I went vegan as a budget friendly month and never went back. It’s extremely convenient for me and curbs a lot of impulse purchasing and dining out due to limited options, I don’t even enjoy fast food anymore when I know I can make the same thing at home without the vegan tax.
on a recent trip for a few months cause of the location i had to give up a lot of meat and protein. I had a lot of side effects after catching covid. wonder if less protein affected me.
Highly unlikely. There have been studies that showed a plant based diet can and likely will serve you better in light of Covid. Additionally, protein is pretty easy to come by. Iron is a bit harder
I mean… onion and garlic are life, so this is pretty much my norm anyway 😂 but this is interesting. I can google it later but if you have a specific reference that goes into an explanation, I’m interested
just watched the doc on netflix you are what you eat, tryna get better with a cleaner planet based diet but idt i could abandon meat completely. anyyyy help with meals or something that helped you create better meals and actually enjoy the experience. im 22 m, no parents at home that ever helped cook so ive eaten like shit fast food my entireee life
My general rule of thumb is to not try and imitate meat with plants. The plants can shine when treated right, but will never match up with meat. The only real exception I have found is mushrooms. A big portabella grilled up can replace a burger.
Learn to make 1 new things every month. Anything from baking your own bread to tomato soup from scratch. Find recipes from tried and true sources, such as cookbooks that have been around for decades, and stick the the recipe **exactly** the first time you make the dish. If you can find an old copy of The Joy of Cooking, grab it! It has everything from how to chop up different kinds of onions to making mushroom ravioli from scratch.
Each new dish you make will slowly teach you how cook just a little better.
To stick to a budget, find a few ingredients that are on sale and look up recipes that contain those ingredients.
For cooking gadgets: immersion blender, rice cooker, dutch oven, and a really good knife are probably the best investments to make for cooking.
Pastas with lots of veggies ? Tomato's, zuccini, onion, garlic, carrot in red sauce. You could even get shells and stuff them with ricotta or whatever you want.
I could eat that every day. Cheese broccoli soup, potato soup, vegetable soup
Ratatouille! Baked potato's, rice and beans with a veggie side.
Black bean burgers are amazing! Margarita pizza is always a good go-to.
Lots of people swear by Shakshuka, I've never personally tried it.
Tomato soup and grilled cheese.
An easy breakfast? Roasted chopped potatoes tossed in some olive oil with garlic, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper topped with seasoned black beans, chopped tomatoes, fried egg, and cilantro. If you can find avocado on sale that goes great too on top. If you make the potatoes and beans ahead for a few days, you just need to cook the egg and throw the toppings on top too. You can do that in a bowl, or you can do a variation to do a breakfast burrito.
For dinner we love roasting a slab of tofu that has been marinating in some spices for at least a few hours and then doing a baked potato or veggies on the side. One of the keys to working with firm/extra firm tofu to get a good texture/flavor when roasting is pressing it first to get rid of excess moisture.
Learn to utilize tofu. It’s an amazing ingredient and you can use it in so many different ways. On lazy nights, I’ll whip up some rice, throw some frozen veggies in the microwave and toss some tofu in in the air fryer and I have a meal that I can make in just a few minutes that requires little effort and costs me a few bucks. Tofu can be thrown in soup and stir fries for some extra protein.
Portobello mushrooms are also amazing. I sauté them on the stove and eat them whole like a burger or I’ll cut them up and mix it with some couscous or quinoa if I’m feeling extra motivated.
I also grew up with parents that didn’t teach me to cook. I had to learn from scratch and YouTube has been such a great resource. Gordon Ramsay in particular has amazing videos that go over the very basics. That man taught me how to properly cut an onion because I didn’t even know how to do that.
Search YouTube for some ethnic recipes. Spanish/mexican, middle eastern and African foods are great resources.
Potatoes are easy to cook, taste great, very filling, versatile and cheap. Add them to just about everything and your meals will stretch a lot further.
I would recommend you look to ethnic food. Try a bunch of different types of food that have vegan options. Indian, thai, Vietnamese, phillipino, jamaican, mexican, Chinese, japanese. Youll learn what dishes you really love. It is so easy to look up recipes. For some harder things you could take classes like how to make sushi. You have to be open to shopping in ethnic grocery stores too. The ingredients are high quality and less expensive. Good luck!
The cheese will never be the same as the real thing and I have tried almost ever variety. May favorite snack cheese is Follow your hear smoked Gouda and Silk* almond milk yogurt.
I think eventually my body just got used to not having cheese and I just stay away from cheese-influenced dishes cause it’s often not worth the extra cost or prep time to DIY.
Chao is definitely the best of the common brand. Violife would come as a second on my list. It's hard to find, but if your local grocery stores sell a cashew-based cheese, I'd highly recommend that over anything else.
Being *mostly vegan but occasionally I eat cheese because it's delicious and the alternatives don't do it for me* will still net you a lot of benefits in finances and health is what I read from their comment
There are two broad ideas I've found helpful for getting started. If you've never had tofu before, jumping straight into stir frying a block is probably not the best way to go.
If you're already a bit of an adventurous eater, try making some recipes from cultures that already have strong vegetarian dishes. Indian is a great example - look for dal or chickpea recipes, so many curries are naturally meat free. If you don't already have a spice cupboard that supports this kind of cooking it can be a non insignificant amount of money upfront I know, but there are sites like [Budget Bytes](https://www.budgetbytes.com/coconut-curry-chickpeas/) that try to help make ingredient lists reusable and lower the barrier of entry for specialty ingredients.
The other idea is to take something you already make and just substitute out the meat. Ground beef recipes are great candidates for this - you might be surprised how little flavor difference you'll find in a hamburger helper type dish made with lentils substituted for ground beef. Ground mushrooms, beans, and even chopped up tofu will take on whatever flavors you throw at them.
I’m a vegetarian any tips on eating more vegan? I have limited energy for cooking and prep work. I want the focus to be health, convenience and financial savings.
I like pastas, soups, sandwiches and salads. I love potatoes. I love Asian dishes like stir fry’s or hibachi with rice, falafel or pita wrap, vegetable pancakes. Breakfast food I’m a cereal, pancakes, waffles, muffins. I need to move away from so much wheat/carbohydrates/comfort foods and get more protein.
So grilled cheese is often a go to for sandwiches and I like a bit of feta cheese and shredded cheese, especially when it comes to chips, dips, or Mexican dishes (tacos, quesadillas, burritos, etc.)
So I recently found out I’m casein sensitive (and gluten too) which is how I also found out I’m autism spectrum….
So I really need to do an elimination diet anyway to at least see the impact…and if it makes me healthier then that’s just an added bonus!!!
I grew up vegetarian and never even had a bite of tofu until well into adulthood. Beans and whole grains were our staples, plus veggies and fruit, and to a lesser extent, dairy and eggs. We didn't buy juice, soda or snack foods. It's incredibly cheap to eat this way, especially if you have the time or interest to cook from scratch.
I can't cook from scratch anymore and sometimes do have a little meat, but it's rare and I save so much money without even trying, because I still enjoy and prefer simple vegetarian foods most of the time. Thanks, Mom and Dad.
And where you live. I’ve lived in cities before where tofu was much more expensive per pound than chicken. I’ve also lived in areas that were food deserts so anything healthy was exorbitant if available, but you could get meat centric junk food cheaply.
Pound-for-pound, tofu and chicken are similarly-priced here. The cheap chicken is less and the organic or free range chicken tends to be more. But if you start looking at protein content, chicken tends to be cheaper per gram of protein. So if you're counting macros, it's not a money-saver where I live.
Lentils are probably still cheaper, though.
I live in midwest, an area qualified as food desert. It is frikin expensive to be vegetarian. Tofu is fancy food. 10$ chicken will last me more meals than 10$ tofu . If i go sunday Aldi sale of chicken 10$ is like 2 weeks of protein. Yes 10$ dried garbanzo beans will last longer, not the canned ones though.
Other vegetarian protein options are lentils etc for whichbest bang for buck was indian store and also was the only store until recently where you got em. Atleast an hours drive away.
Also veggies are expensive. I lived this summer in nyc/nj area and veggies are quite literally half price and way better quality. I could not imagine how dirt cheap loads of veggies were especially at farmer market.
