What would a vegan who is on a very small budget and has to get food from places like walmart eat?

Question

Just wondering. Cuz I'm considering it. And im pretty poor lol. And I pretty much get all my food from walmart.

Answer 1

Check out this site for lots of food ideas:

Vegan Eating on a Budget

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

Answer 2

If you were on a budget it is best not to shop for food at wal-mart, esspically vegan. Just be on a basic vegan diet without all the extra pre-made processed veg meals. Eating vegan 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 3

Beans, pasta, rice - add to that vegetables and fruits.  Not difficult at all.

I also suggest - because my doctor strongly supports - a B12 supplement.  She suggested a sublingual (under the tongue tablet that melts).  I actually found that the tablets were cheapest at Whole Foods vs any other place (amazed me!) - but have found them even at my local grocery stores, vegetarian/vegan quality.  For me, she suggested once a week.  But I would really ask your own doctor about the dose and frequency since you are most def. not me.

Example of what I had last night for supper:

Whole wheat pasta (fortified) with artichoke, olives, and capers in a lite olive oil with garlic and other seasonings.  Salad.  Nice glass of red wine - topped off with a nice cup of coffee (decaf) and some cantaloupe.

Got the pasta on sale for .50 cents a box.  Artichoke was $1.50 for a small jar.  Black olives were .80 for a small can.  Capers were also on sale for $1.00 a jar.  Cantaloupe was on sale 3 for $5.00.  Salad was also a markdown at $1.00 for the organic field mix.

Since I had company - all together cost me just under $5.00 for the whole meal - and I still have other things that I can do with the things that I didn't totally use for other meals.

Same approach to other meals - just have to plan your meals - go with a list of things that you actually need - and stick to your meal plan.

BTW - I NEVER shop at WalMart - shop at Kroger, HEB, Whole Foods, and an Asian market a few towns over.

Answer 4

Whole grain bread, Tofu, Beans, rice, fresh fruits and veggies. The more processed and packaged a food is the more expensive it is. For example you can make a ton of veggie burgers from scratch for the price of one box of Boca Burgers.  

Answer 5

I think being vegan is much cheaper than eating meat.

You need fruits and vegetables whether or not you're vegan, so it's not really too much of an additional expense being vegan.  Sometimes frozen vegetables are cheaper than fresh, especially if you buy the store brands.

You'll need a combination of grains and legumes (beans) or nuts for your protein source.  Brown rice, pasta and wheat bread are common and inexpensive grains.  Dried beans are less than a dollar a pound, and a pound cooks up to about 15 servings.

The price of soy milk is not much higher than the price of dairy milk.

Stay away from convenience products; they can be expensive.  There's no need to eat a lot of soy products.  A lot of vegans like soy because they think it is a "complete" protein but it really doesn't matter if you eat grains and beans.

Answer 6

Being vegan is cheap. If it costs more, it is due to the person's preferences and nothing else.

Bread, pasta, cereal, rice, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, fruits and veggies can easily offer everything that you need except B12.

http://www.veganhealth.org/sh

http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo

All vegetarians should take a B12 supplement regularly since most people eat meat, dairy AND fortified cereals yet still have a B12 status that is lower than recommended.

http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/b12

It may help you if you see proof that vegan people have the same potential as anyone else.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/sto...

http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/phpBB2/...

http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/phpBB2/...

http://www.macdanzig.net/bio.php

http://www.scottjurek.com/career.php

If you need meat or dairy during any stage of your life or to live any certain lifestyle, why does the American Dietetic Association say otherwise?

http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada...

Answer 7

Look into local farmers markets for sources of inexpensive in-season veggies.

Avoid packaged & prepared foods as much as possible; they're charging you for the cost of manufacturing it.

Focus on the basics: whole grains, vegetables, fruits. Add in tofu, wheat gluten, beans, peanut butter, nuts for protein.

Rice & beans is famous for being cheap, and accounting for most of your needs. Brown rice has more nutrients than white.

Consider baking your own bread.

You DO need a source of B12. Soymilk or a multivitamin can provide that. A big bottle of B-Complex multivitamins can cost only $10-15 and last months.

Here's some helpful links.

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/0...

http://vegfrugalhousewife.com/

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

http://www.veganforum.com/forums/showthr...

http://tastebetter.com/features/universi...

Answer 8

This website had saved my life many times:

http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/

You can find a ton of cereals and snacks that are easily found in grocery stores and contain no animal products, such as..

Fruit Loops, Kool Aid, some Progresso soups, etc.

Yeah.. I just picked a couple random things. ha. :)