 Hi everyone and welcome to Lillian's Vegan World where we explore the wonderful and fascinating world of veganism and the plant-based diet. This month through to June next month we are doing a donation fund drive and I ask that anyone who supports our shows here at Think Tech Hawaii, click on the link below and do donate as much as you can or as little as you can. It's tax deductible and we would really appreciate any donation that you are able to give. So today I'm very happy to introduce my lovely guest, David Nichols to the show. Aloha David. Aloha. Welcome to the show. Thank you. I've been wanting to have you on as a guest because your story is very interesting. I actually interviewed your partner a few weeks ago on my show. She's a lovely new called Miura-san. She was amazing and I was very interested to hear that you are also vegan and on a plant-based diet? I would say 98%, about 98% vegan. Oh, okay. I can't say 100% but I try to do, watch what I eat. Wow, awesome. So I have to ask how or how did you become vegan? Tell us a little bit about your journey. So again, when I met Ryukul, that's how I met her. I was more vegetarian and I switched, I used, you know, I was really overweight at one time. Genetics pay a part of that with obesity, I mean, the high blood pressure and diabetes because my mom has high blood pressure and diabetes but I was very unhealthy. I had blood pressure out of the roof, sugar level going really high, borderline diabetes and the doctor was like, okay, we're going to give you all these meds. And I was like, I don't like taking a pill. So I asked him, is there any alternatives? He goes, yeah, watch your diet and get some exercise. That's relatively simple. It sounds very easy, yeah, when they put it like that. So when I thought about, okay, watch your diet and then I started doing some research and I just, I heard that, you know, I did some research and I heard about, you know, I decided to just switch over to vegetarian food. At that time I was vegetarian and how I met Ryukul was that she would post all these wonderful pictures of vegan and I didn't know what vegan was at that time. So I asked her and I texted her, what does that mean vegan? So she kind of broke it down for me. And that's when I was like, hmm, interesting, but for me it was more of the, to be more healthy. So as I started my, I've been a vegan for about a year and a half right now, which has improved my health, dramatically, I'm not suffering from protein deficiency. I feel a lot better. Are you sure? I'm sure. Yeah, I think that's one of the biggest or main questions we get. Where you get your protein from. So yeah, that's, that's a, that's a really interesting fact because the beliefs that we were, I was instilled with is that you're going to die if you don't eat animal flesh, which is animals survive on, I know there's animals that survive like cows and, and horses. They're nice and healthy and they don't eat, they don't eat, their protein comes from what they eat. Yes. Yes. Why eat their protein when we can eat the same thing. Yeah. Directly from the source. And they're healthy, you know, and yeah, so I started the vegetarian diet. My blood pressure started going down, I started exercising, exercise is a, is a huge factor in it. Definitely. But it's mainly what you eat. 90% of 90, I would say about 85 to 90% is what you eat. So having, watching what you eat, there's a whole factor in the whole health. Then I got, I met Ryuko, which she introduced me to veganism and explained it to me and I kind of was more curious. Well, you know what they say, the way to a man's heart is. To a stomach. Yeah. So I think I, I've seen Ryuko's. That's a blessing in disguise. Yeah. So that it's, it's proof, proof in, proof in the pudding that, that is true. Her photos are wonderful and I'm sure she's cooking, you know, really beautiful food for you. Yeah. And that makes a difference. I think that is something that definitely people who are going to transition to a vegan diet must be careful of, that they don't get caught up in all the tasty, unhealthy vegan junk food. Oreo cookies. Oreo cookies. Soda. Oreo cookies. Never heard of them in my life. No idea what you're talking about. Soda or something. I guess they might be called vegan, but again, it's just basically watching. I tend to stick to more whole food. Yes. That's what you want to do, of course, yeah. And more, I would rather, like when Ryuko does do her cooking, it's, or if it's somewhat processed, it's, it's, it's home processed. Okay. So there are, there might be some additives even though it's vegan, so I would be more careful. That's, you know, really, really cautious about what's in your food. Yeah. Whole foods, I think, I believe are more important on that. Definitely the whole food, yes. Plant-based diet seems to be what studies are showing to be the healthiest diet out there, basically. So David, how has your body changed? How has your health changed since going vegan one year and a half ago? Yeah. So when I did notice, when I did eat meat before, when I was more participating in that, I, if I would like, okay, I heard, you know, so I would, I would try the plant-based diet for about a week, maybe two weeks. And I would, at the first time, it would be really difficult. Yes. It's not a walk in the park, I mean, to transition, to change from a typical, what, American diet to something that is really completely different. Exactly. It must have been challenging. It was challenging, but I just thought about, is my health, what is more important? And then I started, that's where I started exploring