 Aloha and welcome to Gillian's Vegan World. I'm your host, Lillian Cumick with Think Tech, Hawaii. Welcome to the show. I'm so excited to have one of my regular guests, a dear friend and someone who makes a difference in the plant-based world, sharing her lifestyle and her knowledge of the vegan diet. Please welcome to the show, Dr. Grace Chen O'Neill, emergency physician. And thank you, Grace, for taking out the time from your trip in California. Thank you so much, Lillian. I love being on your show. Thank you for having me. The pleasure is all mine, Grace. It's so awesome to see you. I'm just gonna dive right in because we have some very exciting news. Today's show is actually a plant-based view. Brand new vegan show hits Hawaii, 2022. Who made that big? So, do you want to tell them or should I? Well, I just want to tell the viewers that Dr. O'Neill is actually just joining the Think Tech Hawaii team as host of her own new vegan show. And I just, I couldn't be more pleased to hear this news. So, Grace, tell us what you're gonna call the show, what it's all about, when it starts, and everything else that we should know about it. So, the show is going to be called Healthy Planet. And it's gonna be about, it's a vegan-based show, but it's about different things that vegan people and most everyone in the world should be concerned about our environment, compassion for animals, and also just eating well so we don't get chronic diseases or the prevention of chronic disease. So those are the main things that the show is going to be based on. I'm planning on having, you know, different people that I would like to interview would be people who are medical specialists, also other people who might be specialists in taking care of animals and conservation. Also, you know, the normal stuff like, you know, vegan cooking and, you know, also environmental activism too on the show. So different topics, things that, you know, everybody should really care about because we need to make sure our planet is healthy for the future. That's basically just a bit. Awesome. That's very exciting. I love that you're going to host your own show with Think Tech because as you know, Think Tech Hawaii clearly have just amazing, amazing hosts that are professionals in their field who share the passion for sharing their knowledge about, you know, things that mean a lot to them and that, you know, help the community at the same time. So I think bringing your amazing background as a doctor and your professional medical advice and tips on how to live for healthy vegan lifestyle is going to be amazing. So I do look forward to that grace and I wish you all the luck in the world. You're going to love working with the Think Tech Hawaii team Yeah, it's already been amazing so far. Just working with you on Think Tech Hawaii. I'm sure it's going to be amazing. Yeah. All right. Let's get into it, Dr. O'Neill. So just a few questions that I know people are going to, people want to know and want to ask, especially someone like you, what do you say to people who claim they could never go vegan because they love the taste of meat? Well, fortunately these days we have so many alternatives. I've seen the craziest stuff in the shopping, you know, in the shopping supermarkets these days. I went to Foodland, I think Foodland Farms, the new one in Kahala the other week, and there's this new seafood brand that they had in there and it's shrimp made, they take, they kind of make the taste of the kombu, the seaweed and they put it in the kind of like a shrimp sort of, I guess a shrimp look to it. And so it kind of looks and tastes like real shrimp because of the seaweed taste. So they're just doing amazing things, even with something like that. And they have, you know, all this, this new stuff with Gardein, like the Gardein chicken, the Gardein fish strips, my husband likes those because he's not completely vegan. He likes the fish strips and also beyond an impossible burger. It's all over. I mean, now, you know, I'm on the main line right now I've seen all these new fast food joints and they're opening up and some of them have their own original burgers, but other people have just used beyond an impossible burger and made them into burgers. So it's really amazing what people have been doing. And you know, for me, obviously I haven't had meat in a very long time, but for me, it tastes like meat to me. It's really amazing. And then when you bite into it, it kind of looks like meat even because they use the beets to color the inside. So it looks like it's bleeding. So, you know, the people who are craving that taste, but they don't want to make such an impact on the environment as animal agriculture makes a huge impact on the environment. This is an option for you. So, you know, and it's also, I mean, even though it's not completely the healthiest to be consuming these processed foods, it's still better than many animal products because it does not have cholesterol because the problem with all animal products is animal products contain cholesterol, whereas plant foods do not. So if anything is made from a plant, it doesn't have cholesterol. So you're actually improving your cholesterol by avoiding animal products. That's an interesting thing you say because I get asked all the time about whether I think, you know, vegan processed foods or these plant based burgers and stuff that's starting to come out in fast food restaurants that are plant based. I get asked a lot if I actually eat that sort of food and, you know, whether I think it's a