(1º§) Children are turning their backs on sugary drinks, with the numbers drinking them falling by a third over the past nine years, a survey suggests.

(2º§) About half of children do not drink them - and those that do are drinking fewer than children in 2008-09 did. The shift has contributed to an overall reduction in sugar consumption.

(3º§) However, all age groups still consumed above the recommended levels, according to the nine-year analysis of the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey.

(4º§) But on other measures, diet has not improved, the report, from the Food Standards Agency and Public Health England, said.

(5º§) Fruit and vegetable consumption remains largely unchanged and is still under the recommended five-a-day level. Fibre intake has fallen slightly, while vitamin and mineral consumption is down. And there has been little change in oily fish intake.

(6º§) Emer Delaney, of the British Dietetic Association, said she was pleased with the progress that has been made.

(7º§) She said the reduction in sugary drinks consumption was "important", adding: "It shows change can be made - and it is happening slowly, but surely."

(8º§) But she conceded more needed to be done to get people to increase fruit and vegetable consumption.

(9º§) "Frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables are just as good - we need to encourage people to use them as well as fresh products."

What about fruit and vegetables?

(10º§) The five-a-day message has been around for a long-time - the government campaign was launched in 2003. But it seems to be having little impact.

(11º§) Over the nine years there has been hardly any change in the amount people consume. Adults under 65 are eating around four portions a day on average. Older adults and children even less.

(12º§) The five-a-day campaign is based on advice from the World Health Organization, which recommends eating a minimum of 400g of fruit and vegetables a day to lower the risk of serious health problems, such as heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer.

(13º§) Five-a-day was chosen because it was viewed as realistic. Research has suggested that to get maximum benefit people should be eating twice that amount. Apples and pears, citrus fruits, salads and green leafy vegetables and vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower were found to be best.

Source (adapted): https://www.bbc.com

https://www.bbc.com

(1º§) Flamenco's trifecta of guitar music, vocals and dance ranks among Spain's most famous art forms. But in the country of its birth, this centuries-old craft that unites elegant physicality and raw human emotion is in danger of extinction.

(2º§) Spain's tablaos - traditional flamenco venues named after the wooden platforms upon which performers spin, sing and strum - were particularly hard-hit by pandemic lockdown restrictions. In tablaos , spectators rub shoulders at tightly spaced tables and performers remain close enough to maintain an electric connection to their audience, one that encourages improvisation and turns flamenco into a nearly collaborative act.

(3º§) The unique environment that fosters flamenco, though, presents serious challenges in the time of Covid-19. Shuttered for extended periods, the majority of Spain's tablaos remain empty.

(4º§) According to Juan Manuel del Rey, president of the Spanish Tablao Association, tablaos employ 95% of the flamenco dancers in Spain. Before the pandemic, the country's 50,000 yearly shows accounted for all but 5% of the world's flamenco performances. Without tablaos, flamenco is losing its stage to the world.

(5º§) Because tablaos don't have a specific license that recognise them as cultural providers, they're unable to receive needed support from the Spanish government, leaving both venues and performers scrambling for survival. A few venues have opened with limited capacity one or two nights a week, but many remain closed or have already closed permanently.

(6º§) It's not just the financial implications jeopardising the future of the form. Tablaos were designed to bring audiences and performers together, and without that connection, many flamenco artists struggle to maintain the fire that fuels flamenco's signature passion.

(7º§) To see deep emotions embodied in music and dance is, for many, the power of flamenco. In an age of global uncertainty, the art form remains as relevant as ever. If it can find a way to survive.

Source (adapted): https://www.bbc.com

(1º§) Flamenco's trifecta of guitar music, vocals and dance ranks among Spain's most famous art forms. But in the country of its birth, this centuries-old craft that unites elegant physicality and raw human emotion is in danger of extinction.

(2º§) Spain's tablaos - traditional flamenco venues named after the wooden platforms upon which performers spin, sing and strum - were particularly hard-hit by pandemic lockdown restrictions. In tablaos , spectators rub shoulders at tightly spaced tables and performers remain close enough to maintain an electric connection to their audience, one that encourages improvisation and turns flamenco into a nearly collaborative act.

(3º§) The unique environment that fosters flamenco, though, presents serious challenges in the time of Covid-19. Shuttered for extended periods, the majority of Spain's tablaos remain empty.

(4º§) According to Juan Manuel del Rey, president of the Spanish Tablao Association, tablaos employ 95% of the flamenco dancers in Spain. Before the pandemic, the country's 50,000 yearly shows accounted for all but 5% of the world's flamenco performances. Without tablaos, flamenco is losing its stage to the world.

(5º§) Because tablaos don't have a specific license that recognise them as cultural providers, they're unable to receive needed support from the Spanish government, leaving both venues and performers scrambling for survival. A few venues have opened with limited capacity one or two nights a week, but many remain closed or have already closed permanently.

(6º§) It's not just the financial implications jeopardising the future of the form. Tablaos were designed to bring audiences and performers together, and without that connection, many flamenco artists struggle to maintain the fire that fuels flamenco's signature passion.

(7º§) To see deep emotions embodied in music and dance is, for many, the power of flamenco. In an age of global uncertainty, the art form remains as relevant as ever. If it can find a way to survive.

Source (adapted): https://www.bbc.com

(1º§) Flamenco's trifecta of guitar music, vocals and dance ranks among Spain's most famous art forms. But in the country of its birth, this centuries-old craft that unites elegant physicality and raw human emotion is in danger of extinction.

(2º§) Spain's tablaos - traditional flamenco venues named after the wooden platforms upon which performers spin, sing and strum - were particularly hard-hit by pandemic lockdown restrictions. In tablaos , spectators rub shoulders at tightly spaced tables and performers remain close enough to maintain an electric connection to their audience, one that encourages improvisation and turns flamenco into a nearly collaborative act.

(3º§) The unique environment that fosters flamenco, though, presents serious challenges in the time of Covid-19. Shuttered for extended periods, the majority of Spain's tablaos remain empty.

(4º§) According to Juan Manuel del Rey, president of the Spanish Tablao Association, tablaos employ 95% of the flamenco dancers in Spain. Before the pandemic, the country's 50,000 yearly shows accounted for all but 5% of the world's flamenco performances. Without tablaos, flamenco is losing its stage to the world.

(5º§) Because tablaos don't have a specific license that recognise them as cultural providers, they're unable to receive needed support from the Spanish government, leaving both venues and performers scrambling for survival. A few venues have opened with limited capacity one or two nights a week, but many remain closed or have already closed permanently.

(6º§) It's not just the financial implications jeopardising the future of the form. Tablaos were designed to bring audiences and performers together, and without that connection, many flamenco artists struggle to maintain the fire that fuels flamenco's signature passion.

(7º§) To see deep emotions embodied in music and dance is, for many, the power of flamenco. In an age of global uncertainty, the art form remains as relevant as ever. If it can find a way to survive.

Source (adapted): https://www.bbc.com