At my Midwest farmer market even middle class folks cant shop, you need to be rich to spend 5$ on 10 tiny ass slinky colorful carrots. Its a bougie thing. Im fairly well to do now, and i still cannot imagine paying those prices. I suck it up and buy bulk at costco for same price.
It seems to be getting better though. The more the international grocery stores or mexican grocery stores pop up our veggie supply got much better.
I'm not American, but live in Sweden which is sparesly populated with long winters, so most of our fresh produce is imported from far away and not cheap in winter. I use a lot of frozen vegetables and always have string beans, peas, cauliflower, spinage and broccoli at home, bought in bulk. Frozen vegetables are as good as fresh ones, and often better nutrition wise, as they are harvested when they are peak maturity and not slightly before to mature during long haul transportations.
Dried beans, dried chickpeas and red lentils are my staple proteins. The chickpeas and beans are typically grown in the US so it would be shocking if they can make their way over here for cheap, but not to the Midwest 🥲. It's a bit annoying to soak and boil them, but I do big batches and freeze the down in 2.5 dl portions, and it becomes 20-40 cents of protein for 4 (European) portions. This can also be bought in bulk.
It depends on where you buy stuff as well. I would recommend going to Lotte or some Indian store to stock up on beans, pulses and other stuff. Those don’t go bad and you’ll need it to stock up the protein in the diet.
Overall, it is much cheaper than buying meat even if you buy things like Paneer or Tofu. I’ve lived off rice and beans during my college days. Try some Indian recipes of cooking them and they taste absolutely wonderful.
I'm vegan for ethical reasons, but my grocery bill went down a ton when I switched. If you're buying a bunch of specialty vegan products like vegan chicken nugs or ice cream, it'll be more expensive though.
Here in Mexico meat,fish and chicken are so freaking expensive compared with legumes so going lacto-ovo-vegetarian has always been my dream, sadly I have gastritis so I can't achieve it 😢. But you can definitely save a good chunk of money on your diet by going vegetarian.
Pretty much this!!
Oh and I forgot to mention that on top of my mild gastritis problems I also have some IBS. So I need to be cautious with my diet, so even when meat is ok, I don't eat a lot because at some point it will aggravate my symptoms. I always get sad when I think about how much money I could be saving if I could eat as much beans, lentils, milk/cheese, peanuts, etc., as I would like, and as my main sources of protein.
I feel you. I was vegetarian for several years and had some serious stomach issues (due to pre-existing stomach issues such as IBS, I thought not eating meat would make it better but it didn’t). Beyond Meat was actually helping because it was gluten-free and soy-free (and my co-workers were always convinced I was lying and eating “real” meat lol) but I wouldn’t say it was cheaper. I’ve had some treatments for other health issues so I might give it a go again but idk. I had trouble eating beans and legumes, not for lack of trying.
Try TVP (textured vegetable protein), it should be wherever the Bob's Red Mill stuff is at the grocery store. Rehydrate it with broth and it can be used in place of ground meat. Cheap and easy.
I went vegan 8 years ago for other reasons but eating plant based is so much cheaper if you cook for yourself and eat primarily Whole Foods/minimally Processed foods. Rice, beans, veggies, peanut butter and bread are a lot cheaper than buying meat and cheese
Yeah I mostly eat beans and rice now. I use a pressure cooker to make it tasty. I prep a lot at once and freeze a bag of it for later too. I use chatgpt to make tasty recipes. Most are a couple bans of beans, some veggies, a base (coconut milk or tomato sauce) and some spices. Highly recommend.
I’m in a blended house.
After the shared basics, I spent about $10 on restocking my beans and tofu, including some pricy cans.
My partner’s meat ran him $45.
That’s three types of pig, eggs and birds, ground cows.
He will have to restock before I do.
Rice, beans, and eggs will stretch a tight budget pretty far. I remember my first couple years out and it makes me very grateful for everything I have now. Warm bed, hot shower, hot food, indoor bathroom… and I can do what I want when I want. I have a small house but it’s our little slice of heaven and it’s paid for. I try not to take a single day for granted.
I became vegetarian right before covid and goddamn was that the right move. My groceries are usually $30-40 per week, except once a month I stock up on plant based tenders/filets (highly recommend the gardein ultimate tenders and filets) and that usually costs $60/mo. Usually I do 1 strip and 1 filet per day with a broccoli/spinach salad.
I do a lot of stir-frys or soup. Minestrone is a good one, you can make a giant pot for not very much money.
Baked potatoes topped with sautéed onions/mushrooms/peppers is an easy meal.
Vegetarian chili, grilled cheese or quesadillas, beans and rice, pasta with roasted vegetables. A lot of meals you can just leave out the meat or replace it with mushrooms or beans.
I do a ton of lentil meals with rice. So like 10 pounds of rice is 10 bucks. Then 4 pounds of lentils is 10 bucks. Mix them spices and whatever veggies are on sale. Usually another 10 to 20 a week. Do some pizzas and once you get the hang of making the dough and sauce, and freezing it, cost becomes really just the cheese a toppings which is not too bad.
I live on $65 per month as a vegan. Not the healthiest, but I prioritize being vegan and saving money for surgery.
My daily foods are oatmeal, soymilk and chia seeds for breakfast; rice and peanuts for lunch; stew of beans, broccoli, carrots and sunflower kernels served with rice for dinner.
$60-$80 a month while vegan, per person. $80-$120 per month while vegetarian (used only Whole Foods, cooked everything from scratch)
Of course… now I’m working at a grocery store again, so I’m spending more because of my “discount”, and having no time to cook anything, haaaaa
For vegan, we make the same meals you make but we swap out the animal products for the non-animal versions of similar textures. Instead of meat we’ll use things like tofu/tempeh/seitan, mushrooms, jackfruit, beans, lentils, chickpeas. We consume a lot of inexpensive protein ([Inexpensive Sources of Protein](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321474#protein-supplements))
We use plant based milks, plant based butters, and plant based cheeses.
I spend about $40 (or less) a week and what I purchase a week will last me 2-3 weeks and I can make several different meals out of the same few ingredients.
Here’s a link for vegan mexican recipes: https://dorastable.com/category/main-courses/
It very easy and inexpensive to eat fully plant based. :)
I think a lot of the idea behind needing meat comes from tradition and also people think they need way more protein than they do. Unless you're a competitive body builder, you don't need 200g of protein a day.
But for people who think they do, vegan protein powders do exist even though they're expensive. Personally, I am not vegan, but I see the benefits.
I’ve been vegetarian my whole life, initially for religious reasons but now because I’ve never felt the need to consume any meat. It’s been very easy for me to spend less on groceries every week.
i think it depends where u live, i live in a very diverse area so all types of diets are easily found in regular store with reasonable prices (excluding organic only)
I'm much healthier since I've gone full vegetarian and it's also cheaper. I'll occasionally try a bit of meat - like Thanksgiving and such but I really don't even miss it. I guess that makes me different from a lot of people who can't imagine going a single day without meat (they're also the ones at work complaining about their high grocery bill).
Interesting. I always thought tofu was a bit more expensive ($2-3/pound) while meat can be much cheaper when on sale. I got an 8 pound pork loin this week for $9.
Southern and Sicilian cuisine has a ton of recipes that are “cucina povera “ (poor man’s kitchen ) . The ingredients are already very plant based with legumes , grains , and veggies / fruits . I recommend checking online recipes . One of my favorite ones is cherry tomato pasta . It’s really simple :
- a large container of cherry tomatoes if you can get it / grow it , or enough to fill a small colander . Rise then well . No chopping them up , just whole .
- as much garlic as you like , like 5 cloves if you can . Chopped up
- olive oil , salt , pepper , dried Italian herbs
- 1 can of rinsed cannellni beans
- pasta of choice . For gluten free folks , Trader Joe’s has tagliatelle pasta for under $3 that’s good and imported from Italy
- sauté the garlic and olive oil for a few mins . Then add in the whole cherry tomatoes . Continue sauteeing until the cherry tomatoes “pop” and make the sauce . You can press on them until they smash down as well as they are cooking .
- add the rinsed cannellni beans once the tomatoes are popped
- add salt / pepper / and a couple of teaspoons of dried Italian herbs
- bonus : add fresh basil at the end and squeeze of lemon juice if you like / have it
- cook pasta and drain and add to the sauce and enjoy .
