Of course, what we pay for our food will be different for everyone, but I strongly believe that Veganism is the most affordable option for most people, especially during this cost of living crisis.
I believe that when compared to a non plant-based diet, a plant-based diet comes up trumps when it comes to how much it will set you back at the tills.
Here's why;
Vegan staples such as grains, beans and veg are the cheapest type of food! They are also able to form the bulk of your meal and can be bought in higher quantity to benefit from the economies of scale.
For example a pasta and bean salad is highly nutritious. You can have your macros balanced, with plenty of protein and choose your affordable salad veg. How about carrots and peas?
It is really with plant-based foods that you can make extremely cheap dishes.
Dairy and meat simply costs a lot more / weight.
Of course, you can make Vegan eating expensive, by buying items such as specialist vegan cheese, but these items do not need to form a part of your diet.
Even the specialist Vegan food alternatives such as sausages and burgers are now the same or less than the meat alternative.
I read online that a large research study by Kantar found that vegan households spend 8% less than non vegans on their food shopping.
There have been numerous of such studies suggesting how much a plant-based diet can save.
When dining out vegan food is usually a little cheaper than the non vegan alternative, but it should be much cheaper.
Unfortunately, restaurants typically do not pass on the savings they made by using plant-based ingredients, but typically the Vegan options are 10% less than the non plant-based options on the menu.
There is a myth that Vegan food is expensive and it is for the privileged, but this is simply just that, a myth.
Eat a whole foods plant based diet and you will save a whole lot of cash.
It won't cost the planet or a life, either.