If you are one of those people that think eating plant-based is expensive, then I must tell you that you are wrong. It could not be cheaper to eat plants and stay healthy.
Not only do you save money because you are not buying animal products and a ton of other unhealthy shit, but you also save money due to being healthier and not needing to spend money on doctors and drugs.
Let’s get one thing out of the way. If you want to eat highly processed vegan foods, such as cheese, meats, cookies, and similar, then yes, it will be expensive and you won’t save much. But if you eat a clean, whole food diet that doesn’t come with added colouring and sugar, you will be good.
When you decide that your health is more important than what you crave in the middle of the night, you will discover that not only is eating plants much cheaper than eating other animals but it is also better financially long term.
If you lessen the chances of getting sick, you lessen the chances of having to spend thousands of Euros on hospital bills.
Here are three ways to eat plant-based on a budget.
- Eat healthily. Buying potatoes, cabbage, rice, tomatoes and apples is not going to cost you much + it won’t negatively affect your health. Buying fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and spices is affordable and healthy. Yes, you will need to cook and prepare meals by yourself, which I know some humans hate to do, but for the sake of your wallet and your health, taking 30 minutes to prepare a soup or risotto is necessary.
- Write down your meal schedule for the week ahead so you will know what to eat and what to buy ahead of time. If you go to the store without a plan – not to mention being hungry as well – you will spend useless amounts of money on products that are expensive and bad for your health. What ingredients will you need for the main three meals on Monday? What about Tuesday? Think about the whole week and plan your daily meals. You won’t only save money but time as well.
- Eat at home. I already mentioned cooking and preparing your own meals, but if you are used to eating out and having someone else prepare your meals for you, then this might be just what you need. Eating in restaurants and bars may not seem expensive when you are sitting there, waiting for your burger or veggie plate to arrive, but when you look back at the end of the month, you see how much money you spent on meals that you could easily prepare at home. You could also get all the ingredients for a much lower price. I know that starting to cook is challenging, especially if you don’t like it, but think about how much money you will save and how different your lifestyle will be with a bit more money in your pocket that would otherwise be spent on take-out.
Social media promotes the idea that eating a plant-based diet is expensive and something only privileged kids can afford to do. They tell us that it is impossible to eat vegan on a budget and that is so not true. It’s bullshit.
After all, we all see these beautiful fruit bowls and vegan pizzas on Instagram accounts of pretty girls in yoga pants. We subconsciously connect the dots and suddenly we get the fake idea that if we want to eat only plants, we must include coconuts and pineapple in our morning cereal or that sweet potatoes are a must with every meal.
Hey, we can’t all afford coconuts every day and sweet potatoes are rare to find (especially for us, small-town people).
Don’t get obsessed with the fake ideal that social media promotes what plant-eaters must eat. It’s not true at all. I mostly eat rice, pasta and potatoes. Carbs.
Now, I’m not poor because my plate doesn’t look like a rainbow every single day, or because I only eat pizza twice a year. I eat the way I eat because it is healthy and I would much rather spend my money on books and education than on tropical fruit that does not contain many different nutrients than an apple or a pear.
And there is nothing wrong with eating on a budget. Most of us have a budget when it comes to food. It is how the majority of people in the Western world eat. We know how much we can afford to spend and where the limit is. If you are lucky enough to be able to eat in restaurants or have a private chef, then good for you, I am happy that you are able to eat whatever you want, but most of us don’t have that luxury.
But I don’t want you to live with the belief that eating plants is expensive. It absolutely isn’t. The media loves to promote the idea of a plant-based diet being expensive and/or not good enough for our health. Don’t listen to them.
Choose your health and learn how to play the game. Learn what foods are good for you, where to get your B12, and learn about how to eat on a budget. That’s the whole science.
Make sure to leave a comment below, telling me any other tips that you have for everyone who wants to eat plant-based more often but is afraid of going over the limit on their budget, so we can share what we know.
To keep up with what I do, find me on Pinterest and Instagram. I post daily.
Tanja
