Mandy Davis, who has been a vegetarian since 1992 and vegan since 2014, vividly remembers an experience she had as a child while ordering a meatless burger at a fast-food spot.
“The voice on the microphone (at the drive-thru) laughed hysterically,” she says. “When I was growing up, fast-food places didn’t have options for vegetarians or vegans. Now, those same chain restaurants offer meat alternatives like Beyond Meat or the Impossible Burger.”
Last August, Burger King attracted attention with its Impossible Whopper debut, but it isn’t the first fast-food chain to foray into the world of plant-based products. You can also find plant-based items at Carl’s Jr. (Beyond Famous Star with cheese), The Counter Custom Burger (The Impossible Burger) and more.
The vegan food trend isn’t just on the national chain restaurant level, though. There are now more than 30 vegan businesses — including farmers market vendors, stores and restaurants — on Oahu alone, with many eateries including plant-based options on their menus.
“Vegan restaurants are now attracting non-vegans, flexitarians or people who like to sometimes eat plantbased,” says Dr. Grace Chen O’Neil, FACEP, who is an emergency physician board-certified in lifestyle medicine. “I think more people are coming to the realization that we have to modify our habits to ensure that our planet will not be destroyed for our descendants.”
“Veganism is on the rise worldwide, which is exciting and long overdue,” echoes Trevor Hitch, founder of VEDGEco, a nationwide plant-based wholesaler. “According to a new study from Cleveland Research Co., millennials are dictating how consumers are dining away from home now, due to the fact that they are in their prime ‘spending’ ages (25-40 year olds). A whopping 53% of millennials say they follow some sort of vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian diet.”
Research shows that vegan diets offer a variety of health benefits, including losing excess weight and improving kidney function. Switching to a vegan diet essentially means eliminating animal products, which include dairy, eggs, cheese and meat.
“The benefits of a whole foods vegan diet can provide great health benefits from decreasing cholesterol and risk of diabetes and cancers to simply providing a less-bloated physique,” says Hitch.
“People are becoming more aware of the health effects of a carnivorous diet,” O’Neil says. “Plants don’t contain cholesterol; this is only in animal products. Animal products have saturated fat and trans fat, and cholesterol is the predominant risk factor for heart attacks and strokes. Studies like one conducted by the Adventist Health show show that vegans are less likely to suffer from hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease or stroke.”
If you’re looking to include more plant-based products into your lifestyle, there are a variety of helpful resources available. The website vsh.org features a list of vegan-friendly restaurants and healthy food stores in Hawaii. The local farmers markets, Down to Earth and Kailua’s VEDGE-co also make it easier to find plant-based products.
“VEDGEco’s goal is to bring freedom of food choice to independent restaurants and businesses,” Hitch says. “We ship frozen vegan products in bulk to the restaurant and wholesale food industry, as well as to consumers across the U.S.”
O’Neil also recommends that people join the Vegan Society of Hawaii as another means of learning. (She’s currently the VSH secretary.)
“The Vegan Society of Hawaii is a nonprofit volunteer organization that promotes human health, animal rights and the protection of the environment by means of vegetarian education,” she says. “As a member of VSH, you can enjoy discounts to different vegan restaurants and access our VSH newsletter, which has news about different vegan events in the community.”
O’Neil encourages those who are interested in pursuing a vegan lifestyle to embrace it.
“Many chronic diseases are due to our lifestyle and dietary habits,” she says. “People have improved their autoimmune disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis and asthma, with a plant-based diet. Many people are able to come off their hypertension and cholesterol medications on a low-fat, vegan diet.”
“Veganism is more than just a diet; it is a life philosophy of treating all living beings with respect and compassion,” says Hitch, who has been a vegan for more than half his life. “Your individual decision to gradually live a more plant-based lifestyle affects the lives of thousands of animals, along with our planet.”
For those who are transitioning to a vegan lifestyle, Davis recommends “starting where you can” with steps like trying vegan versions of the foods you already love, or checking out a farmers market, plant-based restaurant or meal plan service.
“It’s been amazing to see the vegan food trend grow over the past 16 years,” she says. “When I first moved here, there was only a handful of vegan-friendly restaurants, and that has grown to 38-plus eateries, pop-ups, farmers market vendors and meal plan services that are 100% plant-based. It’s also encouraging to see that the demand for vegan options at omnivore restaurants has grown; some even have dedicated vegan menus.”
(See omni restaurants listed on pages 10-11 for more info.)
“I’m literally eating the rainbow every day and wouldn’t have it any other way,” Davis concludes. “This is the best time ever to try plant-based foods since there is so much variety and new products in the marketplace.”
Island Vintage Coffee
While these eateries aren’t classified as vegan, the following omni restaurants have a variety of vegan dishes — and some even have full vegan menus to choose from.
This Royal Hawaiian Center-based eatery (2301 Kalakaua Ave.) offers a variety of vegan options, including a breakfast plate with mushroom and tofu scramble ($21.55), egg scramble with asparagus, side salad, tempeh bacon and more ($21.55), egg and “bacon” sandwich ($16.75), cauliflower plate with grilled tofu ($22.75), and quinoa bowl ($22.75).
Istanbul Hawaii
Original humus ($12), original babaganush ($14), muhammara ($15) and Mediterranean salata with vegan izmir kofte ($21), and vegan ismir kofte pita wrap ($19) are a few of the vegan dishes you’ll find at this Ward Village restaurant (1108 Auahi St.). The cauliflower sharwarma ($22), comprising ras el hanut, Turkish sharwarma spices and taum sauce in pita, is a popular lunch entrée.
Noods Ramen Bar
You can find an entire vegan menu at this Kaimuki spot (3611 Waialae Ave.). Customer faves include the Vegan tan tan men ($13) with a sesame-based vegetable broth and vegan black garlic miso ramen ($12). The latter features a miso-based vegetable broth, green onions, corn, choy sum, menma, miso shiitake mushrooms, nori and black garlic oil.
Roy’s Waikiki
The vegan menu available at Roy’s Waikiki (226 Lewers St.) changes throughout the year, but the vegan prix fixe menu ($45) currently features a crispy zucchini bao bun, crispy tofu katsuhito and triple berry cheesecake for dessert. Other vegan dishes available include Cal-Fu roll with tempura shimeji, sesame tofu and negi chimichurri ($14) and Okinawan sweet potato bisque with coconut milk ($10).
Osoyami Bar & Grill
Osoyami (1820 Algaroba St.) proves that you can find vegan bites at a bar. The vegan spicy ahi pokechos ($12) — nachos with crispy wonton chips topped with vegan spicy “ahi” poke, kabayaki, furikake and green onions — is a popular order.
The Other Side Diner
Located in Chinatown, The Other Side Diner’s (42 N. Hotel St.) most popular vegan dish is its wings ($12), which are soy based with sugar cane “bone” and tossed in spicy buffalo or sweet barbecue served with vegan ranch.
