I went straight to vegan from being a full on, cheese-loving omnivore. I was just going to do it for two months, but less than a week in, I realized how much better I felt and thought it would just be stupid to go back.
Here are the things that, I believe, helped me the most. Once you dump the dairy and get used to eating whole, plant-based foods, you'll find you have more energy, almost no cravings and you'll feel fuller and less likely to snack between meals. This will certainly save you money to buy better foods to begin with.
1. Eat whole grains. And eat as much of a variety as you can. These are your best meat alternatives, and much cheaper per serving. Go for brown rice, unpearled barley, whole wheat and other whole grain pastas, and bulgur wheat, at least to start. Pricier (but again, compared to meat/fake meat, not so much): red rice (from Asia and the US; both are fantastic), quinoa, millet, spelt and kamut.
2. Eat good greens. You should read The Kind Life if you haven't because it has a great introduction to the kinds of greens/veggies you might want to avoid or eat only small quantities of, like spinach or eggplant. But this leaves a lot of satisfying, healthy choices like kale, bok choy, other cabbage-family greens, etc...
3. Eat beans. You can start with canned beans, which tend to be very cheap for the protein, taste and satisfaction they provide, but dried beans are even cheaper. If you use canned, you almost always want to rinse off the gook (although I use them straight up in most soups and chili). Black beans are amazing and versatile.
As for what you should use organic, google "Environmental Working Group" and check out their list of fruits and vegetables that you should buy organic. There are some fruits and veggies that don't take up toxins so much, so they recommend if you're on a tight budget, to buy those regular. But things like celery you should.
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