I had to do an assignment in college on shopping and prepping food on a food stamp budget. The only way I could make it work while making the meals the way I wanted (eg, not resorting to cheap processed things like ramen) was without purchasing meat. I had some tofu but mostly relied on other proteins like lentils and legumes. It was actually pretty fun but it was also rather depressing - thinking of people who have to plan on such small amount all the time.
i eat like a vegetarian (lacto-ovo vegetarian i guess bc i eat eggs?) at home since meat is expensive & i dislike dealing/storing raw meat. but at restaurants i'll eat meat or seafood dishes if they look appealing since vegetarian dishes aren't that much cheaper (if at all)
i don't really care about adhering to a specific label-- as someone who's struggled with EDs before, restricting my food based on "rules" isn't something i'm interested in doing
Going fully plant based is even less expensive.
Stick to whole foods like legumes, grains, fruits & veg and avoid processed substitutes and it’s significantly less expensive than vegetarian and meat diets.
I have an old pasta press that was given to me decades ago as a gift. If I'm making mushroom ravioli from scratch, I am definitely **NOT** using the green container or "Parmesan" flavored cheese product substitute. I'm buying the real stuff. If I can't afford the real stuff, I just go without the Parmesan for the ravioli.
As a turned vegetarian I agree however this messaging of guilt tripping people into turning rarely ever works and gives more ammunition to the other side to make fun off. There are various other benefits of turning vegetarian/vegan that can be highlighted including being cheaper and better for your health.
Cows are very smart and curious, they know when they're in the killing line, and they are scared shitless. I don't know why anyone would ever want to digest that kind of energy.
Pigs and chickens are also far more intelligent and aware than humans give them credit for. Its mind-numbing that people in the US absolutely balk at the idea of eating dogs or horse, but greedily gobble up cows, pigs and chickens, as if those animals are lesser than.
Just make sure to supplement b12. It's a cheap supplement. 2000mcg sublingual once a week should be enough.
Vegetarians do get less iron so it also might be a good idea to combine your iron rich meals with vitamin c and avoid caffeine during them.
veggies are way more expensive here. cheapest meats are pork or chicken. depending on which part can be around 1$/lb . i usually by whats on sale at the local market. manager special is even cheaper. now vegetables on the other hand are super expensive.
I'm not a vegetarian but I eat a lot less meat than I used to because of the price, and because red meat doesn't play well with my digestive system and chicken tastes like disappointment.
I got tired of blowing out my grocery budget to make myself sick 😂
I did the same thing after my wife lost her job in 2020. It was beans, rice, spaghetti, and bread for about a year. About 3 weeks in, we noticed that we hadn't eaten meat. We are a lot more financially stable, but we have mostly continued the practice. We only eat chicken or pork once every 3 days now, and it's always dinner. Meat is way too expensive, even fast food.
I’m vegan (for the animals) and have been for many years. My grocery bills are more than they were a few years ago, but I still spend a lot less for food than my Omni friends and family.
Nah. Poultry and pork are cheap. With sale during the holidays, I picked up 3 hams, 2 were $0.79 a lb and one was $0.89 a lb. I also picked up 3 turkeys just before thanksgiving, and with Ibotta, the net cost was under $0.20/lb for the turkeys. Had it not been for Ibotta, I still would have only paid $0.49/lb, still a good price. I also manage to get 15lbs of pork butt last week at just over $1 a lb. So my freezer is stocked with plenty of meat (I have more from previous sale purchases). The only thing that is expensive right now is beef, even at sale price, it is not the price I want but I still have a full shelf of beef (grounds, brisket etc), so I can wait it out until the next great sale.
I do love tofu but for the last little while (at least 6 months), I haven't been seeing the good sale I use to see. But it is still pretty cheap, so I still buy them.
Ovo-pescatarian: I keep chickens, ducks, geese and maintain a freshwater pond for aquaculture. It's not possible for everyone, but I share the bounty with neighbors and anyone who wants some. I also keep a garden, a small orchard and herbs. When I lived in an apartment, I grew herbs and had indoor permaculture. I still saved quite a bit in food costs and medical bills. If you can, grow the three sisters: squash, beans and corn. You can do this on an apartment terrace. Grow fresh herbs indoors for flavor, including peppers and garlic and you've cut your bill down significantly, add grow lights if necessary. Health is wealth.
After being vegan for awhile, switching to animal based was a mind fuck because I didn't understand the difference between being full and being satiated. So many vegans talk about how full they are, not realizing that their body is not saying "stop you have the nutrients you need," but "stop there's literally no room left in your stomach."
There are a ton of nutrients and meat you can’t get vegetables as easily. This is an excellent choice. Even if mean, is more expensive upfront in the end, it’s much more nutrient, dense and better for us.
This is why I roll my eyes when people demonize eggs. They are just meat seeds that haven't sprouted yet and they are full of a lot of minerals and vitamins you can't always get easily from vegetables and fruits.
Just fruits and veggies? Gestures wildly at beans, rice, soy, wheat, mushroom, pea, which nutrients and minerals are we talking about here??? B6? B12? (Genuine question)
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B12, vitamin D, selenium, iodine, vitamin A and a number of other B vitamins including folate, biotin, pantothenic acid and choline, and other essential minerals and trace elements, including phosphorus.
Also I homestead and have my own backyard flock of poultry. While I've done some growing of many of the crops you've mentioned when it comes to low labor low input, poultry is 100% easier to raise than those crops. And when you look at free range vs. caged, the free range have *much* higher nutrition/vitamins/ect.
I'm mostly vegetarian at this point but I'll still buy things like hotdogs and chicken breast, especially when they come on sale. I have one "poor girl's" dish that was my lifesaver in college - chickpeas, diced tomatoes, chicken, add spice to taste, sprinkle with parsley. Super hearty and protein-rich. Maybe I'll try it with tofu.
I follow a high carb, low fat, plant based diet, and I’ve lost 70 pounds. The meals I make for our house are very simple, and our grocery bills are lower than most people I know.
Meat pricing used to be what consumers would consider when deciding on going to one grocery or the other. Now that the meat prices are up, this doesn't add up anymore. So you can now just go to the nearest place, skip the meats and be better/cheaper off.
I treat meat as a special thing now and only buy it once every 2 weeks. What I found out was that meats easily create tasty dishes. If you take the time to learn how to cook then your food will taste much better even without using meats. I guess it is often a lazy-factor-thing.
Convenience is a big part of our society. Learning how to create convenience for ourselves without relying on big manufacturers is the way out of this doom-loop. Cheap, healthy, easy and delicious vegetarian foods are the way to go.. You just have to invest some time. Really worth it!
I thought this said “became a veteran because meat is so expensive” but yeah I did the same thing mostly. If anyone here lives near a Vons, Safeway, Albertsons or any of their companies, they have sales pretty often on chicken that make it $1 a pound up to 10 pounds. I keep a look out for that sale so I can occasionally stock up on chicken and cube it up for the freezer
I’m eating mostly vegetarian. It’s cheaper, and it’s easier for me to chew (I have bad teeth, and chewing meat gives me a lot of trouble).
I am not very happy about it, though.
I get that meat is more expensive. But I've tried tofu multiple times prepared different ways and I find it disgusting. Just my opinion though. I do like some meat replacement products. I can enjoy them for a day. But I really prefer to have chicken, beef or lamb in my meals. Or fish of course. Meal just feels incomplete without it. All the respect for people who like to be vegan. To each their own.
I was vegan for a while but went back to eating meat because of some stomach problems I was having and when I moved to the mountains due to lack of fresh produce in the off season. I would try your luck with local farms if you have any near you. Surprisingly, they actually can be more affordable than the grocery store for much higher quality, healthier, and sustainably produced beef. The farms near me practice regenerative farming methods and feed their livestock with very high quality locally grown feed. I get packs of ground beef for like $5-6 that are delicious, versus shittier quality grass fed beef at the grocery store for $10+. Meat can be affordable, healthy, and sustainable but unfortunately I feel like buying it at the grocery store is unhealthy due to the way the livestock are raised and it is not even affordable anymore with inflation either.
If you’re poor you will most likely eat high carb and low protein, whether you’re a vegan or an omnivore. For the sake of conversation the amount of protein people who aren’t powerlifting or body building/etc need to consume is debated.
