Dietary identity and embitterment among vegans, vegetarians and omnivores

Although vegetarian and vegan dietary can positively contribute to animal welfare, the environment and health, they also entail social costs for the people following them. These costs may be an increased risk of stigmatization and, presumably, feelings of embitterment.

In this study, we investigated for the first time the association between feelings of embitterment and dietary identity centrality and motivation. Dietary motivation, dietary pattern centrality for identity (DIQ-D), and embitterment (PTED scale) were assessed in and compared between people with vegan (n = 489), vegetarian (n = 339) and omnivorous (n = 319) dietary pattern.

The vegan group reported higher embitterment and discrimination perception than the vegetarian and omnivorous groups. High (vegan) dietary centrality, eating disorder, moral motivation, discrimination perception was associated with embitterment.

The association between vegan dietary centrality and moral motivation with embitterment is relevant for actions in dietary education and counseling in clinical and public health settings. When dietary pattern becomes relevant for identity building this may come along with problems when it makes the person prone for discrimination perception.