Wednesday, August 4, 2021
Southpoint Sun - 9
Intuitive eating will help with your diet Editor’s note: This article is part of a monthly series of articles submitted by the Leamington and Area Family Health Team. By Olivia Kuhlmann, Dietetic Intern with the Leamington & Area Family Health Team Diet Culture is everywhere! A quick Google search for “diet” comes up with 1.14 billion results in 0.56 seconds. All this information telling us what to eat, when, and how much, can be overwhelming. This is where ‘Intuitive Eating’ comes in. We are all born with the innate ability to eat intuitively. Think, a baby crying when they’re hungry. Along the way, Diet Culture teaches us to silence our bodies’ cues and put our trust in strict plans/ the newest fad diet. Intuitive Eating is about getting back in touch with these cues and learning to trust our body. It has 10 guiding principles: 1. Reject the Diet Mentality: Diet culture says weight gain is synonymous with failure, and teaches us to base our worth on the food we eat and looking a certain way.
This mentality stands in the way of food freedom. 2. Honour Your Hunger: Your body knows when it needs energy, and it has various methods of asking you for fuel. Ignoring these cues triggers primal food seeking instincts and can lead to overeating. Rebuild the trust with your body, that you will provide it the nourishment it needs. 3. Make Peace with Food: Food is not the enemy! Marking foods as “off-limits” can lead to a sense of deprivation and in turn intensify cravings. Give yourself the unconditional permission to eat. 4. Challenge the Food Police: There is no such thing as “good” or “bad” food. Food is nourishment and has no moral value. 5. Discover the Satisfaction Factor: Eating is about so much more than the nutrients food gives our bodies. It can be a social, cultural, and emotional experience. Allowing yourself to find pleasure and satisfaction in food is part of living a balanced life. 6. Feel Your Fullness: Listen to your body’s sig-
nals when you’re eating. Over time, you can feel more confident knowing when you’re comfortably full. With Intuitive Eating, your mind and body will learn to trust that food will be available again when it’s needed. 7. Cope with Your Emotions with Kindness: Throughout the course of our lives, food is used to comfort, nurture, and distract us when we’re feeling upset. Food serves a variety of purposes, but it cannot resolve these underlying feelings. Learn to cope with uncomfortable emotions in ways that don’t involve food. 8. Respect Your Body: If we all ate the exact same, our bodies would still be different! Health looks different on everyone. Give your body permission to change and adapt throughout the course of your life. 9. Movement – Feel the Difference: Movement is supposed to be enjoyable. Find an activity that you enjoy and focus on how it makes you feel, rather than how many calories it burns. Exercise is selfcare! 10. Honour Your Health
– Gentle Nutrition: You don’t have to eat “perfectly” to be healthy. You will
not develop a nutritional deficiency in one day or gain 10 lbs from one meal.
Balance is key.
Leamington library reopens doors
LEAMINGTON - The Leamington Branch of the Essex County Library reopened its doors to patrons on July 26. As well as being open to the public, curbside pick-up and mailing service are continuing. Library hours are as follows. Hours are subject to change in the coming weeks. Patrons can call the library ahead of time at 226-946-1529 ext. 220 to see if it is open before stopping by: • Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to
12:30 p.m. curbside only, 12:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. open. • Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. open, 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. curbside only. • Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. curbside only. • Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. open. The Leamington Library will also serve as a cooling station on extreme heat days. Water will be available for anyone who needs it.
Mayor’s recognition awards program LEAMINGTON – Mayor Hilda MacDonald and Leamington Council have launched a new Mayor’s Recognition Awards program to recognize and honour individuals, groups and organizations whose efforts have brought honour and recognition to the municipality. “Leamington is full of change-makers,” said Mayor Hilda MacDonald. “I wanted to create an annual awards program that instills pride, encourages everyone to contribute, and acknowledges and thanks citizens for their meaningful contributions to our community.” This year’s Mayor’s RecognitionAwards program will recognize citizens who have made a meaningful contribution or have had a significant achieve-
ment in one of the following six categories during the 2020 calendar year: Athletics Award, Outstanding Youth Award, Innovation Award, Distinguished Volunteer Service Award, Community Inspiration Award, and Mayor’s Special Award. Award recipients will be selected by the Mayor’s Recognition Awards Committee, with the exception of the Mayor’s Special Award recipient, which is selected by the Mayor. The award winners will be honoured at a special Council meeting in November. Last day to submit nominations is September 15, 2021. Visit leamington. ca/awards.
