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Does The Vegetarian Diet Support Frugal Living?

Vegetarianism, or a lifestyle that adopts a diet without consuming animal-based foods, is increasing. In Indonesia alone, more than 2 million people adopt this lifestyle and around 2 thousand restaurants already provide vegetarian food on their menus[1].

Jakpat conducted a survey to find out the perspective of the Indonesian people regarding this trend. The report which involves 1,614 respondents shows how the diet is practiced nowadays, the reasons for adopting a vegetarian lifestyle, what plant-based foods are preferred, and the responses about brands/restaurants that provide vegetarian menus.

The survey results stated that 87% of respondents were eaters of everything, both animal and plant-based foods. Then, 11% tried to reduce the intake of animal-based foods and 2% were vegetarians.

“In line with the development of health issues such as diabetes, or obesity, to the problem of the quality of meat as a food raw material, the ideas and initiatives are now starting to emerge in the community to reduce meat consumption, increase vegetable consumption, and some even choose to become vegetarians,” said Head of Research Jakpat, Aska Primardi.

Living vegetarian for the sake of frugality

The general goal of respondents reducing animal-based foods as well as becoming vegetarians is to improve overall health, for example, to reduce the risk of dangerous diseases such as cholesterol, heart disease, or diabetes. There are also respondents who wanted to increase the body’s metabolism and lose weight.

Another interesting reason is this lifestyle is considered more frugal (32%). It is proved by one in three respondents that admitted their food expenses decreased after becoming vegetarian.

Various changes were felt by respondents who reduced animal-based food or became vegetarian, namely stable weight (51%), increased body metabolism (37%), and better mood (39%).

Preparing vegetarian meals

There are not many restaurants that provide vegetarian menus in Indonesia. This is in line with the results of the Jakpat survey which stated that the biggest obstacle to being a vegetarian is the difficulty of looking for plant-based foods when eating out. Therefore, it is not surprising that 60% of vegetarian respondents preferred to prepare their meals by cooking at home (59%) or chose non-animal foods in public restaurants (52%).

However, respondents supported if there is a restaurant that has vegetarian food on the menu (62%). Most of them considered plant-based foods healthier and good for the body.

[1] https://www.gatra.com/news-571588-gaya-hidup-tren-gaya-hidup-vegan-terus-meningkat.html