6 Friday, February 9, 2024brooklintowncrier.com Myth #1: A plant-based diet is expensive. A plant-based diet greatly emphasizes whole food nutrition with minimally processed foods like fruits and vegetables. These are pretty inexpensive when compared with processed foods and meat. Myth #2: Plant-based eating is the same as veganism and vegetarianism. A vegan diet completely excludes all animal products in the diet and often lifestyle, including dairy and eggs while a vegetarian diet includes eggs and dairy but does not include meat, poultry and fish. Plant-based eating, however, means adopting a diet that prioritizes whole-plant foods. Myth #3: It's hard to get enough protein. Eating less or no meat doesn't mean you'll suffer from protein deficiency. Protein is found in all foods. Getting enough protein is possible if you're eating a balanced diet. Foods like oats, whole-grain pasta, vegetables and fruit of all types will provide some amount of protein, even if nominal. Add beans, legumes, peanut butter, soy milk, tofu, tempeh, nuts and seeds to your daily diet to increase your protein intake. All the protein you eat adds up. Myth #4: Being Vegan Is Too Hard. Making a lifestyle change and getting into the habit of anything new can be challenging. But if you stick with it, a vegan diet will become second nature. Many of your favourite foods have flavourful vegan substitutions. There are many resources to support your new vegan life-style. The more you learn about veganism (or any subject), the easier it is to navigate and keep moving forward. Myth #5: Being Vegan Is Restrictive. I'm often asked, "What do you eat?" as if I am deprived. It may seem restrictive for most people to forego all animal products, including meat, cheese, eggs, and fish. Instead of focusing on what you can't have, focus on what you can eat. You may be surprised at the variety veganism offers. It can open your mind to many more food options and possibilities, including trying new flavours, spices, and cooking methods. I eat many foods I might never have tried if I was still eating meat. Sheree's H a c k : Download the free, Happy Cow app on your smartphone to find vegan restaurants in your area. Top Myths About Plant-Based Eating Plant-Based Eating by Sheree Nicholson For the first time, Brooklin High School will host the 2024 OFSAA Ontario High School hockey championships in both the boys and girls divisions. The tournament will run March 19-21 at local arenas, the final schedule to be determined later this month. The 64 teams and approximately 1600 hockey players in AAA, AA, and A divisions will stay at a number of Whitby and Oshawa hotels. The Brooklin High Bears boys team won the OFSAA AAA title in 2018 while the girls AAA team won it last year. Admission will be charged at the entrance of each arena. Children 12 and Under: Free Adults & Students: $10/Day OR $20 Championship Pass For further information, visit: https://www.ofsaa.on.ca/ championship/hockey/ Brooklin High To Host Provincial Hockey Finals OUR YELLOW BOX IS BACK! In 2022, editions of this paper featured the yellow box, implor- ing the government to remove the tolls from the 412. With an election looming, it finally did. Are we prepared to wait till the next election for them to do the right thing? The Yellow Box is back to remind us to send our feedback to whitby.ca/NewHospital and will remain in every edition until the Province responds to the community.