Possible to be vegitarian on a budget?

[nathaliabrown]

DH and I have been wanting to do this...but just have not taken the steps. He used to be one before me (opps!). He was very healthy when he was one. After he started eating meat again it all went down the drain. I need to see if financially it is doable as well. A few questions:

1. What do you eat to keep the variety going but also keep it healthy? IE I have a cuz who has been a vegitarian for ever...her daily diet consists of cheese taqitos, cheese pizza, and chips. So yeah...not what I am wanting.

2. Do you make your kids do the same life style or do they have options? What kid friendly foods do you feed them?

3. Do you notice a difference in yourself? IE weight, energy, just the overall way you feel.

4. I HATE mushrooms. DH says I CANT do this without eating mushrooms...is that true?

5. I am in the midst of becoming a surrogate for someone. I have my transfer next month. If I become pregnant how do I stay healthy by doing this but at the same time making sure the baby is getting what he/she(s) needs?

 

[superme80]

It is totally possible! I have been a vegetarian for a year and I am expecting baby #2! First off beans are your friend!!!!! I like mushrooms, but I never get around to cooking them, so it is a waste for me to buy them. What has saved me is going to the local farmer's market every week. I buy fresh produce and I cook or bake with it. I also started making a lot of smoothies when DS was teething. I just use fruit, agave nectar, ice, and water. DS and I love them. With this pregnancy I have been craving broccoli and spinach. So I do make a lot of pizza, I make my own dough, and load it up with veggies. My son eats almost everything I eat. I still cook meat for DH, but DS will not eat it. He has decided he does not like it. DS loves beans, so I make him a lot of hummus or just make some black beans for him. And I have noticed a huge difference in how I feel. I have way more energy and I dropped 15 lbs right away. The magazines and websites that have been most helpful to me are vegetariantimes.com, vegnews.com, and weelicious.com. Weelicious is a website devoted to healthy cooking for kids and families. She is not a vegetarian, but she has tons of vegetarian and vegan recipes on her site. Our family loves everything on there! I hope that helps you out!!! Good luck! And remember it is a process. It doesn't happen over night. Enjoy the changes!!!!

 

[onyx8]

I am not a vegetarian, but regarding kids - I have a 16 month old and he loves veggie burgers and also Veggie Patch brand veggie nuggets and chick pea falafel balls (they are sold in the produce dept of the grocery store). He also likes hummus.

 

[SDSorority]

DH and I have been wanting to do this...but just have not taken the steps. He used to be one before me (opps!). He was very healthy when he was one. After he started eating meat again it all went down the drain. I need to see if financially it is doable as well. A few questions:

1. What do you eat to keep the variety going but also keep it healthy? IE I have a cuz who has been a vegitarian for ever...her daily diet consists of cheese taqitos, cheese pizza, and chips. So yeah...not what I am wanting.

2. Do you make your kids do the same life style or do they have options? What kid friendly foods do you feed them?

3. Do you notice a difference in yourself? IE weight, energy, just the overall way you feel.

4. I HATE mushrooms. DH says I CANT do this without eating mushrooms...is that true?

5. I am in the midst of becoming a surrogate for someone. I have my transfer next month. If I become pregnant how do I stay healthy by doing this but at the same time making sure the baby is getting what he/she(s) needs?

Read my blog!! http://www.anniessimplelife.blogspot.com

I'm a veggie, as is DH, and we are CHEAP! And healthy!!

LOL you do NOT have to eat mushrooms!!! DH doesn't like them either.

In all honesty- I have had NO deficiencies at ALL. My blood work proved it. Just eat a lot of beans, whole grains, fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds. And if you want to keep milk/cheese and eggs in your diet you can do that too. Trust me- if you eat things that are not natchos and pizzas all the time, you'll be fine! Variety is key.

 

[hipchickie]

absolutely! I would say on average it was cheaper for me.Try not to subsist one fake meat or whatnot - those can really add up. Try to cook from scratch.

I am not veg anymore, but when I was, my DH and ds ate meat and I did not. However, I would not buy meat, and would not cook it, so when I cooked it was veg....so yes, my kid ate it. I don't like "kid" food, most of it is crap with little nutritional value and filled with fat, sugar, and salt. My kids eat what we eat. They are very adventurous eaters, not sure if that is the cause or the effect though

As the PP said, beans are your friend!! Even though I now eat meat again, we still do not eat a lot of meat, but I use beans a lot. I am not sure why your hubby thinks you would have to eat mushrooms, but as far as I know there is nothing nutritionally in a mushroom that is not available somewhere else. I also am a fan of TVP (i like the "meat" like texture) but my dh hated it.

I can't comment on if I felt better because I had some underlying health issues at the time that I was not aware of - but I did it for ethical reasons anyway, so it was not my motivator. I will say, it is just as easy to eat crap on a veg diet as on an omnivore diet - just be aware of what you are consuming.

I get vegetarian times magazine, and I really like the recipes in it. IIRC, they have nutritional info, so you could make sure you are getting the right nutrients that way. When I was pg and veg, my dr. said the biggest thing was just to take a multi-vitamin.

 

[SandrA9810]

All that I have read about vegetarian, is it can be low in iron. So make sure that's a part of your diet. I hate beans of all kinds, so that would be my biggest problem of going vegetarian. Other than that, there's not much in meat that can't be found in something else.

Having a farmer's market is really nice too. Trying to go vegetarian in FL would probably kill any budget. Doing it in California cuts way down on the grocery budget.

