On top of that you were limited to one egg a week and just a handful of sugar.

除此之外，你每週只能吃一個雞蛋和一把糖。

But that's the diet that was tested by two nutritionists in a unique experiment devised during the early days of the Second World War.

但這就是兩位營養學家在第二次世界大戰初期設計的一項獨特實驗中測試的飲食。

And arguably it was healthier than the average diet today.

可以說，它比今天的普通飲食更健康。

In the late 1930s Britain imported 70% of its food from overseas, often relying on shipping routes vulnerable to German U-boat attack.

20 世紀 30 年代末，英國 70% 的食品從海外進口，經常依賴於易受德國 U 型潛艇攻擊的航線。

By January 1940 supplies were so scarce that food rationing was introduced.

到 1940 年 1 月，物資供應已經非常短缺，是以開始實行糧食配給制。

But the government was fearful that the country would be completely cut off by the U-boats and would have to keep its population fed and healthy using only food produced in the UK.

但政府擔心英國會被 U 型潛艇完全切斷與外界的聯繫，是以只能使用英國生產的食品來保證人民的溫飽和健康。

Before the war, nutritionists Elsie Widdeson and Robert McCants had developed a set of food tables looking at the nutritional value of meat, fish, fruit, bread, sweets and dairy.

戰前，營養學家埃爾希-維德森和羅伯特-麥坎茨制定了一套食物表，研究肉類、魚類、水果、麵包、糖果和奶製品的營養價值。

They were no strangers to self-experimentation, even going so far as injecting themselves with iron and strontium lactate to test how they were processed by the body, an act that left them rolling around the floor in misery.

他們對自我實驗並不陌生，甚至給自己注射乳酸鐵和乳酸鍶，以測試身體如何處理這些物質，這種行為讓他們痛苦地在地上打滾。

Together they calculated the amount of food that would be available if Germany was able to cut off British ports and then divided it into a weekly allowance.

他們一起計算了如果德國能夠切斷英國港口所能提供的糧食數量，然後將其抽成每週津貼。

The rations were meagre to say the least.

口糧少得可憐。

As well as that solitary egg and 140 grams of sugar a week, you could only have 450 grams of meat and fish combined, 113 grams of fats, the same of cheese, 170 grams of fruit, that's around two apples, and a quarter of a pint of milk a day.

除了一個雞蛋和每週 140 克的糖之外，您每週只能吃 450 克的肉和魚，113 克的脂肪，同樣的奶酪，170 克的水果（大約兩個蘋果）和四分之一品脫的牛奶。

British grown vegetables and bread weren't restricted, but the rationed foods represented less than half and in some cases less than a third of the average weekly consumption in Britain before the war began.

英國種植的蔬菜和麵包沒有受到限制，但配給食品的消費量不到戰爭開始前英國平均每週消費量的一半，在某些情況下甚至不到三分之一。

It was enough to survive, but would it be enough to maintain fitness in the long term?

這足以維持生存，但是否足以長期保持健康？

Widdeson and McCants put their bodies on the line to find out.

威德森和麥坎茨用自己的身體證明了這一點。

In January 1940 they headed to the Lake District where they tested the diet whilst on a rigorous regime of cycling and confirming that health and fitness could be maintained under this severe diet.

1940 年 1 月，他們前往湖區，在那裡一邊進行嚴格的自行車運動，一邊測試這種飲食習慣，並證實在這種嚴格的飲食習慣下仍能保持健康和體能。

They did however note a remarkable increase in flatulence.

不過，他們確實注意到脹氣明顯增加。

The extreme diet Widdeson and McCants tested wasn't actually needed in the end because sufficient imports from the US managed to get to Britain throughout the war.

威德森和麥坎茨測試的極端飲食其實最終並不需要，因為在整個戰爭期間，英國都能從美國進口足夠的食物。

But it proved that the population would be able to manage on it and their findings were a key influence behind the government's decision to leave bread and The rationing that was introduced delivered around 3,000 calories a person a day with some manual labourers receiving extra.

他們的發現對政府決定放棄麵包配給制產生了重要影響。配給制每人每天提供約 3000 卡路里的熱量，一些體力勞動者還能得到額外的熱量。

Nevertheless the diet was often bland.

不過，他們的飲食往往很清淡。

Thanks to the Ministry of Food, households were inspired to create such culinary delights as a Wilton pie, a mix of swede, turnip and cauliflower covered with shortcrust pastry or mashed potato.

在食品部的幫助下，家家戶戶都能製作出像威爾頓餡餅這樣的美味佳餚，這種餡餅由沼澤地、蕪菁和花椰菜混合而成，上面裹著酥皮面餅或土豆泥。

It's fair to say it wasn't much loved.

可以說，它並沒有受到多少人的喜愛。

Blandness wasn't the only issue.

糊塗並不是唯一的問題。

In further studies Widdeson and McCants realised that people wouldn't get as much calcium as they needed if milk and cheese were to be severely rationed.

在進一步的研究中，威德森和麥坎茨意識到，如果牛奶和奶酪被嚴格配給，人們就無法獲得所需的鈣。

This might prove disastrous as a lack of calcium can lead to the bone disease rickets.

這可能會帶來災難性的後果，因為缺鈣會導致骨病佝僂病。

In 1941 based on their advice the government brought in the fortification of bread with calcium in the form of powdered chalk.

1941 年，根據他們的建議，政府開始在麵包中添加白堊粉形式的鈣。

This ensured people got enough of the mineral in their diet despite the restrictions on dairy.

這確保了人們在飲食中攝入足夠的礦物質，儘管對乳製品有限制。

Food rationing lasted until 1954 but even after it ended bread continued to be fortified with calcium.

食品配給一直持續到 1954 年，但即使在配給結束後，麵包中仍繼續添加鈣。

It's still the case in the UK today if you're wondering who to thank for your healthy bones.

如果您想知道是誰造就了您健康的骨骼，那麼今天的英國依然如此。

Whilst rationing wasn't easy for Britain it got the nation through a wartime crisis in pretty good shape and arguably even McCants' and Widdeson's extreme diet was healthier than our average diet today so dominated by high and high salt foods.

雖然配給制對英國來說並不容易，但它使英國以良好的狀態度過了戰時危機，甚至可以說，麥坎茨和威德森的極端飲食比我們今天以高鹽食品為主的普通飲食更健康。

The pair continued to demonstrate that they were prepared to go the extra mile in the name of science.

這對夫婦繼續表明，他們準備以科學的名義付出更多的努力。

Widdeson famously found a dead baby seal on a beach in Scotland which she drove back to Cambridge in the boot of her car in order to further her research into body fat composition.

維德森曾在蘇格蘭海灘上發現一隻死去的小海豹，為了進一步研究體內脂肪成分，她把這隻小海豹放在汽車後備箱裡帶回了劍橋。

Widdeson's and McCants' legacies live on and not just in terms of nutrition.

威德森和麥坎茨的遺產將繼續流傳下去，而且不僅僅是在營養方面。

When she died Widdeson left money to enable female scientists to balance their lives.

維德森去世後，她留下了一筆錢，讓女科學家能夠平衡自己的生活。

She was the first generation of pioneering women to help solve our complex scientific problems today.

她是幫助我們解決當今複雜科學問題的第一代女性先驅。