Adjusting to the veggie lifestyle
Going vegetarian has got a lot of buzz these days, but what does it take to get acclimated to an entirely new diet, both for your stomach and your wallet? Cash Peters reports.
Shopper browses vegetable display (Antony Dickson/AFP/Getty Images)
More on Food
TEXT OF STORY
Tess Vigeland: So, what are you? Vegetarian? Vegan? Flexitarian? Fruitarian? Pescitarian? Carnivore? Presbyterian? Who knew there were so many ways to categorize eating?
You know, these days going veggie is like reading "War and Peace:" Even if you haven't, you feel compelled to say you did. Vegetarianism is the new black -- or should we say the new green.
But as Cash Peters found out when he made the big switch, the animal-free life can get expensive.
Cash Peters: Ooh, guess what? I've become a vegetarian.
Calm down, I only just started, but I made the decision after I met this guy, Dave Wolfe. He's a health guru and therefore somebody I'd usually avoid.
Dave Wolfe: I've been a raw food vegetarian for over 15 years now and I never feel sore muscles, never wiped out, my brain is never foggy because there's nothing clogging my system.
Yeah, well OK. Problem is if I did turn vegetarian and quit hamburgers, chicken, sausages -- or as I call them, my friends in the fridge -- what was I going to eat instead? You know, realistically. Turns out it's exactly what I'd feared: organic vegetables. -- I know, crazy-people food.
Wolfe: I can take an avocado, sprinkle a little bit of kelp on it and have a little bit of seaweed, like dulce seaweed and I'm good to go.
Yeah, well, good for you.
Colleen Pa -- avocado and seaweed? -- Colleen Patrick-Goudreau is the woman behind vegetarian website compassionatecooks.com.
Colleen Patrick-Goudreau: I encourage people to cook from scratch as much as possible and eat whole foods. We're talking about fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds and beans and herbs and spices and it doesn't take that long to chop up some vegetables.
Well, no, but it takes longer than visiting the drive-thru at Wendy's.
But you know what? I did it anyway. I switched to crazy-people food. Started eating fruits and raw vegetables. Even bought a recipe book and made a vegetarian meatloaf using buckwheat instead of meat. Oh sure, it tastes like the stuff they use as filler in padded envelopes, but it's healthy.
Oddly, Colleen wasn't impressed.
Patrick-Goudreau: I don't know why you're making a buckwheat loaf to begin with, but that's your choice.
Peters: It's vegetarian, that's why.
Patrick-Goudreau: Yes, just because it's vegetarian doesn't mean it's good. You have to learn some new recipes and those will become part of your routine. Perhaps the buckwheat loaf isn't for you.
Oh, you think? But it's not just about the taste. Turning vegetarian can be expensive. My grocery bill shot up about 30 percent. Plus, at home, we had to prepare two meals each time: a delicious, fun, appetizing one for my partner and a vegetarian one for me.
Worst of all, I started feeling horrible!
Janobi Amsden runs RAWvolution, a vegan restaurant in Santa Monica, California.
Janobi Amsden: Doing things one way for a certain amount of time -- let's say 30 or 40 years -- and then changing and expecting 10 days to make a difference. It's like putting one fuel in your car, then putting another one in and expecting it to run even better. No, there's going to be a time period where the two fuels are mixing. The car's going to smoke. It might backfire. It's very confusing. That's what your body's going through.
Oh yeah, I've done a lot of backfiring. I think it's the cabbage. Or the Spirulina tablets. Or the hemp cereal I eat for breakfast. I tell you, you really have to be pretty dedicated to make all these changes. In fact, I said so to Dave.
Wolfe: I'd have a very difficult time arguing with you, very difficult.
Peters: This is an interview. Try.
Wolfe: You have to be a stubborn type of a person. I'll take a stand. I don't care if 6 billion people are against me. I'm going to do what's right for me.
Yeah, well great, but that's you. What about friends, family, you know, people who might not want to eat the filling from padded envelopes?
Actually, Colleen thought I was whining way too much.
Patrick-Goudreau: First of all, you said you're making things that nobody else wants to eat, so I think you may need to look at a few more recipes and I can provide you with some...
Peters: You're not selling a book, are you Colleen, by any chance?
Patrick-Goudreau: Well, actually, I do have a book. Actually, funny you bring that up.
Yeah, funny that. They're all selling stuff, these guys.
Vegetarianism is big business, but if you want to do it to, well, here's my tip: a) Phase it in gradually so your body gets used to it -- and so does your bank manager; I mean, $16 I paid for a jar of Spirulina tablets! $16! Also, b) Find a diet that's right for your body. And who do you go to for advice about that?
Wolfe: You should come to me!
Well, that's one option. Dave's website is sunfood.com, but there are tons of other sites too offering a load of information.