healthier alternative for animal based food instead. So my answer personally would be exactly what you said in a nutshell, Dr. O'Neill, that it's a great option. Nobody's telling you that you should eat, you know, plant based burgers and, you know, fries that are obviously plant based every day, all of these options. And much better, I must say, for the health of your, I mean, your health, the planet and of course the animals. I mean, to me, it's almost like a no brainer. I mean, why would you, if it tastes similar to what you're getting with animals and you don't have to harm the animals, why would you choose the animal foods? You know, you get cholesterol in those foods anyway. And not only that, you're increasing your risk of cancer with a lot of, especially the red meats. So when you talk about, let's talk about what you do. Dr. O'Neill, you're an emergency physician. Is that correct? Correct. Okay. May I ask what kind of, what kind of cases, patients you get coming in? Are there, are you seeing patients who, let's say, have heart attacks? And if so, what are their ages and what do you think most of these heart attacks are, you know, stemming from? Is it, does it have anything to do with diet and lifestyle? Heart attacks, most of them have everything to do with lifestyle. They're all about lifestyle. And it's usually the only factor. You know, either people who smoke, they can get heart attacks, especially early. I've seen people who are smoking, get heart attacks in their thirties. There is a very rare genetic condition where you can have extremely high cholesterol. But that can be in control with a plant-based diet, by the way. You can, you know, decrease your chances of heart attack a lot. But these people have genetically just, they're unable to, you know, get rid of a lot of their cholesterol. So they have, you know, it's, they inherit this thing from their parents and they have a very high cholesterol. So those people can get heart attacks very, very early in life, like maybe in their 20s where you wouldn't see a heart attack. But most people in the United States, eating a standard American diet, a lot of them, when they're male and they're 45, that's like the peak of, you know, when people start getting them, you know, into like, however old you are. And the problem these days is that people are given medications or they're, you know, they place a stent in your heart or they do all these other things. And these things are just temporizing. And people think that they're the cure. But the problem with the medications is, is kind of like a, it's unfortunately, it's a crutch, but it's not like the cure for your broken ankle or something, you know, you, the only cure is to change your lifestyle. And a lot of people are willing to do that. So they remain on medications that don't really help them because it just kind of, you know, it's sort of like a band-aid. It doesn't prevent, it doesn't make the problem go away. It just, it's kind of just maintaining status quo. So they're not really going to improve their situation until they change their lifestyle. So, you know, a lot of the problem is that people are addicted to processed foods, you know, and also animal products. And animal products, like I said, are very high in cholesterol, most of them. So, you know, when you're taking that into your body, that's clogging your arteries, just like, you know, and also they're very high in fat. So I mean, it's like, if you were going to put, I mean, have you ever had a, when I, when I first moved to my house in Hawaii, we had two chefs that were living before us in the house. And what happened was that at one point, we had just moved in and the whole entire plumbing in the downstairs bathroom started clogging and overflowing. I had to call like an emergency plumber. My husband was gone. Then it was a big mess. I thought it was sewage. It smelled so bad. But when the plumber got there, he said it was all the fat like that. People had poured down the drain. So that's the same thing you're doing to your arteries when you're eating a lot of fat. It clogs them and, you know, it doesn't let the blood flow well. And so, you know, it's just, it just takes a matter of like just having one of those plaques that's like a little clot and then it ruptures and then it goes into the heart, the arteries of the heart and then it clogs them. And that's when you get a heart attack. So, you know, all these things, these medications, the stents, they're just temporizing. It's not a cure for the problem. The only cure is really changing your lifestyle. You know, getting rid of the animal foods, getting rid of a high fat diet. Also, you know, the other things you really have to stop smoking and, you know, other things that can be helpful is exercising, decreasing your stress, things like that. But, you know, yeah, heart attacks are very, very common. The older you get, if you have all those problems like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, actually all the risk factors for COVID, you are very, very prone to get a heart attack. What do you say to people who come up with answers such as, it's genetics. My parents, I got my body from my parents. From my grandparents. From my aunt, you know, from my aunt. How much does genetics play, honestly, in the health of your body? So, genetics does play a little bit of a role, but, you know, unfortunately it doesn't, it doesn't take, I mean, oh, fortunately really that it doesn't take the majority of the role. I would say it's like 99% lifestyle, 