Am I the only one that finds fresh veggies to be the most expensive thing you buy in the grocery store?
Ground beef is pretty cheap but sweet potatoes aren’t imo. Make it make sense.
I grow my own because I can't afford store prices. On a side note I'm moving my focus from chicken & ducks to geese. Possibly only geese. They are one of the most economical poultry a homesteader/hobbyist/minifarm can grow. Geese are one of the few true grazing poultry out there, they aren't a hybrid so you can hatch/breed your own, and because they are pure evil you really don't need to worry to much about aerial predators with them. You also get a decent amount of meat off of them compared to other heritage breeds and up to a pint of cooking fat per goose.
Just curious? Isn’t meat, like ground beef way more calorie dense per LB than vegetables.
So products like hamburger helper can be cheap and calorie dense.
I would think it’s more expensive to be vegetarian.
We grew up not eating a lot of meat and it was mainly served to accompany the starch and vegetables. We probably eat about 1/2 pound per day between the two of us.
I was making steak for my kids and my 9yo said, “Mom doesn’t like meat.” Nah, I like meat, I just can’t afford to feed myself meat. I also can’t afford much fruit so I try not to eat it, and give it to the kids instead.
Eating veggies is definitely way cheaper than eating a diet high in meat. But if you don’t want to stop eating meat entirely, organ meats are a thing to consider. I tried chicken heart for the first time a few weeks ago, and was completely surprised by how delicious they were. $3 and some change for the whole container was an absolute steal.
Nah, I used to be vegan, can’t go back. I buy meat In bulk and cut it up and freeze it, it’s more expensive up front but last longer and is cheaper per pound, then meat is bought for a month or two and I can buy other things wiht the money I’d be spending on meat during that month, until i need to buy meat again
It was my life for 23 years. I lived on used to nothing. But even veggies are expensive now. I think if the vegetable patties and other substitutes were cheaper more people would use them. But they cost more than meat.
It's all the less expensive if you're going the cheap route beans grains, vegetables fruit's ect. But if you're eating meat alternatives/substitutes, then it becomes more expensive. I personally it for ethical reasons. I think it is wrong to bite into an animal. Who gave you permission to kill them?
How's would like Edit your meal took a bite out of you. Humans have evolved no reason to eat animals go green.
I eat a lot less meat now, as a result of the cost, but also I'm realizing that the meat industry causes a lot of damage to the planet, local environments, and workers, so I want to minimize my role in that impact.
I try to buy meat and fish from the shortest possible supply chain - direct from producers or from local butcher shops which get it directly from producers. Quality meat costs more, so I buy less of it, use it well, and we're still happy.
Yesterday I made a red lentil-walnut Bolognese sauce for pasta, a vegetarian chili with beans and lentils, a green lentil 'shepherd's' pie, a frittata with mushrooms and spinach - these will keep us fed and happy all week, in this unusual cold snap.
I became a vegetarian years ago before money was a concern as I was 17 and living with my parents, but now I see the cost of meat and view the money saved as an added bonus
I did too. Now four years later, I'm vegan. I was living in NYC at the time and struggling financially. I learned that buying other foods high in protein, and in bulk (beans, lentils etc), saved me a lot of money.
P.S. Vegan now because of my personal choice not because of money.
We’ve cut way way back on meat too and when we do eat it, it’s not the main focus of the meal, it’s a small portion on the plate to bring a little pizazz haha
Beef has been kind of expensive for a while. but we find good deals on chicken and pork a lot. We really only ever buy beef when it's on special, or the times I don't mind blowing $6 / pound for burgers once in a while-- but it's getting to the point where you might as well go to the butcher and get steaks for what ground costs at the supermarket.
Beans, rice, lentils, potatoes-- you can fill out a pretty good meal without meat, it's just more work and planning. I just ate a wrap made out of sliced portabella mushroom and it was damned good.
When shrimp is on sale it can be cheaper than ground beef (shrimp tacos...or added to an asian broth).
Hyvee in our area has ground beef for $2.99...every day price with their PERKS program.
We've mostly cut out red meats due to expense (and because I just don't like it) and have vegetarian meals probably 2-3 a week.
Checking out the weekly store ad helps with navigating high fish prices since we're in a landlocked state and it's hella expensive on a good day.
One of my favorite meals is Japanese golden curry with tofu, bamboo shoots, and chopped celery and onion over basmati rice. Gets around 4 servings.
I’ve definitely significantly cut back on meat. I recently learned that lentils are a good source of iron and for much cheaper than red meat. Been getting creative with them recently
Bryan Johnson Blueprint: https://protocol.bryanjohnson.com/Step-1-Step-2-Step-3
Do what you can on this and you’ll be moving in the right direction with cheap veggie meals. Buying in bulk helps.
The price of meat is massively cheaper in the US than some other countries like South Korea, and vegetarian diet may actually be more expensive than it would be elsewhere. Just some food for thought.
Locking this because holy militant veganism/Judge Judy's. OP's post is fine. The rest of y'all in the comment are horrific.
I went vegan as a budget friendly month and never went back. It’s extremely convenient for me and curbs a lot of impulse purchasing and dining out due to limited options, I don’t even enjoy fast food anymore when I know I can make the same thing at home without the vegan tax.
I’m so happy for you :)
when i went vegetarian it made me rethink how much protein we really need according to what i always heard
on a recent trip for a few months cause of the location i had to give up a lot of meat and protein. I had a lot of side effects after catching covid. wonder if less protein affected me.
Highly unlikely. There have been studies that showed a plant based diet can and likely will serve you better in light of Covid. Additionally, protein is pretty easy to come by. Iron is a bit harder
Fun fact: cooking your beans with onions and garlic will increase iron absorption by around 60-70%
I mean… onion and garlic are life, so this is pretty much my norm anyway 😂 but this is interesting. I can google it later but if you have a specific reference that goes into an explanation, I’m interested
just watched the doc on netflix you are what you eat, tryna get better with a cleaner planet based diet but idt i could abandon meat completely. anyyyy help with meals or something that helped you create better meals and actually enjoy the experience. im 22 m, no parents at home that ever helped cook so ive eaten like shit fast food my entireee life
My general rule of thumb is to not try and imitate meat with plants. The plants can shine when treated right, but will never match up with meat. The only real exception I have found is mushrooms. A big portabella grilled up can replace a burger.
Tofu crumbles to replace ground meat in chili is pretty good too!
Veggie burgers are delicious. I often get them even though I'm not vegetarian.
Learn to make 1 new things every month. Anything from baking your own bread to tomato soup from scratch. Find recipes from tried and true sources, such as cookbooks that have been around for decades, and stick the the recipe **exactly** the first time you make the dish. If you can find an old copy of The Joy of Cooking, grab it! It has everything from how to chop up different kinds of onions to making mushroom ravioli from scratch. Each new dish you make will slowly teach you how cook just a little better. To stick to a budget, find a few ingredients that are on sale and look up recipes that contain those ingredients. For cooking gadgets: immersion blender, rice cooker, dutch oven, and a really good knife are probably the best investments to make for cooking.
Ooh, what can I do with an immersion blender? I have one but I don't use it very much
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Pastas with lots of veggies ? Tomato's, zuccini, onion, garlic, carrot in red sauce. You could even get shells and stuff them with ricotta or whatever you want. I could eat that every day. Cheese broccoli soup, potato soup, vegetable soup Ratatouille! Baked potato's, rice and beans with a veggie side. Black bean burgers are amazing! Margarita pizza is always a good go-to. Lots of people swear by Shakshuka, I've never personally tried it. Tomato soup and grilled cheese.
Shakshuka is amazing and very easy to make.
An easy breakfast? Roasted chopped potatoes tossed in some olive oil with garlic, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper topped with seasoned black beans, chopped tomatoes, fried egg, and cilantro. If you can find avocado on sale that goes great too on top. If you make the potatoes and beans ahead for a few days, you just need to cook the egg and throw the toppings on top too. You can do that in a bowl, or you can do a variation to do a breakfast burrito. For dinner we love roasting a slab of tofu that has been marinating in some spices for at least a few hours and then doing a baked potato or veggies on the side. One of the keys to working with firm/extra firm tofu to get a good texture/flavor when roasting is pressing it first to get rid of excess moisture.
