One big reason I’ve been struggling with writer’s block on this blog is that I had it stuck in my mind that I could only write about ‘flake’ issues, and SHOULD be posting helpful tips that I really don’t have. Bleh. So I decided to write about things I’ve learned, whether or not they have to do with being a flake. If it’s helpful, great. If not, um, well, not so great. But at least I’m writing! Hope you enjoy the following. -L
My son and his fiancee went shopping for me yesterday, because I still don’t feel up to hobbling around a store on crutches, and they picked up enough supplies to last me the rest of the month, plus some staples that will last much longer: 25 pounds of pinto beans and a case of tomato paste.
I already have about 20 pounds each of lentils and quinoa, as well as smaller amounts of adzuki, garbanzo, and black beans, so I am SET for protein for the next six months at least. That will save me a lot of money in the long run. All I have to buy is produce and an occasional processed treat like gluten-free, organic English muffins.
I was thinking this morning that when you compare meat to legumes, pound for pound, even organic legumes are a LOT cheaper than conventional meat. So it’s easy to eat an organic, vegan, whole food diet for about the same or less cost than a conventional American diet of processed foods.
People always think organic is so much more expensive — and it is, when you’re trying to replicate the way most Americans eat: dishes [even ingredients] prepared by someone else and then frozen or preserved in some way. But, if you eat mostly whole foods, and buy bulk legumes and grains, you can go vegan and totally organic and still save money.
Granted, a sudden, drastic change of diet almost never sticks. My transition to this way of living was gradual, took several years, and was motivated by illness. I wanted to feel better — I was sick and tired of being sick and tired — so I started by switching to mostly organic foods.
At first, I spent way too much money at Whole Foods, buying any organic convenience food that struck my fancy. [I called it research.]
Then I found an organic, vegetarian cooperative market that was less expensive and offered fewer tempting luxury items and more basics. I joined for $15 a year and began a slow transition away from processed foods. I explored the produce department and discovered a wide variety of greens that I had never tried before: kale, collard greens, beet greens, chard. [Plus, now that I’m old enough, I get a 10% senior discount — yippee!]
Next, I found a nearby, mostly organic farmer’s market and started going every Friday. It’s closer than the co-op, so I could go more often and save on gas. I buy fruit, greens, avocados, eggs, potatoes, garlic and onions there. One of the vendors sells pots of various herbs; I bought rosemary, mint, and basil for my balcony garden — another savings. [Now that I have a discount at the co-op, I’d save more there where the prices are better, so I’m going there more now.]
I became interested in the locavore movement and started checking to make sure I didn’t buy out-of-season produce from other countries. I try to buy mostly from farmers in San Diego County, or at least from California, another good reason to shop at the farmer’s market and the co-op, which offers local produce whenever possible.
Then a couple of months ago, I had a scary episode of high blood pressure.
I could feel it, and it didn’t feel good. My doctor had been concerned about my rising numbers for some time, but I didn’t really take it seriously until that weekend. I did some googling and found that a vegan diet can be a good solution, so I decided to try it. I was almost there anyway, with all the other changes I had made. I had learned that legumes, nuts and seeds are an excellent and delicious source of protein. I had developed a taste for beans and lentils, and had learned how to use a pressure cooker to shave hours off the cooking process.
Now about those beans and grains: why do I buy 25 pounds at a time? The obvious first answer is the bulk discount [also: I LOVE beans], but there’s another reason: food security. Some people would call it hoarding, but I think it’s just being prudent.
In this economy, nobody knows what’s going to happen. Just a couple of years ago, there was a shortage of wheat, and panic ensued around the world as well as in the U.S. Remember that? It can happen again. We still don’t know what the ramifications of the BP oil spill will be, for instance. What if gas prices spike again and there’s an interruption in food delivery to your local supermarket?
I’m not being an alarmist, just looking at the logical consequences of what’s happening right now. So I’m slowly building up my pantry.
I live in a very small, cramped apartment with two other people, so I don’t have room for everything I’d like, but I feel a lot better now that I have several months’ worth of protein on hand.
Not eating meat is not only cheaper: it means I don’t have to worry about preservation. Beans, legumes, rice and other grains can all be easily stored in 5-gallon plastic buckets. If you’re just thinking in terms of months, that’s all it takes. If you want to store food for several years, there’s a little more involved. I don’t bother with that, but I admire those who do.
I’m not a survivalist, just a frugal mom.
