Should i give up being a vegetarian, at least for now?

Question

my step dad is unemployed and we have very little money to buy extra things for me like veggie meats and stuff like that. should i just give it up until we get more money?

Answer 1

NO!!! Don't turn against the animals, isn't that why you became a vegetarian in the first place?

Answer 2

yea if you shop right you can find vegetarian foods that are very cheap.  eat a lot of grains and cook and prepare your foods more and you will find it is cheap.

Answer 3

It is not expensive to be a vegetarian.  If you really want to be one you won't give it up.  Be a vegetarian is a lot cheaper than being a meat eater.

Answer 4

Fake meat tastes terrible, and has too many artificial ingredients in it....  Legumes are very low cost and provide all the protein that you need;  tofu is cheap;  cheese & yogurt ......All of those things are cheaper than meat to buy!  ... of course, if you'rre just looking for an excuse to go back to eating meat, that's fine too:)

Answer 5

No, just instead of buying veggie meats buy whole and unprocessed foods.

Answer 6

You don't need faux meats to be a vegetarian.  You need whole food staples like dried legumes and whole grains, which can be bought in bulk cheaply, and fresh or frozen produce.  These are foods that everyone can eat, so there's no need to be buying specialty items just for you.

There are even cookboks dedicated to eating vegetarian on a budget.  The Student's Go Vegetarian Cookbook might be a good one for you to check out.

Answer 7

Well just be on a basic veg*an diet without all the extra pre-made processed veg meals like veggie burgers and etc. Eating vegetarian food is cheaper since you minus the animals and animal products, but increase on more natural foods.

Some tips:

-Cook your own food at home, it is always cheaper

-Buy in bulk

-Buy local and at Farmers Markets

-Buy frozen vegetables instead, they tend to be cheaper

-Do not buy processed veggie meats and products, they tend to be expensive

Good food that is (normally) cheaper than animal products and essential: frozen vegetables, fresh fruits, bulk nuts, dried beans, shelf-stable plant milks, bulk quinoa, oatmeal, bulk whole grains and pastas, bulk nutrional yeast, bulk TVP, wheat gluten, tofu, ready/easy make cheap boxed food such as couscous, rices, falafel, etc such brands as Fanatic Foods, TastyBite, Uncle Bens, Ore-Ida (has great hash browns and other pre-made potatoes that can easily be cooked and last a while), etc.

Links to check out:

http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=07budge...

http://urbanvegan.blogspot.com/2008/01/2...

http://community.livejournal.com/cheapve...

http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2006issue2/...

Answer 8

a)    you dont need fake meat products

b)    if you need them, make seitan from vital wheat gluten.  its only a couple $ if you make it yourself.

c)     use beans to make dishes.  pinto, black, etc...   cheap and good eats

Answer 9

A non meat based diet is what people used to eat in the United States when they were poor - beans, rice - vegetables, fruit that was in season (usually that you picked yourself from a local farmer).  I have personally picked oranges, strawberries, mango (which is how I found out I was allergic to them), apples - tomato, radishes, corn, leeks, greens - etc.

As has been pointed out by others, the fake meats are not needed.  You can just eat the vegetables that the meats are made of - and not get all the less than great chemicals that come with the processing.

My suggestion - research it out.  Find out if you can make the changes that it would take if staying a vegetarian is what you want to do.  My food bill has actually dropped in cost since I am no longer eating any meat products.  Maybe with a bit of research you will find things that you can do and changes that you can make that you can find that you will be able to do the same.

Bottom line - the choice is one that you will have to make with the help of your parents.

Answer 10

yeah there's inexpensive things you can eat besides animal products

Answer 11

heh,  you aren't a vegetarian then.

why do you need fakey meats?

get some fresh produce, ya know?   that's cheap.

Answer 12

no, but you should give up being Christian...at least forever.

Answer 13

I guess that's up to you. Only you know if you can compromise your personal convictions because of hardship.

Beans and rice are fairly cheap staples that can go a long way. Fruit and veggies from your local farmer's market are pretty cheap too.

As the other poster said, you don't have to buy really expensive food to be a healthy veg.

Good luck either way!

Answer 14

Being vegetarian doesn't mean you HAVE to eat meat substitutes.  Fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, etc. can be very inexpensive especially if you buy canned fruits and frozen vegetables.

You can live very cheaply off of plant-based foods so you shouldn't worry about extra expense.  

Answer 15

Actually, God blessed us and said that we are able to eat ANYTHING on earth