 Welcome to the show Lillian's Vegan World, I'm your host Lillian Cumick and we're here to talk about all the wonderful and fascinating things about the vegan and plant-based diet. So I have a very, very awesome show ahead and before that I would like to thank Think Tech Hawaii for letting us use their beautiful studio. We are collecting donations this month through to next month. Everything helps and we can keep these really awesome shows going for you. So please go to thinktech.com if you would like to make a donation. I also accept bottles of very nice champagne. Again welcome. Today I have a really, really awesome guest that I have been very much looking forward to meeting. So let's welcome both of them to the show. Pony Askew, welcome and your awesome son Makana Askew, thank you so much for joining us today. Thanks for having us. So Pony I met you just recently last month and you had something very interesting to tell me so I knew that I had to get to you on the show and my friends and family have been excited for this particular episode. So first of all Pony may I ask you to introduce yourself just tell us a little bit about what you do here in beautiful Honolulu. Yes. So my name is Pony Askew, we're best known for street grinds. We are the producers of local events in Hawaii and work with a lot of small business owners to produce the events and other than that I'm Makana's mom and we're here to talk about our exciting journey that we've been on as a family today and so today I'm Makana's mom. Yes, Makana welcome to the show Aloha, Aloha. So I heard from your mother that you became vegan recently or how long ago was it? About a year and a half ago. Okay, so before that prior to that you were just a regular, a regular kid eating regular food. Yeah. Okay, so you have to tell us what happened that made you change the way you eat. Yeah, well I watched this show called What the Health and then just talked about how meat and dairy products and all animal products really affect our bodies and how animals are treated. So just the next day I decided, you know what I'm going to be a vegan. And it's that simple, if only adults could think that way. That's so interesting. I also saw that documentary, it's an excellent documentary. May I ask, where did you see that? On Netflix. On Netflix. So you watched it in your home? What made you watch a documentary like that? It's kind of... I think we're just scrolling through some movies and we saw it and you know why not watch it. Yeah. Okay. How did you react to some of the things that you heard? I was really surprised. Just how they've been brainwashing us and saying, oh, meat's so good for you. It's really not. Yeah. Yeah. It's really not. And the good thing is that vegan food tastes really great too. Yeah. So we're not really missing... I'll be told the difference at all. Yeah. Excellent. So how old are you? I'm 14. 14, okay. So you watched this movie when you were about 12? This documentary? Just about. Yeah. Yeah. I turned in 13 somewhere in there. Okay. Who were you watching it with? Just my mom, my sister and my dad. Okay. And then what happened? So you... Did you turn around and say, mom? Yeah, I was just shocked so I woke up and I didn't want to eat any meat whatsoever. I'm like, I'm going to be a vegan. Wow. And you just stopped eating animal products altogether? Yeah. And then like just the next day we threw away all the animal products in our house. So Pony, how did you react to this when your child suddenly says he wants to change his entire, you know, diet and eating habits? I mean it was impressive to see the next morning he had written out a plan and he had a statement that he had written down in a book saying, I'm not eating meat anymore. Years and years and years ago I was a vegetarian and we were at the point of being pescatarian by the time we watched this documentary. And so it wasn't too difficult at that point for us to transition, although it was still a transition. Definitely. Especially for my husband who, you know, had never really tried a lifestyle other than the meat. Okay. Steak was a big one for him. Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure it would have been. Definitely. So I couldn't see why not after watching the documentary either, you know, why we shouldn't change our lifestyle. There was a lot of key health takeaways from that documentary and I think he was really impacted by the, in the documentary they equate cigarette smoking to egg yolks or to eggs and that really impacted him. I remember that specifically and so that I think that might have been one of the key motivating factors was the health first and then for him particularly recalling how the animals are treated and that sort of thing. And so yeah, we just said, okay, let's do it. And we did it. That's incredible. Actually a lot of people who, a lot of folks who did watch that documentary have reacted in a similar way. I think I remember when it first came out, everyone was going on about this new documentary that's turning people vegan and it was making some people very skeptical about this whole thing because it's really not a, it's not a program that is lying. Correct. So a lot of the stuff in the world, everything in that program is true. So I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying this new lifestyle. How's it going? Way better than actually eating meat. Yeah. So how's your family life going now as far as food? Do you all help cook or try new recipes and