“We’re Not Meat Shamers. We’re Plant Pushers.”: How Owners of Local Vegan Soul Food Restaurants Promote Healthy Eating in the African American Community
Abstract
Obesity remains a prevalent public health epidemic, and African American (AA) adults are disproportionately affected by obesity more than any other ethnic group, particularly in the Southern region of the United States. Addressing poor dietary habits is important for improving obesity rates among AAs, but there has been limited research that has focused on specifically developing culturally tailored interventions. With a recent number of soul food restaurants serving exclusively vegan meals opening up across the country to appeal to AAs and others interested in eating healthier soul foods, there is a unique opportunity to explore how these restaurants might impact AA dietary habits. The purpose of this study was to assess how owners of vegan soul food restaurants located in states within the Black Belt region view their roles as promoters of health in their community and to identify strategies that they use to make plant-based diets (PBDs) more culturally appealing in the AA community. In-depth interviews were conducted with owners ( N = 12) of vegan soul food restaurants from seven states. Five themes emerged from the interviews related to (a) the restaurants providing access to vegan meals, (b) restaurant owners educating their customers about vegan diets and healthy eating, (c) using fresh ingredients to make vegan soul foods taste good, (d) addressing limited cooking skills among AAs, and (e) discussing nonhealth reasons to become vegan. The findings indicate there may be future opportunities for health educators to partner with these restaurant owners to improve healthy eating among AAs.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Recent publications recognize Oldways for designing educational resources with respect to heritage that have led to positive dietary changes in non-Hispanic Black individuals.
“Recent publications recognize Oldways 111 (a nonprofit organization) for designing educational resources (eg, food pyramids, cooking recipes) with respect to heritage (eg, African, Asian, and Latin American) that have led to positive dietary changes in non-Hispanic Black individuals.110,112,113”
From Popular dietary patterns: alignment with American Heart Association 2021 dietary guidance: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. (2023) · cites this paper as [113]
Cites
How Many Interviews Are Enough?: An Experiment with Data Saturation and Variability
Guest, G., Bunce, A., & Johnson, L. (2006) · Field Methods · doi:10.1177/1525822x05279903 · Cited by 20,808 · see citing works
Basics of Qualitative Research (3rd ed.): Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008) · SAGE · doi:10.4135/9781452230153 · Cited by 12,136 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Two researchers separately coded all of the interviews using an inductive, opening coding process for thematic analysis (Corbin & Strauss, 2008).”
Prevalence of Childhood and Adult Obesity in the United States, 2011-2012
Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Kit, B. K., & Flegal, K. M. (2014) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.2014.732 · Cited by 8,072 · see citing works
Social Identity and Intergroup Relations.
Glassner, B., & Tajfel, H. (1985) · Contemporary Sociology A Journal of Reviews · doi:10.2307/2069233 · Cited by 3,250 · see citing works
(2005) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.294.19.2423-c · Cited by 2,325 · see citing works
Health behavior : theory, research, and practice
Glanz, K., Rimer, B. K., & Viswanath, K. (2015) · Cited by 2,130 · see citing works
Neighborhood characteristics associated with the location of food stores and food service places
Morland, K. B., Wing, S., Roux, A. V. D., & Poole, C. (2002) · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/s0749-3797(01)00403-2 · Cited by 1,662 · see citing works
Why Americans Eat What They Do
GLANZ, K., BASIL, M., MAIBACH, E., GOLDBERG, J., & SNYDER, D. (1998) · Journal of the American Dietetic Association · doi:10.1016/s0002-8223(98)00260-0 · Cited by 1,551 · see citing works
Is there a bias against telephone interviews in qualitative research?
Novick, G. (2008) · Research in Nursing & Health · doi:10.1002/nur.20259 · Cited by 1,353 · see citing works
Qualitative and Mixed Methods Provide Unique Contributions to Outcomes Research
Curry, L. A., Nembhard, I. M., & Bradley, E. H. (2009) · Circulation · doi:10.1161/circulationaha.107.742775 · Cited by 1,091 · see citing works
Food store availability and neighborhood characteristics in the United States
Powell, L. M., Slater, S., Mirtcheva, D., Bao, Y., & Chaloupka, F. J. (2007) · Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2006.08.008 · Cited by 1,059 · see citing works
Doing Well by Doing Good: The Benevolent Halo of Corporate Social Responsibility
Chernev, A., & Blair, S. (2015) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1086/680089 · Cited by 655 · see citing works
Fast Food Consumption of U.S. Adults: Impact on Energy and Nutrient Intakes and Overweight Status
Bowman, S., & Vinyard, B. T. (2004) · Journal of the American College of Nutrition · doi:10.1080/07315724.2004.10719357 · Cited by 650 · see citing works
Pregnancy: a “teachable moment” for weight control and obesity prevention
Phelan, S. (2010) · American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology · doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2009.06.008 · Cited by 637 · see citing works
Food Preparation by Young Adults Is Associated with Better Diet Quality
Larson, N. I., Perry, C. L., Story, M., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2006) · Journal of the American Dietetic Association · doi:10.1016/j.jada.2006.09.008 · Cited by 584 · see citing works
Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention: Solving the Weight of the Nation
Jelalian, E., & McCullough, M. B. (2012) · American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine · doi:10.1177/1559827612458633 · Cited by 547 · see citing works
Taillie, L. S., Ng, S. W., & Popkin, B. M. (2013) · Nutrition Journal · doi:10.1186/1475-2891-12-45 · Cited by 528 · see citing works
Cummins, S., Flint, E., & Matthews, S. A. (2014) · Health Affairs · doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2013.0512 · Cited by 451 · see citing works
James, D. (2004) · Ethnicity & Health · doi:10.1080/1355785042000285375 · Cited by 407 · see citing works
Vegetarian diets: what do we know of their effects on common chronic diseases?
