~:~Newbie questions~:~

March 24, 2007

Since I am so new to veganism, I am curious what is everyone average food budget per month, and how many consider themselves fixed income. Many reasons I ask. First off I encounter many fixed income folk (elderly and disabled) who bemoan the cost of organic fruits and vegetables, and who assume meat is cheaper in the long run. That buying organic is cost prohibitive. That there doesn't seem to be much of an out reach to those who are poor. That its easy for someone making 50k a year to eat non meat and organic.

Now, I am not totally vegetarian because I do eat eggs from my hens. I have no rooster since I don't want to create more chickens, but I do rescue hens and chicks. They die of old age and are free range 100%. I also am able to grow a vegetable garden which does help me a lot food wise.

What does everyone eat per day, and has anyone been vegan for reasons other than animal welfare, like for health reasons?~BethAOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com.

March 26, 2007

About £200 per month for the two of us, plus occasional visitors.

That includes 99% organic fruit and veg which costs at least 50% moe

than non organic, so we could go cheaper if we didn't buy organic.

Vegetables, lentils, beans and tofu are very cheap when compared with

meat. Most people do not even both to find out how to eat in a

veggie/vegan way and what foods they would need to buy, and bring the

excuse of 'it's too expensive' out the top of their heads.

We started out as being veggie for health reasons, but once we did

not eat animals any more, realised that it was not an ethical/nice

thing to do.

Jo

, MotherLodeBeth wrote:

>

> Since I am so new to veganism, I am curious what is everyone

average food

> budget per month, and how many consider themselves fixed income.

Many reasons I

> ask. First off I encounter many fixed income folk (elderly and

disabled)

> who bemoan the cost of organic fruits and vegetables, and who

assume meat is

> cheaper in the long run. That buying organic is cost

prohibitive. That there

> doesn't seem to be much of an out reach to those who are poor.

That its

> easy for someone making 50k a year to eat non meat and organic.

>

> Now, I am not totally vegetarian because I do eat eggs from my

hens. I have

> no rooster since I don't want to create more chickens, but I do

rescue hens

> and chicks. They die of old age and are free range 100%. I also

am able to

> grow a vegetable garden which does help me a lot food wise.

>

> What does everyone eat per day, and has anyone been vegan for

reasons other

> than animal welfare, like for health reasons?

>

> ~Beth

>

> ************************************** AOL now offers free email to

everyone.

> Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com.

>

March 26, 2007

I'm vegan for many reasons, though my original impulse was

aesthetic. I grow vegetables and berries organically and buy mostly

organic and local (farmers' markets), generally following the

guidelines of the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a research and

advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., that recommends

buying the following organic fruits and vegetables because their

conventionally grown counterparts tend to be laden with pesticides:

Apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines,

peaches, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach, and strawberries.

I still buy conventional avocado and grapefruit and nuts because the

organic ones are hard to find or prohibitively expensive, and I have

the occasional nonorganic blueberries, asparagus, and mango. My rule

of thumb is that if I eat a lot of a particular food, I try to find an

organic source.

My food budget has been around $100 a month lately, though it has

been as high as $250 when I have been eating more prepared foods and

not paying attention. The best ways to eat well on a budget are as

follows.

1. Know what you like to eat, and don't buy foods unless you know

you will eat them soon. (In other words, avoid impulse purchases,

which is best accomplished by having a snack or a meal before

shopping.)

2. Check the local grocery flyers for items that you normally use

that are on sale, and buy more than usual if it's an item you use a

lot.

3. Buy fruits and vegetables in season. They will be fresher and

taste better than those flown in from the other side of the world, and

even the organic ones will be quite inexpensive at peak times. Buy

direct from local farmers if at all possible. This means that

" staple " vegetables and fruits change with the seasons. For

instance, I eat blueberries only when they are in season here, rather

than buying the ones flown in from the southern hemisphere. I never

buy tomatoes at grocery stores, because once I grew my own, nothing

else was worth eating.

