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[Fahzgoolin]

Hello Gaf,

My wife and I decided to go vegan for a number of reasons, but the biggest reason is health and weight loss/maintenance. I'm currently about 15-20lbs over weight and I'm making progress. I've realized that for years I have been under eating (usually 1000-1800 calories a day), but packing in terribly unhealthy foods (low quality calories).

The issue I'm having is with meal planning and budget. Eating healthy is usually more expensive. I'm willing to budget higher for it and cut out the excess. May you all provide fresh vegan diets that aren't terribly expensive? We just went shopping last night and got a lot of bananas (froze some to keep them), apples, frozen berries, beans, and brown rice.

Any help would be appreciated. Advice, suggestions, recipes, etc for starting out vegan?

Thanks!

 

[Septimus Prime]

Where do you live? There are some really good Chinese vegan places if you're in SoCal.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

Where do you live? There are some really good Chinese vegan places if you're in SoCal.

I live in Missouri.

 

[Famassu]

Eating healthy isn't expensive at all. Most vegetables are incredibly cheap. Some special and out-of-season stuff can be more expensive but most of it is not expensive at all if you buy stuff raw, especially seasonal food.

For the cheapest alternatives, simply learn to make stuff yourself. Some "specialty" foods like seitan & falafel are expensive if you buy some pre-made stuff, but gluten flour & (dried) chickpeas are dirt cheap. 500g of gluten flour costs 3€ here and you can make about 3-4 big servings out of it that'll each easily feed a couple of people for two or three days.

 

[WedgeX]

Learn to make Ethiopian food. The basics are delicious and relatively inexpensive.

 

[Contica]

Make smoothies, i make em with apple juice, blueberries, strawberries, a banana, and a ton of leafy greens. Tastes great, and is full of nutrients to start your day with.

For lunch (or brekkie) make a simple sandwich with pesto, lettuce, avocado and tomato.

And make seitan. It's fantastic for meat replacers, not expensive and can be flavored and textured pretty much however you want.

Honestly, the whole living healthy being expensive has never really affected me. I spend less money on food now, than before I went vegan.

Basically just think of what you'd like to eat, and chances are it can be made vegan with no hassle. There are tons of recipes online.

Eating out is generally pretty pricy here though.

 

[Krauser Kat]

The best vegan cooking site i know.

to eat cheap.
Veggies
Broccoli, Peas, Peppers, Chard/kale
Protein
Canned Beans/Dry, Lentils, Tofu, Seitan
Carb
Noodles, Brown/Black Rice, Quinoa

just mix and match for yummy meals and cheap.

 

[Plinko]

I live in Missouri.

I wouldn't expect much in vegan options at restaurants, then.

We've had to cook vegan for allergy purposes in my children. My biggest advice: Learn how to properly cook tofu. In the wrong hands, it's awful. Treated properly, it is absolutely delicious.

Other tips: Flaxseed is a fantastic replacement for eggs in baking. Really does a great job of keeping the texture similar. I was stunned when I saw what it did in cakes (although if you're looking to lose weight I'm not sure many cakes are in your future).

I love cooking desserts, so if you ever do want to delve into that realm, I highly recommend anything by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and/or Terry Hope Romero. Master vegan bakers.

 

[Famassu]

I wouldn't expect much in vegan options at restaurants, then.

We've had to cook vegan for allergy purposes in my children. My biggest advice: Learn how to properly cook tofu. In the wrong hands, it's awful. Treated properly, it is absolutely delicious.

Other tips: Flaxseed is a fantastic replacement for eggs in baking. Really does a great job of keeping the texture similar. I was stunned when I saw what it did in cakes (although if you're looking to lose weight I'm not sure many cakes are in your future).

I love cooking desserts, so if you ever do want to delve into that realm, I highly recommend anything by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and/or Terry Hope Romero. Master vegan bakers.

So far, aquafaba reigns supreme in replacing egg in baking & some cooking.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

You already recognize that it's malnutrition, not excess calories that is the cause of your overweight and compromised health, and yet your decision was to go vegan?

Unless you have very strong ethical beliefs, I don't think there is anything for you to gain by going vegan. Certainly not from a health perspective.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

Is white rice really that bad? I like brown rice, but white rice is soooo good. I miss it. I talked to an asian friend who is very fit and he packs in white rice all day.

You already recognize that it's malnutrition, not excess calories that is the cause of your overweight and compromised health, and yet your decision was to go vegan?

Unless you have very strong ethical beliefs, I don't think there is anything for you to gain by going vegan. Certainly not from a health perspective.

