For some reason, when many people think of eating a plant-based diet, they think of it being expensive.
I’ve heard it myself from many different people – “eating plant-based is not affordable for many people.”
While any diet can be expensive depending on the foods that you buy, a plant-based diet is certainly not inherently expensive. So in this article I’m going to explain how that’s the case and exactly what you can do to make it extremely affordable.
One Quick Note
It would be foolish to have this discussion without acknowledging the topic of food access. It is true that there are some people who have limited access to grocery stores, and others who buy food using stamps or other government programs. The topic of food access is definitely an important conversation to have, but that’s for another day.
Is a plant-based diet expensive?
The short answer is no, but the longer answer is “it depends.”
When people think of transitioning to a plant-based diet, they often think about what they will replace “meat” with. If you are loading up your grocery cart with fake meat products, yes, a “plant-based diet” can be expensive.
That said, to optimize your health, I don’t recommend doing that. Instead, if you are sticking to whole, plant-based options (which happen to be the healthiest foods), then no, a plant-based diet is not only not expensive, but it is actually less expensive than a traditional meat-based diet or fast food options.
Let’s take a look at some examples of common plant-based staples and how many calories the food has per 1$.
- Rice: 2320 calories per $1
- Oats: 2148 calories per $1
- Beans: 1,429 calories per $1
- Lentils: 1,300 calories per $1
- Potatoes: 600 calories per $1
But what about fruits and vegetables? Aren’t those expensive?
No. The USDA found that “An adult on a 2,000-calorie diet could satisfy the fruit-and-vegetable recommendations of the Guidelines at a cost of $2-$2.50 per day on average.”
Of course there are some fruits and vegetables that are more expensive than others, but on average, buying fruits and vegetables in season is not expensive.
As you can see, these common plant-based foods are extremely inexpensive. While obviously this isn’t the extent to which someone eats, you can easily see how if a standard person eats around 2,000 calories per day, you can get a larger portion of your food for only several dollars a day.
Now let’s take a look at a few meat and dairy options:
- Ground beef: 250 calories per $1
- Chicken: 200 calories per $1
- Cheapest shredded cheese: 350 calories per $1
I think the point is clear. In general, the staples of a plant-based diet are far cheaper than meat and dairy options.
Where you’ll find yourself spending a lot of money on food is if you’re constantly buying meat and dairy alternatives.
While these can be helpful to include in your diet every once in a while, not only is it cheaper, but it is also healthier, to stick to more whole foods.
Buying In Bulk
When you buy food in bulk, food is significantly cheaper than buying individual, smaller items.
Whether you buy out of the bins at your local grocery store or at stores like Costco, BJ’s or Sam’s Club, you can save a lot of money this way on just about any grocery items.
Organic vs Non-Organic
Organic produce is more expensive than non-organic produce. While I do recommend trying to buy organic produce if that fits within your budget, that isn’t a reason to call a plant-based diet “expensive” seeing as non organic produce is still healthy.
I will do a more in-depth article in the future on organic foods, but for now, if you are trying to save money, I recommend buying some foods organic and some foods not.
The Dirty Dozen is a list that highlights fruits and vegetables that have been tested and have the highest amounts of pesticides. For this reason, it is best to buy the 12 foods listed below organic (if possible) as they have been found to contain the most amount of pesticides:
The 2021 list includes:
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Kale/Collard/Mustard greens
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Grapes
- Cherries
- Peaches
- Pears
- Bell and hot peppers
- Celery
- Tomatoes
If it fits within your budget to buy other foods organic, that’s great. If not, that’s okay too. But do your best to buy the foods in the list above organic.
So again, claiming that organic foods are expensive isn’t a great reason to avoid a plant-based diet. At the end of the day, even if you buy the above foods organic, you won’t be spending much money shopping on a whole foods, plant-based diet.
Eating Out
Buying food from restaurants is significantly more expensive than preparing home cooked meals. So regardless of what type of foods you eat, whether you eat a plant-based diet or not, if you’re ordering restaurant food often, you’re going to spend more money than if you eat food from your house.
Even fast food is significantly more expensive than food from your house.
For example, a Big Mac meal at McDonald’s is going to cost at least $6.
This article references a study that found that the average plant-based meal costs $1.41, which makes sense if you consider the price of plant-based staples I listed above.
Cost of Medical Treatment
In today’s society, so many people do not prioritize their health. Because of that, it’s no surprise that as a whole, we are a very sick nation.
Not only is a plant-based diet less expensive than a diet consisting of meat and dairy, I think it would be silly to have this discussion with highlighting the amount of money we spend on medical treatment.
As of 2019, US healthcare spending grew to $3.8 trillion dollars. To say Americans spend a mass amount of money on healthcare is an understatement.
I say this not to scare you or be a Debby downer, but rather to inspire you and show you that eating healthy truly is an investment.
Not only will you find yourself spending less money on groceries, but a plant-based diet has consistently been found to be the healthiest way to eat.
The healthier you are, especially as you age, the less money you will have to spend on medical treatment, which if you know the cost of medical treatment, adds up big time.
Budget Friendly Day of Eating
Breakfast: Oatmeal with fruit ($1-2 per person)
Lunch: Stir fry consisting of rice, beans, tofu, vegetables ($2-3 per person)
Dinner: Lentil Cauliflower Tacos (recipe here) ($2-4 per person)
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is a common misconception that a plant-based diet is expensive when that isn’t actually the case.
While a plant-based diet can be expensive if you load up the grocery cart with lots of meat based alternatives, as long as you stick to mostly whole foods (which is best for our health), then a plant-based diet is less expensive than a diet consisting of meat and diary.
Additionally, a plant-based diet has repeatedly shown better health outcomes for people so investing in your health early on will save you lots and lots of money later on.
I hope you enjoyed this article! As always, feel free to reach out to me either on Facebook (link here) or on my website as I’m always happy to help.
Online Plant-Based Fitness and Nutrition Coaching
So if you are looking for a coach (who understands a plant-based diet) to help keep you accountable and create a plan specifically for you, I recently opened up a few spots for my online fitness and nutrition coaching. Here’s what it includes:
- Customized workout routine that is tailored to your goals based on your schedule/available equipment.
- Tailored plant-based nutrition coaching so you can reach your goals while optimizing your health.
- Integrated support system that allows you to be held accountable throughout your journey.
If you’re interested in working with me so you can reach your fitness and nutrition goals, feel free to reach out as I’d love to talk more about whether we might be a good fit for each other. Find out more here!