Bougainvillea wrote:I am a super low income senior, living below the poverty line. I am blessed that we have subsidies in this city/state/country for people in my situation.
One of the challenges, though, when you're on a very low income, is food. Now that I'm on a starch-based, low fat vegan diet, it's easier as rice and beans are cheap.
But, it can still be tricky. I'd eat a LOT more veggies if I could afford them. I live in a great subsidized senior apartment in San Jose, CA with a tiny balcony. Growing my own food is not a viable option on any real scale, though I do plan on growing some tomatoes, at least, next year.
When I first started learning about whole food-plant based diets, and watched some videos, including Rip Esselstyn's, where they go on huge Whole Foods shopping sprees, where even the peppers they are picking up cost at least a dollar a piece, my mind is going cha-ching, cha-ching, I can't afford that!
So, I was sooooooo excited to find Dr. McDougall's plan! Starch is affordable. And it's good!
Still, I don't want to just eat starch, and adding veggies and other things are a challenge.
So, this thread is for tips on doing this diet/lifestyle on a budget. The more ideas the better - I'd really appreciate it and I bet others would, too. I'll be sharing mine as I think of them. Cheers! Boogie (Karen)
For inexpensive fresh produce, I'd say locate an Asian grocery store. Alternatively, a Mexican grocery store. Both typically have lower priced produce than regular grocery stores. Some dollar stores also carry produce, and you might find some good deals there.
This link shows some Asian grocery stores in San Jose, CA:
https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=A ... Jose%2C+CAThis link shows some Mexican grocery stores in San Jose, CA:
https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=M ... Jose%2C+CA Winco and Sprouts also have some reasonably-priced produce, if either of those stores are near you. They also have bulk bin sections, as do Mexican stores generally. White rice, pinto beans, black beans, and mayacoba/peruano beans are almost always cheapest in bulk bins at Mexican markets. Cactus pads are cheapest and most easily found at Mexican markets. Sometimes Winco has them, too. (I buy them for my tortoise.) Peppers are very reasonable at the Mexican market. They usually have the best price on Mexican gray squash, too, and good deals on potatoes. Some Mexican markets have a tortillaria where you can get fresh corn tortillas and/or prepared masa to make your own.
Some spices are almost always cheaper in the Mexican section rather than the spices section of regular grocery stores. You can get some good deals on spices at Asian grocery stores too. I generally buy Italian seasoning and onion powder and cajun spice in the cheap spices lines (different brands). I think most reg grocery stores have that section of cheap spices. They're priced around $1/bottle regularly, and sometimes cheaper.
Asian markets usually have good prices on dried mushrooms. I buy jars of shredded ginger in brine. It's cheap, convenient, and doesn't go bad before I can use it. Asian markets have noodles by the ton. Rice paper wraps, too. Asian markets usually have the best napa cabbage and bok choy. It's the only place I've found gai lan. I also like to get dandelion greens there for my tortoise because they're half the price that I pay at Sprouts. Other things I like to get at the Asian market include peeled garlic, okra (before I started growing it myself), fresh curry leaves, king oyster mushrooms, shredded green papaya, fresh tofu, Indian spice blends, soy sauce, and gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste).
