Jasmine Rambless

The definition of veganism is whereby an individual tries to avoid any form of exploitation or cruelty towards animals in terms of food, clothing or any other form. They eat a plant-based diet as they don't eat any animal foods such as meat (as well as fish, shellfish and insects), dairy (ie milk, cheese and chocolate), eggs and honey. They don't use products such as leather, nor any which are tested on animals - these tend to be beauty products. According to the Vegan Society, as of May 2016, there were at least 542,000 people in the UK living a vegan lifestyle - a figure which has increased three and a half times since 2006.The vegan lifestyle is becoming rather popular in modern day society, but is it something we should try incorporate ourselves into our lives; whether it's a health switch or a lifestyle choice?

Walk down the busy, main streets of any city or populated town and chances are, you will walk past a campaign of some sort regarding veganism, and the campaigners are trying to grasp your attention in the hope they can persuade you to become vegan, or even at least, try out the lifestyle. There are numerous pros and cons to the decision.

Vegan diets are by far one of the healthiest options available. A plant-based diet includes foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds, all of which are often higher in vitamins, minerals and fibres. Due to high intakes in these foods, they provide the body with high levels of vitamins B1 (found in foods such as nuts, oats, oranges and seeds), C (blackcurrant, red peppers, green peppers, kiwis and strawberries) and E (almonds, sweet potato, avocado, butternut squash and sunflower seeds), as well as iron, but they also have low levels of cholesterol and saturated fats. As you can see, the foods they have provide the required nutrition for your body, and as a result, have less of a chance facing diseases such as type 2 diabetes, strokes, specific cancers and cardiovascular disease. When written out, it all seems so beneficial and seems like an ideal lifestyle choice.

However, the counteracting problem here is the lack of protein. Foods which are rich in protein include meat, fish, eggs and dairy products, all of which are items that vegans don't eat. The average woman over the age of 19 requires 46 grams of protein on a daily basis, with men requiring 56 grams. But, for vegans, the only source of protein they receive are from beans and nuts, which means they need to eat more to achieve the recommended values because they don't have the vast selection of food. Further upon this problem is the possibility of iron deficiency, because meat (especially beef) and shellfish have high levels of iron in them, and vegans don't eat meat. Meat is one of the main sources and for vegans only to eat spinach, white beans and soybeans won't provide quite the same level of iron, which in turn, affects their health; iron deficiency is the cause of fatigue and can lead to brain function. Again, the recommended intake for women is 18 milligrams, increased to 27 milligrams whilst pregnant, and for men, they only need 8 milligrams a day. So, is a plant-based diet really beneficial for your health?

Each year, vegans save 198 animals, as stated by PETA. They also reported that the average person eats around 130 shellfish, 40 fish, 26 chickens, 1 turkey, 1/2 a pig and 1/10 of a cow on a yearly basis. For myself, who isn't a vegan, these statistics even shock me; they're incredibly high. Vegans are against breeding domesticated animals (these are animals which are kept by humans as a work animal, food source or pet), which includes horses, dogs, cats and more. Their views are that although we may love our pets who bring us joy and happiness, they belong in their own environment, ie their natural habitats. As vegans love and care for animals so much, they do not want to consume them, buy any products whereby they are made from their skin, or promote animal testing at all. They opt for cruelty-free and vegan products. This is extremely beneficial because it's saving the innocent animals from being kept in crammed spaces to be bred, instead, they have more freedom and are living their best life. They also aren't being exposed to abuse and are exercising their rights (yes, animals have rights and if you didn't know, you can read more here)

With all that said, and although I can see the advantages to veganism, I don't believe we should force it upon those who aren't. As I say, it's each to their own. Forcing veganism upon those who aren't isn't going to a) give a good impression of the vegan community and b) hardly going to persuade them. I don't object to campaigns trying to promote it, but I do think we need to be respectful towards other people's lifestyles - if one wishes to be vegan, then great, and vice versa for those who wish not to be vegan.

Did you know that out of 7.5 billion people living on the planet, only 1.5 billion actually speak English? This equates to only 20% (or 1/5) of the population. And of this 1.5 billion, English isn't their first language - only 360 million people speak English as their native language. This means that English isn't the most popular language in the world. In fact, Mandarin is the most popular language (an estimated 1.2 billion people are native speakers), with Spanish in second place (an estimated 400 million speakers) with English falling into third place. In the UK, our first spoken language is English, and as a nation, we aren't really all that diverse - statistics recorded from The Telegraph report that 3/4 of adults in the UK are unable to speak a foreign language. In this day and age, isn't this statistic rather shocking?

In countries across Europe, at school, pupils are taught their native language (much like we are taught English), but from a young age, are also taught English. Whereas, here in the UK, our approach is rather different. For a large majority of British pupils, they don't have any foreign language classes until at least their first year of secondary school. By then, they are at least 11 or 12, but is the interest there? The first foreign language taught at schools tend to be French (it's supposedly the easiest to grasp), but once pupils have the option to drop subjects and continue others for their exams, languages are one of the first to go. And, following on from this, an article from the Independent discovered that in June 2017, the number of UK applicants applying to student languages at University sat at 15,140, which was a decrease of 19,620 since 2012, a total drop of 22.8%. These statistics are worrying, because only 15% of the British population can speak French, and only one in twenty can understand basic German.