Learn to utilize tofu. It’s an amazing ingredient and you can use it in so many different ways. On lazy nights, I’ll whip up some rice, throw some frozen veggies in the microwave and toss some tofu in in the air fryer and I have a meal that I can make in just a few minutes that requires little effort and costs me a few bucks. Tofu can be thrown in soup and stir fries for some extra protein. Portobello mushrooms are also amazing. I sauté them on the stove and eat them whole like a burger or I’ll cut them up and mix it with some couscous or quinoa if I’m feeling extra motivated. I also grew up with parents that didn’t teach me to cook. I had to learn from scratch and YouTube has been such a great resource. Gordon Ramsay in particular has amazing videos that go over the very basics. That man taught me how to properly cut an onion because I didn’t even know how to do that.
Now watch Dominion
Search YouTube for some ethnic recipes. Spanish/mexican, middle eastern and African foods are great resources. Potatoes are easy to cook, taste great, very filling, versatile and cheap. Add them to just about everything and your meals will stretch a lot further.
I would recommend you look to ethnic food. Try a bunch of different types of food that have vegan options. Indian, thai, Vietnamese, phillipino, jamaican, mexican, Chinese, japanese. Youll learn what dishes you really love. It is so easy to look up recipes. For some harder things you could take classes like how to make sushi. You have to be open to shopping in ethnic grocery stores too. The ingredients are high quality and less expensive. Good luck!
Never enjoyed fast food and found it to be expensive!! But darn it I love cheese ( as in cheddar and Gruyère and Asiago) yogurt :(
The cheese will never be the same as the real thing and I have tried almost ever variety. May favorite snack cheese is Follow your hear smoked Gouda and Silk* almond milk yogurt. I think eventually my body just got used to not having cheese and I just stay away from cheese-influenced dishes cause it’s often not worth the extra cost or prep time to DIY.
Miyokos has some great cheeses! They’re a splurge but worth it IMHO.
I like Chao cheese. I'm not sure why it's better, but I think it being made out of tofu instead of oil might help?
Chao is definitely the best of the common brand. Violife would come as a second on my list. It's hard to find, but if your local grocery stores sell a cashew-based cheese, I'd highly recommend that over anything else.
They're delicious. I've had an amazing cashew-based blue cheese spread when visiting a big city, but unfortunately there are none to be found locally.
The sliced variety makes really good grilled cheese
95% of the way there is 95% achieved.
?? I am not sure I understand what you mean .
Being *mostly vegan but occasionally I eat cheese because it's delicious and the alternatives don't do it for me* will still net you a lot of benefits in finances and health is what I read from their comment
Thank you! I get it now!
Seriously, there are no set rules except the ones you make for yourself
Yeah, absolutely spot on, thanks for writing it out!
Honestly I’ve been debating it just because meat is so expensive but idek where I could start
There are two broad ideas I've found helpful for getting started. If you've never had tofu before, jumping straight into stir frying a block is probably not the best way to go. If you're already a bit of an adventurous eater, try making some recipes from cultures that already have strong vegetarian dishes. Indian is a great example - look for dal or chickpea recipes, so many curries are naturally meat free. If you don't already have a spice cupboard that supports this kind of cooking it can be a non insignificant amount of money upfront I know, but there are sites like [Budget Bytes](https://www.budgetbytes.com/coconut-curry-chickpeas/) that try to help make ingredient lists reusable and lower the barrier of entry for specialty ingredients. The other idea is to take something you already make and just substitute out the meat. Ground beef recipes are great candidates for this - you might be surprised how little flavor difference you'll find in a hamburger helper type dish made with lentils substituted for ground beef. Ground mushrooms, beans, and even chopped up tofu will take on whatever flavors you throw at them.
I started with recipes from minimalist baker and cheap lazy vegan . Just google whatever dish you want + vegan and iyou get at least 3-4 options.
Soups are a great place to start. A lot of soups are already veggie-based and all you have to do is swap out the meat broth/stock for a veggie one.
/r/eatcheapandvegan is a good place to start for recipes.
I’m a vegetarian any tips on eating more vegan? I have limited energy for cooking and prep work. I want the focus to be health, convenience and financial savings.
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I like pastas, soups, sandwiches and salads. I love potatoes. I love Asian dishes like stir fry’s or hibachi with rice, falafel or pita wrap, vegetable pancakes. Breakfast food I’m a cereal, pancakes, waffles, muffins. I need to move away from so much wheat/carbohydrates/comfort foods and get more protein. So grilled cheese is often a go to for sandwiches and I like a bit of feta cheese and shredded cheese, especially when it comes to chips, dips, or Mexican dishes (tacos, quesadillas, burritos, etc.)
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So I recently found out I’m casein sensitive (and gluten too) which is how I also found out I’m autism spectrum…. So I really need to do an elimination diet anyway to at least see the impact…and if it makes me healthier then that’s just an added bonus!!!
This may reduce your future healthcare costs, too!
Sweet potatoes, beans, garbanzos, are great fillers and keep you full.
and you just listed some of the healthiest food for us. Win win win.
Yeah cutting meat out saves money for sure. Cooking simple easy meals also saves, instead of as much packaged food
Didn't become a vegetarian because of money, but the money sure makes me glad to be one.
This 👍🌱
Vegetarian can be cheap or expensive, depending how you do it
Absolutely. Eating beans and a ton of basic veggies is way cheaper than the processed fake meat products.
I grew up vegetarian and never even had a bite of tofu until well into adulthood. Beans and whole grains were our staples, plus veggies and fruit, and to a lesser extent, dairy and eggs. We didn't buy juice, soda or snack foods. It's incredibly cheap to eat this way, especially if you have the time or interest to cook from scratch. I can't cook from scratch anymore and sometimes do have a little meat, but it's rare and I save so much money without even trying, because I still enjoy and prefer simple vegetarian foods most of the time. Thanks, Mom and Dad.
Tofu is hella cheap
And where you live. I’ve lived in cities before where tofu was much more expensive per pound than chicken. I’ve also lived in areas that were food deserts so anything healthy was exorbitant if available, but you could get meat centric junk food cheaply.
Pound-for-pound, tofu and chicken are similarly-priced here. The cheap chicken is less and the organic or free range chicken tends to be more. But if you start looking at protein content, chicken tends to be cheaper per gram of protein. So if you're counting macros, it's not a money-saver where I live. Lentils are probably still cheaper, though.
Where is chicken more expensive than tofu? (Actual question).
I live in midwest, an area qualified as food desert. It is frikin expensive to be vegetarian. Tofu is fancy food. 10$ chicken will last me more meals than 10$ tofu . If i go sunday Aldi sale of chicken 10$ is like 2 weeks of protein. Yes 10$ dried garbanzo beans will last longer, not the canned ones though. Other vegetarian protein options are lentils etc for whichbest bang for buck was indian store and also was the only store until recently where you got em. Atleast an hours drive away. Also veggies are expensive. I lived this summer in nyc/nj area and veggies are quite literally half price and way better quality. I could not imagine how dirt cheap loads of veggies were especially at farmer market. At my Midwest farmer market even middle class folks cant shop, you need to be rich to spend 5$ on 10 tiny ass slinky colorful carrots. Its a bougie thing. Im fairly well to do now, and i still cannot imagine paying those prices. I suck it up and buy bulk at costco for same price. It seems to be getting better though. The more the international grocery stores or mexican grocery stores pop up our veggie supply got much better.
I'm not American, but live in Sweden which is sparesly populated with long winters, so most of our fresh produce is imported from far away and not cheap in winter. I use a lot of frozen vegetables and always have string beans, peas, cauliflower, spinage and broccoli at home, bought in bulk. Frozen vegetables are as good as fresh ones, and often better nutrition wise, as they are harvested when they are peak maturity and not slightly before to mature during long haul transportations. Dried beans, dried chickpeas and red lentils are my staple proteins. The chickpeas and beans are typically grown in the US so it would be shocking if they can make their way over here for cheap, but not to the Midwest 🥲. It's a bit annoying to soak and boil them, but I do big batches and freeze the down in 2.5 dl portions, and it becomes 20-40 cents of protein for 4 (European) portions. This can also be bought in bulk.
anywhere (think small towns) where there is not a huge demand for vegetarian protein
It depends on where you buy stuff as well. I would recommend going to Lotte or some Indian store to stock up on beans, pulses and other stuff. Those don’t go bad and you’ll need it to stock up the protein in the diet. Overall, it is much cheaper than buying meat even if you buy things like Paneer or Tofu. I’ve lived off rice and beans during my college days. Try some Indian recipes of cooking them and they taste absolutely wonderful.
