Vegan grocery shopping: What you need to know

Worldwide, our consumption of vegan and plant-based products is rising sharply. This has led to the introduction and expansion of meatless meat such as the various plant-based burgers, including Beyond Meat. These alternative protein-rich products come with a price tag, and thus the impression has been made that a vegan or plant-based diet is expensive.

In this article, we will discuss various angles of vegan grocery shopping, including how to make a Whole Food, Plant-Based shopping list and how you can actually save lots of money compared to a meat-based diet. Here is a more extended guide to veganism and grocery shopping.

The basics of vegan grocery shopping

Oftentimes, we tend to focus on details when it comes to getting it right with our diet. Expensive supplements, organic produce or rare exotic imported products are examples of that. By focusing on those, we may forget about the actual key components of a plant-based diet.

Instead, the suggestion is to emphasize widely available products like fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains, which can be obtained from supermarkets and local street markets. These form the key cornerstones of a Whole Food, Plant-Based diet, which is widely acknowledged as one of the healthiest diets, if not the healthiest diet, we know of.

When it comes to grocery shopping, just remember the following:

•     Focus on the healthiest, most colorful, cheapest and most nutritious foods you can find.
•     Start with fruits and vegetables.
•     If you get this right, then make sure to get your beans and whole grains.
•     Add spices and condiments, and small quantities of nuts and seeds.
•     Keep it simple!

Does it need to be organic?

Did we mention that we like to keep things simple? 🙂 The curious human mind tends to overthink details and overlook the most important and most obvious things. Nowadays, there is a lot of emphasis on organic food. The benefit is that organic food carries more nutrients than non-organic food. The downside is that organic food is usually very expensive.

Whether or not you want to eat organic is up to you, but from a health-point-of-view it is important to note that the benefits of eating non-organic foods outweigh its risks (ie pesticides), and its risks appear to be minor.

Thus, keep it simple. Whatever you do – organic or non-organic – make sure you maximise your intake of fruits and vegetables.

Is a vegan and plant-based diet expensive?

The simple answer is: It is as expensive as you want it to be?

If you take many supplements, eat organic and choose meatless meat products, you will likely have high grocery expenses. However, if you get it right, you can actually save 40% on vegan meals compared to animal-based meals, according to this study.

Various other studies have come to similar conclusions. If you keep it simple, you can save hundreds if not thousands of Dollars each year by going plant-based. Not to mention the positive impact on your health, the environment and overall animal welfare. All you need to do is make sure to get your plant-based grocery shopping right.