cautious benefit

[Twizelby]

So I know that people have this fear of veganism that makes them fearful but I am going to post this anyway. I have said it before but... I don't count calories. I am quite happy with my body, I am a bit big (overweight) but nothing that I don't like about my body image, and my chronic hypertension is gone. I don't have a lot of money to buy precessed vegan food which can indeed make you fat but I eat A LOT (I was obese in the past). I cook great meals at dinner and just snack all day on fruit and veg. I know that straight veg and beans sound bad but seriously make your own hummus and learn how to cook! I used to be more overweight but after switching to vegan and learning how to cook delicious healthy food I eat all day without feeling sleepy or shi**y about calories. I keep thinking about this quote from a book called Ishmael, I can't remember the exact quote but he describes food as a symphony that goes on all day. That's how I feel. I have always been chubby or fat throughout my life...but right now, eating fruit, veg, seeds, beans and grains all day; not only do I feel great but I look great too. I don't want you as a non vegan to think of this as a deterrence, as I probably will have to change my diet when I am earning more and can afford vegan products, but right now...I have expanded my culinary prowess, found a cheap way to live, and have reaped the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. This does not account for anorexia, so if you suffer from anorexia please seek professional help.

[miniboes]

I'm glad you're being so sucessful with your vegan diet!

[brimstoneSalad]

That's great

I eat on the cheap too, whether I have money or not, because it's healthy and I have better things to spend money on when I have it. Beans are amazing (and your body gets used to them).

What's your food budget, usually?

I try to aim for $2-$3 a day. I eat pretty huge volumes of food too.

[Volenta]

I eat on the cheap too, whether I have money or not, because it's healthy and I have better things to spend money on when I have it. Beans are amazing (and your body gets used to them).

What's your food budget, usually?

I try to aim for $2-$3 a day. I eat pretty huge volumes of food too.

Wow, that's amazingly cheap. I now spend around €4 (around $5) for a full day and thought I did it pretty well. Also big fan of beans (and lentils). The more expensive parts of my diet are probably fruits (like oranges) and soy yogurt. My oatmeal breakfast is amazingly cheap now that I make my own soy milk. And I rarely buy junk snacks or other junk food (most of the them are also not vegan, so don't have much choice in the matter), which can be pretty expensive.

How do you manage to eat this cheap? Do you buy uncooked/unsoaked beans and things like that? Bigger quantities, etc.?

[brimstoneSalad]

The more expensive parts of my diet are probably fruits (like oranges) and soy yogurt.

I try to limit sweet fruits to a couple a day. Mostly the cheapest that are being sold (which also makes them seasonal). I mostly eat non-sweet fruit like tomatoes and squash.
Pumpkin is pretty amazingly cheap in most places. I usually get tomato in paste form, and just eat fresh when they're on clearance or use a bit when called for (like if I'm making a sandwich).

My oatmeal breakfast is amazingly cheap now that I make my own soy milk.

Awesome! How's that working out for you? Do you find you don't really need to sweeten/flavor it when it's fresh?

You can pretty easily make your own soy yogurt (and with much fresher/live cultures too).

You might just have to add a little pectin or agar, because it doesn't always set up thick without.

How do you manage to eat this cheap? Do you buy uncooked/unsoaked beans and things like that? Bigger quantities, etc.?

Yes, dried beans; canned/cooked are very expensive.

Usually lots of oats, lots of beans. Makes up maybe 80% of my diet. Well, beans, split peas, etc. I'm also a fan of TVP which is a major convenience food and very cheap (and lower in fat). Also noodles, tortillas sometimes.

You can sprout beans too, if you have the patience. Which starts to convert them into vegetables.

Most of the rest of my diet, carrots, tomato, and things like that. Sometimes potato if I feel like washing something tedious.
And frozen greens; I've rarely found them to be cheaper or fresher when "fresh".

If you have space to grow, it's easy to grow enough greens for yourself. I have not much space now though.

