One of the main concerns is the financial difficultly of being vegan. I completely understand this, our grocery bill suffered a little the first few weeks before I started figuring out how to shop.
Here are some tips:
- Probably the first and hardest thing to do when giving up meat and dairy is not buy the processed counterfeits. Believe me, when we first went vegan I bought fake ground beef, chicken, and cheese. This was helpful at first, to slowly bring ourselves off meat. But these processed foods are very expensive, you'll find like we did that your grocery bill skyrockets! Some of you might need that at first which is O.K., just make sure you budget it in. Now I only buy it if it's on sale (usually in bulk), and save it for those insane days that come up. So what's the first tip? Don't buy processed fake meats or cheeses if you can help it.
- Educate yourself. This is probably the biggest issue with becoming vegan, people don't know what will give them their calcium, vit. D, vit. B's, and protein. Believe me, you will burn out quickly and find yourself LESS HEALTHY than you were before if you're not careful. Here are a few BASIC things that you should be aware of and use:
- Calcium comes from dark greens. Kale, spinach, broccoli, etc.
- Know what makes a complete protein. For example: peanut butter and whole wheat bread=all the essential amino acids (complete protein), and beans + rice= complete protein. Protein fills up the stomach more than fats. Eating protein will help you feel full and satisfied. Quinoa is also a complete protein.
- I have a few foods that are MY "superfoods" these are foods I know will give up a boost of vitamins. Superfoods that aren't that expensive: Yams, sweet potatoes (yes there is a difference), kale (I LOVE kale in smoothies, I can't eat it plain ick!), Yellow, orange, and red peppers. I always keep these in my refrigerator and can usually throw them into anything.
- That brings me to my next tip. Make meals from scratch. I know this sounds taxing, but really it helps save money, and you can choose what to put into your meals to boots your own health needs. There are plenty of websites and blogs out there with great recipes and tips.
- Here are some really great articles:
- (This one is great!!! ) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/eat-vegan-cheap_b_840191.html#s257906&title=Shop_Seasonal_
- http://veganonabudget.wordpress.com/2007/09/25/tips/
Hope this helps! Let me know if you have anything to add! I love tips and recipes too! :)
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