Fraser, G. E. (2009) · The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition · doi:10.3945/ajcn.2009.26736k · Cited by 388 · see citing works
Wright, S. M., & Aronne, L. J. (2012) · Abdominal Radiology · doi:10.1007/s00261-012-9862-x · Cited by 367 · see citing works
Deburg, W. L. V. (1992) · University of Chicago Press eBooks · doi:10.7208/chicago/9780226172354.001.0001 · Cited by 354 · see citing works
Robinson, T. D. (2008) · Journal of Community Health · doi:10.1007/s10900-008-9109-5 · Cited by 325 · see citing works
Vegetarian diets and weight reduction: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Huang, R.-Y., Huang, C.-C., Hu, F. B., & Chavarro, J. E. (2016) · Journal of General Internal Medicine · doi:10.1007/s11606-015-3390-7 · Cited by 321 · see citing works
The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report: Development and Major Conclusions
Millen, B. E., Abrams, S. A., Adams-Campbell, L. L., Anderson, C. A. M., Brenna, J. T., Campbell, W. W., Clinton, S. K., Hu, F. B., Nelson, M. E., Neuhouser, M. L., et al. (2016) · Advances in Nutrition · doi:10.3945/an.116.012120 · Cited by 298 · see citing works
Radnitz, C. L., Beezhold, B., & DiMatteo, J. (2015) · Appetite · doi:10.1016/j.appet.2015.02.026 · Cited by 294 · see citing works
Zenk, S. N., Lachance, L., Schulz, A. J., Mentz, G. B., Kannan, S., & Ridella, W. (2009) · American Journal of Health Promotion · doi:10.4278/ajhp.071204127 · Cited by 270 · see citing works
Barnard, N. D., Levin, S. M., & Yokoyama, Y. (2015) · Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics · doi:10.1016/j.jand.2014.11.016 · Cited by 266 · see citing works
Cultural aspects of African American eating patterns
Airhihenbuwa, C. O., Kumanyika, S., Agurs, T. D., Lowe, A., Saunders, D., & Morssink, C. B. (1996) · Ethnicity & Health · doi:10.1080/13557858.1996.9961793 · Cited by 255 · see citing works
Satia, J. A., Galanko, J. A., & Siega‐Riz, A. M. (2004) · Public Health Nutrition · doi:10.1079/phn2004662 · Cited by 240 · see citing works
The utility of “Google Trends” for epidemiological research: Lyme disease as an example
Seifter, A., Schwarzwalder, A. W., Geis, K., & Aucott, J. N. (2010) · Geospatial health · doi:10.4081/gh.2010.195 · Cited by 239 · see citing works
Lessons Learned About Adolescent Nutrition from the Minnesota Adolescent Health Survey
Neumark‐Sztainer, D., Story, M. T., Resnick, M. D., & Blum, R. W. (1998) · Journal of the American Dietetic Association · doi:10.1016/s0002-8223(98)00329-0 · Cited by 179 · see citing works
Food Choices in Three Ethnic Groups: Interactions of Ideals, Identities, and Roles
Devine, C. M., Sobal, J., Bisogni, C. A., & Connors, M. M. (1999) · Journal of Nutrition Education · doi:10.1016/s0022-3182(99)70400-0 · Cited by 157 · see citing works
Barnard, N. D., Gloede, L., Cohen, J., Jenkins, D. J. A., Turner-McGrievy, G., Green, A. A., & Ferdowsian, H. (2009) · Journal of the American Dietetic Association · doi:10.1016/j.jada.2008.10.049 · Cited by 154 · see citing works
Self-citationGittelsohn, J., Franceschini, M. C., Rasooly, I. R., Ries, A. V., Ho, L. S., Pavlovich, W., Santos, V. T., Jennings, S. M., & Frick, K. D. (2008) · Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition · doi:10.1080/19320240801891438 · Cited by 150 · see citing works
Black Hunger Food and the Politics of US Identity
Witt, D. (1999) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780195110623.001.0001 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
Teater, B. A. (2021) · Springer Publishing Company eBooks · doi:10.1891/9780826165565.0003 · Cited by 115 · see citing works
Slack, T., Myers, C. A., Martin, C. K., & Heymsfield, S. B. (2013) · Obesity · doi:10.1002/oby.20502 · Cited by 113 · see citing works
Vegetarian diets and cardiovascular risk factors in black members of the Adventist Health Study-2
Fraser, G. E., Katuli, S., Anousheh, R., Knutsen, S. F., Herring, P., & Fan, J. (2014) · Public Health Nutrition · doi:10.1017/s1368980014000263 · Cited by 106 · see citing works
Conway, B. N., Han, X., Munro, H. M., Gross, A. L., Shu, X., Hargreaves, M. K., Zheng, W., Powers, A. C., & Blot, W. J. (2018) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0190993 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
Zenk, S. N., Horoi, I., McDonald, A. R., Corte, C. M., Riley, B., & Odoms‐Young, A. M. (2014) · Appetite · doi:10.1016/j.appet.2014.09.008 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
Melby, C., Toohey, M., & Cebrick, J. A. (1994) · American Journal of Clinical Nutrition · doi:10.1093/ajcn/59.1.103 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Stealth Interventions for Obesity Prevention and Control
