Frugal Vegan Nutrition

[organica]

I am hoping people here can help me eat better on a budget.
I have $150 a month for food (disability pension is my only real income).
Right now I feel horrible: I am overweight, very depressed & acutely affected by generalized anxiety disorder.
I thought being vegan was supposed to make you feel better, but I guess if you are the type of vegan I am, it doesn't work.
My diet consists of: baked beans, pasta, tea w/ soy milk, chips, sometimes Clif bars, rice crackers w/ hummus. That's about it.
Produce is too expensive & I am too depressed to cook it anyway most of the time. It just goes bad in the fridge.
I don't really know what to do. People on here have suggested multivitamins, B12, B complex & iron in another forum on here, but I don't see how I can afford them.
I have thought about dumpster-diving freegan-style but that just makes me feel even more depressed.
Sorry for being a downer, but I hope there is an answer I am not seeing, that doesn't involve eating meat/eggs/dairy. Thanks.

[herbivorous]

Your depression could be caused by a lack of protein in your diet, I think it would be best for you to look into vegan foods with high levels of protein, such as bean and rice dishes (they provide a complete protein), also think about buying high protein items in bulk like lentils, or nuts. I think you should get into making casserole dishes which can then be frozen and defrosted later on in the week. Taking multivitamins is a good idea for you, if you aren't getting proper nutritents in your meals. An unhealthy diet that is lacking essential nutrients is definately a catalyst for your depression. You should make sure to exercise on a regular basis, because despite how unappealing it may seem you will feel better about yourself and your body.

I hope this advice has proved beneficial to you.

[soilman]

baked beans, pasta, tea w/ soy milk, chips, sometimes Clif bars, rice crackers w/ hummus. That's about it.

If you buy raw fruit, you don't have to cook it.

$150 is not a lot of money at all. Spending it on pre-packaged foods is not going to work.

For starters, you are buying food that is low in calories and high in price. The rice crackers for example. They are a couple bucks for only about 1/4 of a pound. I would suggest buying instant tortilla mix -- it is whole corn that has been soaked in lime water, ground up, and dehydrated. You mix it with water. patt it flat, and heat it on a teflon skillet without oil. Takes 2 minutes to make a tortilla. You can make about 30 pounds of tortillas for about $2.00. compare that to 1/4 pound of rice crackers for $2.00

Cliff bars are a waste of money. If you must eat crap like that, buy cheap cookies. A pound for $2.50 instead of about 1/8 of a pound for $2.50. Then take a cheap multivitamin pill -- that's what a cliff bar is -- a cookie with a vitamin pill mixed into the dough.

Commercially prepared soy milk is a VERY expensive way to get your protein. The cheapest -- and most nutritious -- way is to buy dry legumes. Lentils cook up in 20 minutes, like with rice, you can eat the water they are steamed in (with some beans this is not a good idea), that is, like rice, you can cook them until they absorb all the water too -- and you get a pound of DRY lentils for about 0.75. That makes about 3 pounds of cooked lentils -- equivalent to about 4 or 5 cans of cooked lentils.

Put the cooked lentils on a tortilla. You can eat this every day for a month.

Put chopped up raw vegetables on the tortilla with the steamed lentils. Radishes, green beans, lettuce. tomato too if you want.

I like to buy pita breads but they are easy to make from flour.

Buy bananas and freeze them raw for later use.

Buy lots of citrus fruit. Get a cheap juicer or a good citrus press (which costs about 100).

Get a cheap electric blender for $30 and make almond milk from blanched (you can find them blanched) almonds.

Eat potatoes. Just cut into small pieces so they cook fast, then steam or microwave.

Make rice. White rice only takes 20 minutes. It is real easy to make, and much cheaper per pound than rice crackers.

