Veggywood

So I’ve been wanting to address the notion of how expensive it is to be vegan for awhile. I get that a lot “Don’t you have to shop at Whole Foods all the time?“

Here’s the thing. Both these statements are true. I DO shop at Whole Foods way too much, basically because it is a vegan paradise and the trek to Follow Your Heart market can only be made once every few months, and Nature Mart doesn’t carry…um… things with sugar. And Trader Joe’s, well, really needs to step up its vegan game.

Anyway, yes I shop at Whole Foods, and yes it is expensive. However, you don’t have to live at “Whole Paycheck” to be vegan. And if you do, there is a very conservative way to do it– frequent their Bulk Bins and try to buy only the 365 brand products to save money. And don’t ever, ever, ever go into the wine section (TJ’s wins on that one).

But don’t be afraid of your neighborhood chain grocery store. With the rise of alternative diet lifestyles, most major chains stock a variety of vegetarian and vegan products at less than you would pay at a natural market. In addition, some markets double coupons and frequently discount or offer two for one deals. For example, almost every time I buy a Morning Star product at Ralph’s, a coupon for the products spits out with my receipt.
Here is a quick sampling of what can be found at my neighborhood Ralph’s:
(on the corner of Hollywood Blvd and Western in Los Feliz.)

– Huge variety of Morning Star and Garden Burger products including patties, strips, nuggets, and novelties (fake bacon, buffalo wings, etc)
– Huge variety of Amy’s frozen dinners and burritos.
– Whole Soy yogurts in several flavors.
– Silk soy milk in chocolate, very vanilla, regular, plain and lite.
– Rice and soy milk cartons.
– Several different types of tofu.
– 3-4 varieties of Tofurky sliced “meats.”
– 3-4 varieties of Yves “meats”
– Dairy-free sorbets in the ice cream section
– Vegan version of Oregon Chai tea mix.
– Peanut Butter & Co’s White Chocolate Wonderful, Dark Chocolate Dreams and Cinnamon Rain Swirl. (Yeah, I definitely almost fell over the first time I saw those there!)
– Tofutti Cream Cheese
– Earth Balance margarine and Veganaise.
– Planet dish and laundry soap.

The moral of this post then, is don’t discredit your neighborhood market. They might be more vegan-friendly than you think!

Note: In terms of personal care, markets are definitely not the place for cruelty products. Anything deemed “natural” is usually extremely overpriced. Better to hunt down these kinds of products elsewhere…

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