Vegan, vegetarian and flexitarian diets can save you money as food prices rise, and also improve your health – here’s how to make the switch
- Eating mostly whole plant foods can lower your food costs significantly, and reduce your risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease while promoting gut health
- Swap meat for tofu, mushrooms, beans and whole grains, and choose local, seasonal fruit and vegetables. Search online for recipes, or get a plant-based cookbook
At a time when every dollar counts, many of us are changing the way we eat to save money. Take mother of three and Hong Kong resident Asher Chan, for instance.
A lifelong vegetarian, she transitioned to veganism in the past year for a couple of reasons – one of which was the rising cost of milk and eggs. Now her family uses plant-based alternatives to these foods, which she says are more affordable.
“Free-range eggs are expensive in Hong Kong, but egg replacer [usually made from starch and a leavening agent] is cheaper than even battery-cage eggs. Plus it keeps for months and is more convenient and less messy,” says Chan. “Genuine organic milk is expensive, so now my whole family drinks soy and oat milks.”
Restaurateur Geet Sushil Jadhwani, co-founder of Indian vegetarian restaurant Kailash Parbat in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui district, has noticed that more people have reduced their consumption of meat, seafood, dairy produce and eggs – or stopped eating them completely – because they’re trying to reduce their food expenses.
“Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, I’ve met more customers opting to go vegan or vegetarian. They say that this change has slashed their monthly meal expenditure by 30 to 40 per cent,” Jadhwani says.