IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i8p4067-d534781.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Vegetarian Diet: An Overview through the Perspective of Quality of Life Domains

Author

Listed:
  • Shila Minari Hargreaves

    (Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasilia (UnB), Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Asa Norte, Brasilia, DF 70910-900, Brazil)

  • António Raposo

    (CBIOS (Research Center for Biosciences and Health Technologies), Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Campo Grande 376, 1749-024 Lisboa, Portugal)

  • Ariana Saraiva

    (Department of Animal Pathology and Production, Bromatology and Food Technology, Faculty of Veterinary, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Trasmontaña s/n, 35413 Arucas, Spain)

  • Renata Puppin Zandonadi

    (Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Brasilia (UnB), Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Asa Norte, Brasilia, DF 70910-900, Brazil)

Abstract

Vegetarianism has gained more visibility in recent years. Despite the well-described effects of a vegetarian diet on health, its influence on the quality of life of the individuals who follow it still needs to be properly investigated. Quality of life relates to a subjective perception of well-being and functionality, and encompasses four main life domains: physical, psychological, social, and environmental. The adoption of a vegetarian diet, despite being a dietary pattern, could potentially influence and be influenced by all of these domains, either positively or negatively. This review aims to present an overview of the background, conceptualization, features, and potential effects of vegetarianism in all quality of life domains. The choice of adopting a vegetarian diet could have positive outcomes, such as better physical health, positive feelings related to the adoption of a morally correct attitude, an increased sense of belonging (to a vegetarian community), and lower environmental impact. Other factors, however, could have a negative impact on the quality of life of those choosing to abstain from meats or other animal products, especially when they go beyond one’s control. These include the environment, the social/cultural group in which a person is inserted, gender-based differences, economic aspects, and a limited access to a wide variety of plant-based foods. It is important to understand all the effects of adopting a vegetarian diet—beyond its nutritional aspects. Not only do studies in this area provide more consistent data, but they may also contribute to mitigating all factors that might prevent individuals from adopting a vegetarian diet, or that may have a negative impact on the quality of life of those who already follow it.

