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Calling all vegans and vegetarians; I need your advice and experience

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Original post by BhagwanNoBhool
Ok, I agree with you on the first part.

Isn't a non dairy vegetarian just a vegan?


No because eggs
Original post by CoolCavy
Feel like this i a GG magnet :colondollar:

awww all the best tho lovely :hugs:
ik @She-Ra is a vegan and so could maybe help you, ik others are as well but they have slipped my mind with this revision :hmmmm:
i'll have a think for you :h:


On hols at the moment but will get him touch when I'm back :h:
Original post by CoolCavy
Feel like this i a GG magnet :colondollar:

awww all the best tho lovely :hugs:
ik @She-Ra is a vegan and so could maybe help you, ik others are as well but they have slipped my mind with this revision :hmmmm:
i'll have a think for you :h:


On hols at the moment but will get him touch when I'm back :h:
You can get soya milk at most if not all of the major supermarkets now. I know that Asda sell some long life stuff for 59p for a litre (don't know if it is any good though). I am not a Vegan as I have always struggled to let go of dairy but have been a vegetarian for a long time now. I think from a cost perspective it is important not to rely too much on substitutes as they can get expensive. Trying to include lots of beans, chickpeas and lentils in your diet (they are cheap as anything) will probably cut your spend significantly. Have you tried searching for student vegan or cheap vegan on pinterest? You can get a whole range of recipes there.
Reply 24
Literally all major supermarkets, and probably most non-major ones...

http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/shopping/findproducts.aspx?query=soy%20milk

For instance, Sainsburys have soy, almond, hemp, rice, oat and others of many varieties. Possibly not in very small stores, but they'll always have something.
Original post by peso
Literally all major supermarkets, and probably most non-major ones...

http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/shopping/findproducts.aspx?query=soy%20milk

For instance, Sainsburys have soy, almond, hemp, rice, oat and others of many varieties. Possibly not in very small stores, but they'll always have something.


And the big places will also sell soya yogurts.
I don't see how veg/vegan diets are expensive? I spend £50 on meat an absolute minimum of £25 goes on meat a week. You can get huge bags of rice/pasta/quinoa for dirt cheap, and then huge bags of spinach at supermarkets for like £1.

I made a really cheap salsa that goes well with quinoa.

Pack of plum tomatoes (76p)
1 red onion (30p or even cheaper)
Lil dash of olive oil
Chillis (75p for 6 chillis)

It was huge and dense and filling and was enough to last for about 3 days to act as a condiment or even mix in with rice/cous cous etc. It just takes planning and a bit of thought and a veg diet should be pretty cheap.

Then again, I don't drink milk and very rarely eat cheese, so a dairy substitute is something I wouldn't need. Fresh in season fruit can be expensive, but I'm finding some great deals on blueberries atm. I got 1kg of blueberries for £3.25 or something. Fresh and juicy.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by MountKimbie
I don't see how veg/vegan diets are expensive? I spend £50 on meat an absolute minimum of £25 goes on meat a week. You can get huge bags of rice/pasta/quinoa for dirt cheap, and then huge bags of spinach at supermarkets for like £1.

I made a really cheap salsa that goes well with quinoa.

Pack of plum tomatoes (76p)
1 red onion (30p or even cheaper)
Lil dash of olive oil
Chillis (75p for 6 chillis)

It was huge and dense and filling and was enough to last for about 3 days to act as a condiment or even mix in with rice/cous cous etc. It just takes planning and a bit of thought and a veg diet should be pretty cheap.

Then again, I don't drink milk and very rarely eat cheese, so a dairy substitute is something I wouldn't need. Fresh in season fruit can be expensive, but I'm finding some great deals on blueberries atm. I got 1kg of blueberries for £3.25 or something. Fresh and juicy.


You are right, in general veggie/vegan is cheaper than a meat based diet. However if you wish to buy substitutes like milk/cheese/ice cream/meat or niche products like chia seeds out of personal preference or because you are like my easily influenced vegan housemate, then price quickly goes up.
How can you not get soy/almond milk from tescos or whatever? They're pretty cheap. Anyway it's not like you need milk to survive as a vegan. I know it's nice to have but its not something vital to have in your diet. As long as you're eating a load of fruit, vegetables, pasta, rice, nuts, chickpeas, lentils, noodles etc you will be getting all the energy you need. Even ask around local shops and ask if you can buy big boxes of types of fruit or veg in bulk and you can get discounts on them. Well that would be useful if you're more of a raw vegan who eats mostly fruit and veg like me.
Alpro is a great brand selling almond , soy , cashew ... Milks and soy yoghurt, custard , cream and deserts. Alpro has regular sales like 3 soy milks for 3 pound or whatever and in most supermarkets ( asda , tesco , sainsburys , co-op ...) . Also for cheaper most supermarkets have own brand soy milk it may not be in the fridge however I know coop for example have soy milk own brand for like 59p and sainsburys have cheap almond milk ( called almond drink ) . As for cheese it's kind of expensive so I'd keep it as a luxury but can be bought at Holland and Barrett's vio lite I think it's called but you can try nutritional yeast for a cheese flavour in sauces and stuff (try Amazon for that) . As for the rest of you're diet try buying things like pasta , lentils , chickpeas and beans all are really cheap and in most supermarkets . To make them exciting I just bought a load of spices to make cool dishes and once you have the spices they last ages. Check out Pinterest for ideas I'd recommend bean chilli con carne and chickpea and sweet potato curry :smile:
Reply 30
i'm a vegan of 2 years, vegetarian for 7. you can make your own oat milk by simply soaking oats for ~20 min and then putting it in a blender with water! then just strain :smile: it's a lot cheaper as you can buy a big bag of oats pretty cheap usually :excited:

