Putting politics aside, do you believe it is more or less expensive to grocery shop for a vegetarian diet?

compared to a conventional diet? Also, are you as concerned with organics as you are with eating a diet consisting of vegetation?Putting politics aside, do you believe it is more or less expensive to grocery shop for a vegetarian diet?
It's probably cheaper in the long run as along as I'm not buying tons of premade/frozen vegan foods because they can be outrageously priced sometimes. Beans, whole grains, TVP and lentils are my main sources of protein and they are much less per pound than steak and chicken. I can also make lots of those veggie burgers and fake meats myself for a lot cheaper. Another thing that makes it cheaper for me is that I hardly spend money on fast food or going out to eat because of my restrictions (we only have one vegan restaurant in my city )



There are certain things like apples, tomatoes, peaches, peppers, grapes, lettuces +some more that I always buy organic but some other like bananas, avocadoes, potatoes, onions, parsnips I sometimes let slide. In the spring and summer almost all my produce comes from the organic farmer's market and it saves me soooo much money.
Vegetarian food is more expensive, but it's worth it to me. It all depends on how you budget. Pathmark has a lot of sales and discounts for vegetarians. They even have breads that say vegetable mono and diglycerides on the back of them.



Fast food options, such as the BK veggie Burger Value meal and sesame or general tso's tofu at the chinese restaurants cost about the same, or even less, depending on where you go.



Meat based products are expensive, too, so it's not like eating meat is going to save you 1,000s of dollars. It's usually about a .50 cent to a dollar difference in price, per item, and some vegetarian options are cheaper, as I mentioned above.Putting politics aside, do you believe it is more or less expensive to grocery shop for a vegetarian diet?
I spend much less on a vegan diet than I did when I was an omni. Not only is meat more expensive per pound as compared to tofu, but my eating habits have changed in general. I don't load up on processed foods anymore and I eat a lot more fresh fruit and veggies.

I can spend $20 at my local produce store and have arm loads of goodies that will last more more than a week. That same $20 didn't go as far when I was an omni after I bought fish, chicken and red meat (occasionally).



I'm more concerned with eating local than organic. There are a lot of farmers in my immediate area and I prefer to eat what they grow as opposed to someone on the other side of the country who claims their food is organic.
In terms of grocery store produce, I think vegan food is much less expensive. I remember one of the workers at my house telling me (as I was preparing a vegan lunch for myself) that he'd like to be vegetarian, but "can't afford it." To that I couldn't help but reply with a question about why he thinks it is expensive. Potatoes cost how much? Garlic is how much? Lettuce costs what? Nuts, lentils, chickpeas, etc., are all wildly inexpensive compared to the meat aisle.



But when studies are done about how so many meat eaters actually eat (not all, but many), a vegan diet is actually more expensive because a lot of meat eaters eat cheap fast food and inexpensive junk food items with some regularity. They're filled up with a $2 "meal".



Ironically, this discussion was going on last night on the Daily Show with guest Michael Pollan. http://www.thestar.com/living/food/artic鈥?/a>



So it depends on the individual ingredients. Regular green bell peppers are pretty cheap. My prefered black bell peppers...not so much. Ground-up hamburger is cheaper than a thick strip loin.



(Meat substitutes, or processed food in general, should not be the basis for anyone's diet.)Putting politics aside, do you believe it is more or less expensive to grocery shop for a vegetarian diet?
I think it is actually less, because meat is so expensive these days. Getting a big steak is definitely not cheap. I buy lots of fresh fruits and veggies and stock up when they are on sale. Nuts and canned beans are no expensive either. I am not very concerned with eating organically, as long as I eat lots of fresh food items. But when I am at whole foods, they have a lot of organic items so I pick some organic foods up. I do believe in it but I am definitely not extreme. Hope I helped! :)
It depends on what your diet consists of. Being veg'n doesn't necessarily mean that you're eating extremely healthily. You're definitely going to spend more money, whether you're veg'n or not, if you rely on a lot of packaged foods instead of cooking real wholesome food yourself. I've been vegetarian since I was 15, and vegan since my 23rd birthday. I've never had to buy my own groceries as an omni, so I guess I can't honestly compare. I can tell you that in an average week as a vegan, I spend maybe $25-$30 on groceries just for myself. It might be closer to $40-ish if I happen to be out of a couple of staples or cleaning stuff, toiletries, or more expensive stuff like olive oil, or I want a treat like vegan ice cream or something, etc. I buy mostly whole foods...fresh veggies %26amp; fruits, whole grains, legumes, etc. I buy very little overly processed/packaged food. There are certain things I always buy organic (corn products, soy products, apples, etc.), and other than that I buy organic pretty much only when there is very little price difference. I'd say about half of the food I buy is organic. It's definitely more important that what I eat is vegan as opposed to being organic.
i'd say cheaper, unless you compare luxury lentils form italy with tesco value sausages. But if you take an average potato and an average burger, the potato is cheaper. i'm not too fussy with organics, i mean i would prefer it if they don't use chemicals, but they keep bugs and disease out of the crops don't they?
I try to buy organic as much as I can, but it is more expensive and I am on a budget. If you just buy regular produce, and stay away from the mock meats. A vegetarian diet of milk, eggs, seeds, grains, nuts, legumes, fruits, and vegetables is much cheaper than one of a meat eater.
If you keep your diet the same, replacing the meat with the mock meat it costs more. If you buy other things like nuts and beans more then it will cost less. I need to make sure my food is vegan, if it's also organic that's a bonus.
guess it depends how you shop



boca burgers and other "meat substitutes" are VERY expensive near me, around $6+ a pound

hamburger meat is only about $2 a pound, and tastes much better grilled in my personal opinion.
It depends on what you eat. Some foods, such as rice, beans, and tofu, are much less expensive than meat, but vegetarian convenience foods, like tofurky deli slices, cost more.
No. I totally disagree!



What other than tofu (which I only eat now and again as a treat) is expensive in a veg diet?



Most of what I eat can be bought in bulk and is non-perishable.
Much more expensive. I worked as a summer camp cook and vegetarian diets run about half again as much as a non vegetarian diet.
More. All those vegan/vegetarian meat substitutions cost an arm and a leg, while cheaper meats only cost you an arm and canned fish which is very healthy is cheap.