Affordability ?

[JM1]

From the standpoint of food, it can be inexpensive,..or very expense depending on your taste.

Vegan products such as cloths and shoes will definitely be more expensive than non vegan options.

Hi bean counter, Nice to meet you

What was your 1st vegan food experience?

 

[JM1]

My best analogue when you switch your diet is think of it as like learning a new language, when everyone around you speaks what you've grown up speaking. You decide to learn a new language, so you do all kinds of research, find others to speak with--it feels really ackward for a long time. You can either give up because it's taking so long, and seems hard, or pursue it, and one day will come, when it starts to click, and it's no longer so foreign. You hear it, say it,are understood

That's very impressive

Was it hard convincing your parents to purchase different things?
In my household I was saddened to be shunned at a young age

 

[JM1]

Oh! Another thing that helped me transition is what I call a paradigm shift. We grew up with thinking of a meal being on a plate with a third (or whatever) being meat, a third being a starch, and a third being a green veggie.
but vegan meals don't lend themselves to that. Instead think of meals being on the plate as layers. We already do that for a lot of meals. Sauce over pasta. beans over rice. stew over mashed potatoes.

Thanks for sharing your insight, I'm going to apply them

Do you remember your first experience becoming vegan and committing to only eating plant based foods?

I feel like it's an intense shift.

 

[Lou]

Do you remember your first experience becoming vegan and committing to only eating plant based foods?

Not really. I came to my decision and then implemented it over a long period of time. Very gradually

 

[beancounter]

Hi bean counter, Nice to meet you

What was your 1st vegan food experience?

It was at the dawn of the internet, and I didn't have a computer, so I got all of my meal ideas from a magazine called Vegetarian Times. I had the original Moosewood Cookbook, but most of the recipes were vegetarian, and I didn't have the time or resources to convert it to vegan. (vegan cheese in the early 90's was gross, AND expensive.)

I had a lot of stir-fry's, pasta and sauce, and my mothers chili recipe without the meat. It was not a varied diet, but it was inexpensive. I joined the Boston Vegetarian Society that had potlucks periodically, and that where I learned a lot about the variety of vegan cooking.

 

[silva]

That's very impressive

Was it hard convincing your parents to purchase different things?
In my household I was saddened to be shunned at a young age

Until I was 14 we lived with my grandparents and my grandmother cooked. She lived through hard times, the Depression era, and cooked good, basic foods. My mom never cooked, so I had at the kitchen. I started with a Hare Krishna cookbook, which was vegetarian. I really liked Indian foods, more than I do now! My tastes change. A lot.
Those were the days of "protein combining" where you were told you needed to put complementary amino acids together at the same meals--like grains had different ones than beans. You don't, you need just to get the whole variety

I eat as many seperate foods as I did before going vegan. I like having seperate foods, I don't understand the entire 'bowl' mentality. That's work lunch!

If you think about it, vegans and vegetarian diets are really just the evolution of omnivore diets.
Think about how diets have changed over the centuries, the decades. My grandparents ate headcheese--a weird combo of gelatinized brains. Duck blood sausages. Stomach linings. gizzards. My friends with southern roots ate pig intestines. Humans evolved eating insects. These foods are all frowned upon with disgust now. Omnivores have chosen to eliminate many of the animal foods they're ancestors ate. I wholly believe the days ahead will have total plant based as an natural and accepted choice.

 

[JM1]

Not really. I came to my decision and then implemented it over a long period of time. Very gradually

I can totally relate, because some days are harder than others

Was your process long

 

[JM1]

It was at the dawn of the internet, and I didn't have a computer, so I got all of my meal ideas from a magazine called Vegetarian Times. I had the original Moosewood Cookbook, but most of the recipes were vegetarian, and I didn't have the time or resources to convert it to vegan. (vegan cheese in the early 90's was gross, AND expensive.)

I had a lot of stir-fry's, pasta and sauce, and my mothers chili recipe without the meat. It was not a varied diet, but it was inexpensive. I joined the Boston Vegetarian Society that had potlucks periodically, and that where I learned a lot about the variety of vegan cooking.

That sounds deliciously interesting

Would you say that having support made you grow more into a vegan??

 

[JM1]

Until I was 14 we lived with my grandparents and my grandmother cooked. She lived through hard times, the Depression era, and cooked good, basic foods. My mom never cooked, so I had at the kitchen. I started with a Hare Krishna cookbook, which was vegetarian. I really liked Indian foods, more than I do now! My tastes change. A lot.
Those were the days of "protein combining" where you were told you needed to put complementary amino acids together at the same meals--like grains had different ones than beans. You don't, you need just to get the whole variety

I eat as many seperate foods as I did before going vegan. I like having seperate foods, I don't understand the entire 'bowl' mentality. That's work lunch!

If you think about it, vegans and vegetarian diets are really just the evolution of omnivore diets.
Think about how diets have changed over the centuries, the decades. My grandparents ate headcheese--a weird combo of gelatinized brains. Duck blood sausages. Stomach linings. gizzards. My friends with southern roots ate pig intestines. Humans evolved eating insects. These foods are all frowned upon with disgust now. Omnivores have chosen to eliminate many of the animal foods they're ancestors ate. I wholly believe the days ahead will have total plant based as an natural and accepted choice.

I'm fascinated with Indian food... I love their spinach sauces, long grain rice, spices and flavors, and Samosas, even though I try to stay away from fried food.
It was awesome that your family gave you the opportunity to make decisions in the kitchen. I'm sure it had a positive impact on them, aside from eating delicious food
I would also like mor population to make better eating choices or even have some things that toxify the body removed from grocery stores shelves...
Does the earth produce enough to sustain millions of Omnivores?