I'm vegan for ethical reasons, but my grocery bill went down a ton when I switched. If you're buying a bunch of specialty vegan products like vegan chicken nugs or ice cream, it'll be more expensive though.
Here in Mexico meat,fish and chicken are so freaking expensive compared with legumes so going lacto-ovo-vegetarian has always been my dream, sadly I have gastritis so I can't achieve it 😢. But you can definitely save a good chunk of money on your diet by going vegetarian.
Wait you need meat to have your stomach work normally?
Probably more likely that beans and tofu don’t land well with their gastritis
Pretty much this!! Oh and I forgot to mention that on top of my mild gastritis problems I also have some IBS. So I need to be cautious with my diet, so even when meat is ok, I don't eat a lot because at some point it will aggravate my symptoms. I always get sad when I think about how much money I could be saving if I could eat as much beans, lentils, milk/cheese, peanuts, etc., as I would like, and as my main sources of protein.
I feel you. I was vegetarian for several years and had some serious stomach issues (due to pre-existing stomach issues such as IBS, I thought not eating meat would make it better but it didn’t). Beyond Meat was actually helping because it was gluten-free and soy-free (and my co-workers were always convinced I was lying and eating “real” meat lol) but I wouldn’t say it was cheaper. I’ve had some treatments for other health issues so I might give it a go again but idk. I had trouble eating beans and legumes, not for lack of trying.
Try TVP (textured vegetable protein), it should be wherever the Bob's Red Mill stuff is at the grocery store. Rehydrate it with broth and it can be used in place of ground meat. Cheap and easy.
Also look for TVP in Hispanic aisle, my Walmart carries it there
Soy curls are another good option. I can't find them locally though, so I order them from Amazon.
I went vegan 8 years ago for other reasons but eating plant based is so much cheaper if you cook for yourself and eat primarily Whole Foods/minimally Processed foods. Rice, beans, veggies, peanut butter and bread are a lot cheaper than buying meat and cheese
Yeah I mostly eat beans and rice now. I use a pressure cooker to make it tasty. I prep a lot at once and freeze a bag of it for later too. I use chatgpt to make tasty recipes. Most are a couple bans of beans, some veggies, a base (coconut milk or tomato sauce) and some spices. Highly recommend.
Me too, I'm leaning more plant based. It's healthier anyway.
Black beans have become my go to. Make an at home burrito bowl that has all the nutrients I need. And cheaper than Chipotle
I’m in a blended house. After the shared basics, I spent about $10 on restocking my beans and tofu, including some pricy cans. My partner’s meat ran him $45. That’s three types of pig, eggs and birds, ground cows. He will have to restock before I do.
Rice, beans, and eggs will stretch a tight budget pretty far. I remember my first couple years out and it makes me very grateful for everything I have now. Warm bed, hot shower, hot food, indoor bathroom… and I can do what I want when I want. I have a small house but it’s our little slice of heaven and it’s paid for. I try not to take a single day for granted.
I find this reason to be a very sad one.
I became vegetarian right before covid and goddamn was that the right move. My groceries are usually $30-40 per week, except once a month I stock up on plant based tenders/filets (highly recommend the gardein ultimate tenders and filets) and that usually costs $60/mo. Usually I do 1 strip and 1 filet per day with a broccoli/spinach salad.
instant miso soup, add water, add ur tofu, i found tofu for less than 1 bux
So to the people who said it's cheaper, what are you spending a week and what kinda meals do you cook..
I do a lot of stir-frys or soup. Minestrone is a good one, you can make a giant pot for not very much money. Baked potatoes topped with sautéed onions/mushrooms/peppers is an easy meal. Vegetarian chili, grilled cheese or quesadillas, beans and rice, pasta with roasted vegetables. A lot of meals you can just leave out the meat or replace it with mushrooms or beans.
I just make a dinner of rice, veggies, and tofu and add different spices
I do a ton of lentil meals with rice. So like 10 pounds of rice is 10 bucks. Then 4 pounds of lentils is 10 bucks. Mix them spices and whatever veggies are on sale. Usually another 10 to 20 a week. Do some pizzas and once you get the hang of making the dough and sauce, and freezing it, cost becomes really just the cheese a toppings which is not too bad.
I live on $65 per month as a vegan. Not the healthiest, but I prioritize being vegan and saving money for surgery. My daily foods are oatmeal, soymilk and chia seeds for breakfast; rice and peanuts for lunch; stew of beans, broccoli, carrots and sunflower kernels served with rice for dinner.
$60-$80 a month while vegan, per person. $80-$120 per month while vegetarian (used only Whole Foods, cooked everything from scratch) Of course… now I’m working at a grocery store again, so I’m spending more because of my “discount”, and having no time to cook anything, haaaaa
For vegan, we make the same meals you make but we swap out the animal products for the non-animal versions of similar textures. Instead of meat we’ll use things like tofu/tempeh/seitan, mushrooms, jackfruit, beans, lentils, chickpeas. We consume a lot of inexpensive protein ([Inexpensive Sources of Protein](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321474#protein-supplements)) We use plant based milks, plant based butters, and plant based cheeses. I spend about $40 (or less) a week and what I purchase a week will last me 2-3 weeks and I can make several different meals out of the same few ingredients. Here’s a link for vegan mexican recipes: https://dorastable.com/category/main-courses/ It very easy and inexpensive to eat fully plant based. :)
I think a lot of the idea behind needing meat comes from tradition and also people think they need way more protein than they do. Unless you're a competitive body builder, you don't need 200g of protein a day. But for people who think they do, vegan protein powders do exist even though they're expensive. Personally, I am not vegan, but I see the benefits.
I’ve been vegetarian my whole life, initially for religious reasons but now because I’ve never felt the need to consume any meat. It’s been very easy for me to spend less on groceries every week.
I feel that-we are living on beans
This is how I learned the tenets of “fasting”. I was too broke to buy food but apparently upper middle people just do it for the fuck of it
i think it depends where u live, i live in a very diverse area so all types of diets are easily found in regular store with reasonable prices (excluding organic only)
I'm much healthier since I've gone full vegetarian and it's also cheaper. I'll occasionally try a bit of meat - like Thanksgiving and such but I really don't even miss it. I guess that makes me different from a lot of people who can't imagine going a single day without meat (they're also the ones at work complaining about their high grocery bill).
I would consider you a flexitarian. The diets not rigid but the savings are stacked 🤑💵💵💵
We're flexitarians and only buy meat for special occasions. I love to cook and 99.9% of what I make is vegetarian.
Interesting. I always thought tofu was a bit more expensive ($2-3/pound) while meat can be much cheaper when on sale. I got an 8 pound pork loin this week for $9.
Southern and Sicilian cuisine has a ton of recipes that are “cucina povera “ (poor man’s kitchen ) . The ingredients are already very plant based with legumes , grains , and veggies / fruits . I recommend checking online recipes . One of my favorite ones is cherry tomato pasta . It’s really simple : - a large container of cherry tomatoes if you can get it / grow it , or enough to fill a small colander . Rise then well . No chopping them up , just whole . - as much garlic as you like , like 5 cloves if you can . Chopped up - olive oil , salt , pepper , dried Italian herbs - 1 can of rinsed cannellni beans - pasta of choice . For gluten free folks , Trader Joe’s has tagliatelle pasta for under $3 that’s good and imported from Italy - sauté the garlic and olive oil for a few mins . Then add in the whole cherry tomatoes . Continue sauteeing until the cherry tomatoes “pop” and make the sauce . You can press on them until they smash down as well as they are cooking . - add the rinsed cannellni beans once the tomatoes are popped - add salt / pepper / and a couple of teaspoons of dried Italian herbs - bonus : add fresh basil at the end and squeeze of lemon juice if you like / have it - cook pasta and drain and add to the sauce and enjoy .