stuff? Yeah. Usually like it's at home with our nanny, I do lily. And I'm lily and so I could be your nanny if she had the tweets. Yeah. And then you won't forget my name. Yeah. It's been really helpful. We found a app called Emails. And the biggest question we have is how did you figure out how to eat vegan or cook vegan? And it is a change in everything that maybe you might have been raised to know. And so to have that support, which is basically a weekly menu plan that allows you to customize which ones you want and then go grocery shopping. And it's simple enough where they can cook most of the meals as well. And so that was I think key for us to transition was having just a resource that could really make it a little less research and just more jump in and do it. And so that part of it as far as a family has made it easier and these kids aren't afraid to get in the kitchen. Oh, awesome. So actually, Makana, you sent me some photos that show some of the stuff that you eat. Let's take a look at them. How about the first one? Oh, yeah. That doesn't even look vegan, does it? It just looks like a regular, you know, nice meal. Tell us a little bit about it. Well, there's vegan pansit. Pansit. Pansit. What's vegan pansit? So this is, this was from a lady who it's at seven vegans, H.I., it's her family is seven, family of seven, they're all vegans. And she makes Filipino and Asian inspired vegan food. And so in that picture in particular, there was vegan pansit, which is normally made with some kind of pork in it. Yeah, it looks exactly like that, doesn't it? Yeah, and then the vegan lumpia, and then that's a vegan meat stick. She actually makes her own seitan and then flavors it. And then normally you would call it pork isantis, which is that back one back there. That looks like a stew or something. It's normally pork in piece, but this is, I believe it was tofu, or it might have been another seitan in there. And then the brown rice. Sorry, I'm just celebrating. I know. It was really good and he remembers it, but she's been doing a really good job kind of popping up at events. And so we look for her whenever she's somewhere. And that looks like something that really you wouldn't have to be vegan to enjoy. I mean, that's the thing that I've found about vegan food. Just the misconceptions that you have to be vegan in order to appreciate it or get some satisfaction from eating it, which is, it's really not the truth. But he was at that particular event and he really liked the food as well, and he's not vegan. He wanted more of that seitan sticks. And so he liked it. I told him, I asked him, do you think this is vegan? He's out there for a few seconds. He's like, no. You know what? I think that's true. I guess if you didn't tell people that some of the things that they're trying are vegan, they actually wouldn't know the difference. Yeah. So that's actually a very good sign that vegan food is delicious too. Makana, can I ask you, how did your friends react when you told them that you were going vegan? My friends were like, good job. Oh, nice. So they were surprised. Yeah. Okay. But there has been some challenges. Yeah. My family, like on the other side, they're like, no, they're, my grandma really like a lot, she's happy that I'm vegan and she's trying it herself. The rest of my family, they're like, oh, why are you not eating me? Or they're like, you know, they try to offer me meat. I'm like, no. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. That happens to a lot of people. The same thing happened to me years ago, like people would try to trick me into eating something that, yeah, maybe it's just, it's hard for some people to comprehend. But once they try some of the food that you're eating and once they see that you are healthy and enjoying it and happy and not struggling, I think that's when they start becoming more and more supportive and positive about it. It's really interesting when you decide to make that decision how many people suddenly are interested, invested in the foods that you're not eating anymore. And so that's been the biggest challenge for him is, you know, the attention in a not-so-positive way that he gets, you know, if he, you know, makes a plate with just fruits and salad and that sort of thing. So I think that's where he is still learning how to positively defend himself, you know, and maybe use it as a teachable moment versus, you know, just getting upset about it. And so we are working through that because there is, like, not just peer pressure, but family pressure. And I don't know where it comes from or why people are interested in pushing the meat products, you know, when on the opposite end they never pushed the non-meat products. So we talk about that a lot because it is a realistic challenge that he has in the society that we live in. Yeah, definitely. I think as soon as someone starts doing something different and something of the unknown, people just, it's hard for them to react positively to it. Especially with food, you know. Like, food is a big part of everyone's, you know, lives and what they do. Because, you know, you need it to survive. You do. We talk about, well, I try and encourage him to talk about the positives, the upsides, and, you know, that, you know, his family is healthier now and the food is delicious. And, you know, it's not all difficult like it is influencing others or change, whether it's incremental or to just outright try it. Absolutely, yes. And so those are the positive things