I have made my own decision already and this is what my wife and I want to do. Sorry, but I'm not looking to discuss the why, but the how.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Is white rice really that bad? I like brown rice, but white rice is soooo good. I miss it. I talked to an asian friend who is very fit and he packs in white rice all day.



I have made my own decision already and this is what my wife and I want to do. Sorry, but I'm not looking to discuss the why, but the how.

That's fine, of course... except you did open the thread by discussing the "why" part which is what I responded to.

Best of luck, either way.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

That's fine, of course... except you did open the thread by discussing the "why" part which is what I responded to.

Best of luck, either way.

No worries mate, wasn't trying to be aggressive so I apologize if it came off that way.

Thanks!

 

[Septimus Prime]

Are you okay with gluten? A lot of vegetarian meats are made out of it, and they taste really good.

What are your plans for protein?

 

[Fahzgoolin]

Are you okay with gluten? A lot of vegetarian meats are made out of it, and they taste really good.

What are your plans for protein?

I'm okay with gluten. =)

We are eating beans, rice, and grains for protein. Is that bad?

 

[Window]

Is white rice really that bad? I like brown rice, but white rice is soooo good. I miss it. I talked to an asian friend who is very fit and he packs in white rice all day.

I'm at the point where I'm indifferent but if you want to stick with white you may want to read about this

I'm okay with gluten. =)

We are eating beans, rice, and grains for protein. Is that bad?

Consider lentils as well.

 

[Contica]

Stop worrying about protein. You're gonna have to eat exceptionally bad to develop a deficiency.

Proteins are in everything, and unless you're planning to bulk up in a big way, there's nothing to worry about.

 

[Fracas]

Tell every single person you have ever met

Spoiler

Beans, rice and barley go a long way as more substantive foods if you're trying to replace meat

 

[Hypron]

I'm vegan and eat really cheap. Black beans are your friends, they are cheap, taste good and are high in protein. I buy and cook them in bulk in a big stock pot. I'm really lazy when it comes to cooking but you could use them in a variety of meals if you wanted to like meatless burritos or black bean burgers (mash them together and as other veges).

Also, almost any cake can be made vegan. My mother often make vegan cakes when I visit my parents and they are delicious. She even makes a vegan version of a traditional cake from the region we're from:

and the taste is pretty much identical to the non vegan version. Before I turned vegan I got to taste both versions right after one another and the taste was so close I honestly couldn't tell which was which.

 

[eot]

Buy a good indian cookbook.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

You are all awesome! Thanks for the tips!

I just steamed some kidney beans and was amazed at how flavorful they were without seasoning lol

 

[V1ctIm]

We make seitan each week as a staple, eat edamame and rice, black beans and rice and salsa, tofu in tomato sauce on pasta, broccoli and noodles and a liquid amino/nutritional yeast sauce, pizza with Daiya or Follow Your Heart mozzarella, Grape Nuts or oatmeal for breakfast, Follow Your Heart Vegan Egg is AMAZING--utterly incredible. I make a fantastic tofu chocolate mousse too, along with nutrient dense smoothies with nuts and wheat germ and such, just get a good B12 supplement and take it every day. And enjoy. I've been vegan for 6+years now and it's the decision that has made me the happiest in life. Always ask if you need advice or suggestions. 😀

 

[singhr1]

You are all awesome! Thanks for the tips!

I just steamed some kidney beans and was amazed at how flavorful they were without seasoning lol

Why didnt you use any seasoning?

I mean yeah they're good either way, but...

 

[Servbot24]

You'll fail eventually; may as well give up now and enjoy yourself.


But seriously, you will probably stray off course at some point, don't be discouraged if you do. Just keep at it and you'll eventually become completely used to it.

 

[BareKnuckle]

I did veganuary, rather than researching properly I just cut anything non vegan out of my diet at midnight on December 31st.

Lost shit loads of weight which is great, but in reality I was borderline starving myself. I got pneumonia and hospitalised because my white cell count was so fucked.

Do your research! Good luck!

 

[Fahzgoolin]

I did veganuary, rather than researching properly I just cut anything non vegan out of my diet at midnight on December 31st.

Lost shit loads of weight which is great, but in reality I was borderline starving myself. I got pneumonia and hospitalised because my white cell count was so fucked.

Do your research! Good luck!

Holy crap dude...what were you eating that whole time?

Why didnt you use any seasoning?

I mean yeah they're good either way, but...

Was learning how to cook them. Just ate some and they were great. I am going to use them in a recipe with seasoning though lol

 

[monchi-kun]

Learn to make Ethiopian food. The basics are delicious and relatively inexpensive.

