The myth of plant based living being expensive-Tips on eating vegan on a budget

There is this wide spread conception that eating plant based/vegan is expensive and not affordable.

I ever so often hear people say things like “I would love to eat more plant based but I just can’t afford it”, and then I always have to break it to them that in fact there are simple ways to eat vegan on a budget without having to compromise on eating delicious well balanced meals. I would even suggest that eating vegan on a budget actually forces you to eat healthier since it often is the highly processed vegan products such as vegan cheeses and vegan fake meat which are pricy. It is exactly these types of products that are responsible for the whole “veganism is expensive myth” and if you indulge yourself in all the lucrative vegan products that are out on the market these days you will spend a lot of money whilst also not being the healthiest as you consume vegan burger patties, fake chicken bits, and sausages on the daily.

Now don’t get me wrong I am aware that there also are some vegan meat products which have more natural and healthier ingredients, but in general it is safe to say that the less processed foods you eat the healthier you will be. From a health perspective, your goal should be to eat mostly whole foods, a whole food being a food in its most natural unprocessed state such as beans, vegetables, brown rice etc. I promise you won’t miss out on anything if you take this as ground rule because you can make many delicious meals out of while plant foods while spending little money. You can even make your own, “fake meat” products such as black bean burger patties out of simple whole food ingredients if you fancy- super tasty, unprocessed and inexpensive (Check out a black bean burger recipe under my plant based recipes). Trust me it’s much simpler than you think.

So now you might feel inspired to try living a healthy plant based life style on a budget.

Here are a few tips I have acquired over time on how to eat vegan on a budget.

1. Whole food vegan staples

   Some inexpensive whole food vegan staples which are on my shopping list regularly include Lentils, White beans, kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas, Borlotti beans, brown rice, oats, potatoes and Millet. For those of you you haven’t heard of millet it’s a super nutritious grain which hasn’t gained huge mainstream popularity (yet), tastes delicious and is very affordable. Along these staples I get tons of fresh veggies and fruits which in general aren’t very expensive, especially if you try to buy them as seasonally as possible. Imported vegetables and fruits tend to be more expensive so try to avoid those as much as possible.

2. Make it yourself

   If you do have the craving for expensive vegan products such as vegan meatballs, burgers or even vegan cheese make it yourself. Honestly it doesn’t even take that long- It takes me about 10 minutes to make vegan meatballs or a burger patty and if you would like to have some of these products ready made just make a batch of your own vegan meat products and then freeze them. You can easily make your own vegan cheese out of cashew nuts and it will be healthier than some of the store bought heavily processed cheese. You can even easily make things such as oat milk yourself- all you need is water and a cup full of oats, blend it and strain it-takes 5 minutes.

3. Plan your meals in advance

   Cook your meals at home as much as possible and meal prep so that you can make yourself lunch boxes throughout the week. Eating home cooked meals isn’t solely cheaper but also often times healthier than eating out. Also finding good quality vegan food while at work or out and about can be quite the challenge and if you do find it, it has the tendency to break your wallet.

4. Buy some frozen vegetables and berries

   Buying frozen veggies and fruit is something I used to avoid in general because I thought “fresh is always better”, thinking that frozen produce would perhaps have less nutritional value but this simply isn't true. Vegetables are frozen right after they are harvested retaining their nutritional value sometimes even more than fresh vegetables which have been exposed to light, temperature and oxygen fluctuations. The great news is that frozen veggies and fruit are generally cheaper than fresh produce so stock up on a few frozen items if you want to save money.

5. Grow it yourself

   Now I am aware that not everyone has access to a garden nor has the time and energy to plant and grow all your own vegetables but it is the little things which can make a difference, like for example growing your own fresh herbs in a pot or having a chilli plant. Even growing a bit of salad on your balcony in a square planter pot can spare you a few bucks. Additionally growing some of your own food feels very rewarding and makes you fully appreciate it when you have that homegrown salad for lunch.

   I hope that some of these tips have been helpful and that you feel positive about the possibility of living plant based on a budget. I promise eating well won’t break your wallet if you follow some of these tips xx.