that we just focus on, you know, instead of being offended. Yeah, of course, yeah, you can't get offended by, you know, the way people are reacting. But it's awesome that you're able to perhaps educate them, show them a different way that you can eat. We're going to take a quick break, Makana. Don't run away anywhere. And we're going to get some more insight and talk more about your awesome journey on the plant-based diet. So see you in a bit. Stay tuned. Hi, I'm Rusty Komori, host of Beyond the Lines on Think Tech, Hawaii. My show is based on my book, also titled Beyond the Lines. And it's about creating a superior culture of excellence, leadership, and finding greatness. I interview guests who are successful in business, sports, and life, which is sure to inspire you in finding your greatness. Join me every Monday as we go Beyond the Lines at 11 a.m. Aloha. Aloha, I'm Gwen Harris, the 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 the supporters to keep on going. We'd be grateful if you'd go to thinktechawaii.com and make a donation to support us now. Thanks so much. Welcome back, everyone, to Lillian's Vegan World. Today's program is titled Vegan Children, Happy and Healthy. And I have one very, very happy and healthy child here. And this is Makana, who's awesome, and he's making a difference in the world of health and the health of your family. So just to sum up quickly, everyone in your family, including your sister, is now vegan. Yep. That's pretty incredible. Yeah. It really is because that didn't happen in my family. No one followed suit. So I'm the only one. If you don't mind, I did come up with, I did find some studies online that I would like to briefly talk about. The first one is from an acclaimed pediatrician, Dr. Benjamin Spock, who wrote in his book Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care that, quote, unquote, children who grow up getting their nutrition from plant foods rather than meats are less likely to develop weight problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, and some forms of cancer. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against giving cow's milk to children under a year and goes further on to say, quote, there is no reason to drink cow's milk at any time in your life. So it was designed for calves. It was not designed for humans. And we should all stop drinking it today. Do you miss cow's milk? Nope. And the reason is because there are millions and trillions and billions of non-dairy milks out there. Like silk milk, almond milk. Silk is my favorite. That's the one that I drink, too. The soy one. Yeah, I love that, too. Yay. But really, there are so many endless amounts of dairy products, even yogurts and ice creams. Do you eat vegan ice creams? Yeah, Ben and Jerry's has a dairy free. It's like a fudging cookie one. It's, yes. I wish you didn't tell me that, Anna. I might have to go and sample a few. That's awesome. There is another study that I did want to read out. It's from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which is the largest group of nutritionists in the US. And this quote says, it is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that appropriately planned vegetarian, including vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned, this is the key word, well-planned vegan diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy childhood, and adolescents, quote, unquote. So that's from one of the biggest nutritionists, nutrition organization. So I say we keep going with what we're doing there. I think so too. And did you notice any health changes in the year and a half? Can you tell us a few things that changed for you health-wise? Yeah, there was, I had way more energy, right? I slept way longer, I looked better, I had better skin. And so you're not married, you're only single on the market. Yeah. There was a lot of changes. Your skin's gorgeous, but so is your mother's. I'm sure that that definitely has something to do with what you're eating. Yeah, definitely. I told them not many teenagers are fortunate to have clear, soft skin at the age of 14. And so whatever you put in ultimately comes back out. Definitely, food is thy medicine. What else changed for you? Just cravings. About a week after I went vegan, I completely stopped wanting ice cream before. Oh, I want a burger. But after a year, there had been a few times where I'm like, I want a stem, it used to be so bad. Okay. But it's pretty easy just to say, yeah. So you must have a very, I forgot the word, a strong will power, which is something that I think that you're looking at this as a way of life as opposed to a diet because it really isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle. And I think that is where a lot of people who go on particular diets end up getting off the wagon or not being able to continue with such diets because they're too hard. So, yeah, I'm the same actually. I get cravings for stuff. For example, I've been vegan for about 10 or 11 years now, but I was vegetarian prior to that. And what I did love before was cheese. I ate a lot of cheese. So I would get cravings for pizza and stuff like that all the time, but there's this thing called vegan cheese and all were amazed. You can make it, you can buy it, you can eat it, you can indulge. So I have to say the cravings that I have are really all fine because I'm able to eat all of that just in the vegan version. Yeah. Hannah, let's take a look at another slide, some other food that you've