Hi

At the moment am veggie i want to be vegan but my  husband says it too expensive  as we are on disability benifets ( my husband is also my carer because of my mental health problems and he dont work as he is a full time carer )

and money is tight also my husband thinks that i will not be able to eat enough to keep me healthy

My husband is also a meat eater and has said to me that  it dont hurt the animals to produce eggs and milk but i disagree it does hurt them

 he is trying to be understanding and know how upset it has made me to having to eat things that i dont want to eat

He also says we wouldnt be able to go out for a meal because no where that he likes do vegan food , my husband at a push  will eat veggie but he  dont like it all the time

 

The main reason is the cost and the fact he dont think that i will be healthy with it

I know there are students and people on benifets that are vegan and i would like to know how they manage  to feed them selves when they have so little money Also i would like to know what things are low calories as well as i need a low calories diet as i am obese and am trying to lose weight

Hi xwillowx! Vegan is every bit as varied as diets that include meat.

The bottom line is, if you eat real foods, as in dried beans, lentils, and whole grains, with all sorts of produce, it can be the CHEAPEST, and most healthful way to eat!

I knew this my whole life, which was as a meateater, but when money was tight, bring on the bean soup!

Do you cook?

 

It is a big adjustment, because we have meat dishes everywhere. Vegetables are often served from the microwave.

 

If you can have even a tiny place to garden, like in pots, or look up our thread on vertical gardening, you;ll save even more. Kale, salad greens, herbs, things that can cost you in stores.

 

You can even make non dairy milks from things like rice, almonds, and oats. 

 

The one supplement I strongly suggest, essential to mental health, is vitamin B12. Vegans esp. need to supplement. You should ask you doctor about it if it hasn't been discussed already.

 

Where do you live? In a house in the city, or with some land? Just wondering if raising some rescued hens might be a possibility.

Hi, Willow!

I'm supported with disability benefits because of my OCD, and since more of the household eats vegan friendly meals the cost of food shopping has gone down! Beans, grains and colourful, seasonal vegetables are cheap and nutritious staples in a healthy vegan diet, so eating a variety of these seasoned with fresh herbs and spices should provide you with most essential vitamins and minerals. All nutrients that our bodies need can come from our Earth which is why animals with plant based diets can survive- just as animals with meat based diets can survive of animals that eat the Earth's vegetation. Vitamin B12 comes from bacteria which is lost when food is washed or cooked so supplement this.

To lose weight (and lower risk of diabetes) through diet you could use less oil, switch to stevia (a low calorie sweetener made from leaves, and only half as much needed as cane sugar), use low glycemic index syrups (such as brown rice syrup), bake, roast or sauté food instead of frying it, eat a large breakfast, medium lunch and small dinner as most days you should become less active as the day goes on and therefore require less calories, keep heathy snacks like fruit around so you don't binge at mealtimes (and keep unhealthy food out of sight!), and something that I discovered: two small bites of dark chocolate has enough caffein to keep your metabolism going through the night and thus using more calories (well, that's only my theory- but it works for me!).

Lovely to hear that you want to switch to veganism! I know it can be tough in the beginning, before you learn how to cook or vary your diet so that it becomes sustainable!

 

Like the others here have said: go for dried beans, rice, lentils, pasta etc. Vegetables and fruit are also important, but can be expensive if you buy organic etc. Try to buy the items that are on sale that week (say, at my grocery this week oranges were on sale). Buy a bunch of those items and then next week get another fruit/veggie that is on sale.

 

Personally, I sometimes splurge on things like ready-made and flavoured tofu, stuff from the health food store etc. Those things are quite expensive, so I can't afford them all the time, but they are nice when I want something good and easy! Base your meals around beans, a starch (such as rice or quinoa) and vegetables and cost should not be a problem! If you compare the price of meat (or in your case eggs or dairy) and beans (particularly the dried kind that you boil yourself) being vegan is cheaper.

Do you have an Aldis?

If your husband is that concerned about food costs, then he really should stop eating meat which is very expensive compared to most plant foods!

Hi!

 

Okay: as many have already posted, whole plain vegan foods are not expensive, as a rule. I find that the exceptions are convenience foods, such as vegan burgers or nutritional yeast- those are quite expensive, although vegan veggie burgers aren't usually any more expensive than ovo-lacto-vegetarian burgers. And many nuts- walnuts, brazils, hazelnuts, macadamias, pistachios, cashews- are quite expensive too. But eating out is usually expensive, no matter where you go. I'm not such a good cook, but I get cookbooks out of the library, try different recipes, and write down the ones that work for me. I often cook a large batch of something, even if it's only beans that I will put in a recipe, and freeze them in several portions- it saves a lot of time.

