Study Shows Men Prefer Meat, Women Prefer Fruits and Vegetables

Despite the obvious anatomical differences between men and women, it has been a hotbed topic for centuries as to how different men and women truly are from each other. Of course there are blurring of the lines of distinction in many cases, such as with sports, intellectual endeavors, creativity, and many other things. But does the "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" rule apply to what males and females typically choose to eat?

A study released by the Foodborne Disease Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) at the 2008 International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta revealed that there is indeed a dichotomy of eating preferences. An extensive survey involving 14,000 participants, conducted between May 2006 and April 2007, where participants reported their eating habits and predilection for eating high risk foods that could carry foodborne illness, resulted in findings that men were more likely to eat meat and poultry, while women were more likely to consume fruits and vegetables.

Men especially preferred veal, duck, and ham. Oysters and shrimp were also more likely to be eaten by men. Women preferred strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and apples. With vegetables, their preferences ran to tomatoes and carrots. Women were also more inclined to eat dry foods such as walnuts and almonds.

There were some notable exceptions. Women seemed to prefer fresh hamburgers, whereas men seemed to prefer frozen. And men were more inclined to eat brussel sprouts and asparagus.

The data gathered in the survey was also used to ascertain eating habits that included "risky" foods, which included undercooked hamburger, runny or undercooked eggs, unpasteurized milk and cheese, raw oysters, and alfalfa sprouts. Men were more inclined to eat undercooked hamburger and runny or undercooked eggs. Women were more likely to eat alfalfa sprouts.

Researchers hope to use information gathered in the survey to help target at risk populations with preventive strategies based upon their eating habits.