CAROLINE HOPKINS2026年3月25日Ripe, creamy avocados are great on toast, salads and burgers, or just sprinkled with salt. Plus, they’re healthy — but how healthy?软熟的牛油果口感绵密，非常适合搭配吐司、沙拉和汉堡，或者简单撒点盐直接食用。而且它们对健康有益——但究竟有多健康呢？“Avocados are no regular fruits,” said Dr. Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “They’re nutrient dense with very little carbohydrates and high amounts of healthy fats and fiber.” And they make plant-based meals more filling.“牛油果可不是普通水果，”哈佛大学陈曾熙公共卫生学院营养与流行病学教授胡丙长博士说，“它们营养密度高，碳水化合物含量很低，同时富含健康脂肪和膳食纤维。”此外，它们还能让植物性饮食更具饱腹感。Here are some of their healthiest attributes, plus a selection of recipes from New York Times Cooking to inspire you to eat them more often.以下是牛油果的一些主要益处，以及《纽约时报》美食栏目精选的几道食谱，或许能激发你多吃牛油果。Avocados can help keep your cholesterol in check.牛油果有助于平衡胆固醇。Avocados’ better-known benefits stem from their heart-healthy fats, said Elizabeth Klingbeil, a registered dietitian and assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Most of the fats in avocados are monounsaturated, which differ from the saturated fats abundant in meats and dairy.注册营养师、得克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校助理教授伊丽莎白·克林贝尔表示，牛油果最广为人知的益处来自其对心脏有益的脂肪。牛油果中的脂肪大多是单不饱和脂肪，与肉类和乳制品中富含的饱和脂肪不同。“Saturated fats can gunk up your blood vessels and increase your heart disease risk,” Dr. Klingbeil said. If left unchecked, this gunk, called LDL or “bad” cholesterol, can lead to heart attacks or strokes.“饱和脂肪酸会使血管堵塞，增加患心脏病的风险，”克林贝尔博士说。如果任其发展，这种被称为低密度脂蛋白（即“坏胆固醇”）的物质可能导致心脏病发作或中风。While saturated fats increase LDL cholesterol, unsaturated fats can lower it. For this reason, avocados can help manage blood cholesterol levels, especially when you eat them in place of foods like meat, cheese and butter.饱和脂肪会增加低密度脂蛋白胆固醇，不饱和脂肪则能降低它。因此，牛油果有助于控制血液中的胆固醇水平，尤其是在你用它替代肉类、奶酪和黄油等食物的时候。They may lower your heart disease risk.它们或许还能降低患心脏病的风险。In a study that followed more than 110,000 adults over 30 years, Dr. Hu and his colleagues showed that people who ate at least two servings of avocado per week had a 21 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease.在一项追踪超过11万名成年人长达30年的研究中，胡博士及其同事发现，每周至少食用两份牛油果梨的人患冠状动脉疾病的风险降低了21%。The researchers used statistics to account for other factors that could have affected people’s heart health. Still, Dr. Hu said, it’s impossible to say if avocados directly reduced the risk.研究人员通过统计方法排除了其他可能影响心脏健康的因素。不过，胡博士表示，仍无法断定牛油果是否直接降低了这一风险。 Bobbi Lin for The New York TimesZeroing in on one food as the cause of health outcomes is challenging, explained Dr. Martin Kohlmeier, a professor at the University of North Carolina Nutrition Research Institute.北卡罗来纳大学营养研究所教授马丁·科尔迈尔博士解释说，要把某种健康结果归因于单一食物是非常困难的。Because avocados make great substitutions for less healthy foods, studies showing their benefits might in part reflect the benefits of cutting back on other stuff — like using avocado instead of mayonnaise on a sandwich, or adding more avocado, and less beef, to a burrito.由于牛油果往往用来替代较不健康的食物，相关研究中显示的益处，部分也可能来自于减少其他食物的摄入——比如用牛油果代替三明治里的蛋黄酱，或是在墨西哥卷饼中多加牛油果、少放牛肉。“Many reported effects are replacement effects, not necessarily avocado effects,” Dr. Kohlmeier said.“许多观察到的效果其实是替代效应，而不一定是牛油果本身的作用，”科尔迈尔博士说。Dr. Hu added that people who eat avocados might be more likely to have a healthy diet in general.