For some men, food is not just food. A steak can signal strength. A burger can feel familiar. A salad, tofu dish or soy latte may carry cultural baggage that has little to do with nutrition and a lot to do with identity.
A new poll from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and Morning Consult suggests those ideas are still common. Among 1,020 U.S. men surveyed in May, 53% said they considered a carnivore diet, which includes only animal products, to be “masculine.” Only 10% said the same about a plant-based diet.
When asked about specific foods, 49% of men considered meat “masculine,” while 35% considered soy products “feminine.” Men ages 18 to 34 were the most likely to attach masculinity to dietary patterns.
But the poll also found something more hopeful: 63% of men said they would likely change their diet if the foods they associated with masculinity were harmful to their health.
That finding matters because food choices are often shaped by more than taste, cost or convenience. They are also shaped by culture, social media, family habits and ideas about what certain foods “say” about a person.
“Meatfluencers and the manosphere are pushing the disease-causing myth that consuming meat and milk is manly,” said Noah Praamsma, a registered dietitian with the Physicians Committee. “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.”
The Physicians Committee is a nonprofit organization that promotes plant-based diets and preventive medicine, so its framing comes from a clear point of view. Still, the poll taps into a broader pattern nutrition and social science researchers have been studying for years: Meat is often coded as masculine, while vegetarian, vegan or plant-forward eating is more likely to be viewed as feminine.
The more useful question is not whether meat is masculine. It is whether a diet pattern supports long-term health.
That is where the carnivore diet raises concerns. Because it excludes fruits, vegetables, grains, beans and many other plant foods, a carnivore diet can be low in fiber and certain vitamins, minerals and plant compounds. A recent scientific review found that the diet may carry risks including nutrient deficiencies, reduced intake of health-promoting phytochemicals and cardiovascular concerns. The evidence base is also limited, with few long-term controlled studies.
Praamsma said the concern is not only what meat-heavy diets include, but what they leave out.
“A diet with no or very few fruits, vegetables, grains and beans is dangerous,” he said. “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.”
There is also confusion around soy. In the poll, 24% of men said soy products contain estrogens, the same percentage who said dairy products contain estrogens. Soy contains phytoestrogens, which are plant compounds that can act weakly like estrogen in some contexts but are not the same as human estrogen.
Concerns that soy “feminizes” men are not supported by clinical research. A meta-analysis of clinical studies found that soy and isoflavone intake did not affect testosterone or estrogen levels in men.
That does not mean every man needs to eat tofu. It does mean soy foods do not deserve their reputation as a threat to masculinity.
For men who want to improve their diet without feeling like they are adopting a new identity, the most practical step may be to focus on additions instead of labels. More beans, lentils, vegetables, whole grains, fruit, nuts and soy foods can help improve overall diet quality. That does not require becoming vegan, giving up every burger or treating food as a moral test.
A man who adds black beans to chili, swaps in oatmeal at breakfast, tries a stir-fry with tofu or chooses fish, poultry or plant proteins more often is still making meaningful changes.
The poll suggests many men may already be open to that idea. If health risks are clear, most said they would consider changing what they eat. The challenge is making nutrition advice feel practical, credible and respectful enough that men can hear it without feeling like they are being asked to give up part of who they are.