In a society with $1 double-cheeseburgers at McDonald’s and $14.99/lb organic almond butter at Whole Foods, its no wonder people think a vegetarian diet is more expensive! But in reality, the staples of a vegetarian diet are much cheaper than meat. (In fact, most of the world’s population eats mostly cheap vegetarian commodities such as rice, corn, and beans.)
Plant proteins are much cheaper than the equivalent amount of animal protein. The cheapest cut of beef, ground round, averages $3/lb in the US (lean and extra lean); boneless chicken breasts cost $3.40/lb; and canned tuna is about $2/lb.
Compare that to dried beans and lentils at less than $1/lb, and rice at well below $1/lb. (Although Whole Foods offers expensive wild rice at $6.99/lb, it also has basic brown rice for $0.69/lb. And though pine nuts are an exorbitant $13.99/lb, you can get sunflower seeds, with nearly the same amount of protein, at a fraction of the price.)
Tofu, the ”meat” of the vegetarian world, is well under $2/lb. (However, when you try to dress up plants as meat, costs skyrocket. Soy hot dogs, for example, cost $5/lb, but turkey hot dogs are less than half that.) And pasta is around $1/lb (or less, when on sale).
Produce is trickier to compare because the prices of fruits and vegetables vary widely with the season and source. Locally grown fruits and vegetables are sometimes cheaper than those imported from far away and can be much cheaper in summer when there’s an abundance. Then, if you take the plunge into organics, the price may double or triple compared with non-organic produce.* Plus, vegetarians consume a much greater volume and therefore spend more money on produce. (Most Americans eat only 3 servings a day, compared with the 7-9 servings recommended for optimum health.)
Here is a list of 50 healthy foods that cost less than $1/lb. All but 1 are vegetarian and all but 4 are vegan.
In the long run, no mater how much you spend on vegetarian foods, you’ll likely see a major payoff in better health, lower risk of chronic diseases, and reduced health-care costs. (A bypass surgery or angioplasty procedure can cost nearly $60,000.) Though it’s difficult to tally the savings of illnesses or diseases avoided with a plant-based diet, the financial worth of good health is unquestionable.
Life insurance companies have actually put a figure on it. Most companies require a fairly extensive physical exam before issuing a private policy. Although they don’t ask about diet, they look at cholesterol, blood sugar, body mass index, blood pressure, family history and tobacco use. People they consider the healthiest (those at the least risk of dying) will be charged roughly half the annual premium of someone on the other end of the scale. For a 54-year-old man with a $1 million policy over 20 years, that would amount to $2,500 a year versus $5,000 a year. With this kind of savings, you could afford to buy a few ounces of Whole Foods’ organic bluefoot mushrooms ($39.99/lb).
*Why does organic produce cost so much more? The answer is that organic fruits and veggies are usually not grown on an industrial scale, so efficiencies aren’t as great. There are also significant costs involved in switching farmland from nonorganic to organic status. And there’s a lot more manual labor involved, such as weeding by hand.
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Breakfast: Bagel with jelly
Lunch: Veggie wrap from deli accross the street
Dinner: Pasta with tomato sauce and fresh basil (grown on my balcony)