Suggested Citation

  • Shila Minari Hargreaves & António Raposo & Ariana Saraiva & Renata Puppin Zandonadi, 2021. "Vegetarian Diet: An Overview through the Perspective of Quality of Life Domains," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-23, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:8:p:4067-:d:534781
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/8/4067/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/8/4067/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Frédéric Vandermoere & Robbe Geerts & Charlotte De Backer & Sara Erreygers & Els Van Doorslaer, 2019. "Meat Consumption and Vegaphobia: An Exploration of the Characteristics of Meat Eaters, Vegaphobes, and Their Social Environment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-15, July.
    2. András Fehér & Michał Gazdecki & Miklós Véha & Márk Szakály & Zoltán Szakály, 2020. "A Comprehensive Review of the Benefits of and the Barriers to the Switch to a Plant-Based Diet," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-18, May.
    3. González, Alejandro D. & Frostell, Björn & Carlsson-Kanyama, Annika, 2011. "Protein efficiency per unit energy and per unit greenhouse gas emissions: Potential contribution of diet choices to climate change mitigation," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(5), pages 562-570, October.
    4. Zhuoxian Zhao & Sheyu Li & Guanjian Liu & Fangfang Yan & Xuelei Ma & Zeyu Huang & Haoming Tian, 2012. "Body Iron Stores and Heme-Iron Intake in Relation to Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(7), pages 1-17, July.
    5. Bingli Clark Chai & Johannes Reidar van der Voort & Kristina Grofelnik & Helga Gudny Eliasdottir & Ines Klöss & Federico J. A. Perez-Cueto, 2019. "Which Diet Has the Least Environmental Impact on Our Planet? A Systematic Review of Vegan, Vegetarian and Omnivorous Diets," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(15), pages 1-18, July.
    6. Paolo Antonetti & Stan Maklan, 2014. "Feelings that Make a Difference: How Guilt and Pride Convince Consumers of the Effectiveness of Sustainable Consumption Choices," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 124(1), pages 117-134, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Karolina Krupa-Kotara & Mateusz Grajek & Mateusz Rozmiarek & Ewa Malchrowicz-Mośko & Wiktoria Staśkiewicz & Patxi León-Guereño & Aitor Martínez Aguirre-Betolaza & Arkaitz Castañeda-Babarro, 2023. "The Role of Social Media in Internalizing Body Knowledge—A Cross-Sectional Study among Women with Different Food Preferences," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-10, January.
    2. Martina di Corcia & Nicola Tartaglia & Rita Polito & Antonio Ambrosi & Gaetana Messina & Vincenzo Cristian Francavilla & Raffaele Ivan Cincione & Antonella della Malva & Maria Giovanna Ciliberti & Ago, 2022. "Functional Properties of Meat in Athletes’ Performance and Recovery," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-15, April.
    3. Ahmed M. El-Sherbeeny & Bassam Samir Al-Romeedy & Mohamed Hani Abd elhady & Samar Sheikhelsouk & Omar Alsetoohy & Sijun Liu & Hazem Ahmed Khairy, 2023. "How Is Job Performance Affected by Ergonomics in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry? Mediating Roles of Work Engagement and Talent Retention," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-24, October.
    4. Estela M. Díaz & Núria Almiron & Olatz Aranceta-Reboredo, 2024. "Compromised values: a comparative response during the COVID-19 crisis by ethical vegans and vegetarians," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-16, December.
    5. Won Seok Lee & Joonho Moon, 2023. "The Impacts of Subjective Health and Life Expenses on Quality of Life for Korean Elderly People," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-11, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bauer, Jan M. & Aarestrup, Simon C. & Hansen, Pelle G. & Reisch, Lucia A., 2022. "Nudging more sustainable grocery purchases: Behavioural innovations in a supermarket setting," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    2. Andrej Kirbiš & Monika Lamot & Marija Javornik, 2021. "The Role of Education in Sustainable Dietary Patterns in Slovenia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-14, November.
    3. David Kilian & Ulrich Hamm, 2021. "Perceptions of Vegan Food among Organic Food Consumers Following Different Diets," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-17, August.
    4. Ting Chi & Olabisi Adesanya & Hang Liu & Rebecca Anderson & Zihui Zhao, 2023. "Renting than Buying Apparel: U.S. Consumer Collaborative Consumption for Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-16, March.
    5. Karoline Gamma & Robert Mai & Moritz Loock, 2020. "The Double-Edged Sword of Ethical Nudges: Does Inducing Hypocrisy Help or Hinder the Adoption of Pro-environmental Behaviors?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 161(2), pages 351-373, January.
    6. Carroll, Ryall & Kachersky, Luke, 2019. "Service fundraising and the role of perceived donation efficacy in individual charitable giving," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 254-263.
    7. Morena Bruno & Marianne Thomsen & Federico Maria Pulselli & Nicoletta Patrizi & Michele Marini & Dario Caro, 2019. "The carbon footprint of Danish diets," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 156(4), pages 489-507, October.
    8. Linnea Laestadius & Roni Neff & Colleen Barry & Shannon Frattaroli, 2013. "Meat consumption and climate change: the role of non-governmental organizations," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 120(1), pages 25-38, September.
    9. Peter Scarborough & Paul Appleby & Anja Mizdrak & Adam Briggs & Ruth Travis & Kathryn Bradbury & Timothy Key, 2014. "Dietary greenhouse gas emissions of meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians and vegans in the UK," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 125(2), pages 179-192, July.
    10. Anett Wins & Bernhard Zwergel, 2016. "Comparing those who do, might and will not invest in sustainable funds: a survey among German retail fund investors," Business Research, Springer;German Academic Association for Business Research, vol. 9(1), pages 51-99, April.
    11. Hernando Barreto Riaño & John Willmer Escobar & Rodrigo Linfati & Virna Ortiz-Araya, 2022. "Disciplinary Categorization of the Cattle Supply Chain—A Review and Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-44, November.
    12. White, Robin R. & Brady, Michael, 2014. "Can consumers’ willingness to pay incentivize adoption of environmental impact reducing technologies in meat animal production?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(P1), pages 41-49.
    13. Lee Kar Wai & Syuhaily Osman, 2017. "Relationship between Attitude towards Advertisement Appeals and Consumer Buying Behaviour among Young Adults in Malaysia," International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 7(11), pages 977-989, November.
    14. Chatterjee, Sheshadri & Chaudhuri, Ranjan & Vrontis, Demetris, 2023. "Masstige marketing: An empirical study of consumer perception and product attributes with moderating role of status, emotion, and pride," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 155(PA).
    15. Aroub Alnasser & Nsreen Musallat, 2022. "Food Sustainability Knowledge among Saudis: Towards the Goals of Saudi Vision 2030," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-17, September.
    16. Vázquez-Rowe, Ian & Villanueva-Rey, Pedro & Moreira, Mª Teresa & Feijoo, Gumersindo, 2013. "The role of consumer purchase and post-purchase decision-making in sustainable seafood consumption. A Spanish case study using carbon footprinting," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 94-102.
    17. García-Leal, Javiera & Espinoza Pérez, Andrea Teresa & Vásquez, Óscar C., 2023. "Towards the sustainable massive food services: An optimization approach," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 87(PA).
    18. Oriana Gava & Fabio Bartolini & Francesca Venturi & Gianluca Brunori & Alberto Pardossi, 2020. "Improving Policy Evidence Base for Agricultural Sustainability and Food Security: A Content Analysis of Life Cycle Assessment Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-29, February.
    19. Vivian G. M. Quam & Joacim Rocklöv & Mikkel B. M. Quam & Rebekah A. I. Lucas, 2017. "Assessing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Health Co-Benefits: A Structured Review of Lifestyle-Related Climate Change Mitigation Strategies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-19, April.
    20. Odou, Philippe & Schill, Marie, 2020. "How anticipated emotions shape behavioral intentions to fight climate change," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 243-253.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:8:p:4067-:d:534781. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.