Is there such a thing as a poor vegan?!
I tried to give up eating animals a few years ago, but I got really, really sick. I couldnt afford the fake meat or the supplements, so I get by by eating a minimal amount of poultry... but still I wish I could change.
How would this be possible?
Answers: I would love to be vegan, and not use any products that somehow involve the use of animals... but there is absolutely no way I could begin to afford it.
I tried to give up eating animals a few years ago, but I got really, really sick. I couldnt afford the fake meat or the supplements, so I get by by eating a minimal amount of poultry... but still I wish I could change.
How would this be possible?
I spend 300 dollars (US dollars) a month on groceries to feed a family of 3. We don't make a lot of money because I'm not done with college, both my husband and I are former military and only now we're completing our education (which we carried on for years when in service - especially him). So with school expenses, cost of living, and me currently only working part time and part time being a stay at home mom, we're far from "well to do". In fact we made less than 32k last year because I stayed home for 6 months after having my baby, and unfortunately my husband's company closed down on him and he went unemployed for a while. And yet we managed to scrape by (thankfully we had savings and saved our military bonuses!).
Don't be discouraged, the only things that are costly are "processed" foods like that fake meat stuff, and of course if you shop at Whole Foods and get all their fancy organic stuff. I shop organic food at Trader Joe's, go to farmer's markets and shop at Asian food stores. I make most of my food from scratch.
Examples of the vegan choice being cheaper: A pound of organic tofu is only 1.29, much cheaper than a pound of beef (3.29 a pound or more sometimes). A pound of dry organic black beans is 1.49 here, and a pound of organic chicken would be who knows how much (I never look at meat prices anymore!).
Also, if you eat a balanced diet full of variety, you don't have to take supplements. If you're worried about your vitamins and minerals anyway, don't stress out! Just take a good multivitamin, I get a pack of 60 vitamins for 12 dollars and that lasts me 2 months easily (I take a vitamin every other day, actually, but that's just me). Protein, however, should be the least of your worries - you do not NEED fake meat, just mix and match whole grains, veggies, tofu, seitan, tempeh and other foods - they are all rich in protein, and mix-and-matching them and having a wide variety assures you get all the amino acids.
If you email me I can type up a typical grocery list for me, and what food at Trader Joe's costs, and the sort of menus I make. It's really a lot easier than you think, you just can't be lazy. You have to be willing to cook!
Eating only fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, and tofu isn't expensive. Some of the fake meat products are but just make sure you get beans, nuts and tofu for protein and you should be fine. Tofu tastes best when it is stir-fried with sauce (especially a spicy sauce). I'm not a vegan I still eat fish and some milk products. My freind is mostly vegan but eats cage-free eggs because chickens will always lay eggs even if not forced (unlike us forcing cows to give milk).
Try this website:
http://goveg.com/
This site has a helpful list of cheap vegan meal ideas:
http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=07budge...
The fake meats are more expensive, but you can get your nutrients from much cheaper sources (like beans, lentils, brown rice, tofu, sunflower seeds, etc.)
Here are some good vegan sources of protein, iron, and calcium:
http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=08sourc...
You also might find this MSN Money article interesting:
Go Vegetarian to Save Money
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Sav...
Hope this helps!
You really dont need supplements or fake meat all you need to do is learn how to cook with beans and tofu and fresh vegetables.
Try making a simple dried bean soup. Simple put 200grams of dried beans, and then lots of chopped vegetables, vegetable stock maybe some pearl barley.
into a crockpot or pot and boil - this soup has a lot of nutrients and is very tasty and you can live of it.
mushrooms - people use these a lot in vegan cookery- make a great sauce with leaks and onions and garic and have with spaghetti.
i think that any meat is expensive and that making foods with nuts and fruit and vegetables and beans, lentils and tofu will give you all your nutrients. most important people cannot live off chips and crisp sandwiches you do need to eat something wholesome.
Vegetarian Bean and Barley Vegetable Soup
This vegetarian and vegan recipe for a hearty homemade barley and vegetable soup is both healthy and filling. A meal in itself, you can add just about any veggies you want - green beans, peas or corn would all work well. This recipe makes a more than generous amount, so plan on having some leftovers! You may also want to try this basic vegetable barley soup recipe or this quick and easy tomato and barley soup.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
any other vegetables desired, 1/2 cup each
2 tbsp oil or margarine
8 cups water or vegetable broth
1 cup barley, uncooked
1 cup pinto or white beans, pre-soaked if dry
1/3 cup tomato paste or crushed tomatoes
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp celery salt (optional)
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano or Italian spice mix
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp onion powder (optional)
2 large bay leaves
PREPARATION:
In a large soup pot, sautee the onions, celery, carrots and any other vegetables for 3-5 minutes. Add vegetable broth or water and all other ingredients and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium low.
Allow to simmer for at least an hour, stirring occasionally, until barley is soft and somewhat fluffy.
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/soupsstew...
Yes
Vegetarian No
Category Snacks, Dips & Accompaniments
Serves 2-3
Description Tasty snack with dhal
Time to prepare 10-15 minutes
Ingredients 1 tablespoon wholemeal plain flour
1 tablespoon plain flour
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cooking oil
water
Cooking oil for frying
Instructions Place generous amount (for deep frying) of cooking oil in a deep, long handle pan on medium heat
Either by hand in a bowl or in food processor for mixing dough:
Meantime, mix the two flours with little cooking oil and salt to a good firm dough adding water gradually
Knead this to a firm smooth dough
(Adding little bit of cooking oil to dough gives it a soft texture and taste)
Make the dough into tiny balls (normal marble size)
On the pastry board, roll each ball to a flat round shape ("poorie" shape")
By now the oil is hot and ready for deep frying
Fry each poorie on both sides quickly (till it puffs up and not go very brown)
Strain out of the oil and place on serviettes to absorb remaining oil
Serve with spicy mixed vegetable dhal or chutneys
http://www.vegsoc.org.au/recipe_details....
