There are many assumptions about veganism, some are accurate while others lack the necessary evidence needed to make it fact. A common argument against veganism is that it is more expensive than a “regular” diet and therefore difficult for the average family to afford. But is there any truth to this statement? 

We explore the expenses associated with a typical American diet and compare that to the standard vegan diet to get to the bottom of this highly debated question. The results may surprise you!

Standard American Diet (S.A.D.)

Some of the most popular foods in a typical American diet include French fries, potato chips, hamburgers, hot dogs, and pizza. The average American diet can be broken down as a total of 2100 calories per day consisting of 16% protein, 47% carbs, 36% fats, and 22% added sugars, with many of these calories coming from highly processed foods. The average American spends about $2700/year on food according to data from 2019, ranked 11th in the world for such expenditure. However, the cost of the food itself is not the only consideration when weighing the costs associated with this diet. The American style of diet is attributed to upwards of $50 billion in health care costs alone in America due to its unhealthy nature leading to issues such as heart disease and diabetes.

What is a Vegan Diet?

Vegans on the other hand fill their diet with things such as legumes, nuts, seeds and sprouted and fermented plant-based foods. Most vegans look to consume a balanced diet ranging from 45%-65% carbs, 25%-35% fats and 20%-30% protein daily. Due to the high fiber nature of this diet, vegans likely need to consume more calories than meat packed diets. While food costs in a vegan diet are highly susceptible to variability as they are particularly reliant on fresh produce, numerous studies have indicated great cost savings by making the switch to a meatless diet. According to a study completed by Oxford, people in Western countries like the US, UK, Australia and Western Europe could be expected to save 33% on food costs by switching vegan.

A Common Misconception About the Cost of a Vegan Diet

So now that the cat is out of the bag that vegan diets are not only cheaper in terms of food but can save you substantially on health care costs as well, where does the misconception come from?

Many celebrities have adopted veganism and usually showcase flashier meals than the average vegan would eat with higher cost ingredients, influencing this high cost perception. Most vegans’ shop at affordable stores like Trader Joes and Aldi, purchasing in season and local foods instead of high-priced imported produce. Another likely factor for this thought process is that at many restaurants, vegan options do equal or exceed the cost of their meat counterparts as due to limited demand, restaurants are not taking the same advantage of bulk ordering to cut costs as they are able to with meat.

However, with veganism growing in popularity and more restaurants offering these choices and carrying greater levels of product to meet consumer demand, even vegan meal options in restaurants are likely to fall. Now more than ever is a great time to embrace a vegan lifestyle for improved health or to assist in combating environmental changes and animal cruelty.