Do I miss meat? Once in a while I wouldn’t mind a nice steak or chicken drumstick, but I love the food I do eat so much that it really doesn’t bother me. Oh, and as for being sick and tired? I’m slowly feeling better every day. Even on crutches 🙂
Leave a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I have wanted to change my eating habits for awhile (before I *need* to) but buying organic is so expensive. Whole Foods is in the trendy part of town and the traffic is horrendous. So, I have all sorts of excuses why it's just too hard to change.
I am not fond of the idea of giving up meat, but I do love me some black beans.:) And the idea that we could store them “just in case” has great appeal to me.
Thanks for getting me thinking, LaVonne, that this transition could be a lot less painless than I once believed.
Whole Foods is too expensive. Try farmer's markets and look for an organic
food coop or health food store in your area. You can search by zip code
here: http://www.localharvest.org/
Most supermarkets now carry organic packaged food and have small organic
produce sections, but the produce isn't nearly as fresh as in health food
stores or farmer's markets. Also check out CSA's in your area. You can
search for them at Local Harvest, too.
There's a very active movement to provide good local food all over the
country. This not only helps provide reasonably priced, nutritious food for
all of us, but supports local farmers — and that means food security
if/when the corporate food system breaks down. I think we're headed in that
direction eventually — very worried about what the Gulf oil spill will mean
for our economy.
Great post and I like the gradual changes. in 2009 I decided to go pescetarian for 30 days. (i'd eat fish but no other animal products) and I held out for three months…let's just say there were MANY ramifications I hadn't thought through as my body worked to purge toxins.
So good to hear that this is doable AND that you feel better. You're inspiring me to take a renewed look at what is going in the machine that is my amazing body.
Thanks!
I forgot to mention that I had already had a couple of vegetarian periods where I got over my fear of “what will I do for protein?” But I wasn't doing it right. I was eating a lot of packaged veggie products that aren't much healthier than the non-veggie kind IMHO, and I didn't feel any better. A doctor tested my blood, said I wasn't getting enough protein, and told me to go back to eating meat. So I did for a few years.
But I had learned that I really prefer the vegetarian lifestyle. It's actually easier when you don't have to worry about meat spoiling, etc. Veggies spoil, of course, but it takes longer. I also find kitchen cleanup less bothersome because I don't have to worry about bacteria nearly as much — just wash the veggies. With meat, you have to be careful to clean every surface it touches before letting any other food touch it, etc. Annoying!
So going vegan [except for eggs, which I'm phasing out] was going back to a way of living that I already knew I enjoyed. Now that I understand nutrition better, I make sure I combine legumes with grains to get complete protein, for one thing. I decide which kind of beans/legumes I want to eat the next day [black, adzuki, garbanzo, pinto] and put them in a pot of water to soak overnight, then cook them in my pressure cooker for less than half an hour, and they're ready for any recipe I want to try. Right now, I'm in love with a sauce I concocted using tomato paste, water, garlic/onions, molasses & salt/pepper — tastes like bbq sauce, yum!
Mmmm – I like that sauce. My problem is that I used to forget to soak my beans overnight. which is, of course, easy enough to get over. Hmmmm. pressure cooker. I don't much like packaged foods of any sort. Not that it means I don't use/eat them. But I know use David's jedi mind-trick and ask myself how I'm going feel after eating something I know will make me feel like crap. Doesn't always work, esp when the “kid” makes chocolate chip cookies >sigh< but, it's a growing and organic process. now I want me a pressure cooker. NOW. (as Lisa would say – lol!)
I got a small pressure cooker [5 qts] because I'm just cooking for myself.
If you cook for others, you'll want a larger one. Do some research before
you buy — there's a big price range. Mine was at the low end, $60.
Here's a chart that tells you how long soak and how long to pressure cook
different kinds of beans after soaking:
http://missvickie.com/howto/beans/howtobeantype…
Definitely click around this site to learn more about how to cook, flavor
and store beans. You can also use the pressure cooker to soak beans in just
a few minutes:
http://missvickie.com/howto/beans/howtosoak.htm…
I prefer to soak them overnight because they cook more evenly. And I rinse
the them both before and after cooking to minimize the fart factor, lol.
Loved this post! I had seen it last week and thought “Oh terrific! Can't wait to read it!” then promptly got distracted (oh look – a butterfly!) and forgot about it until now.
I've been struggling with going back to vegan. For now, I'm doing MOSTLY vegetarian, sometimes vegan. They seem to call that Flexitarian. It's so nice to read another person's story. Thanks for sharing!
PS – I, for one, enjoy reading about your “lessons learned” even if they aren't flake related!