I want to say that in writing this post I don't mean to denigrate vegetarians. Like most vegetarians, I also care about animal welfare and go the extra mile to buy animal products that were treated with respect and raised naturally. I'm not here to change or criticized anyone's eating habits. Mostly, I object to the blanket statement that going vegetarian is better for the animals, better for your health, and better for your wallet. Many other authors with better blogs than mine have already challenged the notion that vegetarian diets are inherently healthier than omnivorous diets. However, I haven't seen an unbiased, in-depth look at the cost-effectiveness of vegetarian diets, which is why I decided to write this post. This table shows prices and cost effectiveness for the highest-quality animal flesh and the highest-quality vegetarian animal products.
Protein source Grass-fed beef, muscle Grass-fed beef, organs Chicken, pastured, whole Pork, pastured Fish, wild Cow's milk, pasteurized, grass-fed Cheese, raw, grass-fed Eggs, chicken, pastured Eggs, duck, pastured | Price ($/unit)* $7-15/lb $4/lb $7/lb $10/lb $10-20/lb $10/gal. $15-25/lb $7/doz. $10/doz. | Cost effectiveness (grams protein/$) 8-17 30 13 8 5-10 12 ~6 10 11 |
The average cost effectiveness of animal flesh is 14.2, whereas the average cost effectiveness of vegetarian animal products is 9.98. Per gram of protein, meat is cheaper than vegetarian animal products. So, it's not cost-effective to go vegetarian if one is planning to eat the same amount of animal protein and determined to buy the highest quality animal products possible. It's also very cheap to be an omnivore who is willing to forgo the steak for beef heart, liver, kidneys, and tongue. But what about "merely" organic products? Is it still cheaper to eat meat?
Protein source Organic beef, muscle Organic beef, organs Chicken, organic, breast Chicken, organic, whole Pork, organic Cow's milk, organic Cheese, organic Eggs, chicken, organic | Protein (g/unit) 120g/lb 120g/lb 140g/lb 93g/lb 80g/lb 124g/gal 6-10g/oz 6g/egg | Price ($/unit)* $5-12/lb $4/lb $7/lb $3/lb $8/lb $6/gal $10/lb $3/doz | Cost effectiveness (grams protein/$) 10-24 30 20 31 10 21 10-16 24 |
Averages are 25 for meat; 19.3 for vegetarian products. Again, the price per gram of protein is actually cheaper for meat than for vegetarian protein sources. However, both protein sources were much more inexpensive than the higher-quality protein in the above table. That would make an omnivorous diet that had an equal amount and types of plant foods and equal amounts and quality of animal protein cheaper than the equivalent vegetarian diet.
However, the average vegetarian eats only less animal protein than the average omnivore. Since animal protein is one of the more expensive components of a diet, especially when that protein comes from naturally raised animals, a diet lower in animal protein tends to be cheaper. However, a low-protein omnivorous diet would still cost less than a low-protein vegetarian diet.
Studies have shown that the main reason vegetarians live longer is because they tend to eat healthier diets overall, lower in fast food and processed food and higher in fruits and vegetables***; not because they avoid meat. Compared to omnivores, vegetarians are also less likely to smoke and more likely to exercise regularly. Other studies have raised questions about the long-term nutritional sufficiency of strict (lacto-ovo) vegetarian diets. Vitamin B-12 is only found in supplements and animal products, making it a major concern for vegans. It is found is small amounts in dairy and eggs, but it is not clear that these amonts are enough to ensure vitamin B-12 sufficiency. Some studies suggest that a majority of strict vegetarians who do not take supplements may eventually develop vitamin B-12 deficiency. The dangers of vitamin B-12 deficiency are greatest in children and the elderly, and breastfed children born to asymptomatic vegetarian mothers may have severe vitamin B-12 deficiency. This deficiency may impact the cognition of the children in the long term, even after B-12 status is restored.
Luckily, vitamin B-12 deficiency is easily ameliorated by supplements available over the counter in the USA, or small quantities of animal flesh. Bivalves (a family of seafood including oysters, scallops, mussels, and clams) are rich in vitamin B-12 and non-sentient, making them acceptable to some vegetarians and vegans. Other shellfish and finfish are also good sources of B-12.
* These are typical prices for these products in grocery stores and farmer's markets in the Seattle area.
** Assuming 2/3 of the "whole chicken" is edible meat and organs, and the protein density of these parts is 140 g/lb.
*** See Denise Minger's Death by Food Pyramid. She can explain this a lot better than I can. There are multiple studies involved, and I can't find all of them to cite here.
However, the average vegetarian eats only less animal protein than the average omnivore. Since animal protein is one of the more expensive components of a diet, especially when that protein comes from naturally raised animals, a diet lower in animal protein tends to be cheaper. However, a low-protein omnivorous diet would still cost less than a low-protein vegetarian diet.
Studies have shown that the main reason vegetarians live longer is because they tend to eat healthier diets overall, lower in fast food and processed food and higher in fruits and vegetables***; not because they avoid meat. Compared to omnivores, vegetarians are also less likely to smoke and more likely to exercise regularly. Other studies have raised questions about the long-term nutritional sufficiency of strict (lacto-ovo) vegetarian diets. Vitamin B-12 is only found in supplements and animal products, making it a major concern for vegans. It is found is small amounts in dairy and eggs, but it is not clear that these amonts are enough to ensure vitamin B-12 sufficiency. Some studies suggest that a majority of strict vegetarians who do not take supplements may eventually develop vitamin B-12 deficiency. The dangers of vitamin B-12 deficiency are greatest in children and the elderly, and breastfed children born to asymptomatic vegetarian mothers may have severe vitamin B-12 deficiency. This deficiency may impact the cognition of the children in the long term, even after B-12 status is restored.
Luckily, vitamin B-12 deficiency is easily ameliorated by supplements available over the counter in the USA, or small quantities of animal flesh. Bivalves (a family of seafood including oysters, scallops, mussels, and clams) are rich in vitamin B-12 and non-sentient, making them acceptable to some vegetarians and vegans. Other shellfish and finfish are also good sources of B-12.
* These are typical prices for these products in grocery stores and farmer's markets in the Seattle area.
** Assuming 2/3 of the "whole chicken" is edible meat and organs, and the protein density of these parts is 140 g/lb.
*** See Denise Minger's Death by Food Pyramid. She can explain this a lot better than I can. There are multiple studies involved, and I can't find all of them to cite here.