Going Vegan Could Save Americans $650 a Year in Grocery Costs

A low-fat vegan diet cuts food costs by 19%, or $1.80 per day, when compared with a standard American diet that included meat, dairy, and other animal products, according to new research by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine published in JAMA Network Open. The study also found that a Mediterranean diet cost 60 cents more per day when compared with the standard American diet. Total foods costs were 25% lower, $2.40 per day, on a vegan diet, compared with the Mediterranean diet.

“As the cost of groceries remains stubbornly high, consumers should swap the meat and dairy products for a low-fat vegan diet based on fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans to possibly save more than $650 a year on their grocery bill, compared with a standard American diet, and more than $870, compared with the Mediterranean diet,” says Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD, lead author of the paper and director of clinical research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. “A vegan diet won’t just save money; it could save lives by helping to avoid or improve conditions like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.”

The decrease in costs on the vegan diet was mainly attributable to savings of $2.90 per day on meat, 50 cents per day on dairy products, and 50 cents per day on added fats. These savings outweighed the increased spending of 50 cents per day on vegetables, 30 cents per day on grains, and 50 cents per day on meat alternatives on the vegan diet.

The new research is a secondary analysis of a previous Physicians Committee study comparing a low-fat vegan diet to a Mediterranean diet. The study randomly assigned participants to either a low-fat vegan diet, which consisted of fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans, or a Mediterranean diet, which focused on fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish, low-fat dairy, and extra-virgin olive oil, for 16 weeks. Neither group had a calorie limit. Participants then went back to their baseline diets for a four-week washout period before switching to the opposite group for an additional 16 weeks. The study found that a low-fat vegan diet has better outcomes for weight, body composition, insulin sensitivity, and cholesterol levels, compared with a Mediterranean diet.

For the food cost assessment, intakes from the study participants’ dietary records were linked to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Thrifty Food Plan, 2021, a database of national food prices, which are calculated from data collected for the consumer price index.

Previous Physicians Committee research that food costs decrease 16% on a low-fat vegan diet, compared to a diet that includes meat, dairy, and other animal products.

Reference: Kahleova H, Sutton M, Maracine C, et al. Food costs of a low-fat vegan diet vs a Mediterranean diet: a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(11):e2445784. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.45784

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