I second this

 

[Futureman]

You can still eat unhealthy as a vegan. If you were eating barely any veggies before though then going vegan will help. I just went vegetarian 2.5 months ago so I'll be interested to see the advice on here.

 

[Bass260]

Smoothies and legumes are your best friend.

Staples of mine like brown rice, lentils, beans and potatoes are always dirt cheap. It's easy to plan out a budget and general meal plan around those. Legumes like pinto, black bean and chickpeas are high in protein and can be used in various dishes. Brown rice + any sort of bean or lentils is always delicious.

Eating out is always going to be quite expensive.

Most of all, stay motivated. Be it for health, environmental, or ethics reasons - keep tabs on yourself and progress.

 

[Moonkid]

Learn your spices and herbs for the salads to come. Also, mix white rice with other rice types and chuck in some beans too when you cook them.

 

[Zakalwe]

Invest in learning to cook.

Curries are really easy and delicious.

Example:

Fry two onions cut into 6ths in a little oil.
Once browned add 1 tablespoon of curry paste of choice.
Cook for a minute.

Add in sweet potato, butternut squash, aubergine cut anyway you please.

1 can of coconut milk.

2 more tablespoons of curry paste.

Cook on a low/medium heat for a while until the vegetables soften.

Then add pulses: butter beans, black beans, Kinsey beans, two of any kind will do.

Cauliflower, cut into chunks.

Peas or sweet corn.

Stir, cook on a low heat slowly until the Aubergine has melted.

Serve on bed of raw spinach and rice of choice.

My current curry paste of choice is Rendang.

 

[entremet]

I'm not vegan, but I basically eat plant based 97 percent of the time. I save meat for eating out and social occasion. I also wear leather, etc. So I'm not vegan. But my diet mostly is.

It's actually very easy.

Most long term cultures ate mostly vegetarian in terms of calories. Meat has always been ridiculous expensive both in terms of farming and hunting.

Think of the corn eating Aztecs, rice consuming East Asians, and Middle East being mostly bread eaters.

This habit of eating meat every meal is a very rare thing historically speaking. Only royalty had that kind of access to meat.

The biggest mistake is to load up green, yellow, orange vegetables as your main dishes. Those should be side dishes. Same with fruits.

You will be starving if you make kale, spinach, and so on your main dishes. Same with salads. They just don't have enough calories.

Eat some potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, legumes, pasta. Those foods will satiate. These should make of the majority of your dishes.

Moreover, avoid or severely limit vegetable oils. They are extremely bad for you. Dr. John McDougall has good research on this.

video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF7Uanr-lYA

I don't agree with him 100 percent, but he has great points on oils.

And finally, avoid all those vegan frankenfoods. They tend to be full with oils and garbage.

Let your appetite be your guide. You may notice you are more hungry since you're displacing higher calorie animal foods. Just eat more. If you're avoiding vegetable oils and frankenfoods, you will not get fat.

And finally vegan restaurants tend to go heavy on the vegetable oil. I would avoid them. They are getting better, though. But it's a slow process.

Stick with ethnic restaurants. They're much easier to go vegan in without stuff fried in gallons of oil and eating frankenfoods and faux meats. Think Mexican with corn tortilla, rice and beans. Chinese with steamed rich and veggies.

 

[whitemex88]

Tempeh is superior to tofu in every way.
If you can find it in Missouri, get Beyond Meat "chicken" strips and/or Delight Soy Mock Chicken. Both are really good meat substitutes with better texture than tofu.

This is coming from someone who isn't a vegan

 

[peach]

I know someone already mentioned Minimalist Baker and I definitely second that! We could eat these everyday! http://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-sloppy-joes/
My husband and I went flexible vegetarian two and a half years ago. We don't cook meat at home and don't eat it at restaurants but if we're at a family gathering, etc, we are ok eating a little.

Fish was the last meat I cut out. We've both lost weight and I started doing yoga and feel great.

I eat so many eggs, I wonder how hard going vegan would be for me? Maybe I'll test for a week sometime!

 

[Apt101]

I'd suggest checking out the various YouTube vegan-cooking channels. I briefly tried it and found it difficult as well, but many YouTube videos helped me. I also learned to make my own vegan pasta during this period as well. It's super easy and quick, even without a machine, but being honest it simply doesn't taste as good as pasta made with eggs. I also learned to cook with some kind of squash that could be formed into noodles but I found it bland, as well as some kind of root popular for making noodles in certain Asian countries.

One good thing is that once you get some recipes under your belt you can prepare a lot of food at once that can be dinner one night, lunch the next, and then repurposed with other stuff into dinner the third.

 

[GoldenCrow]

It is extremely easy but I hope you like cooking. Eating out with people who aren't vegan is the only hard bit but eating out with other vegans is again very easy.

