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Health & Fitness

20 Ways to Go Plant-Based for Less $

Abandon the Myth! Plant-Based Nutrition Need Not Cost More! 

One of the common misconceptions about adopting a plant-based diet is that it will cost more. People seem to assume that eating vegan necessitates buying exotic and expensive ingredients in specialty stores. Or that you need to find strange vegetables that you’ve never heard of and that are hard to find. But that couldn’t be further from the reality. 

For me, it started with a leisurely, investigative stroll down the aisles at Whole Foods. It was life-changing. I’m fortunate to have two Whole Foods Supermarkets within 10 miles from me in opposite directions and a Trader Joe’s right in my town. I do know how lucky I am! 

Flashback to about 3 years ago, pre-vegan: there I am…mindlessly tossing packages of chicken, meat, seafood and fish of all shapes and configurations into my cart each week, while hastily rushing through my local supermarket grabbing the only proteins I really knew.  Every meal I made was meat-centric—I just had to have a substantial portion of animal protein in the center of the plate. The multitudes of dairy products, as well, stacked up in the cart. Of course, being healthy-minded, I bought fresh fruits and vegetables, basic grains and white pastas, to serve as side dishes—sometimes organic and sometimes not, but the overwhelming bulk of the expense was always the many meat items. 

The beginning of enlightenment was that first time in Whole Foods after making my decision to eliminate animal products from my diet. Not having to spend time focusing on all the various meat, chicken & fish items, I had more time to really explore and learn about interesting vegetables, amazing fruits, grains I always ignored and products I usually walked right by—and this transition, surprisingly, translated into a lower total at the cashier. 

Before we get into a list of suggestions about how to be plant-based and spend less, the first thing to do is to change your mindset about how difficult or how expensive moving into a more plant-based diet has to be. It truly does not need to be either!  The way I see it:  I’m going food shopping either way, so instead of buying this, I’m buying that! Simple? See it as a journey into the exciting world of delicious discovery and healthful eating that will change your life, change the lives of animals and help the environment.

To read the list of 20 Ways to Go Plant-Based for Less $:http://veganamericanprincess.com/20-ways-to-go-plant-based-for-less/#sthash.rk29qh1N.dpuf

Ellen Francis

Vegan American Princess
Voted #2 in Skinny Scoop's Top 25 Vegan Blogs of 2013

Website: veganamericanprincess.com
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