For all the non-meat eaters out there, Plano is for you. Research showed the city has the highest percentage of restaurants serving vegetarian food in the U.S.
A study by WalletHub featured the best cities for vegetarians and vegans in America, and some of the results were surprising. Texas is typically known for barbeque and Tex-Mex, but more options for alternative diets are available. The study found that Plano is home to the most vegetarian-serving restaurants but is not the most accommodating to vegetarian diets overall.
WalletHub looked at 100 of the biggest cities around the U.S. and compared affordability, diversity, accessibility, quality and overall lifestyle. Out of those 100 cities, Plano has the most restaurants for vegetarians, but Portland, Oregon and Orlando, Florida can still claim bragging rights for the most "vegetarian-friendly" cities, which means those who follow the lifestyle can eat easily. In fact, there were 14 other cities named before Plano on the ranking.
The data showed that Plano received an overall score of 48.13 out of 100, with affordability at a low nine. But the city did rank decently high for diversity, accessibility and lifestyle.
WalletHub also looked at the cost of groceries for vegetarians and vegans to find the cities most budget-friendly for their diet. The cheapest place for vegetarians and vegans to shop for groceries was found to be Fort Wayne, Indiana, but the most expensive was Honolulu, Hawaii.
There is an abundance of reasons to choose a plant-based diet including religion, environmental impact, health, animal welfare and more. The Vegetarian Resource Group estimated that 15.5 million adults living in the U.S. follow a vegetarian or vegan diet. With the cost of meat continuing to rise we may see more non-meat eaters in the future.
If you are curious about living a plant-based life, or already follow the diet, there are many restaurants in the Plano area to try and explore.
