Triangulation of qualitative and quantitative approaches for the study of gay bears’ food intake in S ~ ao Paulo, Brazil Ramiro Fernandez Unsain Federal University of S~ ao Paulo, Santos, Brazil, and Priscila de Morais Sato, Mariana Dimitrov Ulian, Fernanda Sabatini, Mayara Sanay da Silva Oliveira and Fernanda Baeza Scagliusi Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of S~ ao Paulo, S~ ao Paulo, Brazil Abstract Purpose – The authors aimed to triangulate food intake data obtained by two qualitative methods (in-depth interviews and participant observations) and one quantitative method (food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ)). The purpose of this paper was to analyze the kind of data each method produced and how these different pieces of information are methodologically related to the characteristics and limitations of different methods used and theoretically connected to participants’ identities and masculinities. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis was based on data from an ethnographic study; whose participants were 35 men who self-identified as gay bears. The participants’ food intake was investigated through participant observations, in-depth interviews and an FFQ. Findings – The qualitative methods indicated an overconsumption of meat and beer and a rejection of fresh foods, especially fruits and vegetables, as diacritical signs of the bears’ identity. The FFQ showed a major consumption of minimally processed food, with fruits and vegetables being eaten more than meat. The authors proposed that the participants have compartmentalized their many habitual intakes and assessed one of them, separately, according to the method used (what was being asked and the context of that moment). Additionally, the authors connected these two patterns of habitual intake to the participants’ identities and masculinities, questioning the existence of a constant hegemonic masculinity among this group. Originality/value – The triangulation of methods employed in the present study is seldom addressed in the literature. This approximation provided a rich discussion regarding the connections between eating, sexuality, gender and identity, through a novel methodological and theoretical lens. Keywords Food, Sexuality, Gender, Methods, Triangulation Paper type Research paper Introduction This paper discusses methodological issues using data from an ethnographic study regarding the relations between eating, gender, sexuality and identity of a collective of 35 gay men who self-identify as bears, in S~ ao Paulo, Brazil. We established a dialog between the food intake data obtained by two qualitative methods (in-depth interviews and participant observations) and one quantitative method (food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ)) employed. Study of gay bears’ food intake The authors are grateful to the participants of this research. Conflict of interest: The authors do not have conflicts of interest. Funding: This research was funded by fellowships provided by the Fundaç~ ao de Amparo  a Pesquisa do Estado de S~ ao Paulo (FAPESP), process numbers 2015/12235-8, 2017/05651-0 and 2019/00031-0, the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient  ıfico e Tecnol ogico (CNPq), process number 309514/ 20185 and the Coordenaç~ ao de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de N  ıvel Superior (CAPES), processes numbers 8882.330823/2019 and 88882.330829/2019-01. The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/1443-9883.htm Received 28 April 2020 Revised 27 October 2020 Accepted 18 January 2021 Qualitative Research Journal © Emerald Publishing Limited 1443-9883 DOI 10.1108/QRJ-04-2020-0034