Having said all of that, it's been three weeks now and here's the surprise: I feel fantastic! And not in a crazy-person way. This stuff works. I only hope it's not too little too late.
Peters: So who's gonna die first: me or you?
Wolfe: Um, I hope we both live forever.
Peters: So who'll die first: me or you?
Patrick-Goudreau: I dunno, but I'm going to die happy.
Oh, I can soon put a stop to that. Buckwheat meatloaf, anyone?
I'm Cash Peters for Marketplace Money.
Comments
Comment | Refresh
From Las Vegas, NV, 11/04/2008
Sounds like you set out to make vegetarianism sound crazy and expensive, Cash. I'll tell you I became veg and didn't spend a dime "investing" in my new life - I didn't even eat tofu for a while. Eventually I bought vitamins, but shouldn't everyone? And I bought Colleen's book after becoming a fan from listening to dozens of her FREE podcasts.
My point is, vegetarianism isn't crazy and doesn't have to involve crazy (and crazy expensive) food.
Spaghetti? Bean burritos? Oatmeal? Stir fry? Homemade soup of just about any kind? Sound familiar? Yeah, they're all vegan. And cheap.
From Scranton, PA, 09/22/2008
Congratulations on making the switch. Get yourself some good cookbooks. I recommend "Vegan With A Vengeance", "Veganomican", and "The Joy of Vegan Baking". Real food, that's not expensive to prepare, and will open your culinary world in ways you can't imagine.
Buckwheat = ewwwww.
From CA, 08/22/2008
To address an earlier post, that website Colleen refers to is www.compassionatecooks.com.
Another good site with recipe reviews and photos is www.vegweb.com.
From CA, 08/22/2008
I've been vegetarian for more than 15 years and have never taken spirulina tablets or eaten a buckwheat loaf.
Instead, I eat lots of fantastic American, Mexican, Italian, Thai, Indian and Middle Eastern foods that are not hard to find on a restaurant menu, or cook yourself. Minus the meat, they are less expensive too.
For dessert, I highly recommend recipes from Colleen's "The Joy of Vegan Baking," which are very popular with my non-vegan friends. They can't tell the difference from the dairy desserts they're used to and repeatedly ask for more.
From TX, 08/19/2008
I'll tell you what's heart-healthy: the laugh-til-you-cry humor Cash Peters puts into all his light-hearted pieces. This one was no exception. And the seriousness I'm seeing in a lot of these comments only reminds me just how amazingly affluent we are in the US, that we can construct a lifestyle around eating! So whether it's my daily bread, or a grilled salmon fillet topped with dill weed and a pat of butter, or a handful of wild black raspberries picked on a walk down a wooded lane, I'm thankful for the sustenance. Even for buckwheat (loved him ... the best character on the Lil' Rascals).
From Bronx, NY, 08/18/2008
When I heard this broadcast, a website was mentioned for recipes that ended with cooking.com. confidentcooking, or something like that. I don't see it in the above transcript or hear it in the audio. Am I mistaken, or has it been edited out? I came here specifically to look that up. I was driving at the time and didn't write it down, and now can't quite remember it. It was towards the end, I think it was Colleen that said it. If anyone knows please let me know. thanks!
From Beaufort, SC, 08/12/2008
As a vegetarian with vegan tendencies for 26 years, it is so easy now than it was when I started. Spend a bit of time reviewing cookbooks and you'll find several that will meet your lifestyle. When eating fresh fruit and veggies, whole grains, non-processed foods it is more expensive in the short term but your healthy! Mollie Katzen has teamed with Walter Willett, MD of Harvard to create a great diet for life cookbook.
From Salisbury, MD, 08/12/2008
Cash Peters needs to remember that comedy is great but can be a distraction to the underlying story. A healthy plant-based diet is the most compassionate choice one can make. It has cleared my head, it has led to less weight and better modds, and allowed me to understand more clearly than ever, that although I am only one person, I can have an amazing effect on the world around me. Including my meat-eating freinds. A Plant based diet is medicine, love, and peace. What could be more perfect?
From Atlanta, GA, 08/11/2008
Another vote for the story presenting a fairly narrow view of vegetarianism. I am happy and much healthier as a dietary vegan. It's cheap too, especially when one avoids the processed 'frankenfoods'.
Why anyone in their right mind would willingly consume buckwheat is beyond me, however. I think people can do themselves (and their wallets) a favor just by limiting the amount, or kinds of meat that they consume.
From Durham, NC, 08/10/2008
I think you should have talked a little more about how being vegetarian can actually SAVE you money. Sure you can be a "fancy" vegetarian and eat those weird things that were mentioned on the show, or you can be a "cheap" vegetarian and base your meals around Textured Vegetable Protein, beans, rice and fresh or frozen veggies that are on sale! It wasn't really a fair portrayal of a normal vegetarian lifestyle and i am afraid that you may have scared some people off from even trying it! People and the environment would be happier and healthier if more people ate vegetarian more often. It doesn't have to be an all or nothing decision, even just cutting back a few nights a week would help!