been cooking up and making. This looks amazing. It looks like an American breakfast or something that you want to wake up and see on your dinner table ready with some nice fresh juice. Tell us about what's on this plate. So yeah, there's a vegan pancake, as you can see, there's some vegan butter on that also. Yep. And there's some maple syrup with bananas in it on the side so you can pour it over there. Yeah. Yeah, I'm feeling it. I'm definitely feeling it. There's also some vegan tofu scrambled eggs, my dad made those once, it's amazing. Those are some sweet potatoes, right? Yeah. And then there's some, at the top there's vegan sausages. That looks exactly like spam. Yeah, actually it does. Doesn't it? Yeah. Just speaking of that, that could certainly substitute for, you could make one of those misoobies with that. Yeah. Did you make that? Did somebody make this? My dad made that, I think. Wow. So he cooked so much. My sister made the pancakes and my dad made everything else. Which part of it did you make? I just ate it. It's a very important role, McCona. I would like to send a message out to my fiancee, I'm about to get married in about a month. And I just want him to know that all these vegan breakfasts you can make are very easy to make and you can practice every any weekend, something like that. You can teach, or your sister can teach him how to do a good pancake. Yeah. A good pancake. What else have we got? Let's take a look at another slide. I love this one. So this says vegan foodies loving their vegan cheeseburger. Did you go out to eat that, McCona? No, we're at my house. Oh really? Yeah, my dad made that. That's a homemade. Yum. Yeah, I remember that actually. We had, we bought some salad from Costco and then he made the burgers and some vegan cheese. What is the diala cheese, right? Daya cheese. Daya. Yep. A field roast burger and it looks like just a cooked veggies and then a fresh salad. Right, yeah. That is so much healthier than a typical, you know, burger that you would see in a restaurant with, you know, oily fries and stuff on the side. That is, that is so good. Did you post this on an Instagram? I think we did. Yeah. Do you have an Instagram site? Yes, it died. It's at Vegan Kid Foodies. At Vegan Kid Foodies. Yeah. Makana, I'm going to make a prediction that you become a very famous vegan kid on Instagram. Want to make that bet? Yeah. Okay, let's say it again one more time so everyone got it. Um, it's at Vegan Kid Foodies. Okay, and on this page do you post a lot of photos of vegan stuff and food that you like to eat? Yeah. Okay, so people can find you there and swap photos and see what fun things and healthy things and more importantly, delicious things that you're eating, awesome. I think we have another slide we can take a look at. Oh, yeah. This is right up my alley, this one. I looked at this photo when you said that it was like, what the hell is this? It looks absolutely delicious. It's a spicy Indian chick food truck in Hale Eva and that was a sweet potato curried cauliflower taco with a chutney on the side and then that was a lentil, maybe it was a doll or something like that with their basamati rice. But it's a very vegan friendly truck. They do offer a few non-vegan options as well, but more vegan than not. Yeah, that sounds nice. I absolutely love Indian food. It was really good. Yeah, nice. Let's have a look at another one. Oh, right. So Makana, let's just break everyone's myths, everyone's myths and misconceptions when they think that you can't eat sweet food on a plant based diet. So they're gorgeous little cupcakes, I guess. My sister made those. Did she? Awesome. So she's totally into helping cooking out as well. Yeah. I want a sister who makes me cupcakes. Maybe I can borrow her sometimes. Yeah. Yeah, she's had a couple of orders from a few people. Really? Yeah, she made like two pans of cupcakes. She got like, she got the money. Yeah. I would buy something like that. Definitely. Yeah. Would they chocolate flavored food? Yeah, they were chocolate cupcakes and she just completely made it all by herself. We use flax seed as an egg replacement. So healthy. I think soy milk is a milk replacement. And she's just been experimenting with these types of things. She likes to bake just the sweet stuff. So that's her motivation. Yeah. Well, definitely. I mean, everything in moderation, you don't have to give up stuff like that just because you're on a plant-based diet. And I always tell my clients or people that I'm working with as a vegan chef that, yeah, you don't have to deprive yourself. You have to enjoy your lifestyle and sometimes, you know, eat the things that make you happy and are comforting. You don't have to give up anything. Yeah. I've been known to eat a few potato chips every now and again. Yeah. Makana, would you look over here at this camera and give all the kids out there in Hawaii and around the world a message? Anything you like? Well, I'm just going to say that if you become vegan, just try your best to stick with it because in the end it will help you so much. Yeah. I couldn't have said it better, any better. Thank you. Awesome. It was so nice meeting you. Thank you. The game pony and so nice meeting you, Makana. Would you come back again another time in a few months and let me know how you're doing? Definitely. Let me know if my prediction is coming true. One more time, give out your Instagram. It's at VeganCaveFoodies. Thank you, everyone, for watching. See you next time. Aloha.