 Aloha everyone and welcome to Lillian's Vegan World. I'm your host, Lillian Cumick with Think Tech Hawaii. Today's show is same-sex newlyweds share their vegan life. Marrying a vegan, a unique dynamic. I would love to welcome on my beautiful guests for today's show, Kirsten Olson and her gorgeous wife, Anna Polos. Welcome to the show, ladies. Thank you for having us. Aloha, Anna. Hi, happy to be here. Thank you so much for your time. I really do appreciate it. I was so excited when I met you just recently a couple of weeks ago and heard a little bit about your story and your journey. And I had to get you on the show because I think it would be very inspirational to a lot of people. I do want to start with you, Anna. You were the, before you got married, was it you that was vegan and Kirsten was actually not on a plant-based diet yet? Correct. I have been vegan for almost four years now. Kirsten is, I believe, nine months in. Nine months in. How long have you been married for? We have been married for, since February, so almost seven months. My gosh, so newlyweds. Yes. Congratulations. Did you have your wedding in Hawaii? We actually eloped in Washington. We haven't had our big wedding ceremony yet, so it's still kind of a little secret in our close circles, but we haven't had the big wedding yet. Okay, that secret may no longer be after this show. I'm sorry about that, but I can imagine it's kind of a tough time to prep something like a wedding during the pandemic. But anyway, congratulations on your marriage. You look like just such a wonderful couple. Thank you. All right, so Kirsten, the question I'm sure a lot of you want to know is what was your first reaction when you found out that Anna was vegan? So it was kind of weird, actually. We both went out to just get lunch and we kind of ordered the same thing. We did a Pad Thai with tofu. However, I got mine with egg, but I've always liked tofu before being a vegan, but it was just weird to kind of order the same thing. And that's kind of when she put the plug in that she was vegan and I was like, okay. Did you fully understand what a vegan lifestyle was like? Not at all, to be honest. I feel like to me being kind of ignorant of the vegan lifestyle before actually becoming one, I kind of was under the impression, like, oh, you eat salad. Like that's vegans eat salad, that's all it is. I want nothing to do with that. But now actually becoming a vegan and marrying a vegan and getting to actually experience the whole vegan lifestyle, it's obviously so much more to that. And I feel like if more people knew that, more people would be willing to do that. That's so funny what you just said because I remember when I first met the man who is now my husband, we actually went out for dinner with friends and that's how we met. Anyway, it came up in conversation because when I was ordering at the restaurant, I did ask what the plant-based options were. And I could tell that he was taken aback. I think he was just like, oh, got crazy vegan woman in front of me. And it turns out that yeah, when he first heard that I was vegan, he was kind of like, oh, I don't know about that. Only because he had no idea what it actually means, what a vegan means. So why don't we clear that up first and say that people on a plant-based diet just really don't consume any animal products that includes meat, fish, dairy, anything that comes from an animal, including animal byproducts such as honey. So that's what the diet looks like. In fact, I would go as far to say that people on a plant-based diet actually eat so many more different types of foods and healthy foods than people that do eat meat because we venture out. We wanna find the healthiest things that we can put on our plates. So definitely, vegans are not missing out on anything contrary to what a lot of people believe. And I'm sure you've found that to be the case as well, Kirsten. All right, so Anna, back to you. So you met Kirsten and you realized she's not vegan. How did you feel about that? I was impressed that she had tofu before we had even discussed anything because I think so many people are immediately just turned off by tofu that they don't like the way that it's prepared or don't know how to make it themselves so they never try it. She was really accepting right off the bat and honestly, I think she just really wanted someone to cook for her. So when I offered, I said, I will cook vegan food for you. She said, okay, that's great and started just eating whatever I was making. And I would say either way, she had always eaten pretty healthy which a healthy lifestyle is very important to me. It wouldn't have been the biggest deterrent if she weren't a vegan, but I love not having any animal products in my fridge. So that's definitely a bonus for me. That actually is a nice segue into my first question from a viewer which is how did you navigate mealtimes back when you were on different diets? How did it work for you, Anna? I would say we really, she would honestly just eat what I was eating. I think at the beginning, she was bringing different things to work, things that were not vegan but when we were eating together, I would prepare purely vegan food and she was eating it. When we would go out to eat, we would order separate things but anything that I cooked at home, it would be vegan and