[Dino_ROAR]

I think it's good that you don't eat processed vegan foods. They may taste good of course but home made is the way to go! I love to eat sprouts here is how I sprout ~


Buy beans in bulk wash them first then soak them in water and cover with a cloth for 8 hours. I like to soak them before I go to bed, once I wake up I pour out all the water and flip the jar over cover it in the dark cloth and just wait for the beans to sprout! Make sure there is some ventilation, you can buy a five dollar sprouter cap that you screw on to your mason jars or you can turn drill a few wholes in the lid of your mason jar and flip it (you don't have to drill wholes but it works better more insulation)
You'll notice some beans take longer to sprout than others, chickpeas usually take about two days to get a nice sprout going. My favorite to sprout are mung beans and adzuki beans, they usually take about 3 days to get soft and sprout. You'll get a system going and it is so easy! Soaking, sprouting and sprouted! You can sprout them in fridge after the 8 hour soak.Also flax seed milk is a much cheaper and easier way to make home made milks, also has a great deal of omega 3 and about 20 amino acids. Soy milk may have a bit more protein but that's it, soy milk has more omega 6 than omega 3 IMO we need more omega 3 than 6, plus you don't have to cook the seeds. Soak 1/4 a cup (2oz about 60ml) of flax seeds for 8hours ( you can soak 3-4 hours I prefer 8hours of soaking at bed time) your 1/4 a cup(2oz or 60ml) of flax seeds is now one cup ( about 250ml, 8oz, or 1/2 pint)of flax seeds! Blend in a blender for a minute, if you choose to strain the seeds use 6cups(1500ml 1.4 L) of water otherwise use 5cups(1250ml 1.1 L), add as many pitted dates as you'd like and there you go! Delicious seed milk for about a dollar a day!

[brimstoneSalad]

Soy beans have a lot more protein in them, and that's no small matter. It's also cheaper, and it's also a very balanced protein.
The Omega 6:3 ratio in soy beans isn't too bad (it's about 10:1), which a little flax will make up for (ground up and sprinkled on oats, or something), or Canola oil (which is much cheaper than flax today).

Flax is mostly fat, and it goes rancid very quickly. It's really best to grind and use on the spot, and use the whole seed, if possible. I rarely use it anymore, because of the rancidity issue.

[Volenta]

Awesome! How's that working out for you? Do you find you don't really need to sweeten/flavor it when it's fresh?

You can pretty easily make your own soy yogurt (and with much fresher/live cultures too).

You might just have to add a little pectin or agar, because it doesn't always set up thick without.

Well, I currently don't use any sweetener or flavoring because I generally only use it for my oatmeals. I can't say I really enjoy the taste of it and wouldn't drink it straight out of a glass, but it's taste is no problem for oatmeals usage (in which I add sugar and some cinnamon). Not sure what the companies that produce soy milk do with their milk, but I do like those unsweetened ones better. I'm planning to try out making almond milk myself, but I still have 4 kilo soy beans waiting to be used.

I've thought about making soy yogurt, but don't wanna go to the trouble. It's pretty time/energy consuming, and I'm worried about not getting it as tasty as the ones bought.

[miniboes]

I've got a huge stash of hazelnuts and walnuts from the trees in our garden, probably gonna try and make something out of that.

What oatmeal do you buy Volenta? I'm having trouble finding a healthy cereal.

Have you guys heard about soy beans causing manboobs? I haven't found any solid science on it and although I suppose it's a myth it makes be reductant to buy soy milk.

[Volenta]

What oatmeal do you buy Volenta? I'm having trouble finding a healthy cereal.

I buy this one (can be found in the Plus supermarket):

I believe it's only €0,41 for 500gr.

Have you guys heard about soy beans causing manboobs? I haven't found any solid science on it and although I suppose it's a myth it makes be reductant to buy soy milk.

Haven't seen any evidence and sounds absolutely absurd. It's currently very popular to demonize soy products (without solid evidence), so I don't take every claim seriously.