Why Go Vegan?
1. Health reasons:
Our consumption of animal products has risen in the last 40 years. So has the
incidence of heart attacks, diabetes, blood pressure, and cancer.

Antibiotics: Because these animals are so sick, approximately 80% of antibiotics
produced in the U.S. are for animal agriculture. This overuse leads to weakened
immunity, digestive problems, allergies, food sensitivities, and overgrowth of yeast/
Candida in the consumers.

There’s a higher incidence of food poisoning due to poisoning of water sources from
runoff and people consuming sick animals. This leads to e.coli breakouts like we
experienced with spinach last year. An estimated 73,480 illnesses due to E. coli
(mostly from beef) infection occur each year in the United States, leading to an
estimated 2,168 hospitalizations and 61 deaths annually, and kidney failure in
children.
2. Environmental reasons:

Greenhouse gas emissions: The livestock industry is responsible for 18% of global
greenhouse gas emissions. This is more than the entire transport sector (planes,
cars, buses, trains, etc..), which produces 13.5% of the emissions. Plant-based
diets only require around one third of the land and water needed to produce a
typical Western diet.

Clear-cutting of rainforests, a vital part of our ecosystem. The United States imports
approximately 200 million pounds of beef from Central America. Needing more land
for grazing means that every minute, rainforest equal to seven football fields is
destroyed. In the United States, more than 260 million acres of forest have been
clear-cut for animal agriculture.

Leather: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the incidence of
leukemia among residents near a tannery in Kentucky is five times above average.
Cancer risks in tannery workers in Italy and Sweden is between 20% and 50%
above the norm.

Overfishing: 3/4 of the world's fish stocks are being harvested faster than they can
reproduce. Eighty percent are already fully exploited or in decline. Ninety percent of
all large predatory fish, including tuna, cod, swordfish, shark, and halibut – have
been wiped out. If current fishing practices continue, world food fisheries will most
likely collapse by 2050.
3. Animal welfare reasons:

Just the number of animals consumed is astounding. Over 10 billion land animals
and 53 billion sea animals are killed every year in the U.S. alone.

Over 200 million male chick offspring are killed annually shortly after birth, because
they can't lay eggs and are not considered the right genetic breeding for
consumption. They are usually ground up alive or suffocated in plastic bags or foam.

Dairy cows are forcibly impregnated (raped) to produce milk non-stop for about 5
years. Then they're slaughtered. Their offspring are taken away from them usually
within 48 hours. The male calves are used for veal and the females become dairy
cows.

"Free-range" means absolutely nothing. Birds and their eggs are considered freerange, if they have U.S. Department of Agriculture certified access to the outdoors.
This certification doesn’t include size of or ability to access the outdoor area,
amount of space allotted per animal, quality of life, or the number of birds living in a
single shed.
4. Humanitarian reasons:

Animals have to eat up to 13 pounds of grain to create just 1 pound of meat. This
grain could be used to feed the world's hungry: 70% of all US grains feed livestock
instead of people.

