How to eat a healthy vegan diet on a low budget (college student)?

I've been vegetarian for over three years now. I've been vegan on and off, but I want to do it for good this time. I sometimes find myself eating unhealthy foods because I'm not sure what to eat on a vegan diet. I feel like almost everything has animal products in it. and anything that is a dairy or meat substitute is usually pricey. and I don't want to eat just fruits and vegetables all the time.How to eat a healthy vegan diet on a low budget (college student)?
Fake meats are a convenience food. A meat eater on a budget wouldn't buy tiny packages of pre-cooked chicken with lemon pepper, and a budget-minded vegan should not often buy the little packets of fake chicken strips, either. This having been said, I find that most brands of soy, almond, and rice milk don't break the budget. I buy it to go in my tea and on top of my oatmeal.



Some of the cheapest vegan foods are:



dried lentils

dried split peas

cabbage

carrots

bananas

peanuts/peanut butter

rice



Plain tempeh and tofu are not as cheap as the other foods I just listed, but they are cheaper than most fake meats, and I'm sure you'll want to eat them once in a while. You can make a simple tofu sandwich by slicing it, patting or squeezing it dry, and then frying it on a lightly-oiled pan. Sprinkle dried herbs, salt, and/or nutritional yeast on the top, and then flip to brown both sides. Serve on whole grain toast with your favorite toppings.



Tempeh can be marinated in soy sauce, with mirin, ginger, and/or garlic, if desired, and then added to a stir-fry. I also love this tempeh sausage recipe:



http://www.veganchef.com/italtempeh.htm



You can vary the herbs, and you can also use breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs (homemade for thrift) instead of flour.



Other ideas:



SImply cooked lentils over rice

Split pea soup

Baked cabbage (slice and bake, covered, for about 45 minutes at 350F, with sliced onions and/or a few pats of margarine if desired)How to eat a healthy vegan diet on a low budget (college student)?
If these are your nutrition goals, don't compare non-vegan product prices! Those products are usually cheaper because they have plenty of chemicals in them. THINK SOY, SOY, AND MORE SOY!!! I am also a college student and try to be as conscious as possible of what I consume. I'm not vegan, and I AM really surprised that vegans don't classify canned goods, processed foods aside from animal products, as well as juices "from concentrate" (the list could go on and on) from their diets. I always thought vegan was THE way to go. But, remember--- get your protein. If you're good at eating fruits, grains, AND vegetables, then keep protein at the top of yr list. You don't want to fall behind :D oh, also, here's some good advice. If you're really worried about how much you spend on food every month, look into government food assistance. As a full-time college student, I'm pretty sure you need to work 20+ hours/week to be eligible, but it could be different for each state. Look into it!
Get a good vegetarian or vegan cookbook. I like "Student's Vegetarian Cookbook". It has both vegetarian and vegan recipes in it and they are VERY easy, inexpensive, and require minimal cooking skill. I've included a link to the book on Amazon below, where it looks like you can get it used for just a few $$. I still go back to some of the basic recipes in this book even though I'm no longer a student.How to eat a healthy vegan diet on a low budget (college student)?
hi! i am vegan as well -- here's some things you can try: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches -- switch up the types of jellies if necessary, Amy's organic kitchen frozen food (she has A LOT of frozen food that is vegan and you can find coupons if 3.50 is too much, but honestly that is a good price especially for a good organic meal), spaghetti, make mac and cheese but use recipes that use soy and nutritional yeast for cheese, enjoy vegan indian and Mediterranean food, try different milks like almond, rice, hemp, coconut and of course soy milk...



with that being said, i don't really like mock meats because they remind me WAY too much of the real thing. but i do like the occasional tofu and such, it helps with calcium and protein.

try to write down what you eat for a whole week. make sure your getting ALL your nutrients from all the food groups -- that way you wont feel hungry or even want to go back :)
You can get beans in a can at any grocery store for like $.60. Even cheaper if you buy them in a bag(but they need to be soaked) Buy frozen vegetables(they last longer,less waste that way) As far as fruits. Some canned versions come in natural juices instead of syrup. You just have to real labels. Rice is pretty cheap too. Just get off brands for the stuff that tends to be really pricey. And look around for coupons.How to eat a healthy vegan diet on a low budget (college student)?
If you buy dry lentils and chickpeas etc they are really cheap. Sprouts are also a good source of vitamins and minerals and you only need to use about 1 tablespoon to give you a tray of sprouts. Nuts are great and although they may seem pricey you only need to have a handful at a time so they will last you a while.
Buy bags of dried beans and peas. Add chopped onion, carrots, celery, vegetable broth, (from bouillon cubes) and spices, and you'll have a huge pot of soup for just pennies. Also dirt cheap and filling- brown rice, (not instant or boil in bag) and potatoes. (one large baked potato topped with soup is both filling and satisfying. I ate that for dinner my entire senior year.)
Lentils make the best sloppy joes. We eat them almost every day at one meal or another. They are great with brown rice, they are great as soup, in tacos as dips...the list goes on and on.



One other inexpensive meal is fried rice. It really couldnt be easier to make vegan with healthy brown rice.
hello, i understand what its like to be short of money. and alot of time its cheaper to grab a mc. donalds burger than fruits and veggies. But one great thing that i have been doing is the green smoothies. they fill you up and you can blend enough for a whole day with just a few greens and some veggies..water . thats about it..and it will be easy to grab in a rush. or you can be like me and drink your dinner in front of the computer..haha. heres a free link on green smoothie making at its best:)http://www.greensmoothiequeen.com/gogree鈥?/a>
Take a multivitamin for starters. Inexpensive and itll make sure you get what your diet will probably be lacking.



Other than that id say to make sure your diet varies. Experiment eating all kinds of vegetation. Try new things.



Dont forget to drink plenty of water.
I was going to poke fun in jest, but I stopped myself.

Though it would have been really funny; no meat stuff.

Good luck and best wishes in your endeavor.
if you dont want to just eat fruits and vegetables all the time then dont be vegan or even vegetarian.
Healthy vegan diet on a low budget...can't help you there.



I can give you a sort-of healthy vegan diet (though meat is still not completely replaceable in the diet) but it may be expensive.



I can give you a healthy diet on a low budget, but it won't be vegan or even vegetarian.



I can give you a vegan diet on a low budget, but it will mostly consist of bananas and potato chips.