It’s one of the most popular alcoholic drinks in the United Kingdom, with countless more set to be drank as Christmas finally arrives.

But it comes with a significant warning to millions of Brits who are partial to the odd micro glass of the black stuff.

Unless you have been living under a rock, no, Baby Guinness is not the same as the product made by Arthur Guinness way back in 1759.

It’s actually something you can easily make at home, unlike a creamy pint of the original drink it’s named after.

Millions cannot drink it if it’s made with a particular coffee liqueur (Getty Stock Images)

Created in a shot glass, it it made up primarily of coffee liqueur before being topped with Irish cream. And voila, you’ve got something looking a lot like a tiny glass of Guinness (if you can pour it correctly, anyway).

It’s incredibly fun and is god damn delicious, so it is no surprise it’s loved by millions across the country.

But for those saying slainte before knocking one back, better check what coffee liqueur is being used.

That’s only if you’re a vegetarian or vegan; of which there are around 5.6 million.

So many of them (Getty Stock Images)

Unfortunately for those who follow either of these lifestyles, one of the major coffee liqueur brands in the UK does not fit into said lifestyle.

You’re all good if you’re on the Tia Maria, which uses coffee beans, cane spirit, vanilla, and sugar alongside a ‘vegan-certified’ supply and manufacturing process.

Sorry if you’ve been having Kahlua, though; it doesn’t not hold either vegan or vegetarian status.

It’s not to do with the ingredients. Rather, the creation process.

“We can clarify that Kahlúa is not directly manufactured with any animal derivatives,” a spokesperson from Kahlúa’s parent company Pernod Ricard said this year.

“However, it’s important to note that a bone char filtration process, which does involve contact with animal derivatives, is employed by one of our sugar suppliers during refinement.

“This widely accepted practice in the sugar industry currently prevents us from categorising Kahlúa as suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets.”

It’s also used to make espresso martinis (Getty Stock Images)

Kahlúa has in fact not been vegan since 2016; although it’s clear not everyone was aware going by reaction on social media.

In an additional statement from earlier this year, Kahlúa explained: “We can confirm that Kahlúa is NOT suitable for vegetarians or vegans. This is because of the sugar refinement.

“It appears there was some confusion as, prior to 2016, Kahlúa was deemed suitable. At this time, Kahlúa is not suitable for vegetarians or vegans.”

Kahlúa is also used by some in espresso martinis, so you better check next time you order one.

If you’re someone who is considering whether to jump on the Dry Jan bandwagon, this bloke might help you decide whether it’s worth the hype.

Millions of people take part in the annual challenge to go alcohol-free for the first month of the year to have a bit of a detox after a booze-fuelled festive season.

Let’s have it right, a lot of us have drank enough throughout December to last us an entire year – so the idea of going 31 days without liquor is quite enticing.

Experts insist you will notice a number of health benefits if you take part in Dry January, however, some people remain unconvinced by the point of it.

A few Brits think it’s counterproductive to cut out alcohol for just one month while continuing to get hammered for the other 11. And they have a point – but the purpose of the campaign which was first launched by Alcohol Change UK is to encourage people to simply reconsider their relationship with booze.

It prompts us to take stock of how much alcohol we are drinking and whether we might be teetering into dangerous territory with our drinking habits.

But you don’t just have to take my word for it, as this man revealed what results he had after putting himself on a booze ban for 30 days.

Many Brits will be opting to give up the booze for January (Getty Stock Image)

YouTuber Jordan LoNigro decided to document his challenge and share his results online in the hopes of inspiring others to take a leaf out of his book too.

In a video originally shared in May 2019, he explained that he was motivated to ditch drunken nights out after a booze-heavy few weeks, which resulted in some pretty grim hangovers.

The photographer and videographer, based in South Carolina, then revealed what changes he had noticed after not consuming any alcohol for more than four weeks, as well as the biggest realisation he had.

He excitedly announced that he had lost 10 pounds ‘just by simply cutting out alcohol for a month and eating a little bit healthier‘.

“So that’s pretty awesome,” Jordan said. “I feel like I have a bit more energy, I feel a lot less sluggish than I usually do. I’ve been more creative.

Jordan LoNigro noticed some surprising changes after giving up booze for 30 days (YouTube/@jordanlonigro)

“I haven’t been waking up with hangovers on the weekends, so I’ve been using my time to my advantage and just being more all-around productive, so that’s been great as well. And lastly, I saved money.”

The content creator explained that even if you are just grabbing one beer with a meal, these small purchases add up over the course of a month.

However, Jordan admitted it wasn’t all smooth sailing, even if the 30 day challenge did leave him feeling better mentally and physically.

“Now let’s talk about some cons – or to put it better, some realisations I’ve had doing this challenge,” he continued. “My relationship with alcohol…it was a bit more challenging than I thought it was gonna be.

“The area I live in, there’s just so many things that involve drinking, so many activities that involve drinking. When I cut that out, it was like, wow.”

He explained that he lost weight, had more energy and saved money (YouTube/@jordanlonigro)

The YouTuber explained it dawned on him that he would have probably drank on numerous occasions ‘without even thinking about it’, rather than for a special event – prompting him to realise the extent of his relationship with drinking.

“Moving forward, I’m just going to be a little bit more aware of when I drink and how much I am drinking,” Jordan went on, before discussing the ‘most challenging’ aspect he faced while giving up booze further.

