It has come to my attention that foods kind of have gender. I mean this as in men tend to typically choose different types of foods than women.
Food psychology and the
sociological aspects of food choices are areas of research that some university professors dedicate their careers to. It's also an area that I may be interested in exploring in the future for a thesis-based Masters.
What are "women" foods? Women tend to (not always) gravitate towards the following foods:
Does this mean that women are healthier? Maybe. I attended a conference in April where a UBC professor discussed the qualitative research that she did in this area of food and gender. When asking why women chose these types of healthy foods, it was not always because they were healthy choices. They chose these foods because they were concerned about weight and dieting. They wanted to fit into their skinny jeans! You know... women and their calories...
What type of foods do men typically choose? Not as great:
Why? It's hard for me to say because I'm not a man. But my thoughts are that the above pub foods are often associated with sports. The Superbowl is notorious for some of the worst foods consumed in any single event. Protein and meat are associated more so with "manly muscles" rather than heart disease, some cancers, and stress on the kidneys. And then I typically hear the phrase, "grabbing a beer with the guys." Men may also have less societal pressure to fit a certain body type. But what do I know; I don't have balls. You guys tell me!
The bottom line is
not that men should eat like women. Women tend to choose salads because they want to diet and lose weight, but some women are almost always on a diet! Instead of seeing vegetables, salads, and fruits as "Die with a T" foods or miserable foods that you just have to eat temporarily until you can squeeze into those skinny jeans, these foods should be seen as part of a lifestyle. Eating these foods daily can make you feel more energized and help prevent chronic diseases. And if they help you look better, feel lighter, and more happy with yourself, then that's a win-win!
But feeling good come first!
Comments (19)
I've always thought that fruits & veggies were more of a "feminine" food, because it's so...dainty and fruity (lol). If I were to follow food psychology, I'd say my preference in food is more masculine. I like starchy, high carbohydrates and high fats.
I eat a lot of rice, what does that make me? Actually, I already know the answer =P
I'll take pub food over a salad any day.
I'll tell you why. Meat is associated with being manly. Also, high in protein. The "female" foods aren't bad, unless they contain a lot of soy or other products which would raise estrogen levels.
According to this, I might be a man. My Food ID is male, but Im in a woman's body.
I just like it when my food is nice to look at. It lifts my spirits and makes the food taste better. It doesn't matter what I eat.
I'm a vegetarian, although I do still eat pizza once or twice a week. That makes me more womanly, lmao.
I wonder what corn on the cob is...
I still like fast food but I go for healthier choices like Subway, Chick-fil-a or Chipotle (the cheese, guacamole meat, veggies & tomato salsa ARE healthy & fresh. The sour cream is debatable but you gotta admit this is better than Mickey Ds!). One in a while, I’ll cave & get a burger
nice post although i dont think the majority of women are healthy because theres some who eat "manly food". obesity has no limits.
men eat "manly food" (junk food) and women eat "womanly food" (healthy food).
I eat a whole variety of food but it always has meat, raw vegetables and rice :). Simple but efficient.
There is workingmen's food. Complex carbohydrates that marathon runners eat make good sense so that a person who is working doesn't run out of energy. I eat cereal every morning and do a lot of physical work.
Strangely meats seem to "last" me a while before I get hungry again.
The most famous male food is the beer, that is why a lot of men have that beer belly.....
I call dibs on the bacon.
This is based on North American/Europe?
On a whole different note, I miss Gwen's class
I think the average person do forget about the food pyramid. And I also think that why we eat un-healthy is because of what the restaurant has to offer as well. That's because in where I live, a lot of food places offer dishes that have meat then rice in their dish. Also, dinning out places are often not healthy because they use lesser quality meat and oil so they can survive in a place where rent is so expensive.
Sometimes i believe that guys choose those food is because they pack in more calories and will fill us more. Girls seem to have a sense how much they can eat. Or they would only like to put good food in their stomach because you have one life to live so why treat yourself poorly. Girls who have a sense of how much they can eat, they will choose a small dish or a big dish where her bf can help her finish the rest. Guys....we probably figured we have one life to live......so let's go to TOWN!!! and do Adventurous greasy food. Also, lettuce and fruits sometimes do not fill as much as carbs. I guess it really depends on the individual. But i find the concept interesting. Good lucK!
I think it's because the food you showed pictures of in the guys section is more filling. I'd have to eat a lot of fruits/vegetables to be full. Even after eating a lot of fruit/vegetables, I think they tend to digest faster making me more hungry again, which kind of defeats the purpose of eating to be full? (Technically should be eat to be not hungry, but guys eat to be full.)
Body image is probably the other argument. Men don't feel the same pressure as women do to stay skinny and fit. A skinny man actually is treated as unattractive. I've heard a lot of female friends who actually prefer some mean on their man (not a representative sample of any sort of course.) This being said...bring on the meat!
Social stigma also has some effect. A man eating a salad in a guys night out event, would often be teased. Not sure why that's the case...but somehow eating more meat = manly? Male competition - who can down the most beer...who can eat the most wings...etc.
Those are the only 3 that I can think of...
Ruh rohs, I've been eating like a man. Haha oops, probably not a healthy diet. I typically would choose the burger over a salad anyday :x
I hate fruit, love vegetables though.
Like a big plate of rice with stir fried veggies and deep fried hot wings. Yummy! lol
I guess I'm a male when it comes to food choices then. That's probably also why skinny jeans aren't for me.