I am vegetarian and have been for a long time and now I have decided to transition over to vegan. The hardest thing for me to do has been to give up sugar cheese eggs and milk but I know in the long run its better for the animals environment and for my health. I am not really in a country right now where I am able to find the tofu or veggies meats or soy or almond milk stuff like that and when and if I can they make it costly . Im on a bit of a tight budget . The staples here are mostly rice and pasta or some type of bread. I like them some times but not enough to eat it constantly. Im just really looking for some ideas on what i can cook so that it does not get boring and i am making sure i get all the vitamins I need I also have anemia and like can be vegan on a budget and it wont break me
I don't know that much about Egyptian cuisine, although I've heard of ful medames (I don't know if I spelled that right- and although it's vegetarian, I can't remember if it's vegan... I think it has egg in it? But if you made it yourself, of course you could leave the egg out.
You're right about good food being expensive sometimes- it's the same way where I am. Are you in an area where a garden would be possible? Even if you only have a patio with no soil, you might be able to grow some things in containers; the only thing about plants in containers is that they dry out faster than they would in the ground, and you have to be more careful about watering. If there's no place at all for a garden where you live, I don't know if they have community gardens in Egypt. If you've never gardened before, you could start small, with just a few plants that you know you like to eat.
I eat a lot of rice, pasta, and bread, and they can get boring. The legumes and vegetables I eat with the rice and bread make things more interesting, as well as being nutritious.
I wish I could be more helpful, but I don't really know that much about your area.
EDITED TO ADD: We have a group of forums for VB members in other countries. I looked, and there's already at least one thread for Egypt:
i changed to vegan 4 yrs ago.....im in ireland and thus use uk brands.....Alpro do vegan milks and vegan yogurts, also Pure sell vegan butter, I buy Hovis bread which is vegan, and i buy Kelkin muesli which is vegan tooo
anyway, i generally eat alot of nuts, such as cashew or dry roasted peanuts
i eat plenty of beans, baked beans, peas, chickpeas and lentils, which are strong inprotein and also i eat tofu which is a good lean protein
i eat lots of fruit and veg which has made me alot healthier
as regards iron, ieat spinach, leafy greens and beetroot which are rich in iron
i do take a B complex vitamin, asi want to make sure i get enough B12
It looks like you're living in Egypt! There are several delicious vegetarian Egyptian dishes - Koshary, Hummus, Ta'ameya, Ful Medames, Mahshi, Lentil Soup, Aish Baladi, Bessaraui. None of these foods contain tofu or veggie meats.
Your local market almost certainly sells beans and lentils, at affordable prices. These are very good sources of protein, iron, folate, and fiber. Your local market also likely sells pre-made spice and sauce mixtures for making Egyptian meals.
Good sources of calcium include collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, kale, and certain kinds of beans. Please see this article from the Vegetarian Resource Group: https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/calcium.php
Rather than obsess over every nutrient, it can be helpful to take a daily, vegan-specific multivitamin. The Vegan Society UK sells its vegan multivitamins at a very low price - £6.60 for a 3 month supply. I imagine that they ship to Egypt: https://www.vegansociety.com/shop/veg-1-supplements
@David3 yeah thanks for the reply I already know about the foods you mention . Egypt has not caught on to veganism yet it slowly coming around Ive met a few people here that knew about it but only because they grew up in the states they knew what it was . Even when I was vegetarian i would have to watch what i ate and when getting food outside because arabs love meat and will easily slip meat broth in things that would normally be vegetarian . I will check out the links you mentioned I will check out the link for the vitamins as well you can get things imported here but normally its costly But I will see maybe I can order in bulk or something Thanks again I am hoping after restrictions lift i will be able to leave again thanks
Hi Ameraah!
If you need to easily transit to vegan diet and be sure that you won't harm your health I highly recommend you to visit the Core Spirit community where you can find all possible information on Vegan diet from professionals from around the world. I personally could give you one very good article that helped me to transit Vegan 5:2 Diet Meal Plan Vegan meal plan offered here takes into accound all necessary elements and offers a varied diet. Take a look and good luck!
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