9 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,A ugust 19,2021 insidehalton.com delmanor.com Wednesday, August 25th - 3:00 to 4:00 pm Safe Senior Driving - A Virtual Refresher Join the Ontario Ministry of Transportation's Lisa Thompson as she presents information geared to mature drivers, including trends and statistics, services available from Service Ontario & Drive Test Centres, driving tips, and things to consider when your vehicle is not being used for an extended period of time. This virtual lecture is FREE. Spaces are limited! To RSVP, please contact Pat or Monique at (905) 469-3232 by August 22. (905) 469-3232 1459 Nottinghill Gate, Oakville Here's the secret to eat- ing healthy and looking and feeling good. What you put in your mouth matters, not just for weight management and performance, but sleep, stress, the appearance of your skin, muscle and hair and, finally, the mental function needed to carry out activities. Food fuels human activ- ity. Here are 10 fundamen- tals to consider: • Understand and ad- dress the reasons you eat the way you do. • Don't skip portion con- trol. Half your dinner plate should be fruits and vege- tables, a quarter should be some sort of protein source (plant- or animal-based) and the final quarter should be some sort of whole grain. • Eat more fruits and vegetables. • Prioritize plant-based proteins, white meat and fish over red meat. • Avoid processed food, trans fats and high levels of salt. • Avoid excess sugar. • Include beans, nuts and seeds as well as healthy oils such as olive oil. • Choose whole grains (brown rice, whole-grain cereal, oatmeal) instead of refined grains (white bread, white rice, sweet- ened cereals). If grains are avoided, then get 15-35 grams of fibre daily from other sources. • If dairy is avoided, then calcium, vitamin D and po- tassium must come from other sources. • Educate yourself. There is a lot of misinfor- mation out there. People manipulate food for reasons other than fuel- ing their bodies. Establish- ing control, stress manage- ment, weight loss, distort- ed body images, trauma as a child or adult -- all can drive people toward un- healthy eating patterns. You cannot sustain a healthy lifestyle without addressing these underly- ing issues. A healthy diet takes time, but is well worth the effort. Nadia Alam is a Halton physician and past presi- dent of the Ontario Med- ical Association. Her col- umns also appear on www.drnadiaalam.com. She can be reached through her website. THE FUNDAMENTALS OF EATING HEALTHY OPINION DR. NADIA ALAM Column Grateful to be back playing this summer, members of the 2011 Oakville AA baseball team took time before a recent practice to clean up the area around Bronte Park. Barbara Webb photo THE CLEAN-UP CREW