she was fine with that. Awesome. So Kirsten, has anyone kind of looked at you differently since you went vegan? Anyone in your circle or anyone at work, have you had any issues or people kind of going, I like the old Kirsten better. How did it work? Because I know socializing can be a problem once you change your diet drastically and cut out animal products whether it be going to a potluck or spending time with family at family gatherings which always includes food. So how did it go for you? So far, kind of mixed reviews. Everyone knows, relatively accepting. I definitely get jokes at work in regards to being vegan. They'll stick to their meat but it's funny because it's again, it's people that aren't willing to try it. They're just so quick to just, I'm gonna stick with this but they've never experienced anything vegan. So I plan on bringing some vegan stuff into work just to kind of prove a point like, hey, this stuff's not bad but you can still eat meat if you want but as far as my friends though, we have some really accepting friends. Actually, when we were in Washington, we did a vegan dinner and everyone kind of contributed and they brought vegan snacks and cooked up some stuff and we shared as well. So as far as my friends go, there's been nothing really, and nothing's changed. They accept me as a vegan or not a vegan. And then I will say my parents, they will be coming out here hopefully for Christmas and our typical Christmas meal is, we'll do mussels on Christmas Eve, we'll do prime rib on Christmas day. So that will be a big change. And then I expressed that, I mean, if you all wanna cook that, that's absolutely fine. We're not gonna force that on anyone. However, we won't be helping cook that stuff. So, but my parents are actually excited to try new things. They've already asked for Anna's recipes for meals and they're genuinely, they wanna be healthy as well. So they're very, I guess, accepting and willing to try some vegan things. That's great. Anna, how do you actually, do you ladies allow non-vegan food into your home? To be honest, it hasn't really, we haven't come across the need to. We have had guests over and they were again, very willing to just eat what I was cooking very, I feel like when you invite people into your home, they're more apt to try the things that you are offering as long as their diets allow. So we actually haven't come across that at all so far, which is pretty lucky for us. What would you do if someone brought non-vegan food into your home like to share? I mean, we obviously wouldn't eat it, but we're very open in the fact that again, we don't wanna force our lifestyle on anyone. We are more just about sharing it and allowing people to see all the things that we can have and the benefits of the food that we're eating without having to expressly throw it in their faces, so to say. Yeah, that's a beautiful attitude. And I think that's where sometimes non-vegans can get a little bit taken aback when some people on a plant-based diet are very unforgiving about things like that. So it is important to keep an open mind and understand that everyone is on their own journey. Although I love to promote the vegan lifestyle on plant-based diet, I definitely don't try and walk around with the magic wand trying to turn everyone vegan. It's up to them whether they want to or not. And leading by example, I see a lot of people get interested when you do things like what you and your wife have explained by sharing, showing the beautiful things that you can eat, all the delicious stuff that you can make. And not only is it good for your health, but also living on a plant-based diet is also awesome for obviously the environment and of course the animals. Kirsten, I want to tell you about, I just want to tell you about Alan Page, the actress. She's proud to be gay and vegan. And she wants us, pardon me, she wants asked why are vegans made fun of while the inhumane factory farming process regards animals and the natural world merely as commodities for to be exploited for profit. Isn't that interesting? Because I get jokes all the time, when I'm at a potluck or hanging out or having drinks with friends. And it's all just for fun. But definitely we get sort of more of the brunt of the jokes. Would you agree? Absolutely. And again, I think it goes back to that ignorance of not actually like doing research. Like I said, again, I was ignorant and thought it was just eating salads but there's so much more to it. And if people are just willing, even if it's a documentary, C-Spiracy for one, I was a big fan of game changers because it's talking about plant-based athletes, which was something important as a prior athlete. It's really cool to see those changes in those people. But again, you don't get to see that unless you actually give it a chance. Yeah, I love that documentary. The game changers, C-Spiracy, Cal-Spiracy is another great one. What the health also great dominion. Dominion shows more of the sad aside of what happens at slaughterhouses and stuff. But definitely documentaries are a great way to get educated. And definitely if you have someone in your life who is on a plant-based diet, it's nice to understand where they're coming from. So I definitely do recommend some of those documentaries. Kirsten and Anna, we are going to take a quick break for some