He told how his social life had taken a hit as he realised that a lot of activities involve drinking, but when your teetotal, ‘you don’t want to go put yourself in those environments‘.

“So you just stay at home and chill,” he said. “And you don’t really hang out with people too much.”

He explained the cold weather also played a part in this, as he couldn’t preoccupy himself by heading outdoors.

As well as prompting him to overhaul his relationship with alcohol, Jordan says the challenge gave him new-found admiration for those who don’t drink.

“I just did this challenge for 30 days, but there’s a lot of people out there even people that are very close to me that live a sober lifestyle,” he added.

“That would be very hard to do.You would really have to reformat your whole life, really be aware of your surroundings and that would be very challenging – so to anyone out there that lives that kind of lifestyle, respect to you.”

When you’re trying to lose weight, every diet seems to be filled with misery.

Whether it’s cutting out all sugar, consuming everything via soup, or constraining yourself to only eating at specific times, it seems like near every diet is purpose-built to make you sad.

Therefore, when someone comes out with the statement that a ‘potato only diet’ changed their life, you would be hard pressed to find someone who didn’t sit up and listen.

Imagine nothing but these bad boys for an entire year (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

The diet was one carried out by Andrew Taylor, known online as ‘Spudfit’, who switched to a potato-only diet to try lose weight.

Taylor said he ‘had issues with food addiction’ and was 151.7 kilograms when he started the diet.

When he says ‘potato-only’ Taylor really isn’t kidding, as he ate just that for an entire year.

While potatoes are arguably the most versatile ingredient around, and in theory I’m sure many of us (myself included) would say we’d love to do this, it takes a bonkers level of dedication to do so for an entire year.

So the real question is, what effect did it have on his body?

The diet had a drastic effect on his body (YouTube / Plant Based News)

Well, Taylor actually lost over 50 kilograms in the year he spent eating only spuds.

The man went from 151.7kg to just under 100 at 98.5 kilos.

Taylor said of the process that it had ‘totally changed’ his life ‘for the better’.

Speaking to The Independent at the start of his experiment, the potato-lover said: “I’m getting over 600% of my daily iron retirements and over 400% of vitamin c as well as heaps of fibre – all things that so-called experts have said I’d be low in today.

“The only thing of concern was calcium, potatoes have calcium but maybe not enough.

He mostly ate boiled potatoes ‘like an apple’ for the year (YouTube/9 News)

“To be sure I’m using a calcium fortified organic soy milk to make mashed potatoes.”

He also said that he would be taking regular blood tests, and would be taking fat if the blood tests gave any concerning results.

According to advice given by doctors, he is eating a mixture of white and sweet potato recipes.

Taylor also stated that, over the course of the year, his mental health improved greatly.

The spud-aficionado said that, prior to this experiment, he had been struggling with clinical depression as a result of his food addiction, and has revealed that the diet re-focused his relationship with food, and thus improved his mental health.

He also stated that it eased his feelings of anxiety.

Regarding the diet, an expert told the Daily Mail that, while he would be eating enough to keep up energy and lose weight, the diet is lacking in ‘essential nutrients like zinc, B12 and omega-3.’

A set of identical twins went on separate vegan and meat diets to see what the impact would be on their bodies.

It’s fair to say there’s often criticism from carnivores that us humans need meat to keep up a healthy balanced diet of foods while others campaign for a meat-free life.

So, to clear up any conspiracy theories and actually get some science involved, a study of these two blokes put it to the test.

The study

Back in 2021, Hugo and Ross Turned were filmed by the BBC as they took on opposite diets for 12 weeks.

Hugo was to follow a plant-based diet, while Ross was allowed to eat meat, dairy and fish.

Conducted by King’s College London, the study had them consuming the same amount of calories a day as well as following the same gym routine.

One went vegan while the other followed an omnivore diet. (Instagram/@theturnertwiins)

“I felt like I had more energy”

During the short film, Hugo explained: “I was on the vegan diet and it really does take a hit on your body.

“I think the first couple of weeks it was really craving and wanting meat and dairy and cheese. I love cheese.

“I was now having to eat fruit and nuts and alternatives that didn’t have any dairy in them – and so that meant I was eating a lot more wholesome food, which meant that my sugar levels were a lot satiated during the day.

“I felt like I had more energy.”

While Ross said his meat-eating journey was up-and-down, especially when it came to the gym.

He said he often felt ‘very energetic’ but at other times would experience ‘huge lulls’.

Hugo’s plant-based diet meant his energy levels remained pretty much consistent throughout the entire process.

However, he found the diversity of his gut bacteria ‘severely’ dropped, while his brother’s stayed the same meaning he was less likely to pick up illnesses.

One thing Ross noticed was how much processed food he was eating when he peered at what his brother’s vegan meals looked like.

There wasn’t a ‘huge difference’. (BBC)

The results

A little disappointingly perhaps, it seemed as though there were no ground-breaking results or differences at the end of the study.

One thing Hugo did see was his cholesterol levels drop ‘off the scale’, while also losing weight and boosting his resistance to type two diabetes.

According to Insider, at the start of the diet, Hugo weighed 185 pounds and had 13 percent body fat.

By the end of the 12 weeks, he weighed 181 pounds and dropped to 12 percent body fat.

In comparison, Ross also had 13 percent body fat at the start, but he put on 10 pounds of muscle, and also gained fat, bringing his end body fat percentage up to 15 percent and his weight to 189 pounds.