From Seattle, WA, 08/10/2008
Mr. Peters has missed the point. Plant-based diets cut out all the fat, and leave consumers with a leaner, less expensive lifestyle. Vegetarianism and veganism take a smaller toll on your body, the environment, and your pocket book than a diet weighted down by meats, dairy, and eggs.
Eating a healthy, plant-based diet has preventative effects on all of the major killers in America today. Stroke, diabetes, cancer, heart disease and the rest lead to billions of dollars of unnecessary spending each year.
The environment also pays the price when you choose to eat meat. Scientists agree that funneling nutritious and delicious plant foods through animals causes more pollution than industry or vehicles. (http://www.fao.org/ag/magazine/0612sp1.htm)
Buckwheat? Spirulina? Talk about a cash cow! The vegetarians and vegans I know purchase fresh produce from local farmers, rice and pastas in bulk at the grocery store, and grow their own spices! What's more, billions of dollars of subsidies go into producing meat, dairy and eggs every year.
Mr. Peters, you have it backwards: the price that's paid for an animal-based diet is through the roof compared to one grounded on delicious plant foods.
From Moscow, ID, 08/10/2008
Would someone please, and soon, notify Janobi Amsden that she cannot put different fuels in her car.
From Owasso, OK, 08/09/2008
I think I agree with the person who said Cash Peters is eating stuff few vegans eat. I became vegan when my cholesterol was too high and I couldn't tolerate the medicines. It took some time, but every year it gets easier and cheaper as you figure out what works for you. I had to limit my diet even more because I can't tolerate soy. But the low fat, soy free vegan diet made me feel better instantly. within a week I could tell the difference. I'm thinking the food choices made the difference. And they don't have to be weird or expensive. Tomato soup with lentils or brown rice in it doesn't cost much. And doesn't take much time either. Bean burritos with fat free refried beans, chopped tomatoes and olives and fresh spinach or romaine isn't hard or expensive either. I live in the Tulsa area with only three vegetarian restaurants, all a half hour away, and I've managed to eat out and still maintain good eating experiences. So maybe Mr. Peters needs to talk to others who are working full time and also eating animal free without a lot of fuss or weirdness. That's what helped me: another person who had worked out which nonvegan restaurants would adjust for vegans with tasty results and was willing to share the knowledge.
From CO, 08/09/2008
I have abruptly begun dabbling with vegetarianism/veganism as my new boyfriend is vegan. I find it rewarding and fun to convert my classic recipes into vegan-friendly ones. But I am not a fan of 'fake meat'. My attitude is: if I am going to eat vegetarian I want to taste the veggies! Bring on the veggie patty burgers and spare me the fake smoke flavor!
In contrast to the claim in this story that going veggie costs more, the economics of this lifestyle is one of the things that encourage me to maintain it! For instance, the pound of texturized vegetable protein (TVP) that I use to add substance in tacos, burritos, or chili costs only $1.50 and goes a lot further than a pound of lean ground beef or turkey. Meat is expensive! Likewise, vegetarian entrees are cheaper in restaurants.
Finally, I also feel healthier! The digestive problems I routinely faced in the past are much less common since I began minimizing meat in my diet and increasing fruits and veggies.
From AZ, 08/09/2008
I have to agree with Paul -- we are vegan, and don't eat these foods. Our meat-eating families like coming here, because we eat Boca burgers and fries, spaghetti and Nate's vegetarian meatballs, seitan and gravy, etc. It is easy to eat meat-free, and you can rest easier knowing you aren't causing unnecessary suffering.
From MD, 08/09/2008
A wonderful free Vegetarian Starter Guide is available at www.TryVeg.com
From Washington, DC, 08/09/2008
Thanks for your interesting coverage on vegetarian eating. As a vegan of the last 15 years, I can confidently let you know that most vegans and vegetarians I know don't take spirulina tablets and eat buckwheat loafs. That seems like a caricature of vegetarians that doesn't really ring true.
We eat many of the same foods meat-eaters eat, although we just choose cruelty-free versions that taste remarkably similar. For example, mock meats have become so good in recent years that even my diehard carnivorous father can't tell the difference and is happy to eat them.
Each one of us can prevent animal abuse simply by choosing to enjoy delicious vegetarian alternatives. It's fun, fulfilling, and most importantly: it helps animals, the planet, and public health!
Post a Comment: Please be civil, brief and relevant.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. All comments are moderated. Marketplace reserves the right to edit any comments on this site and to read them on the air if they are extra-interesting. Please read the Comment Guidelines before posting.
You must be 13 or over to submit information to American Public Media. The information entered into this form will not be used to send unsolicited email and will not be sold to a third party. For more information see Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.