In terms of veg, just buy everything and try get a large variety of colours in per meal. Learn how to properly prep veg so you can get the most out of it in terms of nutrition and flavour.

Legumes, I usually get a large variety of tins and dried stuff. The dried stuff tastes much better but requires forethought.

Nuts and seeds, probably the most expensive stuff you will buy, I usually have a variety just for snacking and adding to certain meals. I always buy a large tub of three nut butter.

Grains, I'm personally not really a fan of rice or pasta as it is a it boring compared to what you can get. Get a large variety of dried stuff. Personally I like to cook a large batch of barley, bulgar, quinoa, and buckwheat and mix it all together with a good amount of black beans and keep in the fridge. Then when I want it I can heat a bit through and add some fats/dressing/sauces, either on its own as a snack or as part of a larger meal.

Fats, unlike animal produce there is very little in the raw ingredients so it is vital you add them to your meal to ensure you actually get the nutrients from what you are eating, things like olive oil, groundnut oil, avocados, coconut oil, seeds (omegas) and nut are very important to add to your meals but don't go overboard. You want to avoid vegetable oil, hydrogenated fats and basically all the crap fats.

Herbs and spices, again just get loads in. Gives you the ability to flavour anything to your tastes.

You can go for the fake meat stuff if you like but I think it is vile stuff and if you are going vegan for health then give that stuff a miss as it is over processed junk.

If looking for inspiration there are the vegan cooking blogs but generally I find them to be a bit rubbish, I like to cook so will usually experiment myself but exploring cultures that have a predominately plant based diet (which turns out to be most cultures) you find some of the best stuff.

Edit: Pick up a B12 and D supplement. Most people are deficient in them anyway and you will most likely be getting them both but as they are the hardest vitamins to get regardless of diet it helps to supplement.

 

[FelixTheSexranger]

Ethnic food. Learn to spice. Forget Jesus, seitan is your new master.

 

[Pinkuss]

Vegan diets can be dirt cheap, stock up on the basics; herbs, spices, pasta, rice, tinned/dried beans, frozen veg (spinach, peas and sweetcorn are always in my freezer). Meat analogues are sometimes pretty cheap (especially minces, and cheap soya/seitan chunks). Most 'normal' meals can be easily adapted too, I use fajita dinner kits with some seitan and loads of veg.

Also there's always dirt cheap food reduced to clear in most Supermarkets/big Health Food shops around here; apparently most people don't like healthy foods. I bought loads of packs of reduced to clear microwavable Quinoa last week for 50p with it lasting for a year.

Also get some nooch (nutritional yeast) with B12. Tastes great (a cheesy, nutty almost parmesan like taste). Fairly high in B Vitamins, protein and I think zinc too.

The only hard thing about being Vegan is the snidey comments from non Vegans (not sure why they are so offended) and even eating out these days is pretty easy (pizza without cheese being easy and one of the bigger pizza chains Zizzi's even doing pizza with a faux cheese).

 

[hydrophilic attack]

Don't move to Italy

 

[outunderthestars]

Vegan diet can be really unhealthy as well, so make sure you are still focusing on healthy food.

Beans, rice, veggies and tofu will get you alot of great meal options at a modest cost. Start cooking different ethnic foods as a way to not get bored. Also don't beat yourself up if you end up eating some dairy/meat.

 

[entremet]

Vegan diet can be really unhealthy as well, so make sure you are still focusing on healthy food.

Beans, rice, veggies and tofu will get you alot of great meal options at a modest cost. Start cooking different ethnic foods as a way to not get bored. Also don't beat yourself up if you end up eating some dairy/meat.

Yeah, Coke, Oreos and Potato chips are technically vegan.

 

[Circinus]

Something I eat regularly are red split lentils with random vegetables thrown into the same pot. Very tasty and it cooks pretty fast (compared to other lentils varieties anyway). They cook down into a mushy stew after a while and it's delicious with vegetables, spices/herbs.

Search 'red lentil dal' for various recipes/variations.


And just start cooking in general.


And eat green, leafy + cruciferous vegetables (swiss chard, beet greens, spinach, collard greens, kale, broccoli, cabbage etc) regularly for all their vitamin and mineral content (calcium especially which can be low on a vegan diet without those veggies). Don't forget about B12 supplement if you aren't eating foods fortified with it. I'd suggest looking up some basic vegan nutrition information.

The issue I'm having is with meal planning and budget. Eating healthy is usually more expensive. I'm willing to budget higher for it and cut out the excess. May you all provide fresh vegan diets that aren't terribly expensive? We just went shopping last night and got a lot of bananas (froze some to keep them), apples, frozen berries, beans, and brown rice.

