Brett Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Hi, I was really happy to discover this website and forum to find so many people that care. It really makes me happy to find people on here that spend so much time helping other people. It's great... Well, I'm 19 years old and have been vegan for almost a year now. I was vegetarian 2 years before that, but have always been a very unhealthy, skinny, and lazy eater. I've been getting ripped on for being skinny, and people always completely dismiss veganism when I bring it up because of how skinny I am. They automatically assume it is not good for you. So I finally decided that I want to make the commitment to eating healthy and gaining weight. I started buying all of my own food when I went vegan, and it is very difficult for me because I really don't have that much money to spend. This has been very hard, and I live in Buffalo with only like 5 places to eat with vegan options. I'm pretty desperate for help. I've read up on a lot, ethics and health, but I'm struggling on my own health. I've been living off a lot of junk food. I don't really cook that often. I only take the time to cook a stir fry with the same boring vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, green peppers, black beans, artichokes, tofu, carrots) about every other week. I have no sense of direction as to what to eat, what recipes I should start trying, and how to budget my money. I only have about 80-120 dollars a week to play with. I really want to start cooking more, but don't even know where to begin. Is there anyone that would be interested in keeping in touch with me to help guide me? I noticed there is a lot of people on this board, but I can assure anyone that I'm dedicated to this. Any help would be great. I'm upset about the fact that there is a lot of information about the ethics of veganism, but no alternative left out for people that want to start eating healthy. I really want to educate myself on health and start helping others too. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FormicaLinoleum Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 I only have about 80-120 dollars a week to play with.You have that much per week just for food, or for all of your expenses? If it's just for food, that's more than enough. Get some vegan cookbooks. I recommend Vegan with a Vengeance and Vegan Planet. Then look through them, find things that sound good to you and are not very complicated (to start) and start cooking! Oh, the author of VwaV also has recipies online at The Post Punk Kitchen, so you can get started right away. The curried split pea soup is really yummy and easy to make (you might need some of the spices if you don't have them already). The French lentil soup with thyme and tarragon is also good. I like soups and stews in general, because you can make a big pot of it and eat it for a few days. I nearly always eat my soups/stews over quinoa. Also, check out the Vegan Recipes forum here. In general, eat plenty veggies, beans, whole grains, and fruits. Foods like tofu and seitan are also good to throw in now and then. (VwaV has a great jerk seitan recipe and there's a Jerk Tofu recipe on the PPK page.) And eat a lot! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tofuPUNK Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Congratulations on becoming vegan. I too, found it difficult and overwhelming when I first started, especially when trying to balance nutrition on a budget (both monetary and timewise). A good resource that got me started was a membership to www.ediets.com. They let you choose a diet plan based on your goals and surprisingly they have a vegetarian and vegan option. The membership fee is pretty low (I think $7 a month), but it gives you a weeks worth of menu's (with recipes in individual portions) plus a grocery list. I would put each weeks menu in a 3 ring binder and now I have almost a years worth of menus to go by. Plus the meals are planned by a registered dietician. As far as monetary concerns go, I found that it is cheaper on a vegan diet. I spend at most $150 on groceries a month (which includes non edibles such as soap, papertowels etc). The first resource to take advantage of especially now is your local farm markets. The most expensive items in supermarkets today is produce which are marked up in upwards of 200 percent. You can get great deals on produce at farm markets, plus everything is locally grown. The next great resource is your local Aldi store (www.aldi.com). You can get huge savings on staple items such as produce, coffee, etc here. For example, I love fresh pineapple. My local supermarket charges $5.99 for a pineapple, where at Aldi its $1.99. I only go to my regular supermarket for stuff I cannot get anywhere else such as soy milk, soy cheese, and other vegan specialty foods. I normally go to aldis every other week, then to my regular supermarket every friday for soy milk, and bananas. You can also look for some Co-Op stores in your area. You will also find that as you slowly build your pantry supplies such as nuts, grains, beans, you'll have a lot more flexibility on what you can prepare on the fly, and your grocery bill will decline as well. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flanders77 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Congratulations on becoming vegan. The next great resource is your local Aldi store (www.aldi.com). You can get huge savings on staple items such as produce, coffee, etc here. Congrats on becoming vegan from me, too!I doubt that aldi is the right place if you want to start a healthy diet because most of the things they sell are conventionally produced and not really healthy...Instead I would advice you to buy as much as possible organically grown. Eat fresh food and try to eat many things raw which also solves the cooking problem to a certain extent especially as Avoid processed food.Drink a lot but remember: The more fresh fruit and vegs you eat the less water you need to drink.Eat a lot. Train a lot and hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CollegeB Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 80 bucks a week should get you so much food! You can also save money buying in bulk. Vegweb.com has lots of recipes, you just need an idea of what you are looking for. I cook everything I eat except for if I happen to go out (to CiCi's for example) which is very rare. Your stir fry sounds very good, it seems you have a great foundation with just that dish. I dont really do recipe stuff unless people are coming over. I eat purely for nutrition. Yeah, if it tastes terrible I probably wont eat it, but that has not happened yet. I keep pasta, dry rice, dry beans, tofu, tomato sauce, different spices, oats, protein powder, frozen veggies and some kind of fruit stocked. So I might boil up some pasta, put sauce on it, steam some green beans, add italian spices, garlic, and wham i've got my meal. Fruit after that for good measure. Eat fruit and protein shakes inbetween meals, and i'm doin fine. I keep peanut butter, and some canned foods handy also. I dont keep junk food around. Tortilla chips every now and then but when I think of the tofu I can buy for the price of a bag of chips,they seem less desirable. tofu punk is dead on about the farmers markets, and I recall that up in NY there are many so I hope you can find one. Keep us posted about the food, and training. