5 Ways to Save Grocery Money on a Vegan Diet

People claim eating a healthy, plant-based diet is more expensive and thus a reason you might shy away from it.  Or maybe you use this as an excuse?  

Well no longer can you use money as an excuse for not eating a healthy, whole foods, plant-based diet. Why not?  Because here's 5 ways you'll actually save money on your groceries by not just eating healthier, but by losing 1-3 pounds a week AND reducing medications! (1,2,3).  Permanent weight-loss and medication reduction are highly likely when you fully adhere to a whole foods, plant-based diet for the long-term.

5 Ways to Save Grocery Money on a Vegan Diet

1. Buy beans, rice, pasta and potatoes as your staples.

Why?  Because they're cheaper per pound, they're more filling so you eat less calories throughout the day AND they're healthier for you than animal and refined foods!  

For example, Julieanna Hever, MS aka the Plant-Based Dietician, shared the below graphic with plant and animal food price differences on her blog describing additional ways to save money on a plant-based diet.  

                                                                 Graphic from www.plantbaseddietician.com

2. Don't buy organic.

Don't get me wrong, I love organic foods.  I work full-time on Spring Hill Organic vegetable farm in Albany, Oregon and I love eating our organic produce daily.  I'm thankful I don't work with pesticides or insecticides and that my surrounding ecosystem on the farm isn't threatened either.

However, severe heart disease and type II diabetes have been reversed on a whole food, plant-based diet without the food being organic or GMO free.  The Environmental Working Group (EWG) also states "the health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh risks of pesticide exposure" (4).

You can opt to buy the dirtiest produce as organic and the least sprayed produce as inorganic as a way to save money on fruits and veggies.  Check out the cleanest and dirtiest fruits and veggies on the EWG's dirty dozen list here.

3. Don't buy refined junk food.

It's not just animal foods that are more expensive, refined junk food is too!  

Take Kettle Potato chips for example.  Around $2.72 per 5 oz. bag, these chips cost you about $8.16 per pound!  That's more expensive than most organic veggies!  Plus potato chips are dreadful for you.  Don't eat them.  Eat a baked potato with salsa instead!

Use my suggested staple foods in #1 (pasta, beans, rice, potatoes) as snacks instead of refined junk foods and not only will you save money, you'll save 100s of calories as well!  My favorite snacks are baked sweet potatoes or yams which run about $1.49 per pound.

4.  Don't buy oil.

This includes extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil.  Not only is oil weight-promoting (it's 120 calories per tablespoon, the most calorie dense food on the planet and 100% fat) but severe heart disease was reversed without oil in the diet (1,2).  

Learn '5 Reasons Why Oil isn't a Health Food' and 'How to Sauté without Oil' on these episodes of Take Control Tuesdays. 

5. Save money on medication and health care.

When you adopt and adhere to a whole foods, plant-based diet, it's likely you'll prevent going on medication, eliminate the amount of meds you're on or, get off of them completely!  What a huge money saver that is!

You're likely to relieve yourself from colds, acne, low energy, arthritis, cancer, type II diabetes, erectile dysfunction and the list goes on! (5).  Now this, will save you money!

Take Control Now

What's the greatest insight you learned from today's episode?  What's a different way you save money on groceries by eating healthier?

Answer in the comments section below.

References

1. Ornish, D et al. Intensive lifestyle changes for reversal of coronary heart disease. JAMA. 1998 Dec 16;280(23):2001-7.
2. Esselstyn CB Jr., Updating a 12-year experience with arrest and reversal therapy for coronary heart disease (an overdue requiem for palliative cardiology). Am J Cardiol. 1999 Aug 1;84(3):339-41, A8.

3. Decreases in dietary glycemic index are related to weight loss among individuals following therapeutic diets for type 2 diabetes, J Nutr. 2011 Aug;141(8):1469-74. 

4. The Environmental Working Group, Shopper's Guide to Pesticide Produce. Accessed online September 2014.

5. Campbell, TC. 'Whole. Rethinking the Science of Nutrition' 2013. Ben Bella Books, Dallas, Texas.

Why Plants are Better for Your Bones Than Dairy

Since we were children we’ve always heard -- "drink milk, it’s good for your bones."

We’re told this because milk has calcium and our bones need calcium.