more. It's not just eating, you know, salads and carrot sticks and celery sticks. One of the big misconceptions people have, that you think that, yes. That was like, okay, that's what vegans do, and that's not typically true, you know, that's where I got more interested when I seen vehicles post, and even when I look at some of your stuff, I'm like, that's kind of makes it exciting, go taste and, you know, knowing that I'm eating something healthy. Yes. And something satisfying as well, yeah. And then when I would eat, when I find out what I, when I would eat a steak, I'd feel lethargic, tired, and it took a lot to digest it. After a while, the first two weeks was, I felt the detox kind of in my body. Right. And I felt, started feeling more energy, a lot lighter. I wasn't more bloated, having more focus, and just feeling emotionally and mentally better. Right. Other than just physically better. Yes. It was exactly the same when I transitioned from being a vegetarian about 10 years ago, and then I fully became vegan. Not in one day, it kind of just happened naturally, but I noticed exactly the same things. Right. And today, the title of the show is actually Vim, Vigor, and Vegan. So it's talking, I wanted to talk today about how vegans are energetic. We are not lacking in energy. I think another myth or misconception that people have is they are, are you being asked sometimes like, where do you get your energy from? How, you know, how do you get energy if you don't eat meat? And I'm going to say it's actually, it works a different way where I would say that vegans are more energetic because we, as you mentioned, we don't have to spend all that time digesting food that's staying in our gut for days at a time like meat, you know. So it's, it does go through your, you know, digest through your body quickly and you don't get that downer that you get, I think, when you eat animal products. Yeah. Because like, when I would eat, like, especially red meat, it would, I would, I, I didn't know the difference until I really tried the transition to just, okay, I'll just do it for two weeks. And then when I did eat meat, I didn't feel good. And I noticed a difference and I, I said, okay, that, and then that's what encouraged me more to start, you know, the vegetarian diet. But then when I would drink milk, it would bother me too. Ah, the dairy. I'd get gassy and then bloated and. That's a sign. Right. That's a sign that you may be lactic intolerant. Yeah. Lactose intolerant. Sorry. Yeah. There are different alternatives for that. Yes. We've gone, yeah, we've gone through some of those alternatives and substitutes on the show before, but dairy these days, giving up dairy is so easy. I mean, if that's what you want to do, or if, you know, for whatever reason you want to give up the dairy because there's substitutes everywhere. Right. You know, nut cheeses, very good. Any, you know, nut milks. That's one of the things I do honestly miss about vegetarian is like, okay, cheese, but yeah, you know, even, even I guess in moderation, it's okay. But then now they have vegan cheese, which is really good, so it's even healthier for you. It is all zero cholesterol. That's, that's probably the most worst thing that the long term effect from those bad eating habits and it's like, it's hard to reverse it after the fact. So that's where it all starts from, I believe, and it started off with me and I, even with some of my friends and doing a lot of research, I found out, cardiologists say that, you know, that's, that's where it all starts from our eating habits. Yes. So having a plant-based protein diet and caring for your body, that's where it starts. And then the other things are starting to come in with the compassion. I understand that I actually make a difference on what I, and it started on my plate. Yeah, that's, I think that that's something that people who become vegan start to feel after, you know, after a while of being on a plant-based diet that you become more aware of the morals that you have and you become, you become more aware of what you're doing and what you're eating, how you're affecting other living beings, the environment, et cetera. It's all win-win, it is win-win. And then I start feeling better that I'm not contributing to any of that. Right. And I believe there was Hippocrates that said, you know, let thy medicine be thy food, thy food be thy medicine. Right. So if I'm participating in, you know, and they say, you are what you eat, I eat a lot of nuts, but I might be nuts. But I know that I don't want to participate in suffering. And I feel better mentally and emotionally about that. Yeah. And then I'm taking care of my body all at the same time. Yeah, awesome. David, your occupation, you are an Abuse Substance Counselor. Yes. Counselor, yeah. Substance Abuse Counselor. Substance Abuse Counselor. Sorry. Does food play a role in the treatment of the people, the kids that you're working with? Actually, it does because, you know, some, a lot of substance abuse, I guess, might stem from emotional, you know, not able to cope with some emotions. Some people might, you know, use, you know, alcohol or other substances to self-medicate. Coming into a treatment center, they might tend to not stop using those substances and just switch seats and like, okay, food is okay, but it's like, what are you eating? Are you eating healthy? I can just, and I'll just switch seats and find comfort from eating these foods that might give me that, you know, that comfort for the, that instant gratification for that time. But then in the long run, it's very unhealthy. The