strict budget and healthy food

I would really appreciate some help with this.. I was wondering if anyone has done a cost per serving analysis when buying "diet food / healthy food". I am currently eating vegan style and find that the food is more expensive.
Any tips on how to make my food budget go further? That is without living on tofu and beans?

My only suggestion would be to eat what is in season; it's usually cheaper. If you have a farmers market near you, veggies are often cheaper there than at the grocery store. Other than that plan you meals around what is on sale/ stock up when sales are going on.

I actually find meat and cheese are pretty expensive compared to veggies. What are you finding you are buying that is very expensive? Prepared or processed food?

You might try shopping at some place like Trader Joe's if they have one in your area. Cheaper nuts, veg burgers, etc. Also, farmers markets can be cheaper at the end of the day.

Otherwise, in college, we used to find huge bags of carrots on sale for like $5 and make a vat of carrot curry ginger soup for the week.

The main reason I went vegan for a few months last year was to save food money-- not lose weight. I actually lost 20 pounds while eating healthier than I ever had. I focused on never really leaving the produce section of my grocery store. If you want to save money, skip the "diet" foods which are marked up because they're marketed to make you think they're healthier (when many times they have little nutritional value), and buy in-season vegetables (I second danihyde's notion of farmer's markets-- not only do you save money, but you're helping farmers out directly), and only buy bulk grains (think quinoa, barley, brown rice, millet). You have to want to COOK to make it work, both diet-wise and budget-wise. I made a ton of soup every Sunday and froze it in lunch-sized containers for the week, made a bunch of beans to last me, and "fun" things like granola bars and pilafs.

I've since added dairy (always organic though), which has increased my budget by a little, but when I was vegan I was eating very comfortably spending around $40-50 a week on food, which is outrageously cheap where I live.

Another thing I realized is that food is what makes us all function. It's the body's fuel and is WORTH budgeting a little more for. I was very short on cash while I was vegan, and decided to buy the best food I could instead of going out with friends and buying new clothes. I had never felt better!

Oh, and most vegan pre-packaged foods are very expensive, and not as good as what you can make at home. So I actually WOULD recommend buying beans (though I must say, I rarely eat tofu).

Good luck!

thank you everyone for your responses... they are very helpful..

Wow it was nice reading the ways to reduce the budget food. Even I follow what kalekalekale has mentioned in her comment about cooking food by her own instead of getting packaged food. I prefer getting to the farm and buying veggies.

Is there a Farmers' Market in your neighborhood? We used to ride our bikes up to the Farmers' Market to buy delicious fresh vegetables. These selections are more budget friendly than supermarket selections. There are so many roadside stands in our area where farmers' children sell beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, & berries.

There are a few places that sell local goods, but getting there is sometimes a challenge. I do prepare most of my own food because I'm paranoid of restaurants. However I was thinking more on the lines of vegan friendly proteins etc.
However all suggestions are greatly appreciated.

I know what you mean about restaurants. We eat out too much. I am really GROSSED OUT by some places & I just will not go in these establishments at all. Once we found a fingernail floating in my husband's beer. The waittress said simply, 'That's not mine. My nails are painted red. See?" The manager gave us our dinner for free & gave us a gift card for a second free meal. We did not return -- ever.

I used to follow a blog called "vegan on a budget" but I couldn't find it when I did a search. however, when i used that search phrase, I found lots and lots of info on how others budget vegan-style.

Pam-u-la, quinoa is an excellent source of vegan protein if you're sick of beans and tofu for the time being. It's very versatile, too. You can use it as a side dish, a salad, in soup, or a whole meal!

Beyond that, there's always nuts and other legumes. Lentils, fresh green beans, the list goes on. I sometimes add a few tablespoons of miso to vegetable soup for extra flavour and protein, too. And miso is cheap at Asian grocery stores!

The truth is, while protein is definitely important and you shouldn't be eating all refined carbs or all fat as a vegan (or as anyone else, for that matter!), it's not difficult to get enough protein on a vegan diet so long as you're eating balanced meals. Just make sure your meal is healthy and has some sort of protein source, whether that's beans, tofu, or just some broccoli and brown rice, and you should be okay. There are dangers of eating too much protein, and I would do some research to determine the amount of protein that's right for you... You might find it's easier to get there than you think!

A while ago I did my own healthy eating on a budget challenge because I was tired of people saying that they couldn't afford to eat healthy food. It wasn't specifically vegan, but I did wind up eating vegetarian. You may be able to find some good ideas if you read through the thread.

You may find that food is less expensive at farmers markets and/or ethnic grocery stores. Most supermarkets kinda suck when it comes to produce-- they have mediocre goods at high prices. Pay attention to what's in season. Don't buy prepared foods.

The whole notion of "diet food" is bullhockey. Diet food is a balanced diet of high-quality healthy food eaten in moderation.

...Mmmm that sound delicious, do you happen to have the recipe?

Most Indian grocery stores ALSO sell at least 20 different veggies so cheap that are so easy to cook, see YouTube, that go with rice or any flour tortillas, rotis. It is hard to believe when students complain about not able to afford to cook or don't know how to cook healthy with so much information.

Carrot soup (approx because I never used a recipe):
Sautée one chopped onion in a few tablespoons of olive oil
Add a few minced cloves of garlic and peeled and minced ginger (abt. 1" ) and a couple tablespoons of curry powder ( or a mix of cumin, coriander, cinnamon, hot pepper) and cook another 30 seconds
Add a few pounds of peeled or scrubbed and sliced carrots and enough stock to cover the carrots.
If you like it sweeter, add a few peeled chopped apples.
Simmer until carrots are soft.
Purée with an immersion blender or a real blender.
Garnish with cilantro and/or yogurt if you are eating dairy.
Home made croutons are also nice with it.

A few things from my shopping trip yesterday:

Three bunches of spinach at $.89/bunch.

A huge spaghetti squash for $4.

A bag of mushrooms for $1.94.

Half a dozen bananas for $1.79.

Two onions for $.43.

A big bag of cluster tomatoes for about $4.

Spaghetti squash + tomatoes + onions + mushrooms + ingredients on hand (olive oil, herbs and spices) = half a dozen servings of spaghetti squash with homemade tomato sauce. If I was budget conscious, I'd probably forego the fresh tomatoes and buy a couple of cans of them at around a buck each. In my case, I'll also be adding sausage to the sauce, but without it the meal will be completely vegan.

The spinach will become saag paneer. Again, not vegan, but you can do other things with sauteed spinach.

I have a bunch of brussels sprouts round from a few days ago-- I think I paid $3 for a bag big enough to make at least half a dozen servings. I'll roast them with olive oil, cracked pepper, and sea salt.

Another thought, do you have any farms offering CSA subscriptions around you? In my area you can get a bushel of fresh veggies each week from June - November for $600 up front. It seems like a lot, but ends up being about $25 a week for a LOT Of veggies. You can also find someone to split it with if you live alone. That price is for my pretty expensive east coast city. I imagine other areas it's even cheaper. Farms that don't sell out by the start of the season will sometimes let you start now prorated.

You can always add in TVP. And edimame (not sure how to spell it) is awsome for protein too. When I was in the states I used to carry a sack of those in my pack in case I got hungry. And if you want to, protein powders can be cheap if you buy them from the right places, don't bother with the expensive stuff.

Rolled oats are super cheap, but low on protein.

Ideally you need to find a co-op with wholesale dispensers, if you havnt found one yet.

I second the Quinoa suggestion. I buy a huge bag at a wholesaler and it lasts forever. And its easily added to everything.