1% genetics, because like I said, there's those people who are born with extremely high cholesterol and those people, that's probably like very, very few of them actually in the world. So, most people, it's really their lifestyle choices. So, if they made different lifestyle choices, they ate differently, they wouldn't be having these problems. That's the truth of it, because a lot of people reverse their disease, like, you know, Colwell Assistan, he had those group of people, they reversed their disease by, you know, eating differently, changing their lifestyle, you know, eating vegan, trying not to eat fat. The same with Dean Ornish, you know, he had people go through the lifestyle program where there's four components, you know, exercise, stress relief, you know, nutrition, and just kind of having social interactions with the fourth one. So, you know, if you change your lifestyle, you can really make a big difference. And by you saying that I am fated to have this kind of situation for the rest of my life, where I'm just going to keep on having heart attacks, then you're kind of, you have no control of the situation. It's really depressing. But if you can say, well, if I eat differently, you know, if I exercise, if I try to decrease my stress level, maybe I won't get a heart attack like my dad did when he was 50, you know, so that's hope for you. It's wonderful. It's like, you know, you have a whole new vantage point on what your life could be. So it's really sad if you want to believe that that's your genetic fate. So are you saying that vegans are going to have a much lower chance of things like getting a heart attack, high cholesterol? Can vegans have high cholesterol? And if so, what are we doing wrong? So vegans do, for the most part, have a much lower chance of a heart attack. So there's a couple of important components, like some vegans, they might not get enough omega-3s. So you can get them from flax seeds, chia seeds, leafy greens, things like that. Also some nuts are really high, like walnuts are high in omega-3s. So that's important. And then another thing is that some vegans are junk food vegans. So if you're a junk food vegan and all you eat all day is an impossible burger, you know, a beyond burger, and then you're just having like coca-cola and Oreos. Those are vegan too. So, you know, you can't be a junk food vegan because even, but you know, sometimes it's funny because I've met people, there used to be this thing we had with Vegetarian Society, it was called Imagine a Vegan World. And I met some older guys in the group and they were kind of not really major junk food vegans. Like they would eat healthy food sometimes, but they weren't super healthy vegans that just would eat salad and really watch what they ate and make sure it was healthy, you know, because there's certain people who are more like those healthy, trying to be really healthy vegans, right? So, but they said that, you know, one of the guys he told me said, well, you know, if I wasn't vegan, you know, I would probably have so many problems, but he didn't have really any medical problems. He was like 60 or 70 already, you know, but he looks great. And he really, the only thing he did was that he was vegan. It wasn't like he was exercising every day and everything. So I do think just not taking in that extra cholesterol makes a huge difference, you know, and also lowers your risk of cancer by not taking whey protein and dairy. Dairy is really, really fatty. And people don't realize how fatty dairy is. But I mean, if you're replacing that with like all the fake cheeses they have, that's not ideal either. So, you know, there's definitely, just because you're vegan doesn't mean you're exempt from having a problem, but it does, it is protective. I feel like it's definitely protective. Thank you for clearing that up, Dr. O'Neill. We are going to take a short break and be back with more of Dr. O'Neill, who is the host of her new show. And you haven't told us the name of your new show. Oh, I thought I did. It's called Healthy Planet. Healthy Planet. I love it. I'm debuting with Think Tech Hawaii in January. Stay tuned. We'll be back right after these messages. My name is Mark Shlove. I am the host of Think Tech Hawaii's law across the sea program. My program comes on every other Monday, one o'clock. And we talk about a lot of different subjects. All of them are related in some way, either life or practice. And I try to have a diversity of guests that can talk about different topics of interest. So please join us. Think Tech Hawaii law across the sea program every other Monday, one o'clock in the afternoon. Aloha. Aloha and welcome back to Lillian's Vegan World. I'm your host, Lillian Cumick with Think Tech Hawaii. Today's show is a plant-based view with Dr. Grace Chen O'Neill. And she is going to be the host of her new show, Healthy Planet, debuting in January. Welcome back to the show, Dr. O'Neill. Thank you. I'm so excited for you. Dr. O'Neill, before we go any further, I do want to again mention to the viewers my second book, Tasting Hawaii Vegan Style, has just come out a few weeks ago in Hawaii November 2021. You can pick up the copy directly from the publisher, MutualPublishing.com. You can also get information about when both my books are available, Hawaii Vegan Paradise and Tasting Hawaii Vegan Style. So please pick up the copy for the holidays, great as gifts. And if you know anyone who might be transitioning or want to eat healthier, these are great ideas. I have veganized Hawaiian food. So there's