Is the Japanese diet cheaper then the average american diet?

Question:

i was thinking about switching the expensive american diet to a cheaper japanese diet with a rice foundation

Answer:

It is difficult to say. The traditional Japanese diet does consist of rice, fish and vegetables, with small amounts of meat. However, many Japanese households will buy fresh food very frequently. This is not often the practise in the West - we like to freeze a lot of things and use a lot of processed vegetables.

If you can find an Asian supermarket nearby, it is possible that you can buy large bags of rice, tofu and fresh vegetables at a good price. However, unless you find a very cheaply priced fish market, you probably won't save any money there.

I would advise coming up with a basic menu for the week, doing the shopping that you need and seeing how the overall cost measures up with your normal bill. If cost is the most important thing for you, it might be better not to limit yourself to a Japanese-style diet, but look for ways to eat more cheaply within the USA. This will help your wallet and give you a more diverse diet.

Providing that you eat simple Japanese food, it should be fairly inexpensive, but be careful about buying Asian ingredients in standard supermarkets for this diet plan - they can be overpriced.