For the Vegetarian with Soul  

Shopping Cues: For Beginners using Health-Food Stores and Co-Ops

Healthy food does not neccessarily have to be expensive. Careful shopping can help you make the most out of your food dollars and cents. Many of the food items mentioned on Vegetarian Soulfood Websiteare available in supermakets, but some must be purchased in healthfood stores. Going with a friend who is familiar with a health food stores can make your trip easier and will be a great help. It can be very frustrating (and expensive) to impulsively to buy foods you don't know what to do with. Your friend may also know the stores in your area which have the best prices and selection.

In the beginning, choose a few basic staples to experiment with. Go slowly! Keep in mind that your goal is to incorporate more simple, whole foods into your diet. Buy few things as a time, especially if you are feeding a family or hoousehold that is already set in its eating habits. Too many dramactic changes in a daily fare, you may discover, will raise a lot of resistance. Years ago when I first switched to vegetarianism, I personally, started my family off with trying new dishes along side of the old dish to give them a comfort level needed. For example, if I was serving fried chicken, I would make fried tofu, or if I was making a veggie dish w/ meat I would make a veggie dish with no meat...nothing drastic!!!

Beaware of small stores selling primarily pill (food supplements) and packaged items. Generally speaking, they have higher prices. In smaller stores with less traffic, food may stay on the shelves longer. Be especially careful when shopping for items such as raw nuts and seeds, raw milk, speciality bean flours, wheat germ, and oils. All these have relatively short shelf life.

Cooperative sroes have become more and more popular. Basically, they are consumer owned stores, and operate on principle rather than profit. Their markup reflects this. Whereas most stores have 50% or higher markup, co-ops usually are between 20%-30%. This could mean considerable savings. many of these stores have different systems, some require a membership or ask for volunteer time. Ask the cashier for information.

Most co-ops and many healthfood stores encourage you to bring your own bags and jars.