our fertility."
很多人都会把自己推向无碳水化合物饮食的深渊，但在一些情况下，这是没有必要的。Xand van Tulleken博士在其BBC节目（The Truth About Carbs）中探讨了这一点。接受Mail Online的访谈时，他说道："现在我知道了，并非所有的碳水化合物都是一样的。有些碳水化合物对人体十分有益，尽管其它类的碳水化合物的确有害，会导致我们增重、增加患糖尿病的风险，甚至对我们的生育能力构成威胁。"

"Learning to eat carbs more intelligently has helped me control my weight more easily. As a medical doctor with a degree in public health, I'm convinced it could bring similar benefits to millions of Britons."
"学会更巧妙的摄入碳水化合物使我控制体重更为容易。作为一名有着公共健康学位的医学博士，我相信这种做法也可以为数百万名英国人带来相似的益处。"

Happily, Dr van Tulleken is sharing his wisdom and a simple test which will show you if you should embrace a lower carb diet or not.
令人高兴的是，van Tulleken博士分享了他的智慧，以及一个简单的测试。这个测试将解答你是否需要接受低碳水化合物饮食。

The cracker test
饼干测试

"Simply chew on a plain cracker until it changes in flavour from a bland biscuit to quite sweet. If the taste changes in less than 30 seconds, your body probably processes carbs quite effectively. But if the cracker hasn't changed taste after 30 seconds, then you should seriously consider eating a lower carb diet."
"只需嚼一块原味饼干，直到其从无味变成很甜。如果这种味道的变化在不到30秒的时间内发生，那你的身体处理碳水化合物的方式可能十分有效。但如果30秒之后，味道还是没有发生变化，那你可能得认真考虑低碳水化合物饮食了。"

"If you notice the sweetness within 0 to 14 seconds, your body processes carbs efficiently for use as energy - you can have 250g of carbs a day (roughly four slices of wholewheat bread). If it takes 15 to 30 seconds, you can have 175g of carbs a day (around three-and-a-half slices of wholewheat bread)."
"如果0至14秒内，你感觉到了甜味，那就表明你的身体有效的将碳水化合物转化为了能量--你每天可以摄入250克碳水化合物（大约四片全麦面包）。如果你花了15至30秒的时间才感觉到甜味，那你每天可以摄入175克碳水化合物（大约三片半全麦面包）。"