One of the most pervasive myths surrounding vegetarian cooking is that purchasing the foods needed for a vegetarian lifestyle is more expensive than the foods consumed by people who follow more traditional eating patterns. According to MSN.com, however, this belief is largely untrue--the basic ingredients of a healthy vegetarian diet are much more inexpensive than traditional diets. The key to frugal vegetarian cooking is sticking to basic foods and utilizing certain shopping, cooking and lifestyle strategies.
Features
The base essentials for a healthy vegetarian diet are all inexpensive: rice, whole grains, fruit, vegetables, beans and legumes. The most dramatic difference between a traditional and vegetarian diet is the price of protein--meat can often cost more than four times as much as a comparable amount of beans and grains. Vegetarian cooking becomes increasingly more expensive, however, if you focus on gourmet types of grains, rice or beans and, in particular, soy-based meat substitutes such as mock ground beef or hot dogs. The most frugal--and healthy--vegetarian cooking sticks to whole foods that are as unprocessed and basic as possible.
Types
MSN.com reports that the frugality of your vegetarian lifestyle can depend largely on what type of vegetarian philosophy you follow. The least expensive vegetarian diet is veganism; vegans avoid all animal products in any form. Lacto-vegetarians and ovo-vegetarians follow eating styles that are slightly more expensive. A lacto-vegetarian is a vegetarian who does not eat meat but will consume dairy products, and an ovo-vegetarian includes eggs. Pescetarians--vegetarians who include fish in their diets--also have slightly higher food costs than strict vegetarians.
Shopping Strategies
The frugality of your vegetarian cooking can also depend on the shopping strategies you employ. Focus on purchasing your fruits and vegetables while they are in season; out-of-season produce is more expensive since it usually has been transported long distances, and it is often less healthy than in-season produce. Shop for these in-season fruits and vegetables locally where you can buy large amounts relatively cheaply. Freeze or can any excess so that you can still enjoy these items at the height of their taste and nutrition all throughout the year. Unless purchasing organic produce is an important factor for you, avoid organic fruits and vegetables, since they may cost even more than regularly grown produce and, according to MSN.com, are thought to not be a major contributing factor to overall health on a vegetarian diet.
Purchase your grains, beans and legumes in bulk and, when shopping in traditional grocery stores, stick to inexpensive store brands.
Grow Your Own
You can't beat a backyard garden for fruits and vegetables that are tasty, nutritious and fresh. Although you will need to invest some time and money into getting a garden set up, planted and maintained, growing produce on your own is much less expensive than store-bought produce. If you don't have room for a garden, try using large containers or pots on a back patio or even a sunny windowsill.
Cooking Strategies
One of the best ways to accentuate the fresh, natural taste of the produce and grains that are the mainstay of a vegetarian diet is to cook simple dishes with relatively few ingredients. Not only does this cooking strategy allow the different textures and flavors of each item to shine through, it can cut down dramatically on your shopping bill. To save even more money and add additional flavor, avoid pre-packaged or canned spices and condiments and season your food simply with fresh herbs and naturally flavored oils and sauces.
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