 

[Lou]

I can totally relate, because some days are harder than others

Was your process long

Yes. but I don't think about it like that.

I think of it this way: I'm still transitioning. I'm not perfect. And perfection isn't even a goal.
Colleen Patrick Goudreau whose podcasts have really helped me puts it this way, being vegan isn't the goal. Compassion is the goal. Being vegan is just the path you take.

 

[beancounter]

That sounds deliciously interesting

Would you say that having support made you grow more into a vegan??

Yes, the support was a major factor.

 

[beforewisdom]

Hello my fellow vegans, I'm new here and I would like your input on how affordable is it to be completely vegan?

Hello JM1,

A vegan diet is like any other diet.

The more of your food your prepare for yourself the more money you will save.

The more prepared food you buy, the more you eat out, the more you will spend.

 

[JM1]

Very affordable.

But first, let me say it does depend on what kind of vegan you choose to be. If you choose to buy lots of plant based meats, milks , fast food, restaurant food, and prepared and/or frozen foods - it will be less affordable because most of those things are not cheap and for the most part they are more expensive that their animal based counter parts.

I used to have a link that had a chart of the price of a gram of protein in things like eggs, milk, meat, beans, etc. and now I can't find it. but... as I remember it eggs, cow's milk, and chicken are some of the cheapest sources of animal based proteins. but they aren't nearly as cheap as things like rice and beans.

I think that the expensive fresh fruits and vegetables makes being vegan expensive, But I'm certain that it's rewarding in other aspects.

What rewards flow gratitude from being a vegan for you, in spite of making expensive purchases?

 

[beforewisdom]

At least in the U.S. you can save money on produce by going to Asian markets.
They are loss leaders there, often cheaper, and often available in a greater variety.

You can also save money by buying frozen vegetables, and only seasonal fresh vegetables.

 

[silva]

I think that the expensive fresh fruits and vegetables makes being vegan expensive, But I'm certain that it's rewarding in other aspects.

What rewards flow gratitude from being a vegan for you, in spite of making expensive purchases?

All diets should have 4-5 serving each of fruits and vegetables.
Haven't we already made the case for eating plant based as variable as eating omni?
It's very easy to eat cheaply as a vegan, more than eating animal products

I have not found my Asian markets to be less expensive, but then I do live in a lower cost area to begin with.

 

[Lou]

I think that the expensive fresh fruits and vegetables makes being vegan expensive, But I'm certain that it's rewarding in other aspects.

What rewards flow gratitude from being a vegan for you, in spite of making expensive purchases?

a. everyone should eat fresh fruits and veggies. Not just vegans.
b. and not every vegan eats Lots of fruits and veggies.

I'm a frugal vegan. I hardly buy any Special Vegan Food. I do buy tofu and soy milk. but they aren't that expensive. and I suppose I could save money by making my own. Maybe the most expensive item I got last week was frozen shelled edamame.

 

[Jamie in Chile]

nice thread everyone, good to see the ideas being shared around,

 

[Emma JC]

All diets should have 4-5 serving each of fruits and vegetables.
Haven't we already made the case for eating plant based as variable as eating omni?
It's very easy to eat cheaply as a vegan, more than eating animal products

I have not found my Asian markets to be less expensive, but then I do live in a lower cost area to begin with.

I agree completely about the frozen fruits and vegetables. We get a great variety of veggies than we would if we only ate fresh, which we do also, mostly fresh that last a long time in the fridge like celery, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, garlic, bananas, citrus etc.

Frozen is so amazing. We always have a bag or two of the following:

plus smaller bags of:
Peas
Corn
Peppers/Onions
Cauliflower
Kale

on the fruit side we have:

plus frozen pineapple, cherries, Canadian blueberries, mango

Nothing goes bad, we have a nice variety and we have the smallest upright freezer plus the freezer above the fridge.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[JM1]

Looking back it doesn't seem hard. but I remember at the time there were some difficulities. And looking back I think a lot of the difficulties I perceived were more like mental roadblocks than real ones.

For instance, I remember having a lot of trouble with lunches. Now I can't remember exactly why. I do remember I didn't like to bring a salad to work but now I can't remember why of if I had any good reasons. I know that sometimes I worked thru lunch at my desk and that one handed things were better for that.

For "beginning vegans" I like to recommend using a recommended meal plan. It takes a lot of the imagination, research, and guess work out of being nutritionally complete. Pick up a book on vegan nutrition (there are plenty at the library). They almost all have at least a 7 day meal plan to follow. Or you can get one online.

Just google vegan meal plan and you will see quite a few free ones. Some of the results will be subscription meal plans - where they deliver the ingredients - just skip those.

There are even some YouTube Vegans who not only have videos of meal plans but show you how to make the stuff. Some of them are very budget friendly.

If you can't find any you like come back here and ask us for suggestions.

would you say that when you first became vegan you intentionally planned your meals?

Can you describe tour beginning phase of when you transitioned to become a vegan, please?

For starters what impulsed you to adopt this lifestyle choice and what were your results when you first started to be a vegan?

 

[JM1]

Oh! Another thing that helped me transition is what I call a paradigm shift. We grew up with thinking of a meal being on a plate with a third (or whatever) being meat, a third being a starch, and a third being a green veggie.
but vegan meals don't lend themselves to that. Instead think of meals being on the plate as layers. We already do that for a lot of meals. Sauce over pasta. beans over rice. stew over mashed potatoes.

I really like this strategy you named the paradigm shift, because I live flavors and the blends of flavors