4. Learn to cook simple foods, and develop a repertoire of basic

starch-based meals accented with legumes and sauces and accompanied

with abundant vegetables in season. For instance, depending on what

you like to eat, your meals might be based on basmati rice, polenta,

spaghetti, or homemade quick bread (really easy to make!). You can

cook a pot of lentils and use them in a sauce, adding different

seasonings (tomato, curry, etc.) for different meals. In winter the

vegetables can be kabocha squash, carrots, and potatoes. In spring,

asparagus and kale and green garlic. In summer, peppers and tomatoes

and summer squash. Most of the flavors of ethnic cooking come from

spices and sauces, so if you like the food of a certain region, learn

what seasonings produce the characteristic dishes.

5. If you're on a budget, stay away from prepared foods. If you

have any time at all to prepare food, you can always make something

better at home anyway. For instance, prepared hummus might cost $2 for

less than a cup, but you can make it at home with fresh ingredients

for much less, even if you start with canned beans. Though it doesn't

sound like you'd be saving much, it does add up.

6. Aim for at least 5 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables a

day -- more is better, deeper colors are better, and a variety of

colors and different types will ensure a wider range of phytochemicals

and essential nutrients. Be sure to include leafy greens and some

red, orange, or purple vegetables or fruits every day.

7. If you're on a budget and want to get the most nutritional

bang for your dollars, concentrate on the most nutrient-dense produce

-- kale and cantaloupe, for instance.

8. No junk food, of course. Why spend money on empty calories if

you're trying to economize?

9. Occasional treats, of course. I don't have a freezer and,

before I grew my own, I knew raspberries were best if eaten the same

day, so I had to choose either the frozen vegan dessert OR the

raspberries. Most times, raspberries topped with vanilla soy yogurt

won. But not every day.

10. Thinking about the long run, eating vegan and organic is an

investment in good health. *Getting sick* is cost prohibitive. Not

only are many health problems avoided by eating vegan and organic, but

also many conditions are improved the more one eats vegan and organic.

Especially for people on a budget or those without medical insurance

(or with high deductibles), here in the land of the broken

medical-care system, buying wholesome vegan organic food is an

exceptionally good investment.

11. You don't have to eat tofu or like soy products to be vegan!

I like soy yogurt and occasional frozen desserts, but haven't liked

most other products I've tried. Most soy products fall in the category

of prepared foods, and you will save money if you stay away from most

prepared foods.

ok, it's late and I'm rambling (avoiding a deadline), so I'll

stop.

At 11:21 PM -0400 3/23/07, MotherLodeBeth wrote:

Since I am so new to veganism, I am curious what is everyone

average food budget per month, and how many consider themselves fixed

income. Many reasons I ask. First off I encounter many fixed income

folk (elderly and disabled) who bemoan the cost of organic

fruits and vegetables, and who assume meat is cheaper in the long

run. That buying organic is cost prohibitive. That

there doesn't seem to be much of an out reach to those who are poor.

That its easy for someone making 50k a year to eat non meat and

organic.

.....

What does everyone eat per day, and has anyone been vegan for

reasons other than animal welfare, like for health reasons?

March 26, 2007

Hi BethI'm a full time student so not so much " fixed income " as " no income at all " . For two of us, we spend around £40 a week on food - and we get mostly organic. I have no form of comparison as I went vegan before I had to buy my own food, but my impression is that even inorganic meat is more expensive.

BBPeterOn 24/03/07, MotherLodeBeth <MotherLodeBeth

> wrote:

Since I am so new to veganism, I am curious what is everyone average food budget per month, and how many consider themselves fixed income. Many reasons I ask. First off I encounter many fixed income folk (elderly and disabled) who bemoan the cost of organic fruits and vegetables, and who assume meat is cheaper in the long run. That buying organic is cost prohibitive. That there doesn't seem to be much of an out reach to those who are poor. That its easy for someone making 50k a year to eat non meat and organic.

Now, I am not totally vegetarian because I do eat eggs from my hens. I have no rooster since I don't want to create more chickens, but I do rescue hens and chicks. They die of old age and are free range 100%. I also am able to grow a vegetable garden which does help me a lot food wise.

What does everyone eat per day, and has anyone been vegan for reasons other than animal welfare, like for health reasons?~Beth

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