 

Vitamin B-12 supplements are cheap, and so worth it. It's the only supplement I take. Each tablet of the brand I use has 16 times the recommended daily dose of B-12, so I often break a tablet into 2 or 4 pieces and take one each day. I think my body can absorb it more efficiently that way, but I might be mistaken- I haven't seen any studies about this. Anyway, B-12 is pretty safe- taking more of it than you need evidently won't hurt you, like too much iron, vitamin A, or vitamin D sometimes could.

 

It sounds like your husband is being supportive. Good luck to both of you!

I wrote this article about low-cost methods of eating a vegan diet: http://www.vegansoapbox.com/save-animals-save-money/

Hi everyone thanks for your help 

I cant start until two weeks time from now as we bought all our food for the next two weeks and we have no money left 

My husband said we can give it a try and see what happens 

My husband will not give up meat at all  he says that its his choice and he is sticking with it  and that is up to him  he says he likes his meat too much 

I feel frustrated at my husband because he keeps saying things like we will not be able to go to certin place for food any more as they don t do vegan food 

I will not be able to eat chocolate  because that has milk in and the stuff from real foods ( the vegan shop near where we live ) is really expensive 

i do have an aldis  near where we live and i can try can get stuff from there 

My husband want to no longer talk about it until two weeks time as he says its stressing him out 

I on the other hand do want to talk about it to some one but there is no one i know that is vegan apart from people on this forum ( thank God for internet ) 

 

Also i have no idea how to prepare tofu  and am a crap cook as well 

I need to get some cookery books as well 

Look like i will not be doing this ...me and my husband just had a big fight about this and he had put his foot down basically telling me that i have an eating disorder and that i shouldnt be looking to eat less food and the only reason am doing it is to get thinner 

 

So i give up he has won  ...this round for now 

 

It's not your husband's decision what you eat. It's your decision. I hope you will reconsider. 

 

Also, I'm confused. In your first post you said you are obese and want to lose weight, but now you're saying your husband doesn't want you to get thinner? Are you body dsymorphic (i.e. see yourself as being obese when you are actually a healthy weight)? 

 

There's no reason you can't eat plenty of food on a vegan diet. I've gained weight since going vegan.

 

If you do reconsider, you should try calling around to some of the restaurants your husband likes and asking if there's anything they can prepare without animal products. I'd bet that many of them will say yes. If you don't undereat and figure out something you can eat when eating out then I don't see what he would have to complain about. 

misread OP

I'm sorry you are having such a hard time with your husband accepting your choice to go vegan.  My husband was the same way at first.  We had constant arguments over everything, not just food.  I had a few pet birds and decided I would not have any more caged birds for pets or support that industry, and he argued about that and how he enjoyed all the birds I had over the years and I was taking this away from him, and we argued about no longer going to the fair or zoos too.  He got mad when I gathered up all our cleaning supplies and brought them to a waste management facility and replaced them with natural cleaning stuff I made myself (even though I am the one that cleans the house and buys the stuff), we argued over his biblical interpretation that God commanded us to eat animals and Jesus ate meat; you name it we argued.  We still disagree on stuff two years later, but I was and am very committed to being vegan and he finally came to realize this wasnt a phase and has accepted it to a greater degree.  And I have come to realize that my change in lifestyle and beliefs was and is a big deal to him because it does affect him on different levels.  Without having a choice, he has had to learn to cook more for himself because I refuse to cook meat or buy any animal products, though I have compromised and made cheese products for him as long as he buys his own.  We have separate cupboards and areas of the refrigerator for "his" food and "mine".  We rarely eat out, maybe a few times a year, and when we do we eat at restaurants that are more organic and progressive as far as vegan offerings.  Although a few times I did concede and go to a favorite restaurant of his and just eat a salad with a little oil as that was all that was vegan.  I found that I did not have to make compromises as a vegan to make our relationship work, but I did need to make compromises in other areas so that it was an easier transition for him too.  We learned to agree to disagree about certain viewpoints and beliefs, and we have learned to find common ground on certain areas.  He is a big environmentalist and like me is very against the hunting of wolves that started in my state last year so we focus on those things.  He is also really into UFC stuff so when he found out a few UFC fighters were vegan and very successful in the UFC, he started to take more of an interest in the health aspects of veganism and has become more accepting in that regard because he has seen how it has worked for others.  And he loves some of my vegan dishes.  Although I eat a very unprocessed whole foods vegan diet, at times I have relaxed and made things like a vegan version of beef stroganoff (with seitan and vegan tofutti sour cream) over pasta with vegetables because it is a more traditional hearty dish that he likes and he was impressed that it tasted so much like the real thing.  I did cook a lot before and love to cook so maybe in that way it was easier for me, but I still had to learn to cook in a vegan way and I poured over cookbooks and really learned a lot.  Libraries are becoming filled with vegan cookbooks and advice, and local whole foods coops and stores are now having classes for people interesting in preparing plant based meals.  Help is out there and it is entirely possible.  My sister, who never cooked and lived on frozen dinners and fast food, and also suffers with paranoid schizophrenia, became vegetarian last summer and is mostly vegan now and she has also poured over cookbooks, ingredient lists etc and learned to cook and prepare vegan food and completely c hanged her way of living and eating.  Looking in her refrigerator is impressive now compared to what she eat before.  She also lost 45 lbs and is so heatlhy and active now.  She still struggles with cravings for cheese but she has come a long way, and I realize in her case it is not going to be an overnight all or nothing thing with her as it was for me, and I am learning to accept that that is ok because it is her way of transitioning.  It is entirely possible to be vegan in most situations.  I had to educate my husband about the health of eating vegan and how I get my protein, fats, carbs, etc and I actually DO have a longstanding eating disorder, but I was at my worst as an omnivore so being vegan has not contributed in that regard.  I have actual proof of medical labs to show how my vegan diet has made a huge difference in my health.  And I have showed my husband that my diet is far more varied than it was as an omnivore.  He still refuses to look at videos like Earthlings or Forks Over Knives but he did look at some articles from VegNews I showed him about honey and other vegan related issues and I even have some Christian vegetarian books such as "The Dominion of Love" to show him that there are a number of Christians who are compassionate about vegan and vegetarian issues. 

