Losing weight has long been a hot topic. The health complications of being overweight include type 2 diabetes, many cancers and heart disease. No wonder the whole world is launching a campaign to educate people that fat is unhealthy. 减肥一直都是热门话题。肥胖导致的并发症包括II型糖尿病、多种癌症和心脏病。难怪全世界都兴师动众，教育人们肥胖是不健康的。

    Using chopsticks can help you lose weight, suggested The Chopsticks Diet, a new book published in Britain recently. According to the Japanese author Kimiko Barber, "Eating with chopsticks slows you down, and so you eat less."英国最近出版了一本名为《筷子减肥》的新书，该书认为使用筷子能帮助减肥。其英籍日裔作者巴伯贵美子认为，"用筷子进餐能减缓进食速度，这样一来你吃的就少了。"

    Gobbing food makes us overeat beacause it takes our brain about 20 minutes to register what our stomach contains.人脑需约20分钟才能辨识胃里有什么，因此狼吞虎咽易使人进食过量。

    So while Barber's book concerns itself with Japanese recipes, which tend to be lower in fat and served in smaller portions, using chopsticks should work with Western food too.虽然巴伯的书中关注的是日本的低脂肪小份量食谱，但对于西式食物，使用筷子应该同样奏效。

    The Daily Telegraph's food writer Xanthe Clay takes a look at the theory. She writes:" It's a tempting theory. Could ditching the knife and fork really make one's weight healthier? Starting with a bag of crisps by the computer the method's charm emerges. For all but the most experienced users, it takes concentration. Watching carefully is vital if the plate-to-mouth transfer is to be made successfully. So there's no idly shoveling in rubbish while surfing the web."英国《每日电讯报》饮食专栏作者赞茜？克莱注意到该理论，她评论道："这是一项引人注目的理论。放弃刀叉真能让人的体重达到更健康的水平么？我用电脑旁的一包薯片试了试，这招儿真的管用。除了筷子用得特别熟练的人，人们用筷子都得集中注意力。如果要成功地用筷子把食物从盘子里送到嘴里，就得仔细看着。这样一来，上网时就不能懒洋洋地大嚼垃圾食品了。"

    "When it comes to proper meals, eating with chopsticks also means taking smaller mouthfuls, which tend to get chewed better, slowing down the meal, and making it easier to digest…""日常吃饭使用筷子还意味着要小口吃，这样能更充分地咀嚼，减缓吃饭速度，更有利于食物消化……"

    "Then there's the matter of sauce. Delicious though they are, most sauces are the enemy of the waistline, loaded with butter and oil. If food is tackled with chopsticks, much of the evil sauces will stay on the plate. ""此外，就是酱汁啦。大部分酱汁都加有大量黄油和食用油，虽然很美味，却是腰身的大敌。如果用筷子夹起食物，许多有害的酱汁都留在了盘子上。"

    "So, a chopstick regime will make you slow down, think about your food more, and maybe even lose weight. None of which can be a bad thing."所以，用筷子进食能让你放慢速度，更多关注食物，甚至减肥。这些都不是坏事。"