Real Men Eat Meat - The Secret to Being a Macho-Man?

 

    

    
        The secret to being a macho man? Meat — lots of it, according to a new study that links masculinity to food. But this manliness comes at a cost.


    

    Popeye may have gotten his super strength and machismo from a can of spinach, but “real men” don’t eat veggies, according to a new report published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

    

    Instead, they boost their virility with so-called masculine foods: steak and burgers.

    

    Several experiments about how and why people associate food with gender were conducted by experts from four universities — Cornell, Louisiana State, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. They found that men and women perceived meat and meat-eaters as being more masculine than veggies and vegetarians, which could explain why fewer men choose to live a meat-free lifestyle.

    

    

    Making Red Meat Part of a Healthy Diet

    

    

    “To the strong, traditional, macho, bicep-flexing, All-American male, red meat is a strong, traditional, macho, bicep-flexing All-American food,” the study authors write. “Soy is not. To eat it, [men] would have to give up a food they saw as strong and powerful like themselves for a food they saw as weak and wimpy.”

    

    You Are What You Eat

    

    Man’s love affair with meat dates back to the Stone Age, when people hunted for their meals. Today, the average American consumes approximately 195 pounds of meat annually, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

    

    “Meat is a major commodity and a very important aspect of human existence,” the authors write. “Perhaps more than any other food, meat is laden with meanings because of its association with higher status and the killing of animals.”

    

    To further investigate these meanings, the researchers recruited college students and adults in the United States and Great Britain for six separate psychological, linguistic, and demographic studies.

    

    In one, participants were asked to rate the “maleness” and “femaleness” of various foods, from blood to rabbit to fish to milk. The top four most masculine choices were medium-rare steak, hamburger, well-done steak, and beef chili; the most feminine were chocolate, peaches, chicken salad, and sushi.

    

    In another experiment, subjects read a short passage describing the lifestyle and diet habits of a guy or a girl and then judged the person on 16 attributes, including how passive, feminine, strong, kind, and liberal they appeared. Characters who ate meat were deemed significantly more “masculine” than those who ate fish or vegetables.

    

    Meat Is Macho, But Is It Healthy?

    

    Not surprisingly, male participants in the study were more likely than female participants to report liking beef and other meat products; the opposite was true for salads and vegetables. But is the cost of manliness men’s health?

    

    According to a recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, regular red meat consumption is associated with an increased risk of total, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality. Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health observed more than 37,000 men and 83,000 women and found that one daily serving of unprocessed red meat was associated with a 13 percent higher risk of death; a daily serving of processed red meat was associated with a 20 percent higher risk. Replacing that serving with a healthier protein such as fish, poultry, nuts, or legumes, conversely, was associated with a lower risk.

    

    Other research suggests that meat — especially grilled, well-done meat — may be a carcinogen. In one study from the University of California-San Francisco, men who ate around two servings of hamburger or meatloaf a week were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer as men who ate none.

    

    Some experts argue, however, that eating at least some meat is good for you. Beef and pork (considered red meat by the USDA) are high in protein, which can help you maintain a healthy weight, increase your lean muscle mass, and keep you feeling fuller, longer. They're also rich in important nutrients like iron, zinc, vitamins B6 and B12, niacin, and riboflavin. These may improve memory, protect against vision problems, and promote a healthier immune system.

    

    Everything in Moderation

    

    The key, it seems, is portion control.

    

    “Meat can be part of a healthy diet when eaten in moderation,” says Mark Gorelick, Ph.D., a San Francisco State University kinesiologist. “The problem is, we don’t order the palm-sized portion of meat — we get the 16-ounce steak. Meat is a good source of protein, but it’s also often high in fat. And if you’re going to eat anything high in fat, and you’re not active, then certainly the calories add up."

    

    People often overestimate the amount of protein they need to consume, he adds. The average individual needs to get just 1.6 to 1.8 grams per kilogram they weigh. In fact, the amount of protein the body can utilize at a time is 20 to 25 grams; anything else is basically lost as waste or stored as fat.

    

    More research is needed before doctors can rule either for or against red meat, but if you do decide to go totally meat-free, you can get the protein you need from other sources, including milk, peanut butter, and fish. And don't worry about your masculinity being called into question: There are plenty of macho vegetarians out there, including Paul McCartney, Forest Whitaker, and Bill Clinton.

    

    By Allison Takeda and Sushma Subramanian