Editor's Note: This is the first installment of The V Word, a semi-regular vegan and vegetarian column dedicated to tips, recipes and more.
“What do you think of when I say, 'vegan on a budget?'” I asked my omni-boyfriend as I sat down and smoothed my fingertips over the letter keys. I hoped some insight might come to me like a Ouija board.
“It’s hard. Being vegan is expensive,” he said.
I couldn’t believe it. Even my boyfriend, whom I drag grocery shopping with me several times a month, still had the “being vegan is costly” impression.
And I guess, in a way, it is. If you seek out prepackaged “bacon” made from soy this and hydrolized that, you’re going to pay a premium. If you want organic cookie dough ice cream crafted from coconut milk, it’s going to be expensive. If you purchase a pre-made vegan pizza sprinkled with faux cheese, it might be double the price of a regular one.
But whole vegan foods? They’re cheap. In fact, a plant-based diet is less expensive than one that includes meat. On Sept. 27, at Tampa's North Dale Mabry Whole Foods, a pound of all-natural ground beef cost around $8, and a pound of all-natural chicken breast was only about 50 cents less. However, a pound of red or green lentils was about $3 per pound.
Plus, a cup of lentils can hang with its meaty rival, weighing in at approximately 13 grams of protein per 1/4 cup, according to the nutrition facts of Arrowhead Mills’ red lentils. That’s 52 grams per cup. (The vegans-don't-get-enough-protein stereotype is a myth we'll address in a future column.)
The easiest, cheapest way to ensure a balanced vegan diet on a tight budget is to buy plant-based foods in bulk. Ask (almost) any vegan for a peek in his or her pantry, and it'll look like they’re ready for an apocalypse. Brown rice, lentils, quinoa and all kinds of beans are a veg-head’s best posse.
Cheap produce is best bought in season at grocery stores or at your local farmer’s market. Pumpkins aren’t the only fall treats around, though. Bell peppers, onions, parsnips, carrots and winter squash are all at their peaks, too. Did someone say soup?
Vegan “Buddha Bowls” are my cheap go-to meals. These enlightened bowls are full of various veggies, a protein, a grain and usually a simple sauce. “A bowl which is packed so full that it has a rounded 'belly' appearance on the top much like the belly of a buddha,” is my favorite definition from Urban Dictionary.
My other favorite veg-on-a-budget hacks include hummus and veggies, marinated baked tofu, fruit (the original “fast food”), trail mix and vegan wraps, quesadillas, and flautas.
Processed vegan foods are great for a treat, but they come with painful price tags. Stick to simple, whole foods and you’ll find a thicker wallet and a stronger body.
Follow Paige Butterfield at VeganMermaid.com.
