Maybe it’s not said outright, but there’s a “Real men eat meat” sentiment out there… have you felt it? Do you believe it yourself? Maybe you sense a trace of this feeling buried deep in the recesses of your heart. If so, welcome to the world of suggestion and control. The programming has been a success!
I wanted to write about this today after observing the bizarre behaviour of certain meat-eating males in their everyday habitat. These include:
- The time an old friend, upon hearing I went vegan, drew his face close to mine and told me how much he loved meat, “the bloodier the better,” he said
- The time a friend of a friend, who joined us at a vegan restaurant, felt compelled to tell the server he’d be following up his meal somewhere else with a big juicy steak
- And the many times that meat-eaters have somehow inferred that men who are vegan are “soft”
These types of responses are too common to be considered “abnormal” but they are absurd, ironic even. I find them ironic because they all seem to convey fear or insecurity. I sensed that these men felt threatened by the idea of veganism, as if they needed to assert their manliness by being brutish about their meat-eating. By contrast, the qualities that inspire a man to go vegan are actually qualities that truly exemplify masculinity – traits like courage, independent thinking, and the desire to protect.
Courage, independent thinking, and the desire to protect
It takes courage to go against the status quo. Most of us have grown up eating meat. We’ve been told by our families and cultures that it’s normal, healthy, good, comforting, and we’ve been sold this information by the meat industry, but it’s not true, and the evidence is staggering. It takes independent thinking to break away from indoctrination and do one’s own research with an open mind. For those who are willing, they find that there are many things wrong with meat eating, including the immense suffering it causes sentient beings as well as its contribution to the devastation of our planet. For some people, this is enough to provoke a desire to protect – protect one’s health, the environment, and innocent creatures.
There are three main reasons why people go vegan:
- For Health
- For the Environment
- For Animals
If you share an interest in these concerns, and would like to know more, I highly recommend watching “What the Health” (about health), “Cowspiracy” (about the environment) – both available on Netflix – as well as “Earthlings” (about our treatment of animals) which is available for free on Youtube. These are powerful documentaries chock-full of eye-opening information.
Let’s take a look at just a couple of ways that a vegan diet can improve a man’s health.
A Vegan Diet engenders Virility
Contrary to the belief that vegans are weak and scrawny, many top athletes are turning to a vegan diet and optimizing their strength and performance. These include Rich Roll who, at 43, completed five ironman triathlons in seven days, strongman Patrik Baboumian who set a world record in 2013 by carrying a 550 kg yoke, and olympic sprinter Carl Lewis who, upon going vegan, had his best year of track competition. In “The Game Changers”, a soon-to-be-released documentary, we meet a slew of other vegan athletes who are also smashing it! NFL players, weight lifters, boxers, martial artists and more – all personifying what science has been telling us for years – that a plant based diet is optimal for physical health and fitness.
But perhaps even more compelling for most men is the power of the plant-based vegan diet on a man’s… er… “nether” regions. Studies have shown statistically significant links between meat-eating and prostate cancer, as well as a decreased risk for prostate cancer for men following a plant-based vegan diet. Other medical evidence concludes that meat eating contributes to erectile dysfunction. Not only do the saturated fat and cholesterol from animal products clog arteries, but this leads to restricted blood flow – not just to the heart, but to all of one’s organs. One study featured in “The Game Changers” showed that men who cut out animal products from their diet had erections that were greater in circumference, rigidity, and duration. Need more hard evidence? Try the vegan diet for a month and see if these findings stand up 😉
Is it unmanly to care?
From the time they were little, most men have been discouraged from acknowledging or showing their feelings. Expressions like “Big boys don’t cry”, “man up”, and “grow a pair” have often been used to shame boys and men for expressing their emotions. In this way, society has taught men to suppress their feelings, hide their sensitivity, and put on a brave face. Consequently, many men become desensitized and disconnected from themselves. This makes it more difficult for them to see the link between their meat eating and the pain and destruction it causes. I think this also plays into why some men, upon seeing others show care for animals and the planet, feel triggered. This display of sensitivity appears “unmanly” to them, because they’ve been conditioned to think that way. The “patriarchal masculine” dictates suppressing emotion, whereas the “divine masculine” embraces emotional intelligence and expression. It’s time for all of us to become more divine – and for men, that means freeing yourself from those antiquated patriarchal ideas. You are naturally more of a “real man” when you’re more “real” – and that means knowing, being in touch with, and allowing your feelings.
Most people eat meat because most people eat meat
Going vegan isn’t necessarily easy for anyone, male or female, because it goes against the status quo, but for me it was way easier than I thought it would be. Since going vegan four years ago I’ve discovered so many amazing foods and flavours, and I spontaneously became more interested in food, health and fitness. Being vegan doesn’t always endear you to people, especially at food gatherings, but the benefits of eating this way far outweigh any negatives. Again I encourage everyone to learn more about it, and of course I encourage everyone to stop believing the lies we’ve been told – one of the worst being that real men eat meat.
“Isn’t it funny that people will actually be proud to represent the stupidist shit like killing people, hurting people, and disrespecting women, but when it comes to representing eating right, you get laughed at.” – Will.i.am
Will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas became a vegan at the start of this year and he put out this funny video intended, I think, to pump up both himself and his viewers. Have a look.
Real Men eat vegan quiche
Admittedly, I haven’t tried this Chickpea Flour Quiche recipe yet, but it fit today’s theme – and looks easy and tasty. Let me know what you think!
