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Friday, January 12, 2024 3 Brooklin Town Crier Brooklin's Community Newspaper Proud to be a Brooklinite Since 2000. Published 24 times per year. Editor, Richard Bercuson 613-769-8629 • editorofbtc@gmail.com • Circulation 8000 • Delivery via Canada Post Locally owned and operated. A publication of Appletree Graphic Design Inc. We accept advertising in good faith but do not endorse advertisers nor advertisements. All editorial submissions are subject to editing. For advertising information, contact: Email: mulcahy42@rogers.com Next Issue: Friday, January 26, 2024 Deadline: Friday, January 19, 2024 Brooklin TOWN CRIER.com People make New Year's resolutions with the best intentions and certainly any one that improves your health is great. But find something sustainable, not a quick fix that sets you on a success/ failure roller coaster ride. As a yoga and fitness studio owner, I see people who buy into weight loss fixes only to return to where they started a few months later. I suffered from this same cycle for years before I finally accepted a complete change in lifestyle as the solution. Today, I eat a primarily whole-food diet, exercise daily, and go to bed early. I've found that lack of sleep is one of the biggest detriments to my routine. If I'm tired, I crave junky carbs and don't feel like exercising. Meat and weight loss This time of year, people decide to give up meat to lose weight though there's no guarantee of weight loss by being vegan. You need a better reason. You need a strong why. As a health podcast addict, I often hear contradictory information quoted by scientists. One morning on two popular podcasts, scientists cited contradictory research on meat. Some research says you need 20% of your daily calorie intake from protein; others tie protein requirements to body weight. Can they both be right? Remember that your body will let you know what works and what doesn't. Keep going with the vegan diet and, if you're finding it hard, hire a professional to help you navigate the change. A combination There is no magic wand to weight loss. Generally, it's a combination of food intake, exercise, sleep and stress. Changing your diet is excellent, especially if you eat a lot of ultra-processed foods. However, you need to examine other factors. While people think exercise is the key to weight loss, in the fitness industry, we say, "You can't out-train a bad diet." If at my age and weight I want to lose weight by running, I might burn about 200 calories in a 40 minute run. But if afterwards I eat a 270 calorie protein bar as a snack, I've consumed more calories than I burned. Using calories as a measure means you need to be in a deficit to lose weight. Using calories or food energy to track weight loss may or not be helped by a vegan diet. Foods such as coconut oil, avocado, and vegan cheeses are high in calories and must be eaten in moderation if your goal is to lose weight. Many vegan cheeses are coconut oil-based and thus unhealthy. Hummus, a vegan staple, is also high in calories for its nutrient value. Increased energy The significant health benefits of a vegan diet include the increase in energy and eating nutritionally dense foods along with benefits to gut health. A vegan diet tends to be higher in prebiotics, the fuel good bacteria use in the gut. Prebiotics support the bacteria in the digestive tract. You'll find them in plant foods such as apples, onions, garlic, leek, beans, and grains. I switched to a vegan lifestyle after doing a 30-day challenge and felt much more energetic. That's when I knew it was for me. Sheree's Hack: Learn about your new lifestyle. Knowledge is power. Read books, watch documentaries and do your research. The New Year's Weight Loss Resolution Plant-Based Eating by Sheree Nicholson out her. "Simply because people get careless. They don't read the body language the same way. You can afford to be careless around a sheep. For me, because again, they're not wild. You may see them as wild. And I get that. But what I'm looking at is an animal that will sit there and walk away when it wants to walk away and not being dragged." Which sounds like only she can properly read the body language and "mood" of a wild animal, likely one of the risky approaches those experts would find dangerous. She cites the example of an ostrich not being considered exotic according to the bylaw although she says she would never have one. "I don't trust birds. They're unpredictable. I'm careful with birds." Yet the list of exotic animals on site includes owls, eagles, falcons and hawks. Liability issue Had she not withdrawn the request and If council had voted to allow the exemption, which seemed unlikely given the December council meeting and the Whitby staff report recommendation not to (LS 12-23), it could be held liable should something happen. However, now that she has opted to comply with the bylaw and get on with the fine work she and her team do, the future of Nova's Ark as "a sanctuary," as she calls it, should be assured. A remarkable feature of people like Mary-Ann Nova, who have a unique vision and purpose, is their adaptability. Just as she is able to find solutions to help children in need, she will undoubtedly find ways to make her programs work without the "exotics." She isn't about to let the gem be tarnished. continued from page 2 This week another 13 drivers were removed from the roadways. On New Years Eve DRPS checked nearly 300 cars for sobriety and noted that the vast majority of these drivers were designated driver or ride share services. Thank you to those who made the right choice and drove sober this holiday season. While the vast majority of motorists are abiding by the rules and regulations, some people are oblivious to the dangers of impaired driving. One driver had an unsecured toddler in the car while operating impaired by drugs. The 2023 Festive RIDE final totals are as follows (with the 2022 Festive RIDE final totals in brackets for comparison). 12,682 (9,907) Vehicles stopped by RIDE 533 (492) People given Roadside Breath Tests 40 (41) People received "3 Day Suspensions" for registering a "WARN" 19 (10) Novice Driver received a 3, 7 or 30 Licence Suspension 87 (77) People were charged with Impaired Driving Offences 64 (35) Other Criminal Code Charges 974 (692) Charged with various Highway Traffic Act offences 3 (2) Drug Offences This year 87 drivers were removed from our roads for impaired driving - a choice they made. A choice that jeopardizes the safety of everyone. Over 12,000 vehicles were checked, proving the majority of the drivers are following the rules and regulations. Please remember: If you see something, say something. Report suspected impaired driving by calling 911 - it could save a life. Festive RIDE totals are in!