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I think this (cost) is the biggest "roadblock" most people see when thinking about a plant-based diet. I currently live in Asia, but travel back and forth betwe

I think this (cost) is the biggest "roadblock" most people see when thinking about a plant-based diet. I currently live in Asia, but travel back and forth between Europe every few months. One of the ways I solved this is by being comfortable to have meals that consist of nothing but raw food. So, raw nuts, raw vegetables and fruit, and legumes whenever I desire. But I also try to look at it realistically. For example, a tub of Kale Powder (120g) will set me back around 20USD. But, how likely am I to consume that tub in one day? In fact, it will last me for up to 4 weeks. The same goes for 350 grams of Hemp Protein. It's 20USD but I'm going to be having that over a period of at least 2 weeks. One difference between Asia and Europe is that in Asia I can get a much bigger variety of fruit, which is generally my go-to food besides everything else. But even then, I never leave the supermarket having spent more than 30USD for 4-5 days worth of food. If I had to be specific, for the entirety of a whole month I'll be spending about 250-300USD on food. I'm honestly not familiar with other diets and not sure how much they can run up over a month. What I do know is that I never have any leftovers. Everything gets consumed one way or another.

krageon 7y ago
I think for my location (Europe, mainly) that is a fairly typical amount of spending for a month of food. However, I spend that for roughly two people and from the times I've had to buy food in Asia (admittedly some years ago) it is quite a lot cheaper than it would be here. That would put it at maybe twice as expensive (or even slightly more) as a non-restricted diet. Is that a fair assessment?
- skilled 7y ago
  It depends on the way you look at it. I'm living a minimalistic lifestyle where food is actually my number one expense month to month. When I'm back in Europe, I never spend more than 150USD on food, not only because my options are oftentimes limited, but also because I get to pay the "local" price. A lot of the popular Asian hotspots have gotten clever over the years, and are no longer afraid to charge foreigners an enormous premium. In the last year alone, I have had to walk away from numerous local sellers because they've gotten extremely greedy and won't accept any bargaining. If you know the local language, it helps a little. I think if you're serious about making the switch, you first have to look at what you're eating right now. Is it healthy? Is it environmentally friendly? Does it make you feel good? What will you eat instead of meat? Do you even need dairy in your life or are you consuming it out of habit? When I first started out I had no idea what I was doing, and I sort of winged it. But, gradually, I have learned to appreciate the many different varieties to food that I would have otherwise replaced with a slab of steak or a chicken breast.

krageon 7y ago

I think for my location (Europe, mainly) that is a fairly typical amount of spending for a month of food. However, I spend that for roughly two people and from the times I've had to buy food in Asia (admittedly some years ago) it is quite a lot cheaper than it would be here. That would put it at maybe twice as expensive (or even slightly more) as a non-restricted diet. Is that a fair assessment?

skilled 7y ago
It depends on the way you look at it. I'm living a minimalistic lifestyle where food is actually my number one expense month to month. When I'm back in Europe, I never spend more than 150USD on food, not only because my options are oftentimes limited, but also because I get to pay the "local" price. A lot of the popular Asian hotspots have gotten clever over the years, and are no longer afraid to charge foreigners an enormous premium. In the last year alone, I have had to walk away from numerous local sellers because they've gotten extremely greedy and won't accept any bargaining. If you know the local language, it helps a little. I think if you're serious about making the switch, you first have to look at what you're eating right now. Is it healthy? Is it environmentally friendly? Does it make you feel good? What will you eat instead of meat? Do you even need dairy in your life or are you consuming it out of habit? When I first started out I had no idea what I was doing, and I sort of winged it. But, gradually, I have learned to appreciate the many different varieties to food that I would have otherwise replaced with a slab of steak or a chicken breast.