Almost one in three slaughterhouse workers suffers from illness or injury every
year, compared to one in 10 workers in other manufacturing jobs, according to the
U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor. Injury rates for slaughterhouse workers
are 35 times higher than in other manufacturing jobs.
So, if you’re thinking of becoming vegan or just want to eat fewer animal products,
please keep all these reasons in mind. If you’re already on your way, you now have
some facts to share with family and friend. For support, look for vegan Meet-ups in
your area or start your own. Get some nutrition and cookbooks from your library.
Become a part of the online community. I’m sure you can find like-minded people
who want to help.
Documentaries
1. EARTHLINGS is an award-winning documentary film about the suffering of
animals for food, fashion, pets, entertainment and medical research. Considered the
most persuasive documentary ever made, EARTHLINGS is nicknamed “the Vegan
maker” for its sensitive footage shot at animal shelters, pet stores, puppy mills,
factory farms, slaughterhouses, the leather and fur trades, sporting events, circuses
and research labs. www.earthlings.com
2. Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret is a groundbreaking feature-length
environmental documentary following intrepid filmmaker Kip Andersen as he
uncovers the most destructive industry facing the planet today – and investigates
why the world’s leading environmental organizations are too afraid to talk about it.
Animal agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation, water consumption and
pollution, is responsible for more greenhouse gases than the transportation
industry, and is a primary driver of rainforest destruction, species extinction,
habitat loss, topsoil erosion, ocean “dead zones,” and virtually every other
environmental ill. Yet it goes on, almost entirely unchallenged.
www.cowspiracy.com
3. Forks Over Knives examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the
degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting
our present menu of animal-based and processed foods. The major storyline in the
film traces the personal journeys of a pair of pioneering yet under-appreciated
researchers, Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn.
www.forksoverknives.com/the-film/
4. SAMSARA is a Sanskrit word that means “the ever turning wheel of life” and is the
point of departure for the filmmakers as they search for the elusive current of
interconnection that runs through our lives. Filmed over a period of almost five
years and in twenty-five countries, SAMSARA transports us to sacred grounds,
disaster zones, industrial sites, and natural wonders. By dispensing with dialogue
and descriptive text, SAMSARA subverts our expectations of a traditional
documentary, instead encouraging our own inner interpretations inspired by
images and music that infuses the ancient with the modern.
www.barakasamsara.com
5. Everything we’ve been told about food and exercise for the past 30 years is dead
wrong. FED UP is the film the food industry doesn’t want you to see. From Katie
Couric, Laurie David (Oscar winning producer of AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH) and
director Stephanie Soechtig, FED UP will change the way you eat forever.
www.fedupmovie.com
6. Blackfish tells the story of Tilikum, a performing killer whale that killed several
people while in captivity. Along the way, director-producer Gabriela Cowperthwaite
compiles shocking footage and emotional interviews to explore the creature’s
extraordinary nature, the species’ cruel treatment in captivity, the lives and losses of
the trainers and the pressures brought to bear by the multi-billion dollar sea-park
industry. This emotionally wrenching, tautly structured story challenges us to
consider our relationship to nature and reveals how little we humans have learned
from these highly intelligent and enormously sentient fellow mammals.
www.blackfishmovie.com
Gary Yourofsky’s ‘Best Speech You Will Ever Hear’ is about compassion and
kindness to animals and about the horrors of the meat and dairy industries.
www.veganuary.com/best-speech-will-ever-hear-updated-gary-yourofsky
Vegan Shopping
Green Leaf in Chatan http://www.greenleafoods.com/
Online:
www.iherb.com
www.veganessentials.com
www.amazon.com
Vegan Cooking
Egg replacements - Flax seeds, bananas, apple sauce, tofu,
Milk replacements – soy milk, almond milk, hemp milk, walnut milk
Cheese replacements – daiya cheese, sheese, veggie cheese, cashew cheese
Meat replacements – TVP (textured vegetable protein), soy protein, tofu
Fish/seafood replacements – tofu, vegan prawns
Vegan Restaurants in Okinawa
Tamie’s Kitchen – All vegan restaurant in American Village.
Dechibica – vegan friendly restaurant in Yomiton.
Suen Bakery – vegan friendly bakery in Yomiton.
Café Green Green – Café in Kitanakagusuku that serves vegan and non vegan food.
They have an amazing vegan pizza.
Ukushima Garden – All vegan/vegetarian restaurant in Naha.
Ploughmans Bakery – vegan and non vegan lunch plates in Kitanakagusuku.
Som Chai – Thai restaurant in Okinawa City that has vegan options.
Jai Thai – Thai restaurant in American Village that has vegan options.
Plenty of Joy – Vegan friendly sandwich and smoothie shop in Naha.
Tortilla Factory – Mexican style fast food with vegan options near Camp Foster.
Koawa Sushi – AMAZING vegan sushi rolls and have full sushi selection too.
Sunabe Gyros - Greek style restaurant that serves vegan falafel gyros. Yum!
Eat trip bagels – Bagel sandwich shop that has vegan options. One near camp foster
and the other is in Sunabe.
L’orange muffin shop – BEST vegan muffins EVER!
Social Media
Okinawa vegan’s and vegetarian’s
https://www.facebook.com/groups/171053756313702/
VegJET
https://www.facebook.com/groups/151952321651902/
Freelee the Banana Girl
https://www.facebook.com/TheBananaGirl?fref=nf
Gary Yourofsky
https://www.facebook.com/Yourofsky
Cheesecake Recipe