I just began being a vegetarian today 2/1/07 what kinds of food should i eat that are healthy and affordable?

Question

I really wantd to start on a vegetarian diet to help me dicipline myself. So today is my first day do you have any suggestions on what kind of food I as a vegetarian can eat thats healthy and affordable?

Answer 1

Anything w/ protien. Make sure to take vitamins too.

Answer 2

I just started too...Its hard. Its hard, but Im trying. I saw that the easiest way was to eat Subway Veggie grinders and veggie pizzas. What the other guys say is right. Veggies are expensive. But, pasta with sauce is cheap. You can buy pasta for like 50 cents a pack. And eat that for 2 days. Just buy the sauce. You can also add veggies to this. Maybe get some roasted veggie spaghetti sauce. I do find protein to be a problem so Im eating beef once a week. And maybe nuts, beans, and legumes. I also eat alot of fruits.

Answer 3

First off, CONGRATULATIONS!!! ALF MABROOK!!! (1000 congratulations in Arabic) Good for you, you've made a wonderfully healthy choice today! Healthy for you, healthy for animals, and healthy for the environment. No kidding, veg'anism is a very powerful tool we have to change the planet for the better, and YOU did it! Woohoo!!!

EDIT: I've been a vegan for not long, started in mid-December. It's been easy for me, because there are vegan products out there that make it easy. Vegennaise, Tofutti cheez slices, Tofurky, Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream, soy milk, Chreese sauce (to make pasta & cheez), vegan margarine, and vegan burger patties. Without these products, it would be much more challenging to be vegan. Being vegan doesn't mean you base your diet upon these items, because a healthy diet - vegan or not - is based upon produce.

I encourage you to continue being veg'an. Some vegetables are expensive, but certainly not all of them. If they're expensive, I don't buy them, and I enjoy lots of good veggies. (Yes, I do get my 5 a day.) In general, vegetables are cheaper than meat. And if you replace the meat in your shopping cart with legumes (not the products I've listed), your food costs will be very low, because legumes are really CHEAP.

If you want to get the fancy products I've mentioned, prepare to pay for them, they're definitely not cheap. Tofu is though, reallllyyyyy cheap.

Keep it up, this is a wonderful decision you've made!

Answer 4

I started becoming a vegetarian 1/1/07. EAt many many different foods. Dont eat the samethings over and over again. I eat beans, salad, potatoes,rice, I never had a veggie burger yet, Im kinda scared to try it. And you might think its easy, but after my first month its getting pretty hard. But I love the fact that Im eating heathier. BUt some veggie meats are expensive, cause they contain many organic ingredients.

Answer 5

Some people think that since meat is often less calorie-dense than many other foods we consume, being vegetarian is the "healthier" option. Personally, I think that one can be omnivorous and healthy almost as easily as being vegetarian and healthy. The reason I choose not to eat meat is because of how commercialized and inhumane the industry has become, especially in the United States. I don't think that it's innately "wrong" to eat meat, or healthier not to. Everyone has their particular reason.

Answer 6

Well done being a veggie is the best!!! Well i am extremely fussy and am not too keen on cooked veg so i have quorn my mum makes loads out of it from pastys and fajitas to curry literally and meat dish like spag bol you just put in quorn mince instead and it tastes great. It is relatively expensive though but one box of fillets can last up to a week!!!
Well done i'm 14 and have been vegiie for 4 years and don't regret it 1 bit :-)

Answer 7

Textured Vegetable Protien is fantastic, it bulks out food and can also be used as a meat substitute too, I like to make spagetti bolognase with it as it is almost like mince meat.I recommend a product made in India called Nutrela. Its 5.20 for a I kilo bag. You can get it from any Indian store, but besides this any TVP will do. I suggested this as its a great bargain, TVP is usually very expensive. Also, Mushrooms are great too.

Answer 8

Take a look at the Vegetarian food Pyramid. There are tons of things you can make mixing up all sorts of ingredients like whole grains (brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread), beans and other legumes, all veggies and fruits.

Answer 9

Here's a short list of "affordables" that you should always have on hand.

TVP - texturized veggie protein. It keeps FOREVER as long as it is dry. You can rehydrate it and add it to canned chili to make a super substantial meal. Then there is my ever popular Funa (fake tuna) with TVP.

Brown Rice - avoid white. it strips you of nutrients.

Keep yourself well stocked in boxed veggie broth. It's cheap. It's nutritious. And it goes in EVERYTHING!!!

Miso paste. A tablespoon of miso added to veggie broth (with or without TVP) makes a great snack. A bigger bowl of broth with more miso (and TVP) makes a fantastic meal.

Wakame - a small cut up sea weed that goes in your miso soup. Highly nutritious. One of the most nutritious things on the planet.

Soba - buckwheat noodles. For when you need a hearthy meal. Served hot or cold. Mixed in salad or soup.

Answer 10

If you're just starting, below is a link to a vegetarian starter kit and a website that is a great information source. I' ve been vegetarian for years....You've made a great choice! Good luck!!

Answer 11

I will say eggs, cheese is a good nutrient supplement. You are just starting to become vegetarian so you would need to get use to it.

Egg and cheese is some good way to get you through the period.

For affortable vege, I will say cabbage, potato, tomato, squash, eggplants, carrots.

If you have a place of your own, how about growing your plants of tomato. It is kind of fun.