Let’s face it. Trending health foods like quinoa, kale, and avocados get a lot of hype for their nutritional value and aesthetic quality, but the truth is you do not need them in your diet! A vegan diet is falsely perceived as expensive partially because of mainstream craze for many of these pocket-heavy foods. You might be surprised to know there are multiple ways to ensure you’re eating a perfectly healthy vegan diet without needing to splurge. In fact, it can even be less expensive than an omnivorous diet.
Cost is normally a big factor when it comes to trying new food, so hopefully, the following tips will show you how to make vegan food totally affordable.
1. Cook!
This is no new news. Vegan or not, cooking saves a ton of money! It might even make you more conscious of what you’re putting into your body, and therefore, make you less inclined to spend money on processed foods. We love this video, where Sadia from Pick Up Limes shows you how to cook ultra budget-friendly ‘€1/$1 meals’! Avant Garde Vegan has some great money-saving cooking videos too.
2. Eat what you love eating, just make it vegan.
Let’s remember that vegan is not a cuisine, meaning that eating veg doesn’t entail giving up the foods you love. You can still continue to have burgers, curries, cheese and baked goods – with some adjustments. Instead of buying a long list of brand new foods you’ve never tried before, and as a result, spending that much more money, take baby steps. Opt for homemade nut milk in place of cow’s milk. Add beans or tofu to your curries in place of meat. Give that non-dairy ice cream or coffee creamer a try. It’s all a matter of simple swaps. To find great vegan recipes for any food you love, just type the name of the dish into Google followed by the word ‘vegan,’ and you’ll be amazed at the number of recipes out there.
3. Shop local, seasonal, fresh and whole
Imported produce travels miles and miles to get to your local supermarket, so it’s no surprise that it’s expensive (with an eco-footprint to boot!). On the other hand, when produce is locally sourced and in season, it’s often less expensive due to production and transport costs being lower. This is why they say it’s best to shop local and seasonal! On top of that, if you regularly choose whole foods over processed foods, you’ll see how much you can save on a vegan diet!
4. Shop wholesale and in bulk
Don’t fall for the skyrocketing prices of nuts you find on the supermarket shelves. Instead, go to a wholesale store or a bulk store, where the prices are guaranteed to be a fraction of what you see in the supermarkets. As a vegan who cooks, you’re very likely to be a regular customer of nuts and seeds so you might as well shop smart. And anyway, nuts have a long shelf life so if buying a large batch saves you money long term, go for it!
5. Stock up on beans and pulses
Since beans and pulses are a cheap, low-fat, highly satisfying source of protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals, they are some of the best ingredients to keep stocked up in your kitchen at all times. The variety is endless – red kidney beans, chickpeas, black eyed peas, lentils, fava beans, black beans, baked beans, etc. These are truly fuss-free, wholesome ingredients that can be thrown into any kind of meal, and are sure to save you a lot!
We hope this clears up some of your thoughts about veganism being expensive. While it’s true that certain food products can hike up a steep grocery bill, there are plenty of hacks to keep it budget-friendly and healthy!
For more helpful resources that will help you make the transition, download the HappyCow app so you can find vegan food near you effortlessly, and connect with like-minded vegans around you! Visit our blog for other helpful articles and resources.
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We at TeamCow wish you a very happy Veganuary!
