disconnec

Hi,

Well, I've found myself in to be in a rather difficult state financially, and I'm trying to eat on a budget. $7-10 per day. Not terribly restrictive, I know, but I like to eat reasonably well. I recently started riding again, and I'm wondering if there's anything I'm being terribly negligent about in my diet.

I don't eat meat, eggs, milk, etc.

Here's what I had today:

breakfast:
12 oz Soymilk
1 banana
1 peanut butter granola bar
10 oz coffee w/ sugar & soy milk

lunch:
16 oz carrot juice
peanut butter & jelly sandwich on whole wheat
bag of cashews & raisins

dinner:
lentil & veggie soup
fried tempeh
more peanut butter, toast
spinach, banana, blackberry smoothie (lots of spinach... two or three salads' worth.)


...

I usually like to eat more, but I'm having a hard time figuring out how to do so on a budget. Also, I really, really, really like fried foods. I'm 24, male, 5'10", and I weigh about 120 soaking wet. I am definitely not interested in losing weight... is there much of any good reason I should avoid frying tempeh / tofu?

Thanks for your input.

Snuffleupagus

That's very calorie dense...and fried food isn't good for you even if you're skinny.

You could benefit from some brown rice and beans I'd think. They are super cheap, and you can get a lot of fiber and protein that tastes good as well.

aikigreg

Jeebus, where to start?

ericgu

I agree - beans and rice are cheap, easy to make and have a lot of fiber.

It would also help to have more variety on the veggie front but that's hard to do cheaply.

veloGeezer

well, I don't know if any of this would apply or appeal to you, but you can save some money baking your own breads and growing a garden.

I live out in the country and I spend about $6 - $10 a day on food depending on the time of year and that's my strategy: make your own food and leave the manufactured stuff on the store shelf where it belongs.

slowandsteady

Where is the calcium in your diet?

disconnec

Spinach, calcium-fortified soy milk, tofu made with calcium carbonate.

I'm good on calcium.

Univega

Can I ask why? In moderation, none of those are unhealthy.

slowandsteady

Oxalic acid in spinach negates any calcium it contains as well as the other calcium food consumed with the spinach. Spinach is wonderful in many respects, but you have to be careful when you eat it to ensure you aren't missing out on calcium.

disconnec

I'm Vegan. Mostly personal ethical considerations.. health considerations are secondary. Besides, even moderate amounts of dairy seem to make me exceedingly phlegmy. Yech!

I'm always more than happy to discuss this further, but it usually turns into a debate with neither side giving an inch.. right up there with politics and religion.

slowandsteady

I raise my own chickens for eggs. They taste so much better and my chickens are living the good life. They get to eat my leftovers from dinner or parties in addition to a commerical ration. You may not know this, but chickens love birthday cake.

disconnec

You all know much more about this than I do! I guess I'll switch to kale for leafy green goodness.

slowandsteady

Don't give up on spinach entirely, just don't eat it every day or with food that you are using to get your calcium requirements.

Nathan13

Darn, health should be your primary concern, not ethics You're missing out on a lot avoiding eggs, meat, and maybe dairy. Eggs are a good source of high quality protein, choline, lutein, zeaxanthin, dha (omega 3 eggs), vitamin a (retinol), vitamin e, vitamin b6 & b12, etc. Beef has zinc, taurine, vitamin b6 & b12, iron (heme), creatine, carnitine, carnosine, riboflavin, etc. Fish like salmon and sardines are a good way to get dha/epa (omega 3), vitamin d, vitamin a, vitamin b12, selenium, etc. Dairy has calcium, cla, vitamin a, vitamin d, etc. I don't believe a person on a vegan diet can get some of those vitamins and nutrients unless supplements are used. I realize you're on a budget, but items like eggs, sardines, chicken, hamburger, and such are usually extremely cheap. They won't be the highest quality, but probably better than nothing.

AnthonyG

OK I'm renowned for being a proponent of animal foods and not paticuarly friendly to veganism but I think that I can cook BETTER vegan food than that and I WILL stick to vegan food.

Actualy I do have at least one meal a day that passes as vegan fare.

This is my usual breakfast.

Fresh salad greens, fresh sauerkraut, avocado, olives and dressed with extra virgin olive oil.

Right now I'm having spinach and cauliflower in coconut cream. Now my dish has some animal foods in it as I'm using animal fat and stock but it can be made without.

Brown some onions, ginger and garlic in EV olive oil or virgin coconut oil. Chop up some fresh spinach and add. Add some vegetable stock and then chopped cauliflower. Let this simmer for a while and when just about done add the coconut cream. Salt to taste.

Delicious!

You could add some lentils or chick peas for some more protein as well.

Overal I think you diet has too much proccessed food in it. Even vegan proccessed food is less than ideal and I think you are concentrating on getting more protein where I don't think your diet is low in protein.

More fresh vegetables are desirable although spinach should be cooked and not fresh due to the issue of oxalic acid. You also need more healthy fat in your diet such as EV olive oil or coconut oil. You are getting some fat from the peanuts/nuts and the vegetable oil for frying tempeh but these aren't the healthiest fats.

Regards, Anthony

WishYouWasMe

yes I completely agree I keep trying to tell ppl on here EV olive oil, coconut oil, and butter(for ppl who dont mind animal products) are the ways to go. When you buy vegetable oils they already have unlisted trans fat in them because they are exposed to extreme temperatures and compression in manufacturing. They're cut with petroleum solvents and made from things WE CANT NATURALLY EAT. They are made from things that are poisonous to us like cotton and rapeseed. And veggie/soy products are loaded with MSG. So I suggest a mix of raw vegetables(except for ones u have to cook), peanuts, fruit, and whole grains.

Lecterman

Contrary to some opinions of this forum (love ya AnthonyG ), veganism is a perfectly viable, if not optimal diet for humans.

All the nutrients needed for human growth, development, and sustenance are provided in a properly balanced vegan diet.

This link is a great source about vegan nutrition. It is run by Jack Norris who is a vegan RD and the president of Vegan Outreach.

As someone mentioned previously, you consider eating less processed foods.

As far as using vegetable oil, someone mentioned avoiding them whenever possible because of unlisted trans fats that can be found in conventional cooking oil.

I agree this is a valid concern as well.

I avoid oil for the most part, but when I do use oil I use expeller pressed organic oils. They are expensive, but if you use them sparingly I feel it is worth it.

Fred

P.S. In addition to AnthonyG's support of coconut oil, let me endorse coconut milk. Organic if possible, but any coconut milk is sooo darn good and a great source of healthy saturated fat (in moderation of course).....Oh, and avocados as well.

AnthonyG

OK I didn't want to get into a fight over veganism but how can you call a vegan diet "OPTIMAL" when it lacks vit B 12 which is essential and the lack of vit B 12 isn't even disputed by most vegans. Vegan diets also lack real vit A which most will dispute however beta-carotene can only be converted to vit A at a rate of 6 units betaC to 1 unit vit A. This conversion can ONLY be done by healthy adults, children and the elderly are VERY bad at this conversion and it can only be done with small amounts of real vit A in your system. So a healthy adult on a vegan diet could slowly consume their own body fat reserves for vit A for a while but I still can't consider this an "optimal" diet for humans.

I acknowledge that vegetarianism can be healthy with dairy fats and eggs in the diet.

Regards, Anthony