Abstract
This study examined transition to a plant-based diet by young adults and the challenges and conflicts this brings. Interviews were conducted with nine young adults in Sweden and the answers were analysed guided by a psychological method from descriptive phenomenology. The results indicate that the transition to a plant-based diet is a process comprising five dimensions: 1) Exploring new ways of living based on health anxieties, 2) regulating conflicting emotions through differentiation, 3) transforming traditional models into new alternatives, 4) confirming new skills and abilities and 5) integrating experiences and emotions into a whole. These five dimensions reflect how transition to a plant-based diet is experienced physically and emotionally. The results also indicate that plant-based meals and ingredients used in the new diet are loaded with symbols and conflicting emotions. Psychoanalytically informed theory, especially object relation theory, was used in discussing what can happen to the mind during the transition. In a wider perspective, this study provides insights into how a dietary transition can bring stability to the life of young adults and help them endure and master their situation. More research is needed to assess the role of mental health in transitioning to a plant-based diet and to draw more general conclusions, an area where psychodynamic theory can provide insights.
Highlights
There has been much discussion on how meals can be used to strengthen an individual’s resilience, increase wellbeing and contribute to healthy psychological development (Masten & O’Dougherty Wright, 2010; NNR, 2012; O’Neil et al, 2014; von Essen, 2015)
The analysis revealed that young adults’ transition to a plant-based diet comprised five dimensions: 1) Exploring new ways of living based on health anxieties, 2) regulating conflicting emotions through differentia tion, 3) transforming traditional models into new alternatives, 4) confirming new skills and abilities and 5) integrating experiences and emotions into a whole
This study investigated young adults’ transition to a plant-based diet and challenges, mental states and experiences associated with the shift
Summary
There has been much discussion on how meals can be used to strengthen an individual’s resilience, increase wellbeing and contribute to healthy psychological development (Masten & O’Dougherty Wright, 2010; NNR, 2012; O’Neil et al, 2014; von Essen, 2015). E.g. based on Mediterranean-like ingredients, are believed to contribute to a healthier lifestyle and to positive results in treatment of e.g. Alzheimer’s disease and depressive conditions (Jacka et al, 2017; Lopresti & Jacka, 2015; Opie et al, 2015). Emotional food memories from childhood are used as a safe base to create stability during development into adulthood (von Essen & Mårtensson, 2017). Eating special dishes can be used to regulate emotional states and in ternal conflicts (Canetti, Bachar, & Berry, 2002; Evers, Marijn Stok, & de Ridder, 2010; Fischer, 1989) and to make moral statements (Coveney, 2016)
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