Is trauma associated with plant-based diet choice?

Abstract

Examinations of links between plant-based diets (e.g., vegetarian and vegan diets) and indices of physical and mental health have received increased attention in the scientific literature in recent years. However, there has been little to no published research examining predictors of plant-based diet choice. Researchers have suggested that plant-based diets could be linked to trauma for a variety of reasons, including the idea that trauma can increase the risk for mental illnesses, and plant-based diets may be adopted to self-medicate mental illness and promote recovery. The current study examined the link between trauma across the lifespan and experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) with adherence to a plant-based diet. Participants were a nationally representative United States sample of 1665 individuals who completed self-report questionnaires. Consistent with hypotheses, bivariate correlations indicated that all measures of trauma were associated with an increased likelihood of being plant-based. Findings from a logistic regression analysis indicated those with a history of IPV were 2.31 times more likely to be plant-based, and those with any experience of trauma more broadly were 1.09 times more likely to be plant-based. These results suggest the importance of considering the role of trauma and victimization when examining links between plant-based diet and other outcomes and point to a number of possible avenues for additional investigation to better understand these associations.