A new poll conducted by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and Morning Consult finds that 53% of US men consider a carnivore diet “masculine,” while just 10% say the same about a plant-based diet. Despite those attitudes, 63% of respondents said they would likely change their diet if the foods they associated with masculinity were found to be harmful to their health.
“Meatfluencers and the manosphere are pushing the disease-causing myth that consuming meat and milk is manly”
The survey polled 1,020 US men. When asked about individual foods rather than dietary patterns, 49% of respondents considered meat “masculine” and 35% considered soy products “feminine.” Men aged 18 to 34 showed the strongest tendency to attach gender associations to food choices.
Perceptions versus health data
PCRM, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit founded in 1985 that promotes preventive medicine and plant-based diets, released the findings ahead of Men’s Health Month in June. The organization argues that the masculine associations around meat consumption conflict with a substantial body of clinical evidence linking animal-product-heavy diets to conditions including heart disease, prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, and reduced fertility.
“Meatfluencers and the manosphere are pushing the disease-causing myth that consuming meat and milk is manly. But make no mistake, these foods can be detrimental to men’s health, from heart disease and prostate cancer to erectile dysfunction and reduced fertility,” stated Noah Praamsma, registered dietitian with the Physicians Committee.
Soy and estrogen misperceptions
The poll also probed attitudes around soy and hormones, finding that equal percentages of men (24%) believed both dairy and soy products contain estrogens. According to PCRM, this equivalence is scientifically inaccurate. Dairy does contain estrogens and has been linked in research to increased prostate cancer risk; cow’s milk is more concentrated in estrogens when cows are milked during pregnancy, which is standard practice in most dairy operations.
Soy, by contrast, contains phytoestrogens, which are plant compounds with estrogen-like structures but distinct biological effects. A review of 38 clinical studies found no measurable impact of soy consumption on testosterone or estrogen levels in men.
Praamsma added, “A diet with no or very few fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans is dangerous. Fiber, carbohydrates, phytochemicals like lycopene in tomatoes and resveratrol in grapes and berries, and other nutrients found in plant foods are essential for men’s health.”
