【推荐2】Organic food, grown without artificial chemicals, is increasingly popular nowadays. Consumers (消费者) have been willing to pay up to twice as much for goods with organic labels (标签). However, if you think paying a little more for organic food gets you a more nutritious and safer product, then you’d better save your money. A study led by researchers at Stanford University says that organic products aren't necessarily more nutritious, and they're no less likely to suffer from disease-causing bacteria, either.

For their new study, Smith-Spangler and her colleagues conducted a review of two categories（种类）of research, including 17 studies that compared health outcomes between consumers of organic against traditional food products, and 223 studies that analyzed(分析) the nutritional content of the foods, including key vitamins, minerals and fats.

While the researchers found little difference in nutritional content, they did find that organic fruit and vegetables were 20% less likely to have chemicals remaining on the surfaces. Neither organic nor traditional foods showed levels of chemicals high enough to go beyond food safety standards(标准). And both organic and traditional meats, such as chicken and pork, were equally likely to be harmed by bacteria at very low rates. The researchers did find that organic milk and chicken contained higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, a healthy fat also found in fish that can reduce the risk of heart disease. However, these nutritional differences were too small, and the researchers were unwilling to make much of them until further studies confirm the trends.

Organic food is produced with fewer chemicals and more natural-growing practices, but that doesn't always translate into a more nutritious or healthier product. The U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that "whether you buy organic or not, finding the freshest foods available may have the biggest effect on taste." Fresh food is at least as good as anything marketed as organic.

【推荐3】Many of us love July because it’s the month when nature’s berries and stone fruits are in abundance. These colourful and sweet jewels form British Columbia’s fields are little powerhouses of nutritional protection.

Of the common berries, strawberries are highest in vitamin C, although, because of their seeds, raspberries contain a little more protein (蛋白质), iron and zinc (not that fruits have much protein). Blueberries are particularly high in antioxidants (抗氧化物质). The yellow and orange stone fruits such as peaches are high in the carotenoids we turn into vitamin A and which are antioxidants. As for cherries (樱桃), they are so delicious who cares? However, they are rich in vitamin C.

When combined with berries of slices of other fruits, frozen bananas make an excellent base for thick, cooling fruit shakes and low fat “ice cream”. For this purpose, select ripe bananas for freezing as they are much sweeter. Remove the skin and place them in plastic bags or containers and freeze. If you like, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice on the bananas will prevent them turning brown. Frozen bananas will last several weeks, depending on their ripeness and the temperature of the freezer.

If you have a juicer, you can simply feed in frozen bananas and some berries or sliced fruit. Out comes a “soft-serve” creamy dessert, to be eaten right away. This makes a fun activity for a children’s party; they love feeding the fruit and frozen bananas into the top of the machine and watching the ice cream come out below.

【推荐3】Cinco de Mayo is probably the holiday most often celebrated that no one understands.

Literally (根据字面意思) “Fifth of May”, Cineo de Mayo is a Mexican holiday celebrating the Battle of Puebla, which took place on May 5, 1862. In 1861, France sent a big army to invade Mexico, as they wanted to collect some war debts. The French army was much larger, better trained and equipped than the Mexicans struggling to defend (保卫) the road to Mexico City. The French army reached Puebla, where the Mexicans won a huge victory. The victory was short­lived, as the French army regrouped and continued, and eventually took Mexico City, but the joy of an unlikely victory against France is remembered every May fifth.

Mexico celebrates its independence on September 16, because it was on that day in 1810 that Miguel Hidalgo invited his people to take up arms and join him in fighting against Spanish rulers. Independence Day is a much more important holiday in Mexico. For some reason, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the United States of America, by Mexicans and Americans alike, than it is in Mexico. One theory for why it is more popular in the USA is that at one time, it was celebrated in all of Mexico and by Mexicans living in former Mexican areas such as Texas and California. It was ignored in Mexico after a while but still celebrated in the north of the border, which never got out of the habit of remembering the famous battle.

In Puebla and in many American cities with large Mexican populations, there are parades, dancing and festivals. Traditional Mexican food is often served or sold. Mariachi (街头音乐) bands fill town squares, and a lot of beers are served. It’s a fun holiday, really more about celebrating the Mexican way of life than about remembering the battle which happened 157 years ago. In the USA, schoolchildren decorate their classrooms and try their hand at cooking some basic Mexican food. All over the world, Mexican restaurants bring in mariachi bands and offer specials for what’s almost certain to be a packed house.