INSIDER February 2019 | Page 7

Insider News can make to reduce the suffering of ani- mals, help the plan- et and improve per- sonal health.” However, a lot of crit- icisms have come about regarding the ideology behind Ve- ganuary. After research, inevi- tably vegans are prone to be deficient in certain nutrients. This includes Iodine deficiency, which could lead to thyroid problems, Calcium deficiency which puts them at risk of bone fracture and Animal omega-3 (DHA) defi- ciency, with a slight possibility of leading to neurological prob- lems in children of vegan mothers. Another criticism in- cludes the idea that animals may be used for labour in poorer countries, for farmers who need transport perhaps and there- fore isn’t reducing the harm for animals. Another huge factor in making Veganism such a huge deal in- cludes the exaggera- tion that some ve- gans will give off, to try and persuade people that their life- style is wrong. I have a lot of re- spect for an individu- al’s lifestyle but auto- matically lose that respect when others try to guilt trip and look down on you for disagreeing with their personal choices. One of the claims from these include that "meat is the biggest cause of all CHOCOLATE CHIP VEGAN COOKIES INGREDIENTS          1 cup white, oat, or spelt flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 cup sugar, unrefined if desired 1/4 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar 1/3 cup chocolate chips 2 tbsp milk of choice, plus more if needed 2 tbsp oil 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract METHOD  Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, then stir in wet ingredients to form a dough – it will be dry at first, so keep stirring until a cookie-dough texture is achieved. If needed, add 1-2 tbsp extra milk of choice.  Form into one big ball, then either refrigerate for at least 2 hours or freeze until the dough is cold. Once dough is chilled, preheat oven to 325 F. Logo on designed  Form dough balls, and place a greased baking tray, leaving for Veganuary enough room between cookies for them to spread.  Bake 11 minutes on the centre rack. They’ll look underdone when you take them out. Let them cool on the baking tray 10 minutes before touching, during which time they will firm up. If for whatever reason the cookies don’t spread enough (climate can play a huge role), just press down with a spoon after baking. You can also choose to make extra cookie dough balls and freeze them to bake at a later date. preventable diseases". There are benefits to a vegan diet, don’t get me wrong, but it’s often ex- aggerated to make peo- ple believe it’s the per- fect lifestyle without re- ally looking at the health implications. Personally, I am not Ve- gan and nor do I plan to ever try it. I am living a happy and healthy life, so there is no need for me to adapt what I am eating to suit an ideal Vegans are at risk to being defi- cient to substances like Iodine and Calci- um, as well as being more at risk of bone frac- ture. Vegan diet. However, for some, it really is a chal- lenge or a way to focus on ‘eating bet- ter’ but everyone has different opin- ions on the topic as it still remains one of the most contro- versial topics to de- bate about in the 21st century. The College magazine online: sixthformmag.blogspot.co.uk