Adolescents’ Food Choice and the Place of Plant-Based Foods

Abstract

A diet dominated by plant foods, with limited amounts of refined processed foods and animal products conveys substantial health benefits. This study sought to explore adolescents’ attitudes and perceptions towards plant-based foods. Semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with adolescents (age 14–15 years) (n = 29) attending an inner city school in Yorkshire, UK. Using a grounded theory methodology, data analysis provided four main categories and related concepts revolving around adolescents’ perspectives on plant-based foods: food choice parameters; perceived drivers and benefits of plant-based foods; environmental food cues; barriers to plant-based food choice. In the emergent grounded theory, a clear disconnect between plant-based foods and the parameters that adolescents use to make food choices, is highlighted. Further, key barriers to adolescents adopting a plant-based diet are differentiated and considered with respect to practice and policy. The analysis offers a framework to remodel and re-present plant-based foods. In this way, it is proposed that a closer connection is possible, with consequent shifts in adolescents’ dietary behaviour towards a more plant-based diet and associated health benefits.

Reducing meat consumption and following plant-based diets: Current evidence and future directions to inform integrated transitions

“…Reflective motivations for reducing meat consumption and eating more plant-based diets usually included beliefs regarding the consequences of eating more planted-based diets, namely improved health and well-being (Baker, Thompson, & Palmer-Barnes, 2022;Cramer, Kessler, et al, 2017;Chatard-Pannetier et al, 2004;Fox & Ward, 2008;Jabs et al, 1998;Link & Jacobson, 2008;McIntosh et al, 1995;), having more sustainable eating habits (de Boer et al, 2016;de Boer et al, 2013;Hunter & Röös, 2016;Kalof et al, 1999;Truelove & Parks, 2012;Verain et al, 2012), concerns with animal suffering (Bobić et al, perceived convenience, familiarity and perceived easiness to replace meat were also consistently identified as key features for using meat substitutes, reducing meat consumption and following more plant-based diets (Apostolidis & McLeay, 2016;de Boer et al, 2014;Elzerman et al, 2015;Ensaff et al, 2015;Frenko et al, 2015;Hoek et al, 2004;Lea et al, 2006aLea et al, , 2006bMullee et al, 2017;Richardson et al, 1994;Schösler et al, 2014;Sniehotta et al, 2005;Tucker, 2014;.…”

“…Disliking the taste of meat, holding general negative or ambivalent representations, as well as negative feelings such as worry, fear and guilt towards eating meat, was associated with reduced meat consumption and willingness to follow more plant-based diets (Berndsen & van der Pligt, 2004de Boer & Aiking, 2011;Rothgerber, 2014Rothgerber, , 2015aRothgerber, , 2015bZur & Klockner, 2014). In contrast, individuals who ate meat more often, derived more pleasure and identified more strongly as meat eaters, held positive attitudes towards meat consumption, or perceived plant-based meals as incomplete and unsatisfactory, were less willing to change their eating habits (Bohm et al, 2014;Carfora et al, 2017;de Boer et al, 2016;Dowsett et al, 2018;Ensaff et al, 2015;Graça et al, 2016;Kildal & Syse, 2017;Lea et al, 2006a;Leah & Worsley, 2003a;Macdiarmid et al, 2016;Mullee et al, 2017;O'Keefe et al, 2016;Vainio et al, 2018;Zur & Klockner, 2014). Meat attachment (i.e., a positive bond towards meat consumption comprised of hedonism, affinity, entitlement, and dependence) also showed negative associations with willingness and intentions to reduce meat consumption and to follow more plant-based diets (Dowsett et al, 2018;Graça et al, 2016;.…”

Who Cares? The Importance of Emotional Connections with Nature to Ensure Food Security and Wellbeing in Cities

“…over a lifetime, these forces interact with a person's life course events and experiences to result in individual preferences (such as taste) and other considerations (such as convenience or monetary considerations), which shape food behaviour" [75] (p. 128). There are many influences on food choice including ideals, personal factors, resources, social context and the food context [71,[76][77][78]. Considerations that weigh into food choices can also be labelled as food related values, with the most common being health (physical wellbeing), taste (sensory perceptions), cost (monetary considerations), convenience (time and effort), and managing relationships (inter-personal interactions) [78].…”

“…Food choices are driven by a combination of individual factors, social influences (networks of family and peers), physical environments (home, school, after-school programs, and neighbourhood) and macro-level environment (cultural, economic and political factors) [35,71,74,77,[80][81][82][83][84]. The term "foodscapes", originally used in geography, encapsulates these interactions well.…”

Healthy eating through the eyes of adolescents: A qualitative analysis of messages from the Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population

“…Although it is an unhealthy practice that interferes with local food culture, it is important to stress that consumption of these products is commonly associated with this stage of the life course. In addition to being part of their usual diet, "junk foods" are part of the process of forming one's social identity and, often, a factor in peer acceptance in adolescence [17,23,24].…”