When Funds are Low...

Myth 3: Being vegan is expensive!

No, I'm not going to promote "Freegan-ism", simply because I have never been a Freegan and I probably would not be a good guide. Though I see no sin in obtaining dinner from one of Whole Foods Market's dumpsters. Everyone deserves to eat! People that I know or have known when broke, will eat as inexpensively as possible. The common mentality is that the cheapest foods are the worst foods for your health. Not so. You don't have to subject yourself to canned, processed, low nutrition, high sodium or empty calorie sustenance. And you don't have to eat just bread, coffee and pasta like I used to when money was tight. This is the most simple way that I think that I can explain it. Slow Food Guru - Michael Pollan has some of the best advice when it comes to choosing healthy food in the supermarket. He says that one should always shop the perimeter of the supermarket to access whole foods and avoid most of the unhealthy processed foods typically kept along the isles. Please keep in mind that he is referring to the typical supermarket in the US. The point he is trying to make is that fresh produce, dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt (which are considered whole foods) are kept along the outer walls of the supermarket and heavily processed, packaged and canned foods are typically stocked on the shelves of the isles running through the center area of the supermarket. I have found this to be true in many european supermarkets as well. One thing that I would like to add to this observation is that whether organic or not, produce is by far less expensive than meat or diary ounce for ounce.  You will never pay the same price for a pound of meat and a pound of produce. Just ask your mom why she chose to stretch dinner with veggies and not meat.

Now I would like to add the whole foods that you will find amongst the inner isles of the supermarket. This is also based on US supermarkets. Produce is by far the most important dynamic of a healthy diet (and just happens to be very inexpensive too) yet, you will certainly do well nutritionwise and moneywise if you stock up on whole grains. Sometimes you will find them along the supermarket perimeters and sometimes you find them elsewhere. Most typically you will find them along one of the centre isles. However, it is up to you to choose whole grains vs. stripped grains. You would have to be the judge of what grains (rice, quinoa, amaranth, bulgur, irish/scottish oats, etc.) you find there that are whole or least processed because it varies from store to store. The type of store you shop in is also a factor because you will not always find the same items in a conventional supermarket that you would find in a natural supermarket, a bodega, a Walmart, an ethnic supermarket, a gourmet supermarket or my favourite - a food co-op and so on and so on.  In any supermarket you should certainly find rice. Of course brown rice  (rice that has not been stripped of the natural outer coating or "germ") is much more nutritious however, believe it or not, there are places that don't sell brown rice. Sometimes this is due to location, demand or limited space and sometimes even culture. If you are so unlucky to be inconvenienced by one of these stores and simply have no other alternative, I would suggest just buying the white rice, it is not as terrible as many make it out to be. It's very versatile and can easily be turned into a healthy and nutritious dish by adding other whole foods, spices and/or what people now call "Super foods". For example, green soybeans, almonds, garlic, lentils, wheat germ, spirulina, raisins, fresh dates, coconut, hemp seeds, kale, turmeric, nutritional yeast, Chinese black mushrooms, etc. One method I use is I stock up on (and keep a running stock of) so-called "Super Foods" that have a long shelf life. I often take a trip to Chinatown's asian markets to cheaply stock up on things like seaweed, tofu, miso, Goji berries, dried mushrooms, tempeh, tahini (sesame paste), coconut milk, etc.

One more thing to be aware of no matter where you shop: the next best thing to fresh produce (as far as nutrition is concerned) is frozen produce (and it's usually cheaper too). It is not highly processed, it is simply frozen and freezing does not deplete nutrients by any significant amount. In fact freezing increases the longevity of the food because it will not spoil and go to waste (saving you money!). Of course some things freeze well and others do not. For instance when you freeze tomatoes or citrus fruit they will become more suitable for sauces, stews or bread and less suitable for salad. However, most vegetables freeze well and can be used as normal. One last tip: to be sure that you get the most nutrition out of the food that you eat, be sure that your digestion is strong by taking a digestive aid such as Apple Cider Vinegar,  probiotics, digestive enzymes, rejuvelac, kimchi or my favorite - raw Kombucha (an ancient Chinese fermented tea). Search the web for recipes and guides on making your own Kombucha, kimchi or rejuvelac (for just pennies).