Research Going vegan could save more than $650 a year in grocery costs (join the Moral Elite)

[C C]

Going vegan could save more than $650 a year in grocery costs, finds new research
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1065291

INTRO: A low-fat vegan diet cuts food costs by 19%, or $1.80 per day, when compared with a standard American diet that included meat, dairy, and other animal products, according to new research by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine published in JAMA Network Open. The study also found that a Mediterranean diet cost 60 cents more per day when compared with the standard American diet. Total foods costs were 25% lower, $2.40 per day, on a vegan diet, compared with the Mediterranean diet.

“As the cost of groceries remains stubbornly high, consumers should swap the meat and dairy products for a low-fat vegan diet based on fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans to possibly save more than $650 a year on their grocery bill, compared with a standard American diet, and more than $870, compared with the Mediterranean diet,” says Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD, lead author of the paper and director of clinical research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

“A vegan diet won’t just save money; it could save lives by helping to avoid or improve conditions like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.”

The decrease in costs on the vegan diet was mainly attributable to savings of $2.90 per day on meat, 50 cents per day on dairy products, and 50 cents per day on added fats. These savings outweighed the increased spending of 50 cents per day on vegetables, 30 cents per day on grains, and 50 cents per day on meat alternatives on the vegan diet.

The new research is a secondary analysis of a previous Physicians Committee study comparing a low-fat vegan diet to a Mediterranean diet... (MORE - details, no ads)

[Syne]

Yeah, and you can look sickly like a vegan too.

[Zinjanthropos]

By the time you’ve purchased a year’s supply of vitamins and supplements you’re probably no farther ahead financially.

[confused2]

I think it's worth paying a bit extra to not have to eat vegetables. There's a lot of good junk food out there that doesn't contain animals. US calls them fries, we call them chips, US calls them chips and we call them crisps - good whatever you call them especially in marged bread with tomato sauce. Marmite is the only vitamin source you need - ta da - living proof (so far).

[stryder]

Most costs are based upon whether you make things yourself to eat, or buy already processed. (even worse if all you do is eat out).

Further to that is waste. If you are crafty, you can get the same core ingredients to produce multiple meals, making it last a little longer. (and this being cheaper)

Pre-processed vegan foods however were not cheap, for some reason the supermarkets treated them as gourmet. This however was useful during the covid lockdown as well most shelves started to look a little empty and the prices started going up, the vegan foods were relatively untouch and their prices were already steep.