messages and be back to talk about your vegan life. To the viewers, stay tuned. We'll be back shortly. Welcome back, everyone, to Lillian's Vegan World. I'm your host, Lillian Cumick. I'm also a vegan chef, recipe developer and author of the newly released cookbook, Hawaii, A Vegan Paradise. My book is available in stores all around Hawaii. It is a book of over 120 plant-based recipes inspired by the islands. My next book is actually coming out this November, 2021. It's called Tasting Hawaii Vegan Style. So do look out for that. This Saturday, I'm actually going to be doing a pop-up and a book signing at the awesome anthropology store in Waikiki. That's on the second floor of the international marketplace in Waikiki. I'll be there from 12 to 4 p.m. this Saturday, September 18th. Do stop by if you're hanging out in Waikiki and come and say hello and do a bit of shopping. The full collection at Anthropology is amazing. So hope to see some of you there. I would love to welcome back my guests on today's show, Anna and her wife, Kirsten. Welcome back to the show, ladies. Thank you. I do want to talk about your vegan life. Kirsten, what has changed since you went vegan? You said you've been vegan nine months, just under a year? Yes. A lot has changed. Again, now just eating all plant-based. So I get it. I get, luckily, I'm married a vegan, basically chef. So I get really delicious vegan meals whenever I want them. So that makes things easier, again, because I don't like to cook. So it's nice having, it was kind of an easy transition for me. As far as, again, athletics are important to me. Being healthy and fit is important to me. I feel like my energy levels are better. I actually went to the doctor just to get blood work done to see, is there anything that might be lacking or low and everything came back completely perfect. So I think there's some myths in regards to us not getting enough protein and things like that, and I can assure you that that is not the case. I couldn't agree more. Let's have a look at the first slide that you have prepared for us. This tells more, shows more about your vegan life. Anna, tell us a little bit about this slide. So this was actually on a West Coast trip that we did right before moving to Hawaii. We had gone to a bunch of the national parks in Southern Utah, and that was at the top of Angels Landing at Zion. That's like a notoriously difficult hike. There's a section where you're basically scaling a cliff that you have to hold on the chains for. And it was very challenging and a very big accomplishment for both of us. That was one of the coolest hikes that we'd been on and that was at the very summit. So you're saying you do have enough energy to do stuff like that? Yes. Definitely. It's a class of energy. Yeah, it's such a myth. I don't know how often I get asked like, where do you get your, apart from the obvious, where do you get your protein from? I also get asked, where do you get your energy from? I'm 50 and I've never had more energy in my life. And that is the honest truth. Like I feel amazing on a plant-based diet. So let's just clear that up to anyone who is interested in going more plant-based. At your energy levels are going to be fine. In fact, probably really skyrocket once you clean up your diet. Let's have a look at another slide. Kirsten, what's going on here? So that was actually a run we did. That's, so the younger girls in that show are some of my soccer team that I coached in Whitby Island. And Sherry is one of the moms. She kind of fits in with the kids there with how short she is, but I swear one of them is a mom. But we did, Sherry and I ran a 10K and the girls met us kind of as we were halfway through and finished up with a 5K. So again, just staying active and staying healthy. I'm not, I hate running, but I do it to stay healthy and again, accomplished it with a vegan lifestyle. Awesome. Talking about kids, do you mind if I ask what would your would be or future children's diet look like? Anna, how would you want to bring up your children in regards to food? Yeah, so that's a conversation we actually recently had. And I think we both agree that in the home they would be raised vegan obviously as a child when all the decisions are made for them, it would be purely vegan. I would love to, if I had a child, really instill the ethics behind veganism in them, get that passion for protecting and conserving wildlife and helping the planet out as much as they can. And I think as they grow older, you only have so much control over a child, but giving them the freedom to choose, but within the home, keeping it vegan would kind of be the goal. That's awesome. Anna, I'm not sure if you're familiar with the Glee star, the TV show Glee. Jane Lynch is actually a famous comedian actress, also very openly gay, married. She was quoted as saying, I've just become a much better person because of my love for animals. She's an open vegan as well. I've just become a much better person because of my love for animals. Do you think that I had this conversation on my last show when we talked about having more plant-based education or more education about the vegan lifestyle included in schools? Because I believe children need to know certain things. What are your thoughts on that, Kirsten, like when it comes to children? How do you justify telling