[nikkip]

Hi there. I can really really relate. I am on disability and im a student.I suffer from a list of various disorders and etc. money is scarce and i really really want to be vegan - It was my new years resolution. Yesterday i had a crap day so cooking was out lol. what i try to do is bake some high protein , whole foods baked stuff to nibble on when im down and make some things like chili to freeze so when im sick i can heat them up . I try and do what i can when i feel well. add wheat germ, oat bran and /or flax seeds to oatmeaal to make an easy power breakfast.
beans are awsome and are in many varieties. beans and rice and lentils and rice are easy and can be done in a microwave. go see if your local library has the books "how it all vegan " and "the garden of vegan" one of the authors is on a budget and theres a microwave section.
good luck . write to me if you need moral support from someone who gets it . i do take a multi - i was lucky to find a good veg one for $20.00(canadian) for three months. so its not too expensive and its the only supplement i take.
Good luck
nikki

[organica]

Thank you both immensely!!!
I am printing off your replies so I can remember the tips when I next go for groceries.

[SeaSiren]

Organica, I have noticed through several of your posts you suffer from depression. Are you home most of the time?

I am not a doctor. However, I think the other posters are correct. More protein in your diet would be beneficial. I would also try to stay away from heavy starches, when you eat pasta, rice, bread, be sure to eat the high fiber versions, i.e. brown or wild rice, whole wheat pasta, bread with 4grams or more of fiber. This keeps the sugar levels from spikeing (and dropping) wildly in your system, and gives you nutrition your body can use.

On another note, excercise is so important to help with depression! You can run or walk outdoors (fresh air does wonders) or do aerobics in your living room. Also, see if you can borrow or pick up at a yard sale or thrift store some hand weights. You'll be amazed at how much better you will feel in as little as two weeks.

Also, I understand people who suffer from depression do better on routines. It forces them to get up and move and continue on through the day. It gives them a sense or normalicy and something to look forward to. May I suggest http://www.flylady.net to help you set up daily routines. It is a FREE service (yahoo group) which helps you get your home (and your daily life activities) under control. I have seen several testimonials from people who suffer from depression and the FlyLady system has helped so much.

Good Luck and Take Care!

[Ludi]

Thank you for this thread, I'm also trying to improve my nutrition without eating meat, and I want to grow more of my own food such as legumes and grains, and need to know which are most nutritious.

[Jinga]

150 per month for one person is not too bad. As already suggested, you should steer clear of highly processed foods. They are expensive and often less nutritious. Beyond shopping the sales and buying bulk, you really need to get some fruits and veggies in your diet. For the price of 1 cliff bar, you can get a pound of fresh produce ... maybe even more! 7 cliff bars would equal 7 lbs of fresh fruits and veggies of different varieties, colors, and nutrients (Writing this is starting to make me hungry ). Not all produce is extremely expensive and in season items are usually the cheapest. Strive to buy some unpackaged leafy greens (cheaper than the bagged variety), carrots, squash, apples, pears, citrus, etc. You may also want to check out the freezer section for sales.

Dried beans, lentils, peas, etc. are usually very cheap. If you can get them in bulk, its even better. Same goes for rice and pasta. Just make sure to go for the whole grain variety. Otherwise, you are paying them to strip your food of most its nutrients.

What type of Soy Milk do you drink? For B-12, calcium, etc. I buy Silk 'Enhanced'. 1C has 10% of your potassium, 20% Vitamin A, 35% Vitamin C, 35% Calcium, 6% Iron, 30% Vitamin D, 20% Vitamin E, 30% Riboflavin, 20% Folate, 30% Vitamin B-6, 50% Vitamin B-12, 10%Phosphorus, 10% Magnesium, 10% Zinc.

I'd forego the chips and rice crackers for something more nutritious. For chips, you can try whole wheat pitas. Instead of snacking on crackers try seeds, nuts, fruit, carrots, etc.

I am also needing to cut way back on my grocery expenses. I only had 25 dollars a week alotted, but I rarely stay in those limits. I'm going to try for more like the 30-40 dollar range, so I'll see exactly what I can get. It seems like we'll be in the same monthly range.

Good luck! I also hope you find the strength to get out and get moving. I know it dramatically helps my depression.

[rvijay]

A lot of the Vegetarian produce is not frugal at all. Specially, at this time of the year, after holidays and during winter.
One needs to look for great deals and be selective. Also, prepackaged foods, canned foods are more expensive now.

Vijay

[SeaSiren]

Frozen veggies would be my next best choice if lower cost fresh veggies are unavailable, such as this time of year. Check out the fliers to your local grocery stores and look for the special sales -such as buy 1 get 1 free.