 

[Ava]

You can definitely be vegetarian on a budget! In fact, I think a vegetarian diet is actually more budget-friendly than eating meat, as long as you don't buy too many of the faux meat products since those can be pricy. As others have said, beans are a great cheap source of protein. So is peanut butter.

Google "complete vegetarian protein" or a similar phrase; I've seen charts that detail which grains to mix with which legumes to create a complete protein. (A lot of them are traditional dishes, like rice & beas or succotash - guess our ancestors had good instincts when it came to food.) I Googled quickly & found this summary of vegetarian proteins:

1. Grain plus Dairy - Examples are macaroni and cheese, rice pudding made with milk, milk and cereal and cheese sandwiches.

2. Legumes plus Grains - Examples include rice and beans, bean, pea or lentil soup and bread, and refried beans with tortillas.

3. Seeds plus Legumes - Hummus (made with chickpeas and sesame seeds) and a snack of sunflower seed and peanuts are examples.

Then of course there is soy, in the form of tofu or faux meat products. And eggs, if you choose to eat them. Leafy green vegetables (like spinach & kale) are also good sources of protein & iron.

Regarding kids being vegetarian, our DD is 17 months old and hasn't had any meat yet. I eat meat, so she probably will at some point, but we're going to let her choose if she wants to eat it or not. If your kids are used to eating meat it may be difficult for them to give it up, but kids can certainly be healthy on vegetarian diet.

 

[hpfan100]

DH and I have been wanting to do this...but just have not taken the steps. He used to be one before me (opps!). He was very healthy when he was one. After he started eating meat again it all went down the drain. I need to see if financially it is doable as well. A few questions:

1. What do you eat to keep the variety going but also keep it healthy? IE I have a cuz who has been a vegitarian for ever...her daily diet consists of cheese taqitos, cheese pizza, and chips. So yeah...not what I am wanting.

2. Do you make your kids do the same life style or do they have options? What kid friendly foods do you feed them?

3. Do you notice a difference in yourself? IE weight, energy, just the overall way you feel.

4. I HATE mushrooms. DH says I CANT do this without eating mushrooms...is that true?

5. I am in the midst of becoming a surrogate for someone. I have my transfer next month. If I become pregnant how do I stay healthy by doing this but at the same time making sure the baby is getting what he/she(s) needs?

1. For variety...I look up free recipes on the internet or from library cookbooks, try many different types of grains and vegetables
2. no kids but it shouldn't be an issue, totally healthy for childrena dn adults
3. I have lost about 7 pounds without exercise, when I start excersing again I should lose more , I sleep better, have less joint pain, headaches, more energy, more "regular"
4. not a big mushroom eater, that's ok! I hate broccoli and I do just fine
5. should not have any problems during pregnany, do some research adn talk with docotor


budget thoughts...I feed my self on 100 to 150 bucks a month veggie style

bulk bins are your friends, (I shop at the ones at Sprouts and Sunflower which are the budget friendly natural food stores near me)
beans and grains can be cheap at Trader Joes and the 99 cent store
buy produce from the farmers market if you have one (I don't) so I shop at the 99 cent store, fresh and easy clearance shelf, sprouts and sunflower
grow your own herbs or lettuce and tomatoes
I have fruit trees in the yard and that is pretty awesome! nothing beats fresh lemons and limes
coupons and sales, the Kroger store (Fry's here) takes other store coupons
Whole foods has great coupon flyers in front of their stores
printable coupons on shortcuts are free as well as the electronic ones
no the prices...watch ads weekly for best prices and stock up then


good luck with your veggie conversion!

 

[ArthurIhde]

hmmm i dont have my kid yet

 

[barkley]

see if you have the bountiful baskets program in your area-it can save you massive amounts on produce, dry beans and grains.


if you are pregnant or planning on becoming, there's information on the loma linda university hospital website about nutrition during pregnancy with specific information regarding vegetarian and/or vegan lifestyles (loma linda is a seventh day adventist hospital, seventh day adventists encourage a vegetarian lifestyle).


we are not vegetarian, but i've got one kiddo whose school cafeteria is strictly vegetarian (with vegan options as well), and both my kids go to a week long sleep away camp that's strictly vegetarian/vegan so i can tell you that there are LOTS of kid friendly food options/recipies BUT you have to be careful when buying some of the products that are marketed-they can be MUCH higher in fat and sugars than if you made the identical product from scratch (we have several of dh's mom's older vegetarian cookbooks that give the scratch recipies for allot of what's commercialy available now, with a little time and effort it's possible to home make much of what's out there on the shelves resulting in a healthier and less costly result).

 

[hpfan100]

see if you have the bountiful baskets program in your area-it can save you massive amounts on produce, dry beans and grains.


if you are pregnant or planning on becoming, there's information on the loma linda university hospital website about nutrition during pregnancy with specific information regarding vegetarian and/or vegan lifestyles (loma linda is a seventh day adventist hospital, seventh day adventists encourage a vegetarian lifestyle).


we are not vegetarian, but i've got one kiddo whose school cafeteria is strictly vegetarian (with vegan options as well), and both my kids go to a week long sleep away camp that's strictly vegetarian/vegan so i can tell you that there are LOTS of kid friendly food options/recipies BUT you have to be careful when buying some of the products that are marketed-they can be MUCH higher in fat and sugars than if you made the identical product from scratch (we have several of dh's mom's older vegetarian cookbooks that give the scratch recipies for allot of what's commercialy available now, with a little time and effort it's possible to home make much of what's out there on the shelves resulting in a healthier and less costly result).

WOW a veggie cafeteria...that is so amazing. At the school I work at there is nothing of value served to the kids. They don't even get a vegetable or fruit everyday.