Robinson, T. N. (2010) · Obesity Prevention · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-374387-9.00025-8 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Hog and hominy: soul food from Africa to America
(2009) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.47-0480 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
The Cost of Being Black in the Black Belt
Falk, W. W., & Rankin, B. (1992) · Social Problems · doi:10.2307/3096964 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
The healthy food environment policy index: findings of an expert panel in New Zealand
Vandevijvere, S., Dominick, C. H., Devi, A., et al. (2015) · Bulletin of the World Health Organization · doi:10.2471/blt.14.145540 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine One Plate at a Time
Miller, A. (2013) · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Blood pressure differences in older black and white long-term vegetarians and nonvegetarians.
Melby, C. L., Goldflies, D. G., & Toohey, M. L. (1993) · Journal of the American College of Nutrition · doi:10.1080/07315724.1993.10718308 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Vegans of Color, Racialized Embodiment, and Problematics of the "Exotic"
Harper, A. B. (2011) · The MIT Press eBooks · doi:10.7551/mitpress/8922.003.0015 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Yang, Y., Buys, D. R., Judd, S. E., Gower, B. A., & Locher, J. L. (2012) · Appetite · doi:10.1016/j.appet.2012.12.007 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Decolonizing Veganism: On Resisting Vegan Whiteness and Racism
Polish, J. (2016) · The Palgrave Macmillan animal ethics series · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-33419-6_17 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Kraak, V. I., Englund, T. R., Misyak, S. A., & Serrano, E. L. (2017) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph14070760 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Gase, L. N., Dunning, L., Kuo, T., et al. (2014) · Preventing Chronic Disease · doi:10.5888/pcd11.130310 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
The Built Food Environment and Dietary Intake among African-American Adults
Reitzel, L. R., Okamoto, H., Hernandez, D. C., Regan, S. D., McNeill, L. H., & Obasi, E. M. (2015) · American Journal of Health Behavior · doi:10.5993/ajhb.40.1.1 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Promoting nutrition in commercial foodservice establishments: A realistic approach
Regan, C. (1987) · Journal of the American Dietetic Association · doi:10.1016/s0002-8223(21)03141-2 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Henderson, L. (2007) · MELUS Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States · doi:10.1093/melus/32.4.81 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Avieli, N., & Markowitz, F. (2017) · African and Black Diaspora An International Journal · doi:10.1080/17528631.2017.1394612 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
64. Veganism as a choice: Experiences and food strategies in transitioning to a vegan diet
Elorinne, A., Kantola, M., Voutilainen, S., et al. (2016) · doi:10.3920/978-90-8686-834-6_64 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Schoeller, D. A., & Kushner, R. F. (1996) · Ethnicity and Health · doi:10.1080/13557858.1996.9961800 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Gardner, C. D., Vadiveloo, M. K., Petersen, K. S., Anderson, C. A. M., Springfield, S., Van Horn, L., Khera, A., Lamendola, C., Mayo, S. M., Joseph, J. J., et al. (2023) · Circulation · doi:10.1161/cir.0000000000001146 · Cited by 172 · see citing works
- Authors
- Crimarco, A., Turner-McGrievy, G. M., Botchway, M., Macauda, M., Adams, S. A., Blake, C. E., & Younginer, N.
- Affiliations
- University of South Carolina (US)
- University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA
- Corresponding author
- Crimarco, Anthony
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of Black Studies
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2019-12-27
- Volume
- 51
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 168-193
- ISSN
- 0021-9347 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-4566
- OpenAlex
- W2998305833
- Cited by
- 20
- References
- 59
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2
- FWCI
- 1.14
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Black Studies (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Food, Nutrition, and Cultural Practices
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Keywords
- plant-based diet, African American community, obesity, healthy eating promotion, restaurant owners, culturally tailored interventions, dietary habits, cooking skills, Southern United States, Black Belt
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
