How to make cheap and healthy vegan meals
Many people perceive a vegan diet and lifestyle as rather expensive compared to a “conventional” way of living. This doesn’t have to be the case, even if you want to eat healthy. Or maybe especially if you want to eat healthy. Whole foods are often cheaper than processed food, but it depends on where you look for them and what exactly you want to eat. Let’s look into cheap and healthy vegan food choices for vegans on a tight budget.
Cheap and healthy vegan basics – survive and thrive
Food prices have gone up dramatically all over the world. Sadly, this mainly affects fresh produce like fruits and vegetables, whereas many junk food items, in particular the non vegan ones, remain affordable. In many parts of the United States this will be more extreme than in Europe. This article will focus on the European market, where the Vegan Intelligence team is located.
Generally however, if you’re vegan, a diet based on whole foods will be cheaper than a junk food diet. Luckily so, because not only do we want to be full and satisfied but also healthy and thriving. As many plant based physicians have shown, we do not need a massive variety of plant based food to cover all our nutritional requirements and remain healthy.
If you’re on a really tight budget you can make the bulk of your diet rice and legumes. In Asian countries, especially in the more rural parts, this has worked for centuries. And they’re a lot healthier than the average American or European.
Rice, beans, lentils and Co. are higher in calories compared to fruits and vegetables and therefore will fill you up easily without giving you that uncomfortable food coma feeling.
Pay attention to seasonal foods and don’t shy away from frozen
They are also among the cheapest products almost everywhere, especially if you buy them dry and in bulk. If 80 % of your diet consists of them you have a great basis for good health. Local markets can be a great place to find a nice variety for a really good price compared to supermarkets.
To fill the remaining 20 % you can get whatever fresh fruit and vegetable is currently on offer and/or in season. The percentages mentioned are super flexible, of course. If it’s squash and cabbage season then make the most of it and maybe aim towards a 50-50 diet of fresh produce and grains/legumes.
Frozen vegetables can be a great alternative to fresh ones as well. The price difference for the same amount of the same product can be substantial, while the quality difference is usually minimal.
Forget about variety
What’s very important to understand is the following. It really isn’t dramatic to eat very simple, plain and basic food only for a prolonged period of time. Even if it’s only two items you eat for weeks, let’s say canned kidney beans and boiled potatoes, you will not become deficient in vitamins and minerals any time soon. And you will be able to fill yourself up without paying much money.
Yes, it might be monotonous. And it depends on your nature how much variety you need to feel that you’re not missing out. But if you are in a situation where you could only spend four or five euros, pound or equivalent on food per day, it is possible do to so without going back to cheap unhealthy non vegan junk food.
It won’t be possible with vegan junk food and in many countries won’t be possible with fresh fruits and vegetables these days. While that’s a sad general situation, it’s currently the reality and one we have to adapt to on an individual basis.
Cheap and healthy vegan for less than 5 € a day
Let’s look at what you could eat throughout the day if you really only have a few coins available. The following is just an easy example. And of course there are countless of alternative meal plans that would tick our boxes of being cheap and healthy vegan meals.
Your cheap and healthy vegan breakfast
200 g of oats (porridge), based on an average kilo price of 1,50 €, this would be 0,30 €. Add a glass (200 ml) of soy, oat or rice milk, based. The average price per litre would be 1,50 €. That’s another 0,30 €. Spice it up with a few cents worth of cinnamon, cloves or whatever you fancy. There you have a cheap and healthy vegan meal for less than a Euro. The calories would already amount up to about 700. So, you’d also feel full and satisfied until your next meal.
A cheap and easy vegan midday meal
125 g of rice (dry weight), based on an average kilo price of 1,20 €, would cost you 0,15 €. Sauces can be easily made from tomato puree, canned coconut milk or a mixture of curry powder and vegetable stock. None of them would cost you more than 1 € for the amount you need to make it tasty. Add a few cents worth of spices to flavour things up further. This meal would cost you anything up to 1,50 € and deliver up to 500 calories.
Finish with a cheap and healthy vegan evening meal
Let’s make a lentil soup. A pack of dried lentils (500 g) costs an average of 2,00 €. 200 g will be more than enough for a nice big amount of soup. This would be 0,80 €. Let’s add two fresh carrots (0,20 €), two big potatoes (0,50 €) and two stalks of celery (0,20 €). Spice it up for a few cents. Here we have another rich, cheap and easy vegan meal for less than 2 €. Calorie-wise we’d be up to at least 800, if you finish all of it.
Your whole day would cost you something between 4 – 5 € with generous portions of fairly varied foods in the calculation. If the calories aren’t enough you can tweak it here and there or add a piece of dark chocolate worth 300 calories for a cost of about 0,30 to 0,50 €.
This was just an example of how you can definitely be a cheap and healthy vegan on a tight budget. Just walk the markets with open eyes and experiment a bit. In any case, a tight budget is no excuse not to be vegan AND healthy on whole foods.
