日本儿童健康第一 学校午餐制降低孩子肥胖率

　　"There's also a daily broadcast at school to explain the nutritional elements contained in the school lunch of the day, and this is a good way to educate kids," Hara said.

　　原光彦说：“学校每天会发广播通知，向孩子们解释每日午餐的营养成分。这是教育孩子的一种好办法。”

　　At primary schools, students use magnets with pictures of food and place them into different categories on a whiteboard, learning to tell their proteins from their carbs.

　　在小学里，学生们用带有食物图片的磁铁，把食物在白板上分成不同的类别，学习分辨蛋白质和碳水化合物。

　　"School lunch is positioned as part of education under the law," Ueda said. "It's not just about eating food, but children learn to serve, and clean up on their own."

　　上田真由美说：“按照日本的法律，学校午餐被定位为教育的一部分。这不仅仅是吃东西的问题，孩子们还学会了服务，学会了自己打扫。”

　　The Japanese government studies nutrition and eating habits in Japan annually, and uses the results to shape what goes into the school meals, she added.

　　她还说，政府每年都会研究儿童营养和用餐习惯，并根据调查结果调整学校午餐。

　　School lunches in Japan date back to as early as 1889, when rice balls and grilled fish were provided for children living in poverty in northern Yamagata prefecture.

　　日本学校午餐制度可追溯至1889年，当时政府给北部山形县贫困家庭的儿童提供饭团和烤鱼。

　　But the program was expanded nationwide after World War II ended to address childhood hunger amid serious food shortages.

　　二战后，针对食物严重短缺导致的儿童饥饿状况，该制度推广到全日本。

　　And there are other factors at work, Hara acknowledged.

　　原光彦认为，其他因素也起到了作用。

　　"Because many Japanese are health-conscious, they try to eat a variety of food, which is good," he said.

　　他说：“因为很多日本人都有健康意识，人们尽量吃各种各样的食物，这是有益的。”

　　"And we're taught to eat seasonal food, which also contributes to good health. Japan is one of the rare countries that pay so much attention to food that is associated with specific seasons," he added.

　　“我们被教导要吃应季食物，这也对健康有益。日本是少数几个如此重视应季食物的国家之一，”他补充道。