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Posted August 18, 2006 Author Share Posted August 18, 2006 Thanks, I will start researching and stay in touch on the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Thats alot of money to eat a vegan diet with...unless you wanna eat out three times a day. I live on a raw diet for less than $5 a day. Anyway I recommend simply increasing your calories dramatically as you begin to train harder. Calories will build muscle on your frame...increase your percentage of protein in your total diet but don't make that your main concern and work hard...the worse your muscles feel the more they get beaten up and the larger they will be when they heal themselves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Ay man, if you want to gain weight, and also not spend that much money on food, you are set with things like peanuts, some cashew nuts, brown pasta, brown rice, oats. Very cheap (apart from cashew nuts which can be a bit more) and can last for long time and they are versatile. From a health point of view, I guess try to get a variety of vegetables that you like, again, not very expensive. Fruit is another good option, if you like it. Make sure you are eating your RDA of calories and fat, or over (if you want to gain fat). You can make your body store fat by eating carbs later in the day, because your body is less likely to use that food for energy, and more likely to just store it as fat (as far as I know). You still want to be healthy, so don't go crazy with fried foods and stuff just to put on weight, get it from nuts etc in my opinion. Post up in whatever topics you like to get any info man, good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Posted August 20, 2006 Author Share Posted August 20, 2006 Thanks a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RookieV Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 $80 to $100 bucks is so much money for food!!!I have been vegan for over 3 years now. I laugh when all my friends tell me being vegan is expensive. becuase I think its cheaper? I usally hit up sales and farmers markets and freeze alot of stuff. seasonal vegetables & fruit are usally cheaper. I buy alot of canned beans at caselot sales. I usally never buy premade frozen stuff its just so dam pricey.You will learn more about money saving ways to keep your vegan commitment lasting forever. It takes time but serouisly buy a few cook books. Vegan with a Vengeance is the best cook book for people in a hurry. Everthing is so easy and cheap to make. Also Everyday Vegan is a great book so many recipes in this book! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CollegeB Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 Brett you are moving out to oregon, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last of the Sane Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 80 bucks a week? lol! I spend about 18 bucks a week on food and I am ripped. But changing to a vegan diet does take some effort. I never cared much for cooking, but as a vegan i have to care. You'll get used to it pretty soon.. Welcome to the site. and good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odidnetne Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 Yeah, if that's all the money you have to toy around with, you're in really good shape. As much as a lot of people on here will promote some things like protein powders and bars and such, you can get big and ripped enough for people to take you seriously that veganism is healthy. There's plenty of ways you can cut how much you spend too. Buy a one gallon jug of water and refill that at your house or something (I put that in because it's a good idea to drink a gallon of water a day). Buying the essentials is cheap and if you can do simple cooking, you'll be able to afford to eat mass amounts of calories on little amounts of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Posted August 24, 2006 Author Share Posted August 24, 2006 Brett you are moving out to oregon, right? Yes, I'm moving to Eugene in 10 months. I'll be set on vegan food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Posted August 24, 2006 Author Share Posted August 24, 2006 Thanks a lot for helping me out. I'm excited about making the commitment. I've been eating so unhealthily the past year that it has made me miserable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuramus Posted September 5, 2006 Share Posted September 5, 2006 $80 to $100 bucks is so much money for food!!!I have been vegan for over 3 years now. I laugh when all my friends tell me being vegan is expensive. becuase I think its cheaper? I usally hit up sales and farmers markets and freeze alot of stuff. seasonal vegetables & fruit are usally cheaper. I buy alot of canned beans at caselot sales. I usally never buy premade frozen stuff its just so dam pricey.You will learn more about money saving ways to keep your vegan commitment lasting forever. It takes time but serouisly buy a few cook books. Vegan with a Vengeance is the best cook book for people in a hurry. Everthing is so easy and cheap to make. Also Everyday Vegan is a great book so many recipes in this book!How to eat vegan for a very little sum of money is a big problem for me too, and i can't say that in any ways (at least here in Estonia) veganism is cheaper... rather it is more expensive... for example Soy Milk (which is the only vegan product sold here :S) costs three to four times more than regular milk... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flanders77 Posted September 6, 2006 Share Posted September 6, 2006 @kuramus: Forget about the soymilk you can buy at the supermarket! There is no need to buy it just because it is vegan... Just grind a small hand full almonds and/or nuts, mix them with cold water in you blender and pour it through a sieve – ready to drink! (do not forget to shake before drinking...)This "milk" is so cheap and tasty you will never want to buy soymilk again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 6, 2006 Share Posted September 6, 2006 you don't even need milk...I drink it when its on sale but not normally. I have a bunch and almost never drink it. I tend to soak oats before I got to bed and add a little cocoa/carob powder to it in the morning and it seems creamy enough for me...as for almond milk its quite good but I rarely make it...I just steal some when my roomate makes it(cashew milk is quite good as well) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb Posted October 8, 2006 Share Posted October 8, 2006 The price of fruit fluctuates so much. I buy fruits in season but even then I think the prices in the grocery stores are outrageous. Apples are 2.19 a pound. Seems last time I bought them it was 1.29 or less. I love fruit but it can really add up. I wanted to buy some berries but they are just too expensive right now. I have to search for fruit stands here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 9, 2006 Share Posted October 9, 2006 Organic berries are always overpriced but you should see if there is a local berry patch...my mother takes my niece and nephews all the time and they get to pick organic blueberries and blackberries for fun and they eat them as they pick...only paying about $2.50 per lbs for blue/blackberries...sometime strawberries are only $1.75 for organic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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