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 costs 60 cents more per day compared to the standard American diet.
Total food 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, Ph.
D., 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 anal.
