UK Is 'Vegan' Expensive?

GreenT

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I have heard so many people say that to be vegan is expensive. As a struggling vegan myself (Life long vegetarian and mainly vegan)I would say it depends how you go about it. If you are buying pre-packed all the time then in my opinion yes it is very expensive....very much over priced by companies who are not helping the cause by putting people off with the price. If however you are cooking fresh then no it is not expensive...vegetables and basics are very cheap and can make multiple meals.
Best thing to do I feel is find something you like the look of and try to make it yourself..for a fraction of the price! ha
 
I'm agree with you: with a bit of cooking knoweldge and mainly will to cook for yourself, you can get very nice dishes, less processed and cheaper meals than pre-packed ones. I found veg burgers at Aldi (for example), hummus, etc but I prefer to do things by myself.
 
A whole foods plant based diet is by far the cheapest. Every culture has turned to grains, beans home garden grown veggies as staples during the worst economic times. When I was young and married to one who had no desire to quit meat it was a convenient excuse to make vegan meals.
My pantry is kinda a saving acct--stashed with dried beans, vital wheat gluten, boxes of tofu, whole grains, extra pasta boxes, frozen veggies and canned tomatoes and other things bought on sale. I can buy nothing but some produce for at least a month-and if I had to a food giveaway.

I do love processed foods though, and am finding Beyond Meat and other plant based alternatives dropping prices as meat prices soar!
 
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its definitely true that the packaged foods are more expensive, Lovely families.. :smitten:

Sticking to whole foods makes it very cheap... but going organic ups the expense, also add ons such as mylks and packeted burger patties etc..
 
Veganism can either be cheap or costly depending on what you eat and where. If you go for a whole foods plant-based diet or opt to eat out in vegan restaurants, then expect to spend more.

Vegan fast foods or convenience foods are very cheap but not that healthy for you. If you can afford it, I highly recommend that you embrace a vegan whole-meal plant-based diet. After all, cheap is expensive.
 
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Veganism can either be cheap or costly depending on what you eat and where. If you go for a whole foods plant-based diet or opt to eat out in vegan restaurants, then expect to spend more.

Vegan fast foods or convenience foods are very cheap but not that healthy for you. If you can afford it, I highly recommend that you embrace a vegan whole-meal plant-based diet. After all, cheap is expensive.

Which foods are expensive in a whole food plant based diet? The Peruvian family in my photos above was able to afford such a diet. Something expensive about beans and green vegetables?
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Which foods are expensive in a whole food plant based diet? The Peruvian family in my photos above was able to afford such a diet. Something expensive about beans and green vegetables?
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Some plant based foods can be very expensive during the off-season or if there is scarcity due to crop failure or poor rains. For instance, in my locality beef is way cheaper than some dark green leafy veggies.

And remember that the guys behind animal farming are always looking for ways to make dairy, poultry, etc more cheaper. But little to no personel even think of making food crops cheaper to produce.
 
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Some plant based foods can be very expensive during the off-season or if there is scarcity due to crop failure or poor rains. For instance, in my locality beef is way cheaper than some dark green leafy veggies.

And remember that the guys behind animal farming are always looking for ways to make dairy, poultry, etc more cheaper. But little to no personel even think of making food crops cheaper to produce.

Dark green leafy vegetables can be grown at one's own home, in a very small garden space, inexpensively, and with little effort. Not true for beef. My wife and I live in a mobile home, with a tiny garden space - we grow our own kale.

I assure you that commercial food crop producers focus a lot of effort on cost reduction and profit increase. They are running businesses, after all. Here is a detailed report on the cost-modeling of organic spinach: https://coststudyfiles.ucdavis.edu/...dbf8b/2015_organicspinach-finaldraftjan29.pdf

We should avoid perpetuating the myth that healthy vegan diets are expensive.
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Dark green leafy vegetables can be grown at one's own home, in a very small garden space, with little effort. Not true for beef. My wife and I live in a mobile home, with a tiny garden space - we grow our own kale.

I assure you that commercial food crop producers focus a lot of effort on cost reduction and profit increase. Here is a detailed report on the cost-modeling of organic spinach: https://coststudyfiles.ucdavis.edu/...dbf8b/2015_organicspinach-finaldraftjan29.pdf

We should avoid perpetuating the myth that healthy vegan diets are expensive.
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Living in Ohio I agree---but I don't know Nairobi!
 
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Living in Ohio I agree---but I don't know Nairobi!

Here is the website of a supermarket in Nairobi:

Their cheapest beef mince (ground beef) is 270 KSh (Kenyan shillings) per 500 grams:

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Even their cheapest beef is twice the cost of their most their most expensive produce (coloured capsicum = bell peppers), which are priced at 249 KSh per kilogram, which is 125 KSh per 500 grams.

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Edde, you are misleading the public! Why are you trying to convince people that healthy vegan diets are expensive?
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Average temperature in Nairobi is 66 degrees F.

Average yearly rainfall in Nairobi is 34 inches.

Sounds adequate to grow kale on one's balcony (or windowsill). Nairobi is not the Sahara desert.

Nairobi is Kenya's capital. So there's very limited urban agriculture. People here don't plant crops on their balconies, instead they decorate them with flowers. Even those with backyards usually use them as chill spots rather than "farm yards". Nairobians usually source their foods from rural areas.
 
Here is the website of a supermarket in Nairobi:

Their cheapest beef mince (ground beef) is 270 KSh (Kenyan shillings) per 500 grams:

View attachment 21631


Even their cheapest beef is twice the cost of their most their most expensive produce (coloured capsicum = bell peppers), which are priced at 249 KSh per kilogram, which is 125 KSh per 500 grams.

View attachment 21632




Edde, you are misleading the public! Why are you trying to convince people that healthy vegan diets are expensive?
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No. I ain't misleading anyone. You're comparing beef to capsicums, thereby, missing the point. (I can also say beef in the US is cheaper than avocados). I was referring to specific dark green leafy vegetables (African indigenous vegetables) which are considered very healthy but are not largely produced back here. And the reason why beef is that pricey is because we don't practice extreme animal farming like you guys in the US and UK. Most of the beef comes from cow herders not big companies.
 
No. I ain't misleading anyone. You're comparing beef to capsicums, thereby, missing the point. (I can also say beef in the US is cheaper than avocados). I was referring to specific dark green leafy vegetables (African indigenous vegetables) which are considered very healthy but are not largely produced back here. And the reason why beef is that pricey is because we don't practice extreme animal farming like you guys in the US and UK. Most of the beef comes from cow herders not big companies.

Edde, healthy vegan diets are not expensive. That is my point. You have tried to claim that vegan diets are expensive. You have no information to support this claim. End it.
 
As I just posted in a different thread we made a delicious, nutritious and satisfying dinner last night of rice and beans and veggies. Max cost for the whole amount was about $3 and we have enough left for another meal.

Eating a vegan whole food plant-based menu is not expensive, eating a highly processed, junky vegan diet could be expensive and yet not more so than an equivalent Standard American Diet (SAD).

Emma JC