A new clinical trial published on 5th September 2023 found that a vegan diet could lower food expenses for overweight American adults.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association under the title, “Vegan Diet and Food Costs Among Adults With Overweight. A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial”, was authored by Dr. Hana Kahleova, from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and collaborators.
The trial involved a sample size of 200 overweight adults between the ages of 30 and 55, divided into one group guided to follow a plant-based diet and another allowed to keep their non-vegan diet. The participants reported their spending on weekly groceries over six months. The result was that participants who followed a plant-based diet spent an average of 16% less on their weekly groceries than the control group. This represents savings of approximately $1.51 per day, which could amount to an annual savings of approximately $500 on groceries.
The results were caused by saving $1.77 on meat and $0.74 on dairy while spending $1.03 more per day on vegetables, $0.40 on fruits, and $0.30 more on legumes and whole grains, as well as meat and dairy alternatives. The study also found that those on a vegan diet had a measurable improvement in body mass index (BMI) and lower levels of bad cholesterol.
Another 2023 study in Australia found that a family of four could save $28 AUD ($19 USD) per week by following a plant-forward Mediterranean diet, amounting to a substantial $1,456 AUD ($987 USD) savings per year compared to choosing a typical Western diet. There is now enough evidence to suggest that a vegan diet is not only better for people’s health, for animals’ welfare, for the planet, and for social justice, but also for people’s pockets.