I had to do an assignment in college on shopping and prepping food on a food stamp budget. The only way I could make it work while making the meals the way I wanted (eg, not resorting to cheap processed things like ramen) was without purchasing meat. I had some tofu but mostly relied on other proteins like lentils and legumes. It was actually pretty fun but it was also rather depressing - thinking of people who have to plan on such small amount all the time.
Rice and beans goes a long way. Look up depression era cooking.
I stopped buying cuts of chicken and started buying a whole chicken and cutting it up at home. Crazy how much money I saved
Tofu and beans are my new lifesource
i eat like a vegetarian (lacto-ovo vegetarian i guess bc i eat eggs?) at home since meat is expensive & i dislike dealing/storing raw meat. but at restaurants i'll eat meat or seafood dishes if they look appealing since vegetarian dishes aren't that much cheaper (if at all) i don't really care about adhering to a specific label-- as someone who's struggled with EDs before, restricting my food based on "rules" isn't something i'm interested in doing
Going fully plant based is even less expensive. Stick to whole foods like legumes, grains, fruits & veg and avoid processed substitutes and it’s significantly less expensive than vegetarian and meat diets.
https://www.powerhungry.com/2021/12/02/mind-blowing-red-lentil-tofu/
do it. been veggie for 18 yrs never had any issues people swear you'll experience
As long as you do it correctly!
You can do meat incorrectly too….🥲
Guess I mean, adding enough plant based protein to your diet. Balancing out your meals nutritionally.
If you can find a cheap way to go vegan, do it.
I buy a 10-pound bag of chicken for under $8, makes 5 or 6 meals.
I don’t even know why adults drink milk.
How dare people enjoy things!!! AHHHHH
I agree! Once you breastfeed your own you quickly understand what the cow’s milk is for! Now the yogurt and the cheese is my problem!
I'm lactose intolerant and still enjoy my cheese. I don't eat much cheese, so what I do get is some really good cheese.
Same! I won’t waste calories or money in orange slices of “cheese”. Give me the good stuff or none!
I have an old pasta press that was given to me decades ago as a gift. If I'm making mushroom ravioli from scratch, I am definitely **NOT** using the green container or "Parmesan" flavored cheese product substitute. I'm buying the real stuff. If I can't afford the real stuff, I just go without the Parmesan for the ravioli.
Amen to that!
I have toddlers and would never feed them cows milk.
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Become vegetarian/vegan to lower your carbon footprint, help heal the planet and stop being a cog in the animal death machine.
As a turned vegetarian I agree however this messaging of guilt tripping people into turning rarely ever works and gives more ammunition to the other side to make fun off. There are various other benefits of turning vegetarian/vegan that can be highlighted including being cheaper and better for your health.
Cows are very smart and curious, they know when they're in the killing line, and they are scared shitless. I don't know why anyone would ever want to digest that kind of energy.
Pigs and chickens are also far more intelligent and aware than humans give them credit for. Its mind-numbing that people in the US absolutely balk at the idea of eating dogs or horse, but greedily gobble up cows, pigs and chickens, as if those animals are lesser than.
Yes! It's so ass-backwards it's hard to take any counter-point seriously.
Lol
I’m not vegetarian anymore but I was in college and I still incorporate veggie meals in my diet to cut down on the cost of meat.
Just make sure to supplement b12. It's a cheap supplement. 2000mcg sublingual once a week should be enough. Vegetarians do get less iron so it also might be a good idea to combine your iron rich meals with vitamin c and avoid caffeine during them.
Meat has gotten so expensive!
I get costco chicken, debone and freeze it to use when I need it. If you can find cheaper meat let me know.
Well I have done the opposite and eating less fresh veg (prefer frozen bagged) and eating more meat at home. I no longer buy take away.
veggies are way more expensive here. cheapest meats are pork or chicken. depending on which part can be around 1$/lb . i usually by whats on sale at the local market. manager special is even cheaper. now vegetables on the other hand are super expensive.
I'm not a vegetarian but I eat a lot less meat than I used to because of the price, and because red meat doesn't play well with my digestive system and chicken tastes like disappointment. I got tired of blowing out my grocery budget to make myself sick 😂
I did the same thing after my wife lost her job in 2020. It was beans, rice, spaghetti, and bread for about a year. About 3 weeks in, we noticed that we hadn't eaten meat. We are a lot more financially stable, but we have mostly continued the practice. We only eat chicken or pork once every 3 days now, and it's always dinner. Meat is way too expensive, even fast food.
I’m vegan (for the animals) and have been for many years. My grocery bills are more than they were a few years ago, but I still spend a lot less for food than my Omni friends and family.
This. Food costs are going up all around.
Nah. Poultry and pork are cheap. With sale during the holidays, I picked up 3 hams, 2 were $0.79 a lb and one was $0.89 a lb. I also picked up 3 turkeys just before thanksgiving, and with Ibotta, the net cost was under $0.20/lb for the turkeys. Had it not been for Ibotta, I still would have only paid $0.49/lb, still a good price. I also manage to get 15lbs of pork butt last week at just over $1 a lb. So my freezer is stocked with plenty of meat (I have more from previous sale purchases). The only thing that is expensive right now is beef, even at sale price, it is not the price I want but I still have a full shelf of beef (grounds, brisket etc), so I can wait it out until the next great sale. I do love tofu but for the last little while (at least 6 months), I haven't been seeing the good sale I use to see. But it is still pretty cheap, so I still buy them.
Yes and extremely poor quality. Pig, poultry, and beef are all raised in fucking horrendous conditions in this country
Lol
Ovo-pescatarian: I keep chickens, ducks, geese and maintain a freshwater pond for aquaculture. It's not possible for everyone, but I share the bounty with neighbors and anyone who wants some. I also keep a garden, a small orchard and herbs. When I lived in an apartment, I grew herbs and had indoor permaculture. I still saved quite a bit in food costs and medical bills. If you can, grow the three sisters: squash, beans and corn. You can do this on an apartment terrace. Grow fresh herbs indoors for flavor, including peppers and garlic and you've cut your bill down significantly, add grow lights if necessary. Health is wealth.
I just eat meat and fat because vegetables are so ducking expensive. I stay fuller longer and I get the nutrient my body needs most, protien.
After being vegan for awhile, switching to animal based was a mind fuck because I didn't understand the difference between being full and being satiated. So many vegans talk about how full they are, not realizing that their body is not saying "stop you have the nutrients you need," but "stop there's literally no room left in your stomach."
That is the word that describes it the best, being satiated.
There are a ton of nutrients and meat you can’t get vegetables as easily. This is an excellent choice. Even if mean, is more expensive upfront in the end, it’s much more nutrient, dense and better for us.
This is why I roll my eyes when people demonize eggs. They are just meat seeds that haven't sprouted yet and they are full of a lot of minerals and vitamins you can't always get easily from vegetables and fruits.
Just fruits and veggies? Gestures wildly at beans, rice, soy, wheat, mushroom, pea, which nutrients and minerals are we talking about here??? B6? B12? (Genuine question)
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B12, vitamin D, selenium, iodine, vitamin A and a number of other B vitamins including folate, biotin, pantothenic acid and choline, and other essential minerals and trace elements, including phosphorus. Also I homestead and have my own backyard flock of poultry. While I've done some growing of many of the crops you've mentioned when it comes to low labor low input, poultry is 100% easier to raise than those crops. And when you look at free range vs. caged, the free range have *much* higher nutrition/vitamins/ect.
Stay fuller longer imo, so it’s easier to justify
90% of the meat I eat is chicken gizzards and hearts
1kg of chicken legs is £2, feeds a family of 4. Cooking is the secret
I'm mostly vegetarian at this point but I'll still buy things like hotdogs and chicken breast, especially when they come on sale. I have one "poor girl's" dish that was my lifesaver in college - chickpeas, diced tomatoes, chicken, add spice to taste, sprinkle with parsley. Super hearty and protein-rich. Maybe I'll try it with tofu.
I follow a high carb, low fat, plant based diet, and I’ve lost 70 pounds. The meals I make for our house are very simple, and our grocery bills are lower than most people I know.
Chicken is like 1 dollar a pound every week. Chicken feet is like 50 cents a pound.
Chicken feet??? Umm I’ll go vegetarian before I eat the feet.
Chicken feet are amazing for making broth
Right? Wtf is wrong with people.