outcome would be obesity, high blood pressure, because I've known clients like that. And I, we get to work with some of that. So, the emotional aspect of self-medicating and eating comfort foods and what you're eating, and I kind of tell them to eat more greens, which you can eat as much as you want and still, you know, get sick. Awesome. That's very interesting talking to you, David. We're going to take a quick break and be back after, after the short break. See you soon. Aloha. I'm Lauren Pair, a host here at Think Tech Hawaii, a digital media company serving the people of Hawaii. We provide a video platform for citizen journalists to raise public awareness in Hawaii. We are a Hawaii nonprofit that depends on the generosity of its supporters to keep on going. We'd be grateful if you'd go to thinktechhawaii.com and make a donation to support us now. Thanks so much. Aloha. I'm Wendy Lo, and I'm coming to you every other Tuesday at 2 o'clock live from Think Tech Hawaii. And on our show, we talk about taking your health back. And what does that mean? It means mind, body, and soul. Anything you can do that makes your body healthier and happier is what we're going to be talking about, whether it's spiritual health, mental health, fascia health, beautiful smile health, whatever it means. Let's take healthy back. Aloha. Welcome back, everyone, to Lillian's Vegan World. And today we're talking about Vim, Vigor, and being vegan, living on a plant-based lifestyle. I have my awesome guest, David Nichols, with me today. It's very interesting talking to you, David. So I did want to talk today about this myth that people have about vegans not having much energy. So let's take a look at some photos of what you and I eat on a daily basis. Let's have a look at the first one. David, this is what I made. It's a sushi, and it's meant to look like a abalone and scallops. The abalone part I made from shiitake mushrooms and the scallop part is from king oyster mushrooms. Wow, it looks delicious. With the mango salsa to go with it. I added a bit of a Hawaiian twist to this sushi. And there's yuba on top. Yeah, so definitely not a plain, boring salad. No. And this is one of your dinners, I believe. This looks amazing. Now, tell me about it. Okay, so that's miso soup, which we cook every day. Very healthy, very tasty. I believe on the top over there, that's the green beans with some hummus that she made. Homemade hummus and avocado. Avocado is a good source of fat. The other ball on the top, that's the green, I mean, dried daikon with some brown rice. That looks amazing. Now you're making me hungry, David, but that is so nutritionally balanced that something like that is not going to give you the crash after you eat it. Certainly, I think that would actually energize you. Let's take a look at the other, the next one. This is what of mine. We were talking earlier that it looks kind of like a breakfast cereal. We call them rice bubbles in Australia, but rice puffs. It's actually barley, and it's cooked in a spicy tomato sauce with peppers and some roasted corn and Thai basil. And at the back there, I also have green beans and tofu. I do that combination a lot. Tofu, awesome source of protein for vegans. The other dish is spinach, yuba, and some noodles, a noodle dish. So that was a little dinner that I made for friends a few days ago. Wonderful. The next one, please. Oh, that is, yeah, that's homemade yogurt made from soy. Really? Yeah, and granola. I believe that's raspberries. That was so delicious. Yeah, some blueberries, blackberries. I love the little touch with the flour. Yeah. So homemade yogurt, that sounds delicious. Yeah, I was surprised. She was actually trying to experiment on that, and that came out really, really good. Yeah, that looks delicious. That's kind of with some agave sauce. So agave is substituted for the, some people might put honey. Right. A nice substitute for sugar. Sweet and awesome. And the next one, what have we here? That's curry. I believe that's sweet potatoes with the salad on the side. That's a wonderful, tasty dish. Yeah. And it's very nutritious. Yeah, that's, yeah, very comforting. It's like, after you're done, you're not, you know, full like you're like, ah. So you feel more like, ah, what a meal, and you're, it's just fulfilling. Yeah, that looks wonderful. I like the little touch with the, is it figs? Figs on the side? Hmm. Yeah, I think that's kiwi. Maybe kiwi. Was that kiwi? Figs, yeah. Figs, figs. Oh, okay. This is, this is what I would call vegan comfort food. Like a huge bowl of that after work is just amazing. And you've got pumpkin in there as well. Yeah, pumpkin. Awesome. Let's take a look at the next one. Oh, yeah. That was delicious. Now I would buy that sandwich. I would pay money for that. That was very, very tasty. Avocado, right? And I believe that's mushroom. Portobello mushroom. Ah, okay. What do they call it? Sprouts. Yeah, bean sprouts. Sprouts. Yeah, some purple cabbage. Delicious. You know, they say eat the color of the rainbow to get the most nutrients. And this is definitely a rainbow of nutrients in a sandwich. Yeah. Wonderful. I can see why you fell in love with decor. Yes. This is the kind of food she makes. How about this one, David? Okay, that's another curry with homemade mayo, which is tofu and other, there's a lemon and stuff. So that, the mayo, I mean, it just balances out everything. It adds a nice creaminess. Yeah. Especially with the avocado as well. Especially with the avocado. Yeah, absolutely delicious. So did you bring anything in for me to taste? I've been experimenting on my own, like