I never understand why people say this to be honest. Legumes, rice, vegetables (in season) and fruit (in season) are cheap and nutritious. You don't need to eat goji berries, acai berries, baobab fruit pulp extracts, pine nuts, quinoa every day and what not to eat healthy. Meat substitute products can also be expensive and are not really necessary (but can be convenient).

Meat products, especially lean 'premium' cuts are generally way more expensive (which makes sense, because it's just way more resource intensive than plant foods), so a vegan diet based around whole plant foods is generally significantly less expensive.

Is white rice really that bad? I like brown rice, but white rice is soooo good. I miss it. I talked to an asian friend who is very fit and he packs in white rice all day.

If you have an active lifestyle and want a food for easy extra calories, then it's defnitely fine. If you want to lose weight and want to increase insulin sensitivity then I wouldn't recommend it, but occasionally a small portion would be fine.

 

[entremet]

Nothing wrong with white rice.

White Rice powered China for thousands of years and up until the 80s when they had a 1 percent obesity rate.

Then free trade and modernization opened up modern foods and the obesity rate has been rising there. Same with all Western countries.

Again, just don't cook in it vegetable oil.

If you want to lose weight limit fats, even good fats--don't go nuts with nuts and avocados. Rice, potatoes, legumes, whole grains plus fruits and vegetables and you're golden.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

wow! would love to reply to everyone, but I just want to thank all of you for your advice. Thanks so much for taking the time. =)

 

[moggio]

Also: Vegan community thread - Give Peas a Chance.

Moreover, avoid or severely limit vegetable oils. They are extremely bad for you. Dr. John McDougall has good research on this.

John McDougall is a bit of a quack tbh.

 

[Daeda]

Not a vegan, but I do cook and or dine at vegan places occationally. As others have said, curry's are a great way to start. As protein replacements, Id recommend beans, cashew nuts, mushrooms and chickpeas. All great meat replacements.

Second recommendation: dont consider your protein sources meat replacements. Rather, make meals that dont require a piece of meat on the side. Curry's, (Middle) Eastern dishes, Pastas. They all tend to account for this.

Third one: Make sure you know your spices. Most protein replacements aren't as flavoured as meats. So to get tasty meals, you need to add plenty of spices. Knowing your way around them is gonna be a big help. Use stuff like ground cumin, cinnamon, ground pepper (black, chilli and all in between) and whatever you can think of to enhance the flavours. Starting of with some recipes is the way to go here, but in due time you should be able to season your meals to your own style. Essentially, make sure you are/become a decent cook.

 

[Greddleok]

Hello Gaf,

My wife and I decided to go vegan for a number of reasons, but the biggest reason is health and weight loss/maintenance. I'm currently about 15-20lbs over weight and I'm making progress. I've realized that for years I have been under eating (usually 1000-1800 calories a day), but packing in terribly unhealthy foods (low quality calories).

Vegan diets are fine, but none of this makes sense.

You don't need to cut out meat to lose weight. You can't be under eating at 1000 calories/day and be over weight. That doesn't make sense, like, at all.

As for vegan food, rice and beans are your best friends. You can get all your essential amino acids by combining those two.

 

[matthewwhatever]

Been vegan for 10+ years now. My key pieces of advice (with some contributions from my wife, who's been veg for 16 years):
- keep your house stocked with nutritional yeast, gluten flour (a good seitan recipe is essential), and dried beans and lentils (so much cheaper than buying them ready to eat)
- be aware that you'll probably need to go grocery shopping a little more frequently, since veggies can go bad quickly
- find a few really good cookbooks. My personal favourite: The Veganomicon.
- try all the different milk substitutes. There are a lot out there, and not all of them are good. That said, cashew milk and coconut-almond milk are clearly the best.
- if there's a non-vegan meal you like, search for it with the word vegan added, since chances are someone has tried veganizing it.
- since some people are guaranteed to hassle you about it, regardless of whether you even mention that you're vegan: don't be defensive about it, just ignore the comments. I find a bland stare is much more effective at shutting people down than any argument.
- most importantly: try new things! There's a lot of amazing vegan food out there as long as you have an open mind.

Good luck!

 

[Latvian Hitman]

Tempeh is superior to tofu in every way.

I'll second this. I'm a card-carrying, meat-eating sumbitch. Worked at a sandwich shop in my younger days that had a couple different sandwiches with tempeh and ate them regularly. It's good stuff.

 

[outunderthestars]

Tempeh is awesome,but tofu can be really great stuff as long as you buy a tofu press

$30 or so on Amazon. Worth every penny.