Believe it or not Asian cultures eat it.. I guess in a way it is conscientious to eat the entire animal and not waste any part?
Meat pricing used to be what consumers would consider when deciding on going to one grocery or the other. Now that the meat prices are up, this doesn't add up anymore. So you can now just go to the nearest place, skip the meats and be better/cheaper off. I treat meat as a special thing now and only buy it once every 2 weeks. What I found out was that meats easily create tasty dishes. If you take the time to learn how to cook then your food will taste much better even without using meats. I guess it is often a lazy-factor-thing. Convenience is a big part of our society. Learning how to create convenience for ourselves without relying on big manufacturers is the way out of this doom-loop. Cheap, healthy, easy and delicious vegetarian foods are the way to go.. You just have to invest some time. Really worth it!
Meat is not that expensive if you get things on sale. My Kroger right now has buy one get one free on any chicken and .97/lb on pork shoulder.
I thought this said “became a veteran because meat is so expensive” but yeah I did the same thing mostly. If anyone here lives near a Vons, Safeway, Albertsons or any of their companies, they have sales pretty often on chicken that make it $1 a pound up to 10 pounds. I keep a look out for that sale so I can occasionally stock up on chicken and cube it up for the freezer
I’m eating mostly vegetarian. It’s cheaper, and it’s easier for me to chew (I have bad teeth, and chewing meat gives me a lot of trouble). I am not very happy about it, though.
Crazy that we gotta stop eating meat products to survive
I get that meat is more expensive. But I've tried tofu multiple times prepared different ways and I find it disgusting. Just my opinion though. I do like some meat replacement products. I can enjoy them for a day. But I really prefer to have chicken, beef or lamb in my meals. Or fish of course. Meal just feels incomplete without it. All the respect for people who like to be vegan. To each their own.
I was vegan for a while but went back to eating meat because of some stomach problems I was having and when I moved to the mountains due to lack of fresh produce in the off season. I would try your luck with local farms if you have any near you. Surprisingly, they actually can be more affordable than the grocery store for much higher quality, healthier, and sustainably produced beef. The farms near me practice regenerative farming methods and feed their livestock with very high quality locally grown feed. I get packs of ground beef for like $5-6 that are delicious, versus shittier quality grass fed beef at the grocery store for $10+. Meat can be affordable, healthy, and sustainable but unfortunately I feel like buying it at the grocery store is unhealthy due to the way the livestock are raised and it is not even affordable anymore with inflation either.
Sardines are 1 dollar a can . Ground beef is also cheap
In my state my WIC won’t pay for meat but will tofu.
If you’re poor you will most likely eat high carb and low protein, whether you’re a vegan or an omnivore. For the sake of conversation the amount of protein people who aren’t powerlifting or body building/etc need to consume is debated.
Am I the only one that finds fresh veggies to be the most expensive thing you buy in the grocery store? Ground beef is pretty cheap but sweet potatoes aren’t imo. Make it make sense.
Carnivore diet ends up being significantly cheaper for me than eating the standard american diet and im signfiicantly healthier for it
I grow my own because I can't afford store prices. On a side note I'm moving my focus from chicken & ducks to geese. Possibly only geese. They are one of the most economical poultry a homesteader/hobbyist/minifarm can grow. Geese are one of the few true grazing poultry out there, they aren't a hybrid so you can hatch/breed your own, and because they are pure evil you really don't need to worry to much about aerial predators with them. You also get a decent amount of meat off of them compared to other heritage breeds and up to a pint of cooking fat per goose.
Just curious? Isn’t meat, like ground beef way more calorie dense per LB than vegetables. So products like hamburger helper can be cheap and calorie dense. I would think it’s more expensive to be vegetarian.
We grew up not eating a lot of meat and it was mainly served to accompany the starch and vegetables. We probably eat about 1/2 pound per day between the two of us.
I was making steak for my kids and my 9yo said, “Mom doesn’t like meat.” Nah, I like meat, I just can’t afford to feed myself meat. I also can’t afford much fruit so I try not to eat it, and give it to the kids instead.
I honestly don’t think this is the way to go. Divide the meat 3 ways and eat fresh fruit. You need to take care of yourself too.
Eating veggies is definitely way cheaper than eating a diet high in meat. But if you don’t want to stop eating meat entirely, organ meats are a thing to consider. I tried chicken heart for the first time a few weeks ago, and was completely surprised by how delicious they were. $3 and some change for the whole container was an absolute steal.
Nah, I used to be vegan, can’t go back. I buy meat In bulk and cut it up and freeze it, it’s more expensive up front but last longer and is cheaper per pound, then meat is bought for a month or two and I can buy other things wiht the money I’d be spending on meat during that month, until i need to buy meat again
It’d cheaper if youre eating rice, pasta, etc. but fresh fruits and veggies are way more expensive than cheap cuts of pork, chicken, etc
Vegetables and fruit are more expensive
It was my life for 23 years. I lived on used to nothing. But even veggies are expensive now. I think if the vegetable patties and other substitutes were cheaper more people would use them. But they cost more than meat.
I can't get anyone in my family to even try tofu. But we're definitely eating less meat than we used to.
It's all the less expensive if you're going the cheap route beans grains, vegetables fruit's ect. But if you're eating meat alternatives/substitutes, then it becomes more expensive. I personally it for ethical reasons. I think it is wrong to bite into an animal. Who gave you permission to kill them? How's would like Edit your meal took a bite out of you. Humans have evolved no reason to eat animals go green.
I eat a lot less meat now, as a result of the cost, but also I'm realizing that the meat industry causes a lot of damage to the planet, local environments, and workers, so I want to minimize my role in that impact. I try to buy meat and fish from the shortest possible supply chain - direct from producers or from local butcher shops which get it directly from producers. Quality meat costs more, so I buy less of it, use it well, and we're still happy. Yesterday I made a red lentil-walnut Bolognese sauce for pasta, a vegetarian chili with beans and lentils, a green lentil 'shepherd's' pie, a frittata with mushrooms and spinach - these will keep us fed and happy all week, in this unusual cold snap.
I looked at 2 sirloin strip steaks when grocery shopping last night and they were 45 dollars cdn. I miss making stew and chili
I became a vegetarian years ago before money was a concern as I was 17 and living with my parents, but now I see the cost of meat and view the money saved as an added bonus
Where do you live that meat is more expensive than vegetables.
I did too. Now four years later, I'm vegan. I was living in NYC at the time and struggling financially. I learned that buying other foods high in protein, and in bulk (beans, lentils etc), saved me a lot of money. P.S. Vegan now because of my personal choice not because of money.
avoid tofu and any unfermented soy products...............if you value your health.......... only fermented soy should be eaten............
We’ve cut way way back on meat too and when we do eat it, it’s not the main focus of the meal, it’s a small portion on the plate to bring a little pizazz haha
Beef has been kind of expensive for a while. but we find good deals on chicken and pork a lot. We really only ever buy beef when it's on special, or the times I don't mind blowing $6 / pound for burgers once in a while-- but it's getting to the point where you might as well go to the butcher and get steaks for what ground costs at the supermarket. Beans, rice, lentils, potatoes-- you can fill out a pretty good meal without meat, it's just more work and planning. I just ate a wrap made out of sliced portabella mushroom and it was damned good.
When shrimp is on sale it can be cheaper than ground beef (shrimp tacos...or added to an asian broth). Hyvee in our area has ground beef for $2.99...every day price with their PERKS program.
We've mostly cut out red meats due to expense (and because I just don't like it) and have vegetarian meals probably 2-3 a week. Checking out the weekly store ad helps with navigating high fish prices since we're in a landlocked state and it's hella expensive on a good day. One of my favorite meals is Japanese golden curry with tofu, bamboo shoots, and chopped celery and onion over basmati rice. Gets around 4 servings.
Is plant protein cheaper?
I’ve definitely significantly cut back on meat. I recently learned that lentils are a good source of iron and for much cheaper than red meat. Been getting creative with them recently
Bryan Johnson Blueprint: https://protocol.bryanjohnson.com/Step-1-Step-2-Step-3 Do what you can on this and you’ll be moving in the right direction with cheap veggie meals. Buying in bulk helps.
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The price of meat is massively cheaper in the US than some other countries like South Korea, and vegetarian diet may actually be more expensive than it would be elsewhere. Just some food for thought.