Penny Pinching Vegan

by Kay Hansen

Yes, I’m a penny-pinching vegan. I don’t like to spend my hard-earned money at the grocery store. Not that I don’t like to eat, mind you. I just do not think that food should be the largest part of our monthly budget. Similarly, I don’t want to buy “cheap food”. Food that is low in cost, high in calories but not of good nutritional value. I think we should use our limited resources to give our family the best nutrition for the best value.

Often, I have gone to the store and seen young mothers loading up their carts with “cheap food.” I’ve thought to myself, “I could teach people to eat a really nutritious diet for half the money they are spending on ‘cheap’ food.” White bread, soda, cheap lunch meats, chips and canned and processed foods fill the tummies of today’s children, but give little nutritional value. Highly processed foods tend to be high in fat, sugar and salt and low in fiber, vitamins and minerals - food that is really the main cause of so much of the disease we see in modern society.

Whole foods predominate in a healthy vegan diet, and it is natural foods - fruits, grains, nuts and vegetables - that truly feed the body. What most people find is that plant foods are more filling. They contain lots of fiber and nutrients that satisfy the appetite, so people eat less while they feel like they are eating more. Selections from the produce section are always a great value, even with rising food prices. Whole grains such as oats and brown rice are a bargain, being inexpensive to start with and they double when you cook them. Beans are the same, a healthy protein alternative to meat, and they actually help to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.

In consideration of the recent finding released at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting in New Orleans in November of 2008, a vegan diet would vastly improve the health of our children. This study of 70 young people ages 6 to 19 showed that more than 50% of them had a “vascular age” of a 45-year-old with significant atherosclerosis, high cholesterol and triglycerides, leading to a risk of heart attack or stroke. This accelerated disease process is a sign that our children are consuming too much “cheap food.” With more than 10% of our children now considered obese, a change to a vegan, plant-based diet would reap huge savings in food budgets, medical care and length of life for our families.

Simple dishes like bean enchiladas, minestrone soup or potatoes and greens are hearty, healthy, satisfying and really beneficial to the budget, not to mention the waistline. A little planning and a crock pot can make vegan cooking quite thrifty in expense and time. A good vegan cookbook like Vegan Homestyle can help take those whole food bargains and turn them into fabulous family feasts that are inexpensive and nutritious - now, you can’t beat that with a stick!

Yes, I’m a penny-pinching vegan. I’ll take all the nutrition and health benefits of a plant-food diet - and keep my pennies in my pocket, thank you very much.

[Kay Hansen is the author of Vegan Homestyle: Simple Recipes For Healthy Living. She and her husband operate the Emerald Valley Wellness Clinic, in Creswell, Oregon. They conduct the Live-for-Health Wellness Seminars which teach chronic disease reversal using a vegan diet and healthy lifestyle changes.]

3) Check out some websites and other reading with helpful information on feeding children a vegetarian diet, i.e., The Journal of Health & Healing, www.wildwoodlsc.org/journal.htm ; The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., Andrews University, www.andrews.edu/NUFS/nutrifax.html; Emerald Valley Wellness Center, www.emeraldwellness.com; Vegetarian Resource Group, www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.htm, healthymomshealthyfamiles.blogspot.com/

4) Don’t be afraid that your child won’t thrive on a plant food diet. According to the American Dietetic Association, a vegetarian diet is nutritionally sound, so don’t get caught in the “high protein” craze. Most Americans get too much protein, especially animal protein, which can increase the risk of osteoporosis, heart disease and cancer.^4,5,6 Plant foods have more fiber and less fat. The Lord’s admonition to eat “neither the fat nor the blood” (Lev. 3:17) was to prevent the disease risks that we are generally experiencing. The healthy fats that come from plant foods will give your vegetarian child a strong immune system, greater endurance, better memory, improved grades and a gentler disposition. ^7,8,9,10

5) Get a really good vegetarian cookbook and let your children pick new recipes, and then go with them into the kitchen to cook - boys and girls. This is a great learning experience for children, sort of like chemistry only better because you get to eat it. Better yet, is garden to kitchen fresh. You can prepare great home style foods from wholesome plant foods. Children will love learning to eat new foods when they have a hand in the preparation.

6) Don’t let you vegetarian child, or any of the family, fill in their diet with sugary snack foods that will spoil their appetite for mealtime. All children can learn to eat only at meal time and to drink water until the next meal. Then with hearty appetites they will enjoy the fruits and vegetables and other wholesome foods of the Lord’s bounty. “The full soul loatheth a honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.” (Proverbs 27:7)

7) Remember God’s ultimate goal is for our children (and us) is to reign with Him in His coming kingdom. What is the spirit of that kingdom? Blessed are the meek, and blessed are the merciful; they shall obtain mercy and inherit the earth. (Matt. 5:5,7). They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain . . .the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb . . . the cow and the bear shall graze . . . and the lion shall eat straw like the ox . . . and a little child shall lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6-9).