Perhaps I'm at an advantage. I studied French at school right up to Highers (equivalent to A-Levels) and try to teach myself Spanish using Duolingo because the two languages are classed as sister languages. This means that they are very similar in terms of vocabulary, and Italian and Romanian are also very similar to these two. As they are similar, it means that they are easier to pick up. During the Summer, I tend to go on holidays in Spain. I feel quite rude being in a foreign country and not being able to speak Spanish, yet us holiday makers expect the staff at hotels, restaurants, bars etc to speak English. This is just a British arrogance, and it portrays our lack of culture. This is one pf the reasons why I'm trying to learn Spanish, even if it's just the basics. Sure, most of us can say hola, por favor or gracias, but is this enough? When we go to the bar to order a drink or a restaurant to order a meal, the staff might misunderstand our English and this is when people can begin to get irritated because they feel as though they are being misunderstood. However, if we learnt the native language to the country we are in, we could try and speak their language. Sure, you're maybe not fluent, but what harm is it in trying? At the end of the day, if you make a mistake, you will learn from it. Chances are, you won't be mocked for a mistake, in fact, you'll be admired for your efforts.

People, not just children, but adults, aren't aware of the opportunities and benefits available for being able to speak a second language. Do you know the amount of job possibilities there are for being able to speak French, or Spanish etc? Massive companies such as Apple and Zara often recruit people who can speak other languages as they sometimes send their employees overseas to work and represent them. Maybe if we make the youth aware of the opportunities which are present when you speak a second language, we could encourage more people to pick up a language.

One reason why you should learn a second language is because it has health benefits believe it or not. As you are actively simulating your brain, it will be sharper in terms of thinking. Comparing two people, one who speaks only one language (monolingual) and someone who speaks two or more languages (bilingual), the mean age for the first signs of dementia for monolingual people  is 71.4 years old whereas for bilingual, it's slightly older at 75.5 years old. On top of this, your memory also becomes better. As you learn vocabulary and rules (such as verbs, gender for words etc), it exercises your brain more. You have the ability to memorise the same sentence or phrase in English and your chosen second language. Isn't that incredible? The brain is a miraculous muscle if exercised in the right ways. Leading on, as your memory is sharper, it means you are more likely to remember lists, names, directions etc.

So, why exactly am I pushing for language learning? Because I'm afraid that we are left behind. With numerous countries across Europe being at an advantage as they can speak a second, if not third language, Britain is being left behind. We aren't as advanced, and it'll affect us in years to come. Especially with Brexit, I feel it's possibly more crucial now than ever before. Of course, Brexit negotiations are priority at the moment, but the Government also need to take action in pursing language learning further. With cut backs, less schools are now teaching languages, and this puts children at a disadvantage. Teacher shortages also contribute towards this issue. I know that when I was at school, French was mandatory until third year of secondary, and Spanish was optional after your fifth year. These were the only two languages. German and Latin were once an option, but due to cut backs in the funding and lack of teachers, these languages were no longer taught.

Language learning doesn't require a qualification. There are language classes out there, as well as apps - I highly recommend Duolingo. You don't need to study your language for hours upon hours each day, every 15-20 minutes can prove to be highly effective. Isn't it beautiful when we communicate with each other in the same language, but isn't necessarily your first language, nor someone else? Whilst I was out in Portugal last month, I was speaking with someone from Latvia, who's native language isn't English yet mine is, and I quote from him: "It's wonderful how English can connect all of us. We're all from different countries and cultures, yet we can communicate with each other." It's a quote which is ever so true, and we need to remember ourselves. That is why I'm so keen to keep up with learning my Spanish, and keeping my French fresh in my head. Because if I ever go to a French or Spanish speaking country, I have the ability to speak their native language. And for me, that is simply wonderful.

If you do one thing today, make sure it's to learn your language. I would love for you to leave me a comment in your language, or a second language you know, below in the comments.

What is the sugar tax? The sugar tax is a tax on items which contain a high volume of sugar, increasing the item’s cost. The intention of this tax is to limit the number of items purchased in the hope that the price puts people off, trying to create a healthier population. As of today, the UK have implemented a new law for manufacturers to apply a tax on top of drinks with a high sugar content.

The UK won’t be the first country to introduce this tax. Countries such as France and Mexico brought in this tax years ago and has proven to be successful. In an average can of a Cola (330ml), there are nine cubes of sugar - the recommended sugar intake for people over the age of 11 is seven cubes per day. With the new tax, drinks with over 8g of sugar per 100ml will have a tax of 24p per litre, with drinks containing 5-8g of sugar per 100ml will have a tax of 18p per litre. The Chancellor estimates that the tax will raise over £500 million per year, which is to be spent elsewhere - in Scotland it hasn’t been confirmed, but in England, it’ll be spent in school sports and breakfast clubs, helping to create a healthy population.

Will this tax actually be worthwhile? That’s a gamble we take, and won’t find out until the tax is carried out. Although it’s not a massive figure, some people will refuse to pay extra for that can of Irn Bru or Cola, and on the other hand, the extra money might not even phase people. It’s 50/50. For those who opt against buying their daily can of fizzy drink, or the occasional treat, they’re making a positive lifestyle choice, benefitting their own health. Then again, those who buy a can know the impact the sugar levels have on their health and it’s their own choice which affects their life. If it’s something bought on a daily occurrence, an extra few pence won’t bother them. The tax is there to try and reduce the number of people buying high sugar content products and think twice.

The tax aims to tackle the obesity levels in the UK; the rates in the past 30 years have tripled and it is estimated that over half the population could be obese by 2050 (current levels sit just beneath 25%). With these worrying statistics, this is exactly why the Government are acting fast and introducing the sugar tax. Whether or not it works, I’m not sure. The next step is targeting products such as sweets and biscuits which have high sugar levels also, and I reckon this could be beneficial because the number of people who snack rather than eat proper, nutritious meals is significantly higher.