pizzas. Have you? Yeah. I like to cook, I've been trying to cook breads. So that's my thing. I've been getting into baking for my hobby now. Nice. Well, as you know, I'm actually a chef, a vegan chef. So I do, on my YouTube channel, I have about 200 recipes that I've created. And I would like to show you one. I chose this one for today because I think it does give you a nice energy boost. This is a good one for someone who is looking for a little bit of oomph in their day. So let's have a look at this recipe video. Let's put yours up. Today I'm doing a recipe for King Oyster Mushroom Gyoza. Sounds fantastic and it really is. A lingo gyoza, not a recipe that mustn't be given. So this, David, is gyoza. King Oyster Mushroom Gyoza, obviously vegan. Takes about five minutes, five to ten minutes to assemble. And then just 20 minutes steaming. So very easy dish and something that I eat often and enjoy. I flavor it with kombu dashi, the kelp stock, which is popular in Japanese cooking. They're steamed in just a small amount of sesame oil, which gives it a nice toasty flavor during the steaming process. Inch and fold, inch and fold. Have you made these before? Actually, I used to make them. They're called mandu in Korean, my mom's. Korean, so I used to help her make. The ingredients were interesting. A lot of bean sprouts were. Well, you should try this cabbage and tofu. It makes a really good feeling. You're going to do a vegan substitute. Wow, that looks so delicious. Nice. Simple, easy, nice little vinegar sauce on the side, which is just vinegar and soy sauce and a little bit of chili oil. Wow, that looks pretty easy, too. Yes, so that is how you make vegan gyoza and it is good. All of your food looked amazing, too. So I can say myself that after I eat vegan food, I don't get that crash. I don't feel lethargic at all after I eat. So today, David, I wanted to talk about seeing as though we're on the topic of whether people on a plant-based diet have energy or not. I do want to talk to you about something that the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics put out, which is the world's largest organization of nutritional professionals. So they say, quote, unquote, that vegan diets are suitable for all ages and appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and for athlete. For athletes. Now, I know people are going, what? How do vegans perform against omnivores or people that eat animal products? And I did come up with quite a few famous vegan athletes that might surprise a few of the viewers. So one of them is Venus Williams. So she adopted a raw vegan diet after she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Sjogren's Syndrome. Wow. She adopted the raw vegan diet, which is a very, very strict diet, obviously meaning no cooked food. Okay, raw vegan diet. Raw vegan, so she started her raw vegan diet in 2011 to relieve some of her symptoms such as extreme fatigue and joint pain and has been on the raw diet ever since. Raw vegan diet ever since. Another one, Carl Lewis, very famous in your country, adopted a vegan diet in 1990. He says, quote, my best year of track competition was the first year I ate a vegan diet. So more proof there. Here's another one that everyone is going to be surprised about. Famous boxer, a little bit on the wild side. High voice. Yeah. Mike Tyson. Yeah, Mike Tyson. I believe that's amazing that he's one of my, he used to be one of my role models. Okay. And hearing that he did change to vegan. Yes. And I've watched some documentaries, I gave some interviews with him and the reason why he turned vegan. Right. I don't know, I believe probably because he didn't like the taste of human flesh, but he didn't like the guy's ears. That's funny. No, that's not funny. No, that's not funny. It kind of is. But yeah, Mike Tyson, there are actually other MMA fighters. There's even a, I forgot his name, a triathlete. He's a top triathlete. He's just total plant these. Incredible. Yeah, it's amazing. Yeah, a lot of them seem to be turning vegan. So Mike Tyson went vegan in 2013. And he says, here's another quote, becoming a vegan gave me another opportunity to live a healthy life. I was so congested from all of the drugs and bad cocaine, I could hardly breathe. I had high blood pressure, was almost dying and had arthritis, something you mentioned earlier. And once I became a vegan, all of that stuff diminished. Yeah. Quote unquote. That's exactly how I feel myself. Yes. And I believe it was Hippocrates. He said, let thy medicine be thy food and thy food be thy medicine. That is such a wonderful quote, David. And I think that is why people like yourself and your girlfriend and also myself like to get out and share this knowledge with everyone. Because it doesn't have to be a secret anymore that the plant-based diet is just, it enriches you. It makes you feel better. Even whether you want to do it full-time or not, you don't have to. You can just incorporate more of this diet as a base to what you're doing now and see if it makes you feel better. Yeah. That makes total sense. Because if you don't try it, you won't know. Exactly. And hopefully they're like, if you are feeling like if there is some health problems, just give it a try. That's probably the best alternative. I didn't like taking medications, only cover the symptoms. Yep. It doesn't get down to the roof. That's right. David, I thank you so much, Big Mahalo, for joining me on the show. Thank you. And may I wish all the mothers out there a wonderful Mother's Day and the ones who are not with us anymore. Mahalo for joining us and see you next time. Aloha.