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Kay Hansen is the program director and nutrition educator for the Emerald Valley Wellness Center in Creswell, Oregon. She is the author of a new cookbook, Vegan Homestyle; Simple Recipes for Healthy Living. As a vegetarian cook and cooking instructor she has taught hundreds of people to cook and enjoy a natural plant food diet. Both Kay and her husband, Richard Hansen, M.D., teach healthful living for the glory of God through their Live-for-Health Wellness Program and in many churches, retreats and conferences across the country and overseas as well. They are available for interviews via www.emeraldwellness.com.

Footnotes

1 Genesis 1:29.

2 Lifespan of antedeluvians: Genesis 5:5,8,11,14,17,20,23,27,31.

3 Nutri-Fax On-Line, “Plant Based Diets Validated” Fall 1996 Issue, Winston Craig, Ph.D., editor.

4 American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets: June 2003 (Vol. 103, Issue 6, Pages 748_765).

5 The China Study; T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D.; copyright 2004, page 204.

6 World Cancer Research Fund Internationa; American Cancer Society: Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective, Nov. 2007

7 Brain Food: Student vegans see boost in grades, energy; Miami Herald, June 4, 2001.

8 Essential Fatty Acids; Physician’s Committee For Responsible Medicine, 01/08/04.

9 Monounsaturated Fatty Acid Diets Improve Glycemic Tolerance, Endrocinology, Mar 2001;142:1148.

10 High-monounsaturated fatty acid diets lower both plasma cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations, Am.J.Clinical Nutrition, Dec. 1999;70:1009.

Last week I was the recipient of the leftover vegetables from the potluck. Peas and corn. So I thought it was pretty safe to use. With a nice vegan white sauce and some potatoes and seasoned Soycurls it was really delicious. Here is a nice post holiday treat that you can cook in one pot.

1 recipe of White Sauce from the Vegan Homestyle cook book.

(blend together 2 c. water, 1/2 c. raw cashews, 1 T. olive oil, 1 T. yeast flakes, 1 1/2 t. salt & 2 t. unbleached flour).

2 medium potatoes

1 c. peas

1 c. corn

1 c. Soycurls from Butler Foods

1 T. Live-for-Health Chicken-style seasoning

Place the Soycurls and chicken-style seasoning in a 4 qt. pot with just enough water to cover the Soycurls and simmer until all the water is absorbed. Remove to a bowl. Cut up the potato and let it simmer in the pot with a little water while you make the white sauce. When the potatoes are tender, drain the water. Stir in the white sauce and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Then add the peas and corn and Soycurls. Serve over whole grain toast. Hot, hearty & yummy!

My friend gave me the most beautiful sweet meat squash.  It was a large lovely green globe with little golden bumps on it.  I almost hated to cut it open.  But it’s destiny was pie!  This was my first sweet meat squash pie and since it was a success I thought I’d share the process.

Cut up the squash into sections (like 8ths).  Place the squash sections in a Pyrex dish with some water and cover with foil.  Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour until the squash it tender.  Scrap the squash meat out into a bowl.  It you are just eating squash it can be served mashed with a little Earth Balance buttery spread.  But for pie we have to get rid of some of that water.  So I ran the squash meat through the Victorio food strainer to take out any strings (there were only a few).  Then I placed the pulp in a straining bag made of cotton or _____ and suspended it over a strainer to allow the water to drain out overnight.  (After the initial draining I put it in the refrigerator overnight).  In the morning the pulp looked exactly like the thick pulp that comes from a can of pumpkin.   Then I used the recipe below and it was quite tasty.  In fact, I might like it better than pumpkin, it has a lighter taste.  Enjoy!
2/3 c. water
1 T.  agar agar flakes

1 1/2 c. Silk soy creamer
2/3 c. organic cane crystals
1 T. coriander
1/2 T. cardamom
1 t. vanilla flavor
1/2 t. salt
15 oz. sweet meat squash puree (It’s about 1 3/4 c. - I actually weighed it).

Soak agar agar flakes in 2/3 c. water for 10–15 minutes. Blend next seven ingredients until smooth in a blender. Simmer agar agar, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes until dissolved.  Add to blender and blend until smooth. Pour squash mixture into an unbaked pie crust and bake at 450° for 10 minutes then turn heat down to 350° for 40 minutes more. Cool slightly and place in refrigerator uncovered.  Allow to cool completely before serving. Serve with Tofu Vanilla Ice Cream or Coconut Whipped Cream. Makes (1) 8? Pie.  See “Vegan Homestyle for topping recipes”