And it’s true that our bones need calcium.  But milk and dairy products aren’t the only foods with calcium.  

In fact, there are healthier foods that have calcium (as well as a host of the other vitamins and minerals).

For example,

• 1 cup of garbanzo beans = 80 mg of calcium (1)
• 1 cup of kale = 24 mg of calcium (2)
• 1 cup of broccoli = 43 mg of calcium (3)
• 1 cup of raw carrots = 42mg of calcium (4)
• 1 cup of brown rice = 20 mg of calcium (5)

Even a banana has calcium!

• 1 medium banana = 6 mg of calcium (6)

Well how much calcium is in 1 cup of milk?

• 1 cup of non-fat milk = 299 mg (7)
• 1 cup of almond milk = 451 mg of calcium (8)

You get more calcium from drinking almond milk than from low-fat milk!

As well as having calcium, whole plant foods are smarter and safer choices for these 3 reasons...

1.  Whole plant foods contain fiber; they’re naturally low in calories and fat; contain zero cholesterol and they’re abundant antioxidants and all of the different vitamins and minerals our bones need. 

So with plants, you’ll get more bang for your buck compared to dairy.  You won’t only get calcium, but you’ll get a wealth of regenerative nutrients that are good for your whole body, not just your bones.

2.  Dairy products, on the other hand, don’t have fiber, contain cholesterol are naturally higher in fat, and they’re high in animal protein which negatively affects bones, despite containing calcium.

3.  You don’t need as much calcium as think you think. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has written extensively on what they the calcium paradox (9).  That is, countries in the world where calcium intake is low, osteoporosis (appropriately defined as hip fracture rate rates) are the lowest in the world and in affluent countries where calcium intake is highest, the rate of hip fractures is highest (9). Countries with the highest calcium intakes have the most osteoporosis and fractures. 

In fact, a study published in the British Medical Journal looking at over 61,000 Swedish women for 19 years, found that people who consumed more than 1,137 mg of calcium per day had higher rates of hip fractures compared to people consuming less calcium (10).

Another study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, found adolescent girls consuming the most dairy products and calcium had more than double the risk of stress fractures versus the girls consuming less calcium and dairy (11).

In light of this evidence, the WHO states that only 400-500 mg of of calcium are needed to prevent osteoporosis .

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There’s one thing I want you to remember from today’s Take Control Tuesday article and it's this...

Whole plants foods have calcium and you don’t need dairy to fulfill your calcium needs.     

Now it’s time for you to put this information into action because it’s useless if you don’t do anything with it.  

To help you do that, I want you to answer this Take Control Now question and share your comment on my website (below), on YouTube or Facebook.

Take Control Now Question

How can you substitute 1 serving of dairy products with 1 serving of whole plant foods in your diet?  What are your ideas?  

And if you liked this video, which I hope that you did, please 'like' it by clicking the like or thumbs up button and show me some love!

References

1.  USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Garbanzo beans. Accessed online, Sept. 2014 at http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/4771?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=garbanzo+beans

2. USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Kale. Accessed online, Sept. 2014 at http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3018?fg=&man=&lfacet=&count=&max=25&sort=&qlookup=kale&offset=&format=Full&new=&measureby=

3. USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Broccoli. Accessed online, Sept. 2014 at http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2908?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=broccoli

4.  USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, carrot. Accessed online, Sept. 2014 at http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2937?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=carrot

5. USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Brown rice. Accessed online, Sept. 2014 at: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/6456?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=brown+rice

6.  USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Banana, Accessed online, Sept. 2014 at: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2208?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=banana

7. USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, non-fat milk. Accessed online, Sept. 2014 at: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/134

8.  USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, almond milk. Accessed online, Sept. 2014 at: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/4161?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=almond+milk

9.  World Health Organization, Diet and Physical Activity Recommendations, accessed online September, 2014 at: http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/publications/trs916/en/gsfao_osteo.pdf

10.  Warensjo E, Byberg L, Melhus H, et al. Dietary calcium intake and risk of fracture and osteoporosis: prospective longitudinal cohort study. BMJ. 2011;342:d1473.

11.  Sonneville KR, Gordon CM, Kocher MS, Pierce LM, Ramappa A, Field AE. Vitamin D, Calcium, and Dairy Intakes and Stress Fractures Among Female Adolescents. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. Published ahead of print March 5, 2012.