lots of traditional Hawaiian recipes, but just healthier versions of them. So do look out for those books. Grace, let's get back into our conversation about the plant-based diet and vegan lifestyle. So lifestyle choice, lifestyle choice is definitely a banger when we think about changing our health or getting back, regaining our health. So just give us some tips, something we can do now. Say you're talking to someone who is on a regular meat-eating standard American diet. They say to you, doctor, what do I need to do tomorrow after I wake up to become healthier? Well, I would say there's a lot of things we can do to become healthier. First of all, it's important to get, I would say for your microbiome, 30 different kinds of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds in your diet every week. And the easiest way to do that is with a plant-based diet because when you take up a meal with meat, what happens is that that's a meal that you're full with meat and then you won't be able to eat other plant foods that are healthier for your microbiome and for your body. So that's the first thing I wouldn't recommend, obviously. And then another thing is it's important to get exercise every day. So I recommend 30 minutes of exercise every day. It can be just walking. If you're not used to exercise, if you can exercise more, that's even more ideal. I mean, and then if you don't have time to exercise or you feel like you're overwhelmed, try to park far away and walk farther to get to where you work or you could also try to commute like ride a bicycle or something. Although I know it's a little dangerous in Honolulu. And then I'll say that you could get a dog. Getting a dog is a great way to get healthy because you could take it for walks and hikes. And I think it's great for stress relief too. So another thing would be stress relief. So people do stress relief different ways. You could try exercising is great for stress relief, yoga, meditation is great for stress relief. And sometimes it's important because I know with me I have all these thoughts going through my mind all the time. And so meditation is important because you calm your mind and the more you do it, the more you feel like your mind is clear of these thoughts. But it does take a lot of effort to get to the point where your mind can be clear of a lot of these thoughts that might be running through your head. Another thing is that I don't know if people live alone. Sometimes when you live alone, especially during COVID, it's difficult to have social interaction. And especially now because of the restrictions we have, the mask, you can't see what other people are. They're facial expressions. It's been difficult for people, but I don't know if it's possible to do some kind of group activity outside. I think that's important as well because in the blue zones, they had these kind of activities where people felt like they were in a community and that helped increase their longevity. So I think that's really important as well. You know, and even if it's, we do have a family, even if it's eating together, you know, dinner every day. And even if you're not eating the same thing, suppose you want to eat vegan and your husband doesn't or something, you know, just sitting at the table and talking to each other and spending time together. I also think reading books is great. I mean, a lot of people don't read books anymore because there's Netflix and I'm kind of victim of the same thing, I guess, because it's easier to sit there, but reading books really activates your mind and it gets you thinking and you use so much more of your brain when you read a book than you do when you're actually, you know, watching TV or something. So those are things you can start with. But many more great, great tips. I agree about the reading thing and I have to admit, I fall down that rabbit hole as well and just, you know, turn on Netflix for that quick fix, you know, and grab a glass of wine. But definitely even if you can't get into a book because I myself have found that I'm struggling, concentrating sometimes just when there's too much going on, maybe in that sense, magazines or something like that. A magazine that you're into. I subscribe to a lot of plant-based magazines just to find out what's going on in that world and, you know, what people are doing to share the knowledge of the plant-based diet. And they're just little tidbits. Articles are kind of short and easy to read. So definitely following your passion, I think is something that's very useful if you're trying to de-stress and at the same time learn something because honestly, the stuff that I watch on TV, I don't really get much out of it. Although entertaining. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, a lot of it is sort of violent content these days too. I mean, it's sort of sad, but a lot of the shows because it attracts attention. I mean, I think Squid Games is really popular now, but it's fair. I mean, I started watching it. I couldn't even finish it because it was kind of violent for me. Oh, really bad for the guy. You know, so I, I don't know. I mean, I think also a thing I forgot to mention that's really important actually is getting out into nature because I think right now we're so disconnected. And that's partly why I want to call my show healthy planet because I think we're not getting out into nature enough and we're not connected enough with, you know, animals, the plants and it's just, we live a different lifestyle. It's a very modern lifestyle and there's