Milk" Shake
Recipe by: Aurora
Servings: 2
1 cup soy or rice or almond milk (your preference)
1 frozen ripe banana
flavor of your choice (a few strawberries, peaches, vanilla, chocolate powder...)
Blend together in a good blender and enjoy! (you might need to add more liquid if your blender has trouble blending.)
Watermelon-Mango Smoothie
Submitted by Carolin
1 ripe mango, cubed
2 cups cubed seedless watermelon
1 cup ice cubes
1 cup vanilla soy milk
1/4 cup sugar or sweetener of choice
Process all ingredients in blender until smooth. Serves 2 to 3.
http://www.fatfreevegan.com/beverages/wa...
http://www.randomgirl.com/recipes.html
i hope these help dont be scared to google vegan recipes and look what is available you would be surprized
include cheese milk and eggs in your diet instead of meat. may bother you less
there are many recipes out there that are vegan its just a matter of experimenting.
some websites are great and there are many web sites that are supportive like veganwolf.com they can help you with ideas.
http://www.vegweb.com/
http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/
http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/
http://members.iinet.net.au/~rabbit/vegm...
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.htm
http://www.fatfreevegan.com/ this website is great.
All of these web sites will help you be able to eat a healthy and cheap vegan diet
Lentils, beans, rice and leafy greens are not expensive. An inexpensive meal would be:
2 cups cooked Jasmine rice with cilantro, lime and salt, oil or margarine optional. (this is similar to rice and Chipotle)
Mix Mexican spices with pinto or black beans and serve with rice.
Serves 4. Apprx. $1.25 per person.
If you have it in your budget purchase an Avacado for a $1 and make guacamole.
Yes, her name is thepotatohater.
She finds that if she bases her diet mainly on cheap grains and pulses, she can afford to eat soy milk and veggie fake meats regularly. And she turns up her nose at and refuses to give money to the supplement companies who profit from the nutritional ignorance of the general population.
And she spends $80 a week on food for herself and her boyfriend.
healthy and fresh does not mean expensive.
`buy brown rice. a pound of rice is usually around $1
`buy beans, a pound of dry beans is $1
and the canned beans are anywhere from 40-89 cents
beans are very nutritious, high in protein, iron and so many good stuff and low in fat and calories. and cheap
you can make lots of meals with beans like, bean dip, bean tacos with veggies, bean and rice burritos etc..
`tofu-verryyy high in protein and low in fat, $2 a block,and so many things to do with is like stir frys, in salad, sanwhiches, eaten raw, grilled, etc...
`buy a bag of potatoes, which is cheap and you can make lots of foods with them like you can make "French fries", baked potatoes, potato jacket, mashed potatoes, potatoes w/rice, etc..
`oatmeal-this is a really filling meal/healthy and makes an amazing breakfast! about $1-2 for 2 lbs.
`whole grain pasta, make spaghetti, macaroni salad, etc..
`whole wheat/whole grain bread; to make sandwiches, toast, etc..
`whole wheat tortillas to make burritos, veggie wraps, etc..
`soy milk and a healthy cereal box
`frozen vegetables are pretty cheap!
` buy 2lbs of mixed nuts to grab as snacks on the go and mixed dry fruit//very cheap and nutritious!
***********fruits and veggies!!!!!!!!!1**
get the fruits& veggies that are in season cause they are usually cheaper..
buy the store brand..don't buy junk foods and soda..it's more expensive and soo unhealthy.
think about it, a bag of chips is $1 and you eat the whole bag as a snack. and for $1 you can buy 3-5 apples, that is like one snack per day for a whole week!and they won't make you fat or give you diabetes! ...
drinking soda is a WASTE in every way..your wallet, your health, space, everythingg...
good luck xxoxoxoxoxox
I am a vegan and I am pretty poor. I am a student and I don't have much extra money. I don't take supplements and I haven't been sick in years. (Actually I gave blood recently and they asked me to come back. Seriously.) Also I drink frequently and smoke cigarettes sometimes-so I am not perfect. I mostly eat variations of beans, rice, whole grains and fresh produce. It really doesn't cost that much. Processed "fake meat" isn't good for you anyway. Put some beans, rice and spice in the crock-pot, make a salad, pour yourself a glass of red wine and call it a day.
Considering you should be eating everything a vegan eats with animal products on TOP of all that, it should be cheaper to go vegan. If you aren't eating an abundance of fruits, vegetables, and greens now, you aren't a healthy omnivore.
I'm a student and living on meager savings - if I can afford it, anyone here can... A few nuts here and there is the most expensive thing in my diet.
Yes, I'm one, having had to give up my part-time job for health reasons.
I'm always puzzled when people assume being vegan (or vegetarian) must be expensive, because meat costs so much.
My incomings and outgoings won't mean anything to you unless you live in the same country as I do and are familiar with average earnings and food prices here - suffice to say minimum wage looks good to me right now.
There's no need to buy fake meats, and usually no need to take supplements as long as you're eating healthily.
Excellent answer Maggie.