 

I would sure hate to live in a relationship where I was forced to eat or live a certain way because it is more culturally acceptable.  I am not sure that I would stay in a situation like that.  But I am also the bread winner in my household (my husband is on disability for health issues) so it may be easier for me to put my foot down.  I truly hope that you find a way to educate your husband and live the life that fits with your values.  It does take time for them to come around but it is possible.  I am a member of the American Vegan Society and each of their newsletters has an article about a vegan/omnivore couple and how they have made it work.  It gives us hope.  I also showed those to my husband.  Good luck and don't give up!

 

If this is a *genuine* issue for him, and it actually gets in the way of you doing what you want to, then you could compromise and agree to eat vegan at home and vegetarian out. I'm assuming - since your husband is so concerned about the possible cost of you going vegan - that you don't have enough money to eat out regularly anyway?

 

Yes, whatever you decide about being vegan right now, teaching yourself to cook will definitely empower you to be able to make a greater range of choices in your buying and eating habits in the longer run!

 

Have you spoken to your doctor about your weight? Is your weight in the 'obese' range for your height?

If your husband is now accusing you of having an eating disorder, is that just a completely random thing he's throwing up for no reason other than to be obstructive, or do you have some kind of history with conditions like anorexia or bulimia which would give some credence to to his concerns?

You can't force your hubs to eat vegan, but he also can't force you to eat meat. AND If he can, there are bigger issues at play here than food choices. I'd just start eating what you want to eat. 

 

I agree with 'IckenNoodleSoup - you should talk to your doctor. Though it sounds like money is tight - I'd try that. A good doctor will most certainly support a whole foods, plant-based diet both for weight loss and just good health in general. 

I'm sorry I maybe mis-read your post: your husband apparently does have an issue here. As I mentioned in my previous post, you might want to borrow some vegetarian/vegan cooking books from your local library- I don't know where you live, but there's probably one within your area? Lots of usable info there, for no money at all! I'll confess: I'm a crap cook too. My problem is I just don;t care to fuss in the kitchen. Okay, my food doesn't taste AWFUL, but whenever I go to a restaurant and eat vegan food prepared by someone who's a good cook, I always ask myself: "What am I doing wrong??!!"

 

And I second your observation that vegan sweets/treats can be ridiculously expensive. There are a few places in my area that do vegan foods, and I like to support them, but the expense is one reason I don't eat there more than I do.

 

I'm not a health care professional, and even if I were, I would be unable to say whether or not you have an eating disorder because we haven't met. But for some people, the line between not eating non-vegan food and just not eating enough, period, can get blurred. I'm not saying veganism is unhealthy- I'm just saying, don't forget to love yourself while you're caring about animals.