Understanding Dietary Transitions through Digital Narratives: A Computational Perspective on Personal Sustainability Decisions

This study examines how individuals navigate plant-based dietary transitions using 2,165 YouTube video transcripts describing personal journeys. We apply computational methods, specifically stance classification and thematic analysis, to categorize content into Continuation, Discontinuation, and In-Between states. This classification reveals motivators such as health improvements, ethical convictions, community support, and barriers including nutritional deficiencies, identity conflicts, cultural attachments, and practical constraints. These dual influences highlight the ambivalent nature of dietary change, where the same factors can act as catalysts or inhibitors depending on context. Health outcomes and ethical considerations often reinforce continuation, while practical obstacles, identity tensions, and misinformation drive discontinuation or sustain ambivalence. Mooring factors such as identity integration, cultural traditions, social environments are critical for whether individuals maintain commitment while others hesitate or withdraw. Full operationalization of the Push Pull Mooring model is planned to provide insights into personal decision making for sustainable eating and AI-driven decision-support systems.