How to Save Money On a Vegan Diet. Take This List to the Store

Conventional wisdom tells us that a diet high in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds–aka a plant-based diet–is expensive and costs more than the traditional American diet of meat and dairy, fast or processed foods. Telling consumers to lean into a plant-based diet is often considered an elitist’s view of the world. But, upon a closer look, that seems to be untrue. When you go to the store and buy vegetables, fruit, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and leave out the processed foods, meat, dairy, and anything that contains added sugar or preservatives, you are bound to save money, as much as $23 a week by one recent study. This is because produce and fresh whole ingredients (like rice, lentils, and beans) are some of the least expensive items in every market.

Several studies have shown that families will save money at the store, up to $1,260 annually, simply by switching from a meat-filled diet to a plant-based approach. Meanwhile, cutting out meat and dairy and adding more plant-based foods to your plate is known to reduce the lifetime risk of major diseases including heart disease, type two diabetes, certain cancers, obesity, and more. A recent study tells us that when consumers switch from an animal-based protein source to plant-based proteins, they lower their risk of early death significantly.

Refuting the myth that this lifestyle is more expensive is tough work, but some pretty big names are pushing plant-based to the mainstream: Just last week, Michelle Obama asked her followers to try to make better produce selections, and that she is partnering with Walmart and other retailers to make inexpensive produce available to communities that do not currently have access to fresh produce and healthier whole foods, especially in cities. Obama has made it her mission to distribute more than one million meals to food-insecure families in connection with the debut of her children’s food show on Netflix called Waffles + Mochi. Her 'Pass the Love' campaign is a collaborative campaign from the nonprofit Partnership for a Healthier America and Higher Ground Productions, founded by the Obamas.

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Healthier Food Does Not Have to be Pricier

Our personal health relies on getting over the idea that produce has to be pricey. If you can't find affordable prices in your local grocery store's produce department, you can choose frozen bags of fresh vegetables and fruit, which have nearly the same nutrient profile as fresh foods do, according to Maya Feller, RD and the founder of Maya Feller Nutrition, a nutrition private practice specializing in nutrition for chronic disease prevention.

In fact, there are so many inexpensive plant-based foods that can save you money, and benefit your health and the environment. Here is exactly what to buy to save money and eat healthy on a plant-based diet. First know this: When you eat vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, whole grains (like oatmeal and quinoa), and legumes (like beans and lentils) these plant-based foods contain protein, calcium, fiber, antioxidants, and other vital nutrients, while being very heart healthy, Plants do not contain cholesterol, unlike animal products, and have been known to lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, hypertension, obesity, type two diabetes, and other chronic lifestyle diseases. Plant-based diets literally save lives while saving money.

These and other healthy foods are inexpensive, especially when bought in bulk, in season, on sale, or at discount stores or farmer's markets. If you can grow any food or herbs, all the better!

“The key to eating vegan on a budget is simple”, according to Melissa from The Stingy Vegan, “[just] eat whole foods that are in season, cook at home when you can, and take the time for a little bit of planning.”

Eating more plant-based foods saves on health care costs

Researchers at the University of Oxford concluded that if everyone in the US switched to vegetarianism, it would reduce healthcare costs by up to $223.6 billion a year. Worldwide, Lauren Cassani Davis writes that current meat consumption costs the world economy nearly $1.6 trillion annually, and a global switch to plant-based diets would save an estimated 8 million lives each year. The experts at the University of Oxford detailed that a widespread switch to plant-based eating would also cut environmental costs by over half a trillion dollars annually, due to animal agriculture’s role in the loss of biodiversity and climate change. Plant-based eating is not only best for your health, but it’s also best for saving money and the planet.

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50 plant foods to stock up on to save money on your trips to the grocery store

alfalfa sprouts
bean sprouts
beans
beets
bok choy
bread (various)
broccoli
Brussels sprouts
cabbage
carrots
cauliflower
celery
chayote
chickpeas
chili peppers
cilantro
collard greens
couscous
eggplant
frozen veggies
kale
lentils
lettuce
mustard greens
non-dairy milk
oats
okra
onion
parsley
parsnip
pasta
peanut butter
peas
potatoes
pumpkin
rice
rutabaga
squash
snap peas
spices
spinach
string beans
sunflower seeds
sweet potatoes
tomato sauce
tomatoes
turnips
yams
yellow squash
zucchini

Take this list to the store and buy several items on it each week, to save money, and your health and the planet. For great ideas of what to cook, check out The Beet's library of healthy plant-based recipes, here.

Dan Brook, Ph.D., teaches in the Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences at San Jose State University, is on the Board of San Francisco Veg Society and the Advisory Board of Jewish Veg, and is the author of the free Eating the Earth: The Truth About What We Eat and editor of the non-profit Justice in the Kitchen.