Do real men eat quiche, not meat?

While the diet of a masculine man has traditionally consisted of steak and sausages, it now appears to extend to salad.

For new research has found that being vegetarian is no longer perceived to be less masculine than meat-eating.

But vegans are still out in the cold, with the study revealing they are still seen as effeminate.

Vegetarian men are not perceived to be any less masculine than those who eat meat, a study has found

Psychologist Margaret Thomas, from Earlham College, Indiana, conducted a four-part study to understand how people perceive vegetarianism, a diet foregoing meat, and veganism, a diet foregoing meat as well as other animal products including eggs and dairy.

As part of the paper, she said countless research has found that meat-eating meat is associated with maleness.

One study found Australian men who didn’t eat meat felt there was a pressure to eat it as a way to distance themselves from femininity.

Meanwhile, other research shows meat – specifically beef and pork – is linked with masculinity and consumed more by men.

Fruits, vegetables, salads, sweets like chocolate and ice cream are associated with femininity and consumed more by women, the research found.

Wanting to see if this perception was still the norm, Ms Thomas took 131 adults and assigned them to read a version of a story.

The story was exactly the same, except in one version it was about a man called Jacob and in another described a woman called Jessica.

MEDITERRANEAN DIET IS 'AS HEALTHY AS BEING VEGAN' With its staples of fresh fish, olive oil, and plentiful vegetables, the Mediterranean diet has long been hailed as they key to good health and longevity. But now researchers have given it another thumbs up claiming it is just as healthy as being a vegetarian or vegan - as long as you eat plenty of vegetables. A study in Italy looked at the how different diets affect the different types of bacteria in people's guts. Those who only ate meat occasionally - as per the Mediterranean diet - had high levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFCs) - known to stave off diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. It found people with vegetable-rich diets also had the highest levels of a type of bacteria which has previously been linked to plant-based diets. The findings were published in the journal Gut. Advertisement

And in some versions, the character was a vegetarian, while in others they were an omnivore (they eat a range of foods, including meat.

After reading the story, people were asked how the person in the story possessed some of 12 qualities, including friendliness, how health-conscious they were, independence and forcefulness.

They were also asked to rate their masculinity or femininity.

Ms Thomas found the results contradicted past research which found meat-eating is associated with maleness.

‘Vegetarianism is no longer associated with lower levels of masculinity,’ she concluded.

In studies two and three, a second group of 133 adults were asked to read the same stories.

However, this time Jessica and Jacob were both described as eating either a vegan diet or a meat-eating diet.

This time, the vegan man was found to be less masculine when he was vegan than the meat-eating man.

Commenting on the results, Ms Thomas said: ‘Participants may have stereotypes about vegans as being effeminate.

‘Alternatively, masculinity may be cumulatively calculated, such that the absence of things traditionally associated with masculinity (in this case, meat and high-fat foods), may dock targets’ levels of masculinity in the eyes of perceivers.’

In the final study, 143 adults were asked to read stories in which Jessica and Jacob were both vegan.

In one case, it was their choice, but in the second case they were forced to eat at this diet due to ‘digestive issues’.

Consciously choosing to be vegan – rather than doing so due to allergies – is seen as effeminate, researchers revealed. People who are vegan do not eat meat or other animal products including eggs and dairy

Ms Thomas found that choosing veganism, not veganism itself, was linked with lower levels of masculinity.

She said: ‘A vegan diet, which excludes two types of food associated with masculinity (meat and may be seen as a direct violation of masculinity.’

People's views on vegan diets and maleness might better represent their views on foregoing meat than vegetarians diets, she said.

She concluded that with more than a third of Americans eat at least one meatless meal a week, vegetarianism is now considered a ‘normal’ diet.

However, she noted that the people involved in the study may be more liberal than the general population in the US.