Breanna Brock is the founder of PlantBasedBre, a food and wellness platform that makes plant-based eating feel accessible, culturally rich, and deeply personal. For the past eleven years, Breanna has shaped her own plant-based journey—one that prioritizes intuitive eating, joy, and honoring the comfort foods of Black American cuisine.
As a Sociology PhD candidate studying Black identity, migration, and ethnoracial mental health disparities, Breanna brings a unique perspective to the wellness space. She knows firsthand how wellness narratives often overlook the lived experiences of Black women and other POC, and through PlantBasedBre, she’s working to change that conversation. Her platform is a safe space—one that educates, empowers, and challenges outdated ideas about what plant-based eating can look like.
In this interview, she opens up about food, culture, and identity, the role of intuitive eating, and how we can all build a healthier relationship with food—without shame or restriction.
Food, Culture & Identity
TBN: Breanna, you’ve built a space where plant-based eating is approachable, culturally rich, and judgment-free. What was your own journey like in embracing a plant-based lifestyle, and how did your upbringing shape your relationship with food?
BB: I initially went plant-based in 2013 and quickly realized that at the time, there weren’t many Black women, specifically Black women in midsize bodies, creating content online around plant-based eating. So, I decided that I wanted to help fill that gap. I initially adopted a plant-based diet for health reasons and also because I’m not a huge fan of the mass agricultural system in this country. From the start, I knew I wanted to maintain my cultural foodways in my kitchen—I just had to be more creative in achieving the flavors and tastes I was looking for. So, I began making veganized or plant-based versions of family recipes, and it all grew from there.
In the beginning, especially during the first four years, I experimented with different variations of plant-based eating. I was vegan, I followed a whole foods vegan diet, and I even ate a completely oil-free and salt-free diet at one point. I was all over the place. But as I’ve grown more comfortable identifying as plant-based, I’ve also embraced intuitive eating, which has allowed me to shape my journey in a way that truly works for my lifestyle. That’s what has made it sustainable.
Growing up, I had a complex relationship with food, though I wouldn’t necessarily attribute that to my household upbringing. It had more to do with the pervasiveness of diet culture. I’ve never been thin—I’ve always been midsized, even as a child—so I struggled a lot with yo-yo dieting, even in middle and high school. But as I’ve gotten older, my relationship with food has improved.
TBN: Your dissertation focuses on Black identity, migration, and ethnoracial mental health disparities. How do you see food and wellness intersecting with these larger cultural narratives?
BB: My dissertation research tangentially connects to what I do with Plant Based Bre, though I intentionally wanted to maintain some separation between the two. I started Plant Based Bre in 2017, the same year I began grad school, and I saw building a community around food as an outlet, something separate from my coursework and doctoral studies.
The common thread between my work in the wellness space and my dissertation is my commitment to a culturally competent perspective on wellness. As a Black woman, you’re often inundated with wellness messages that don’t feel relevant to your lived experience. In both my research and my work with Plant Based Bre, I center my own experiences and those of my community. That informs not only the questions I ask in my dissertation but also the recipes I develop, the conversations I have on my blog, and the discussions I engage in on Instagram.
Black identity, food, and wellness intersect in such an interesting way. There are myriad Black foodways, many rooted in historical experiences of making do with what was available while preserving oral traditions in the kitchen. In my family, recipes were rarely written down—it was more of a “watch and learn” approach. That’s still important to me today. Even though I develop recipes, I don’t always measure ingredients precisely because so much of cooking, for me, is about using all my senses—tasting, smelling, and feeling my way through the process. I think that reflects a larger cultural narrative about Black food traditions.
TBN: Cooking is deeply tied to lineage and tradition, and you come from a long line of Black women who cook with love. What’s a dish or food memory that connects you most to your roots?
BB: One of my favorite food memories is making biscuits with my great-grandmother. My father is from Detroit, Michigan, and I was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Whenever we took trips to Detroit, we would drive, and I would always beg my dad to leave really early in the morning so that we could arrive in time for me to make biscuits with her.
