12 Tips To Help You Eat Vegan Food Affordably

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12 Tips To Help You Eat Vegan Food Affordably

Can you afford to be vegan? 

The notion that adopting a plant-based lifestyle is expensive is common but that’s just untrue! With a little effort, everyone can find affordable ways to eat and live.

This blog post will go over 12 great tips for you to be vegan and save money!

  1. Many Affordable Alternatives Are Healthier For You

One of the first steps to take is to replace everyday ingredients like milk, butter, and ghee with easily available plant-based alternatives. 

One Good offers the full range at competitive prices and they're relatively accessible when compared to other brands.

Another way to replace them is to use cooking oils such as groundnut oil or olive oil which are healthier and more nutritious than ghee when used for cooking. 

Coconut milk often enhances the flavour of many traditional recipes, but if you don't like the taste you can easily make mylk at home with a blender, water, and some time. 

  1. Shop Smarter By Buying Ingredients In Bulk

Buying raw ingredients in bulk will always save you more money in the short-term and especially the long-term. Not only will it encourage you to make more foods at home (which is always the most economical option), you'll avoid processed, finished products at the store. 

With a little more effort, you can save a lot of money when buying 1 kg or more of fresh ingredients like almonds, coconut, or cashews to make milks and butters at home. 

  1. There’s More To Vegetables Than Just Salads 

While some people just enjoy salads, it's not the only way vegetables can be savoured. 

If a delicious vegetable sabhji isn't what you're looking for, then enjoy some mouth watering street foods made vegan like Dahi Vada or Pav Bhaji for a healthy, affordable plant-based treat. 

  1. Embrace Your Inner Plant-Based Pastry Chef

A combination of vegetable oil, water, and plant-based shortening can easily replace the need for butter, milk, or eggs in any recipe.

Not only are these ingredients easy to find, they're affordable and can yield delicious results, no matter what you're trying to bake.

Bonus tip: let your freshly baked plant-based goodies sit for 12-24 hours before eating so that the internal moisture is distributed more evenly throughout. 

  1. Chickpea Over Chicken For An Affordable Choice Of Protein 

Tofu, daals, chickpeas, peanuts etc. can be incorporated into meals in so many different ways, offering just as much protein as meat for a fraction of the cost (and guilt).These alternatives also help reduce the fat and cholesterol levels of your daily meals.

  1. East Asian Cuisine To The Rescue

If you’re keen to order in or enjoy a nice meal at a local restaurant, then East Asian cuisine is the way to go for some excellent plant-based options. Opt for a flavour-packed vegetable stir fry or an irresistible fried rice or noodle dish made with tofu, if you want to satisfy both your appetite and your wallet. 

  1. Nothing Beats Eating At Home Before You Step Out

Whether you’re maintaining a plant-based diet or not, it will always be more affordable to enjoy a home-cooked meal instead of eating out. Rather than spending on that exorbitant vegetarian main course dish, you can fill yourself up with a snack at home, prepared just the way you like it. You’ll be grateful when you can buy a week’s worth of groceries for the same price as that fancy dish at the restaurant.

  1. Exercise Your Right To Exercise Right 

Instead of opting for supplements, whey protein, chicken, eggs, etc. try preparing your own customised, clean protein powder by tossing your favourite plant-based protein sources into the mixer at home. There is no need to invest in expensive store-bought products when you can build muscle with the help of plant-based, natural sources of protein.

  1. Smile And Say “No Cheese” 

Go to your favourite restaurant, skim through the vegetarian section and customise it to create a dish you can enjoy! While most restaurants are still familiarising themselves with plant-based options, it is easy to create them yourself by replacing dairy products in dishes with alternatives that you enjoy.

  1. Explore What Is Available In The Market  

If you don’t have the time to buy in bulk and prepare plant-based alternatives at home, then explore the many options available in the market today. You can find a good peanut curd or plant-based paneer to use in your cooking, or the perfect cashew cheese to grate on top of all your favourite savoury snacks.

  1. Indulgent Alternatives Can Be An Occasional Treat 

There are indulgent alternatives to dairy or meat in the market but these can serve as an occasional treat, just like you would splurge on a fancy meal at a restaurant. These alternatives generally include premium ingredients, so they can be saved for a special day.

  1. Enjoy A Low-Cholesterol Lifestyle  

Plant-based diets are naturally lower in cholesterol. Our bodies produce enough cholesterol to meet our needs so a low cholesterol plant-based diet could be as good for your heart as it is for your wallet. 

The Indian diet is primarily focused on vegetables, legumes, and grains. One can easily substitute the dairy counterparts in a dish with a plant-based alternative that’ll leave barely any effect on the overall taste!

One Day Vegan Meal Plan

If you live in India and you’re new to the idea of a plant-based lifestyle, these are some simple and effective tips to keep in mind during your journey. Remember to try everything at your own pace in order to figure out what works best for you and your tastebuds. It may not happen overnight but you will gradually see yourself adapting to a plant-based diet, after which you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.

Soon, your diet and conscience will be leading the way and inspiring others to follow suit!

2 comments

  • One Good: November 17, 2022

    Rupesh,

    Thanks for your feedback! We’ll do everything we can to make veganism easier and more mainstream in India.

  • Rupesh: August 03, 2022

    The truth is in India and milk are so synonymous that if you have to eat outside you don’t have a choice. Paneer and butter are added in outside restaurant food by default. Also, for labeling of products we have red dot for non-veg food. Green dot for veg (that included dairy products). But there is no certain colour coding for Vegan food. Why don’t you campaign and lobby the idea to Indian Govt regarding this?

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