as for vegan cheese and most dairy products really, they can be made with cashews. you can make cashew milk as well, but it's more expensive.
Reply 31
Original post by RivalPlayer
Go vegan if you want to end up vitamin deficient and spending more than you need to on substitutes.


what vitamins are you talking about? besides B12, any vegan in their right mind takes B12 supplements. what other vitamins?? :unimpressed:
Find it odd you found it difficult to find soy milk. Pretty much every supermarket I have ever been to sells it. And most supermarkets do an own brand version cheaper too. Also I'd personally recommend almond milk, I think it's just much nicer.

As for vegan substitutes like tofu...yeah don't go to health food shops. Like you said they're a complete ripp off. Find your nearest east asian supermarket and you'll get tofu there very cheap, along with a bunch of other stuff you can cook with.

Not sure about vegan cheese, never tried it but I know Tesco sells some. It is pricey though, and it will continue to be pricey for as long as demand for it is low.
Reply 33
Original post by RivalPlayer
Missed out B12.



Where do you get your calcium from? Alternative milks aren't really milks - it's just flavoured water.


I'm fully aware it's not actual milk, it's just called that because it's a milk subsitute. First of all, all kinds of milk subsitutes are fortifed with calcium. Secondly, seeds, green vegetables, some fruits (like figs), tofu and beans all have calcium in them :biggrin:
Reply 34
Original post by RivalPlayer
No where near as much as real milk tho. What do you put in your tea?


Idk what you think you neee, but you dont need that much either. Soy milk works perfect in tea and coffee because it has kind of a sweet flavour!
glad you're trying to make the change to veganism!! my best advice would be buy tinned food because it is so cheap (provided you buy the supermarket basic range version but it's still good quality). so tinned tomatoes, lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas, etc - they can really pad out a meal. also, focus on carbs. carbs will keep you full! so pasta, potatoes, rice, oats, cous cous - all super cheap.

it starts to get a little more expensive when you look for substitute foods. it's a shame that there isn't an cheap vegan cheese in the uk, but i guess it's because demand is lower so they can't afford to sell at a lower price. my favourite vegan cheese substitute is violife, which you can buy in supermarkets as well as holland + barrett + other local health food shops. it's around £2 a pack, but you can make it last, + besides, you're saving money on the rest of the diet by not eating meat + other expensive non-vegan foods. you can get violife as a spread (fab on crunchy bread), as a block (good for grating), or in slices (good for melting into things).

in terms of meat substitutes, other than beans + pulses etc, linda mccartney is the best. not too expensive - the brand does vegan sausages, mince, sausage rolls, pies. you can find regular soy mince quite cheap from supermarket own brands now + holland+barrett often has some good cheap meat substitutes in the freezer section.
Well maybe it's just me but I've read the jury is still out regarding soya milk's potential detrimental effects on males (and females) fertility.

It's not conclusive but I don't think everyone is fully convinced yet. I would advise going for coconut or hazelnut or almond instead. And I found conount milk awesome. I drink it straight from the carton these days.

Sure diary milk is cheaper than alpro, but at the same time you are probably not spending the same on chcloates or cookies or even ice screams. it balances out if you are keeping track of you budget/

Who would have thought someone like you could sustain a vegan experience. I have my eyebrow raised 😎
Original post by RivalPlayer
No where near as much as real milk tho. What do you put in your tea?


Just going to butt in here- dairy calcium has been proven in various studies to not be as bio-available as calcium in veggies. You actually absorb more of the calcium in things like spinach than you do in dairy produce, thus often, vegans get more calcium absorption as they tend to eat more of the food sources that have calcium that is readily bio-available.
Original post by RivalPlayer
But consuming dairy helps towards your intake. You need at least a 1000mg of calcium a day. Do you think you get that much per day from your vegan diet?


I'm not vegan- I'm not even vegetarian. I just do a lot of background reading as I want to go into dietetics. Spinach can easily give you that.

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Reply 39
Original post by RivalPlayer
But consuming dairy helps towards your intake. You need at least a 1000mg of calcium a day. Do you think you get that much per day from your vegan diet?


Do you track your calcium intake? How much do you get in a day?

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