To be honest, I don’t know the recipe. I don’t think anyone ever wrote it down. But when I make biscuits, they taste like hers, and that, to me, is a way of honoring the long lineage of Black women in my family who were phenomenal cooks. I don’t need a written recipe to cook something well because I use all five senses when I’m in the kitchen.
Intuitive Eating & Breaking Food Rules
TBN: Breanna, you emphasize intuitive eating over strict labels. How would you describe intuitive eating in a way that feels freeing rather than restrictive?
BB: I approach food from an intuitive eating perspective because it allows me to have a healthier, more balanced relationship with food. Addressing my struggles with diet culture has pushed me toward intuitive eating, as it removes the labeling of foods as “good” or “bad” and eliminates the shame associated with eating certain things.
Intuitive eating feels freeing rather than restrictive because it encourages you to make food choices based on how you want to feel while eating and afterward, rather than adhering to rigid rules. It’s not about categorizing foods into “good” and “bad” lists or feeling like you have to compensate with exercise or water intake after eating something “bad.”
TBN: Food guilt and shame are real struggles for many people. What’s your approach to helping others build a healthier, more joyful relationship with what they eat?
BB: The most effective way to move past guilt or shame around food choices is to change your focus. Instead of fixating on whether a food is “good” or “bad,” focus on how it makes you feel—when you’re cooking it, when you’re eating it, and afterward. Those are much more positive and meaningful metrics.
A lot of food-related guilt stems from rigid ideas of what qualifies as healthy or acceptable. But when you shift your focus toward eating what makes you feel good, it becomes easier to let go of that guilt and shame.
TBN: A lot of people think plant-based eating means giving up comfort foods, but you show otherwise! What’s one plant-based comfort dish that always hits the spot, Breanna?
BB: I tend to prefer savory foods over sweets. My favorite plant-based comfort dish is definitely something warming—like a hearty chili or a pot of really flavorful beans. I love dishes with deep, layered flavors that are still plant-forward.
Passion, Balance & Everyday Joy
TBN: Between being a PhD candidate, and content creator, you have a lot on your plate. How do you find joy and balance in all of it?
BB: Balancing being a PhD student and a content creator can be a lot, especially during conflicting seasons. For instance, finals season—when I’m grading or writing exams for my students—overlaps with the holiday season, which is peak content creation time for food bloggers. Managing both can be difficult. But having a creative outlet makes me a better writer and researcher. When I engage my analytical mind heavily, I find relief through creative work like content creation.
TBN: You’re into astrology (Aquarius sun, Scorpio moon, Cancer rising!). Do you ever find that your signs influence the way you approach creativity, food, or wellness?
BB: My astrological chart plays a big role in how I share my content and approach wellness. I don’t believe in doing things just because they’ve always been done that way or because it’s “traditional”. That is reflected in how I define plant-based eating, it may not align with how others understand it, and I’m okay with that. I have no intention of shifting my plant-based lifestyle to fit someone else’s definition of what it “should” be.
Spreading the Message
TBN: If someone is hesitant about plant-based eating or feels like it’s “not for them,” what’s one piece of advice you’d give them, Breanna?
BB: If someone feels like plant-based eating isn’t for them, that’s totally fine. I don’t believe in pushing the idea that everyone should adopt a fully plant-based lifestyle. For some people, it’s just not sustainable given their lifestyle or constraints. Instead, I emphasize incorporating plants however you can, rather than insisting on a strict plant-based diet.
TBN: What’s the bigger message you hope to share through PlantBasedBre—not just about food, but about life and wellness in general?
BB: My biggest takeaway is this: It’s okay to do what makes sense for you. Your wellness choices should be influenced by your intuition. A lot of people view wellness as something rigid, with a “right” and “wrong” way to approach it. But as a sociologist, I know there are so many factors—social, cultural, economic—that shape how people develop wellness practices.
So, I would say: Do what works for you. Do what feels right for you. Let how you feel be your guiding compass, rather than letting online narratives dictate what is “best” or “incorrect” when it comes to cultivating wellness routines and habits.
Click here to check all the interviews from our “Empowered Women Empower Women” series.