a lot of conveniences, but we pay a price for that too. Isn't it interesting, you know, nature is free for all. You might be able to afford, you know, that, that each house, you know, in front of Waikiki or in Kailua, but honestly anyone can, anyone can get out there and enjoy nature, enjoy the same, the same beautiful views that, you know, people pay a lot of money to, to actually stare and look out from the comfort of their own home. But in all honesty, when you get out there and you're doing that and it is free, I think you, you've become more aware of how lucky you are to be here on this planet regardless of the weather. I mean, you can, you can be in the coldest, you know, country in the world during winter and look at how gorgeous it is. Get out, get, put on something warm. Get out, look at that snow. Take it all in and get back in and have a nice, you know, hot green tea or a nice, you know, dairy free hot chocolate. I mean, there's, there is definitely something to be said about finding ways to, to live life in a healthier and happier way. And I think one thing for me personally, since going vegan, about 16 years now, 16 years ago, it's been. One thing that I have to say is I just become more and more every year, more and more aware of why I'm here, why I'm doing what I'm doing, why I'm so happy that I'm not contributing to, you know, animal, just animal terror and horrible, you know, things that go on. People shouldn't be blinded by, you know, what they're eating now. It's time for everyone to face the fact people that are still consuming animal products that it's a really, really horrific thing that goes on. And it's so unnecessary given where we are. There's so many, you know, amazing things you can eat and enjoy on a plant-based diet. So anyone who's watching this, I, you know, I say, get out there, go online, whether it's online checkouts and, you know, recipes, see what other people are eating, find your, find someone on social media that you like to follow, follow, you know, Dr. O'Neill's show, Healthy Planet from January, debuting on Think Take Hawaii and get ideas on how to live, live life healthily. You know, people in Hawaii, there's so much illness, right, Dr. O'Neill? Yeah, diabetes. What's the state of diabetes on the islands these days? It is getting worse and worse. I mean, I don't know specifically about the islands, but I think unfortunately a lot of indigenous people have more diabetes because they were eating a very good diet before. And then unfortunately, when a lot of American processed foods came, they started eating that. I think their diet mostly consisted of tarot before, you know, they ate the western foods like spam. And so now unfortunately, that's part of the local culture here. And there's a lot of spam. And so that is extremely unhealthy. It's processed. It's, you know, basically processed meats cause cancer. The WHO already said it was on the cover of Time Magazine, but people are still eating it. It just baffles me. I can't understand why. You know, it's staring them right in the face and they know it's unhealthy, but they continue to eat like that. I mean, eating habits are definitely hard to break. And I think that's part of the reason why you need some sort of support system, whether you buddy up with someone who has the same goals. I mean, we're heading into the new year. Everyone is starting to make new year resolutions. So this is really an excellent time to get pen to paper and say, I commit to living a healthier lifestyle. Come January 1st, or don't wait for January 1st. Start tomorrow. I am going to eat healthier. I'm going to eat plant based at least once a day. If you're not, you know, if you're not plant based, you're not there. It is going to take time and, you know, moderation over deprivation. Don't start, don't start a plant based diet, you know, in the next five minutes and expect it to be successful. You really need to set yourself up for success and set goals that are sustainable, that are realistic. You know, nobody's telling you to live on a 1000 calorie a diet, a day diet by any means. If you look at myself and Dr. O'Neill and look at what we eat, if you follow us on our blogs or web pages, you'll see that we actually eat quite a lot. I think people are kind of surprised when they see how much I eat and I'm like, well, yes, but it's the content. It's what I am eating in comparison to what you're eating that makes it, you know, makes it okay for me to eat large amounts and I think that's another misconception about the plant based diet that vegans don't eat much because I always complain. I hate to say it. When I eat vegan dishes in restaurants, it's never enough. The portions are just never big enough. I always feel like I have to order two things. Yeah. It's definitely if it's a non-vegan restaurant, that's a lot of times the way I feel. If it's a really good chef, though, it usually isn't like that, but for a chef that might not be as experienced and especially not experienced with vegan food, that definitely is the situation a lot of times. Well, Dr. O'Neill, it's been a pleasure having you on the show. Please say something to the viewers as we did farewell today. Thank you guys so much for tuning in and I hope to see you on January 6th for my first show with Healthy Planet and looking forward to 2022. Thank you. And to my viewers, today has been the last episode of Lillian's Vegan World. I thank you so much to ThinkTek and the team there and to Jay Fidel Aloha and I'll see you somewhere on the islands. Stay safe.