7 Ways to Save Money On A Plant-Based Diet (2024)

FAQs

How does a plant-based diet save money? ›

A 2021 study from Oxford University found that vegan diets reduced food costs by as much as one-third. When you think about it, it makes sense: The average cost of a pound of ground beef was $5.23 in October 2023. If you replace that meat with chickpeas, you can expect to pay around a dollar for a 15.5-ounce can.

All households, food choices, and grocery budgets are different, and depending on where you live, some types of plant foods are more expensive than others. However, research shows plant-based diets can actually be less expensive than animal food-inclusive diets.

Vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, seeds, and nuts are the stars of all plant-based diets. More and more people seem to be making the switch to plant-based diet foods.

Some studies have shown that those on a plant-based diet are found to have lower plasma vitamin B12 levels and higher levels of vitamin B12 deficiency than those who consume animal products. Vitamin B12 is an important cofactor in DNA synthesis, and deficiency can lead to anemia and severe neurological dysfunction.

Is a vegan diet really expensive? Honestly, it doesn't have to be. A study by Oxford University discovered that plant-based eating is actually the most affordable diet. It also found that a vegan diet reduced food costs by up to one-third due to the use of whole foods over meat and meat replacements.

The most common challenge we see is that “new” vegans and vegetarians do not eat enough calories throughout the day. Snacking is a great way to stay full! Make sure you are incorporating snacks between meals. These snacks allow you to meet your calorie needs as well as manage your hunger between meals.

A team of researchers at Loma Linda University in the United States has shown vegetarian men live for an average of 10 years longer than non-vegetarian men — 83 years compared to 73 years. For women, being vegetarian added an extra 6 years to their lives, helping them reach 85 years on average.

Plant-based or plant-forward eating patterns focus on foods primarily from plants. This includes not only fruits and vegetables, but also nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and beans. It doesn't mean that you are vegetarian or vegan and never eat meat or dairy.

There are currently high fixed costs reflective of the extra level of upfront marketing and sales efforts required by plant-based brands challenging the established commoditized conventional meat category.

Do vegetarians save more money? ›

A plant-based whole-food diet, she says, saves money both in the short term and in the long term due to a reduced risk of chronic disease. A few people I talked with who had recently adopted plant-based diets say their grocery bills plummeted by about 20 percent when they made the switch.

Choosing plant-based options can help reduce our carbon footprint and mitigate climate change. Conserve natural resources: Plant-based diets require fewer resources than animal-based diets. By choosing plant-based options, we can help conserve natural resources such as land, water, and energy.

However, plant-based diets can be perceived as more expensive than the common omnivorous diets, when considering the expensive novel meat substitutes and also the higher costs of fruits and vegetables, whose consumption is perceived to increase.