Wondering how to start a plant based diet on a budget? In this post I share with you how to switch to a plant-based diet while sticking to your food budget. I also share how to meal plan for a plant-based diet using meal planner templates. If you’re ready to go plant-based on a budget, keep reading.
What is a plant based diet?
A plant-based diet is a diet that includes mostly or only plant-based ingredients. This is also referred to as a vegan diet, however a plant-based diet doesn’t necessarily have to be vegan. Most people adopt a plant-based diet for health reasons though are not vegan. However, a plant-based diet can also be a vegan diet and vegan people can enjoy a plant-based diet.
Further reading: Daily food checklist: Here’s what to eat every day
Why choose a plant based diet?
There are many reasons to choose a plant-based diet. Here are five common reasons people switch to a plant-based diet:
- Diet related illness prevention
- Diet related illness survival
- Diet related illness reversal
- Weight loss
- Enjoyment of plant-based meals
Further reading: Vegan weight loss 101: Complete guide to losing weight on a plant-based diet
Learn more about the heath benefits of a low-fat, whole food plant-based diet by visiting the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
What is a food budget?
A food budget is the dollar amount of how much you can or plan to spend on a meal or meal plan.
Further reading: How to budget and plan healthy meals
Why start a plant based diet on a budget?
A plant-based diet can be a budget-friendly if you purchase foods in bulk, shop at discount grocery stores and farmer’s markets. However, if you purchase many expensive ingredients and prepared foods, the cost of a plant-based diet can be expensive. If you would like to keep your food costs low, starting a plant-based diet on a budget is a good idea for training yourself and your wallet to look for good deals on plant-based foods.
Now, let’s get into our main topic for this post: How to start a plant-based diet on a budget.
How to start a plant based diet on a budget
Starting a plant-based diet is easy and fun! Creating a food budget and sticking to it can also be fun! Here’s my tips for starting a plant-based diet on a budget:
Empty your pantry
The first task is to go through your entire kitchen, including the pantry, refrigerator and freezer, and discard any animal products. Read the labels on all food items and discard any items that contain:
- Dairy
- Eggs
- Meat
- Seafood
Additionally, discard any items that contain processed foods if you’re focused on eating a whole food, plant-based diet. This includes:
- Oil
- Preservatives
- Chemicals
- Food coloring
- Refined ingredients
Learn about the health benefits of a plant-based diet
Before starting a plant based diet, it’s important to understand the health benefits of following a whole food, plant-based diet. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a great resource for learning about this. Check out their podcast, called The Exam Room Podcast.
Follow the Daily Dozen
The Daily Dozen is an easy-to-follow system created by Dr. Michael Greger of NutritionFacts.org. The system is easy to learn and implement. The Easy Vegan Meal Planner™ follows the Daily Dozen and helps you plan, shop, prep and track your Daily Dozen meals.
Plan your meals ahead of time
Next, plan your plant-based meals for a week. This is helpful because it’s like creating a guide for yourself to follow in the first week and will help you stay on track. Think about what you want to enjoy for each meal for the next seven days and then create a meal plan.
Use the Easy Vegan Meal Planner™ to create your meal plan >
Create a plant based meal plan
Creating a plant based meal plan is easy, especially if you use a template system like the Easy Vegan Meal Planner™. Here are five great reasons to create a meal plan:
- Stick to a food budget
- Stick to a plant-based diet
- Take the stress out of cooking each meal
- Look forward to eating what’s on your meal plan
- Keep track of your nutrition
Calculate the cost of each meal
If you’re on a tight food budget, it’s a good idea to calculate the cost of each meal. This will help you stick to a food budget.
Here’s a tutorial on calculating food costs >
Track your meals
Tracking your meals is a good idea when starting a plant-based diet. Track your nutrition, meals, leftovers and water intake with the Easy Vegan Meal Planner™.
Create a meal prep plan
Meal prep is simple and easy on a plant-based diet. Simply prepare ingredients or full meals ahead of time to save you time and energy throughout the week.
Further reading: Beginner’s Guide to Vegan Meal Prep
Keep an vegan emergency food supply
An emergency can happen at any time so it’s important to be prepared. If you want to maintain your plant based diet in the event of an emergency, consider creating a vegan emergency food kit.
Further reading: Free vegan emergency food shopping list PDF printable
Grab your copy of the Easy Vegan Meal Planner™ >
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