Big cheese burger. (Ken Epstien/WENN)

Real men don't eat salad - or so a new study into male's eating patterns has shown.

Researchers at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky surveyed 125 male undergraduate psychology students in their 20s, and found that they believed chomping down on meat made them more masculine.

Professor Hank Rothgerber , explains, "There is a group of manly men who swear off what they call chick food, and they seek a double whopper to declare their manhood. Meat consumption is a symbol of patriarchy resulting from its long-held alliance with manhood, power, and virility."