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The motivations and practices of vegetarian and vegan Saudis.

ABSTRACT: In the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia, the offering of a meat dish to guests is a deeply embedded cultural tradition, and a meat-based diet is the standard in Saudi Arabia. Thus, the rise of veganism and vegetarianism within Saudi Arabia is surprising and worthy of attention, as is understanding the perceptions and motivations behind this phenomenon, particularly as they relate to food and sustainability. This research was designed to investigate this emerging phenomenon and to identify key differences in dietarian identity between Saudi vegetarians and vegans using Rosenfeld and Burrow's Dietarian Identity Questionnaire. Among other results, the vegan group scored significantly higher on the prosocial motivation construct, suggesting the desire to help society as a whole is a stronger motivating factor for vegans. As well, the vegan cohort scored higher in the personal motivation category. From an environmental and public health perspective, understanding the key factors motivating individuals to adopt a vegetarian or vegan diet in a meat-based culture like Saudi Arabia can be used to encourage others to pursue more healthy and sustainable food behaviors.

SUBMITTER: Alnasser A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10275927 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The motivations and practices of vegetarian and vegan Saudis.

Alnasser Aroub A Alomran Norah N

Scientific reports 20230616 1

In the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia, the offering of a meat dish to guests is a deeply embedded cultural tradition, and a meat-based diet is the standard in Saudi Arabia. Thus, the rise of veganism and vegetarianism within Saudi Arabia is surprising and worthy of attention, as is understanding the perceptions and motivations behind this phenomenon, particularly as they relate to food and sustainability. This research was designed to investigate this emerging phenomenon and to identi ...[more]

PMID: 37328535

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Project description:BackgroundDietary patterns which exclude whole food groups, such as vegetarian, vegan and low carbohydrate high fat diet (LCHF), are increasingly popular in general public. When carefully planned, all these diets have some known benefits for health, but concerns are also raised in particular for LCHF. The quality of LCHF diet which individuals follow in real life without supervision is not known.MethodsOne hundred thirty healthy individuals with stable body mass following LCHF, vegan, vegetarian and omnivorous diet for at least six months, were compared in a cross-sectional study. Diet was analyzed through 3-day food records and FFQ, anthropometric measurements were performed and serum metabolic biomarkers determined from fasting blood.ResultsParticipants on LCHF diet had the intakes of micronutrients comparable to other groups, while the intakes of macronutrients differed in line with the definition of each diet. The intakes of saturated fats, cholesterol and animal proteins were significantly higher and the intakes of sugars and dietary fibers were lower compared to other groups. Healthy eating index 2015 in this group was the lowest. There were no differences in the levels of glucose, triacylglycerols and CRP among groups. Total and LDL cholesterol levels were significantly higher in LCHF group, in particular in participants with higher ketogenic ratio. Fatty acids intakes and intakes of cholesterol, dietary fibers and animal proteins explained 40% of variance in total cholesterol level, with saturated fatty acids being the strongest positive predictor and monounsaturated fatty acids a negative predictor.ConclusionNone of the self-advised diets provided all the necessary nutrients in optimal levels. Due to the detected increased levels of serum cholesterols, selection of healthy fat sources, higher intake of dietary fibers and partial replacing of animal sources with plant sources of foods should be recommended to the individuals selecting LCFH dietary pattern.Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT04347213.

Dataset Information

The motivations and practices of vegetarian and vegan Saudis.

Publications

The motivations and practices of vegetarian and vegan Saudis.

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