your kids to be nice to animals, to love animals, to have compassion for animals when you're feeding them animal products, knowing fully well how that animal gets onto the plate and how horrible it is? What are your thoughts? That's a really great question and it's something that I could ask my parents myself. Growing up, I was always the kid bringing home all sorts of critters. My dad called me Ellie May after that character that just always had some type of animal and I've always loved animals. However, I grew up eating them. So I definitely think it's something that would or should be included in the curriculum. I mean, it doesn't need to be take over an entire thing, but at the same time just having some type of plug or awareness I think could open the eyes of a lot of kids to ask these kind of questions and maybe even have their own opinion earlier on in life, other than waiting until you're 30 like me to finally see the good side of things. Yes, I couldn't agree more. So definitely this is an interesting topic that should be addressed in the schools. There are actually, there is another question. I wanna ask Anna and only answer this if you feel comfortable. So what do you think about the claims that vegans have better sex lives, whether it be they're more intimate, more passionate, more sexually active? Any thing that you would like to share? What do you think about those claims that vegans have better sex lives? Yeah, I will say that shortly after going vegan I noticed a huge increase in stamina and overall energy. So take that how you will. But that was a definite benefit as well as I do think that because vegans have to get more creative with the foods that they eat and how they prepare them, I think that we tend to get a wider array of nutrients which also really benefits to overall health and wellness. So I think all of that really ties in together more than people give it credit for. So I would say that it does help and you do experience better sex life, better overall health that just all is kind of one of the things that we do. Mm, yes. Yeah, no, I absolutely agree. I think it was the gamechangers, was it Kirsten, where they addressed that issue with men? I remember they got men to give a specimen of their semen and they, yeah, watch the gamechangers. I think when my husband saw that, he was kind of surprised at the results. So without giving too much away, just the documentary does kind of address that. But in general, Kirsten just talking about body odor, just underarm odor, would you agree that vegans don't smell as much as people that eat a lot of meat? I would say so. And I mean, I can't speak for everyone, but I know I smell really great and I know my wife smells really great. So if that's testament enough, I think, yeah, that's 100% accurate. Yes, body odor definitely is something that changes when you go vegan. So food for thought. Let's have a look at another slide. Where was this taken, Anna? So that, again, was from that road trip this past summer or in the spring, I guess. That was at Bryce Canyon in Utah. That was another day. I think we did 10 miles of hiking in that day and it was just that view behind me in that photo was just, it was everywhere. The whole hike, it was just beautiful rock landscape. And yeah, we knocked out a bunch of miles that day. Gorgeous. Would you say that for me personally, when I became vegan, just my life changed in so many aspects, so many ways. I became more mindful of the environment. I became more mindful of time, more mindful obviously of what I eat, but everything sort of, as you said earlier on, Anna, everything kind of comes together and you start looking at life differently. I started hiking more. I started wanting to go out and be in nature more. Did either of you, Kirsten, did that happen to you? Did you find yourself wanting to be more in touch with nature and be more appreciative of things? I've always been kind of outdoorsy, avid hiker, but I feel like as far as my fitness level, I do think that I have more stamina when doing these things. So it's kind of a, it's a win-win in a way because I already love doing this, but now I'm not having as much trouble, getting up these giant mountains and doing the work. I feel much better after and I feel like my recovery is a lot shorter than it used to be. Awesome. That's also addressed in the game changes, the recovery period being much, much shorter on a plant-based diet. Thank you, ladies, so much for joining today. I would like closing thoughts from both of you, Kirsten, just anything you'd like to say to the viewers who are watching? Again, I think it's important to just give it a chance. I was not a vegan, would have never imagined so, thought it was just about eating salads, but there's so much more to it, not just nutritional-wise, but the effects on the environment and these awesome animals that we have on this planet. So give it a go, whether it's just one meal a day, I think it's worth the shot. Mm, awesome. Thank you so much, ladies, for joining today. I appreciate your time. Congratulations again on your beautiful union and good luck with everything in the future. To the viewers, thank you so much for joining us for another episode of Millions Vegan World. Look forward to seeing you again on the Think Tech Hawaii channel. Stay safe and stay healthy. Aloha.