胡博士补充说，食用牛油果的人整体饮食习惯可能本就更为健康。They can support your gut microbiome.牛油果还有益于肠道微生物群。Avocados are high in fiber, Dr. Klingbeil said, which can help you maintain a healthy weight and promote a healthy gut.克林贝尔博士表示，牛油果富含膳食纤维，这有助于维持健康体重，并促进肠道健康。When gut bacteria digest fiber, they release small molecules called postbiotics that affect our overall health, said Dr. Zhaoping Li, a professor of medicine and chief of the division of clinical nutrition at the University of California, Los Angeles. Healthy bacteria can also signal to our brain when we’re full, Dr. Klingbeil said.加州大学洛杉矶分校医学教授、临床营养科主任李兆萍博士表示，当肠道细菌消化纤维时，会释放出被称为后生元的小分子，这些分子会影响我们的整体健康。健康的肠道细菌还能在我们饱腹时向大脑发出信号，克林贝尔博士说。Dr. Hu said avocados can help you meet your daily fiber goals, which is important since studies show most people don’t eat enough fiber.胡博士说，牛油果可以帮助人们获取每日所需的膳食纤维摄入量，这一点很重要，因为研究显示，大多数人的纤维摄入量都不足。People should aim for at least 21 to 38 grams of fiber daily, depending on their age and sex. A whole avocado clocks in around 10 grams.根据年龄和性别的不同，我们每天应摄入至少21至38克膳食纤维。而一颗牛油果的纤维含量约为10克。They’re rich in micronutrients.牛油果富含多种微量营养素。The vitamin E in avocados may support healthy skin, Dr. Klingbeil said. According to Dr. Kohlmeier, the lutein in avocados may help keep your vision sharp.克林贝尔博士表示，牛油果中的维生素E有助于维持皮肤健康。科尔迈尔博士则指出，其中的叶黄素可能有助于保持视力的清晰度。And while bananas tend to get all the credit for potassium, avocados contain even more of the important mineral. Potassium helps your body reduce high blood pressure, Dr. Hu said.而说到钾元素，人们通常会想到香蕉，但牛油果所含的这种重要矿物质其实更高。胡博士说钾有助于降低高血压。Here’s how to enjoy them.那么，应该如何食用牛油果呢？No single food makes your diet healthy or unhealthy. The real benefit comes from eating avocados as part of a diverse, balanced diet filled with fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy protein.没有任何一种单一食物能决定饮食的健康与否。真正的益处来自于将牛油果纳入多样且均衡的饮食结构中，比如搭配水果、蔬菜、全谷物和优质蛋白一起食用。These recipes from NYT Cooking will help you do just that.《纽约时报》美食栏目提供的这些食谱，将帮助你做到这一点。Recipe: Avocado Soup With Chile Oil食谱：辣椒油牛油果汤As delicious cold as it is room temperature, this silky soup gets a hit of heat from chile oil and crunch from toasted pepitas.这道丝滑的汤品无论冷食还是室温享用都同样美味，辣椒油带来一丝辛辣，烤南瓜籽则带来香脆口感。Recipe: Smashed Cucumber, Avocado and Shrimp Salad食谱：拍黄瓜牛油果虾仁沙拉The creaminess of avocado balances the tangy rice vinegar and soy dressing in this sesame-flecked shrimp salad.在这道点缀着芝麻的虾仁沙拉中，鳄梨的绵密口感平衡了酸爽的米醋和酱油调味汁。 Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.Recipe: Salt and Vinegar Kale Chips With Fried Chickpeas and Avocado食谱：盐醋羽衣甘蓝脆片配炸鹰嘴豆与鳄梨Silky against the crackle of kale chips, avocado brings richness to this vegetarian brunch dish that tastes just as good at dinner.在羽衣甘蓝脆片的酥脆口感衬托下，牛油果的顺滑为这道素食早午餐菜肴增添了浓郁风味，作为晚餐也同样美味。Recipe: Quinoa Salad With Chicken, Almonds and Avocado食谱：鸡肉杏仁牛油果藜麦沙拉In this easy make-ahead lunch, tiny quinoa cling to the avocado, mellow against the mustard vinaigrette.在这道方便提前准备的午餐中，细小的藜麦附着在鳄梨上，与芥末油醋汁形成柔和的口感对比。 Linda Xiao for The New York TimesRecipe: Garlic Chicken With Guasacaca Sauce食谱：蒜香鸡肉配瓜萨卡卡酱Spicy guasacaca sauce — a blend of cilantro, parsley, jalapeño and avocado — makes garlicky roasted chicken (and just about any other meat, seafood or vegetable) utterly delicious.辛辣的瓜萨卡卡酱（由香菜、欧芹、墨西哥辣椒和牛油果调制而成）令蒜香烤鸡（以及几乎任何肉类、海鲜或蔬菜）都变得美味无比。本文最初发表于2024年6月5日。翻译：杜然点击查看本文英文版。