Eat Vegan on $4.00 a Day: A Game Plan for the Budget Conscious Cook [Paperback]

There were things I really liked about this book and things I didn't like about it. I am a vegetarian who is striving to move to a totally vegan diet and I really liked the premise of this book. I thought it would really help me make the transition and do it inexpensively.

In a way, it did help me. The first 29 pages of the book are very helpful - packed with info on shopping inexpensively for vegan food. The rest of the book contains a 7 day menu [3 meals per day] and recipes. The author is clear and concise without being preachy. I found her writing easy & enjoyable to read.

But, in another way, I felt kind of ripped off. The first 29 pages were full of info and were great reading, but they weren't worth the price of the book by a long shot. The recipes were OK - some of them are extremely simplistic [like the one for oatmeal: water, oats, salt. Put it in a pot and cook it]. I did not find many recipes that I found appealing - in fact, I doubt I'll try any recipes in the book [other than oatmeal, which I already eat on a regular basis....]. So, it was kind of frustrating - it took me less than 45 minutes [literally] to read this entire book [it is a slim volume, even padded with simple recipes]. I really did not feel I got my money's worth out of the book - I could have done better spending one hour on the internet googling vegan meals and tips.

I also felt that the claim that you can eat vegan for $4 a day was a bit exaggerated. For one thing, the portion sizes she gives are extremely small - for example, on day one you are supposed to eat half a cup of oatmeal for breakfast [and that is it.] For most people, one half a cup of plain oatmeal would not be enough to get them through till lunch. Can you imagine a 180 lb guy trying to get by on that? I can't. The lunches and dinners seemed very slim on serving size too - I think most people would probably end up having to increase what she counts as a full meal just to get enough calories. She does not include calorie counts in her menu plan, but looking at them, I'd guess the menu plans have 1,000-1,200 calories planned per day, which isn't enough for most healthy, active adults. [that is "famine level" caloric intake according to the World Health Organization].

I also felt the prices she said she was getting on the items she includes were awfully low - I am a long time frugal shopper and I have never seen prices as low as the ones she was quoting on some of the products she recommends. I'm a bit skeptical that anyone could really eat what she's recommending for $4 a day. [She also assumes a well stocked pantry in that calculation - such as spices on hand that aren't counted in the cost].

Now, that said, I DO believe that eating the way she recommends is FAR less expensive than eating the average American diet, even if she has exaggerated the inexpensiveness of it. This is still a far superior way of eating - both health wise and financially.

So, I truly felt conflicted by this book - 29 pages of good info and some recipes that were somewhat helpful, but not worth the price of an entire book IMO. I wish there had been MORE to this.

In summary, this book was helpful, but it could have been so much more helpful!

After recently reading The China Study and seeing the documentary Forks Over Knives, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that there was a cookbook that is based on a plant-based diet. Not only does it contain recipes to create wonderfully delicious and nutritious meals, it shows us how to do this on a very modest budget! Also, many of the recipes have only a few ingredients - these are actually doable (unlike some of the recipes I have seen where the mountain of ingredients is so extensive it turns me off before I could even think about attempting to prepare it). She also includes a very nice table indicating the grain:water ratio in cooking different types of grains. Now I don't have to go to the internet everytime to find out what the ratio is for preparing couscous, quinoa, bulgar . . . so on and so forth. Information to save our health and our money at the same time - sounds like a WIN/WIN in my book! Thanks Ellen for sharing your creativity and wisdom.

I was writing a "Thank You" e-mail to Ellen and stopped to look here. The ten other 5-star reviewers, so far, have guided you correctly. What can I add?

I have been a "Healthy Lifestyle Advocate" for the last nine years after my family of four participated in Dr. John McDougall's "Total Health Solution" ten-day clinic.

For the last four years I have communicated frequently with Ellen as a fellow volunteer "PCRM Heart Health Speaker". She is also a PCRM Cancer Project Educator and Chef.) Her just-published book is all that you need to quickly and cheaply put into practice what the many "Healthy Lifestyle Educators" practice and teach. Besides lower food costs, your medical costs will be much less

-- Examples: type-two diabetics and high blood pressure patients usually can reverse their food-caused maladies and get off of medications that only treat symptoms.

For best health, you need optimal human nutrition and good exercise. We all have to eat, and lucky for us, 80% of the health and long life benefits come from good foods and only 20% comes from better exercise. So first and foremost, learn much better eating from Ellen.

You don't need to become the high-level running athlete that she is, but do increase your strength and aerobic efforts.

Making changes in life is difficult. Eating out is a big habit. It would be so great if someone else in the family would take the recipes in this book and run with them for the whole family! Don't expect that - get started yourself and make it exciting, fun, MONEY-SAVING, and so much easier using these recipes.