Why I Became ‘Pegan’
Usually, when I try a new diet I go into it head-first, with no allowances from restrictions. I've heard about the paleo diet and it's health benefits, but coming from someone who doesn't eat too much meat, especially red meat, it wasn't something that I thought I could attempt to follow. I've also obviously heard about veganism, and have tried to incorporate parts of the vegan lifestyle into my diet for a few years now. However, this was more for ethical reasons.
A few months ago, I noticed that I was having issues with gluten, and probably have for a while now. This led me to cut it from my diet. Around the same time, I found out about the 'Pegan Diet', and it aligned quite closely with the way I wanted to eat.
When I told my friends and family that I was going Pegan there was a lot of jokes. People assumed it was a diet where I only ate pigs, or thought it was Pesco-Vegan, or just generally confused it was Paganism. These sorts of assumptions make sense as it is a relatively new diet. Created by functional medicine doctor Mark Hyman in 2015, the Pegan Diet is a cross between the paleo diet and vegan diet.
What Is The Pegan Diet?
To understand the Pegan Diet, we need to first look at what the two diets that are the basis.
Paleo Diet:
A paleo diet eater tries only to consume foods that were available in the Palaeolithic era 2.6 million years ago, which was vegetables, fruits, nuts, fish and meat. This diet excludes dairy, grains, sugar, legumes, oils, salt, alcohol and caffeine.
Vegan Diet:
On the other hand, veganism replaces any animal products or byproducts with plant-based foods instead.
With this in mind, the Pegan Diet is a hybrid of both the vegan and paleo diets. It takes the foundation of vegetables in veganism and the lack of grains from the paleo diet and instead replaces it with a focus on healthy fats and clean and sustainable proteins. By combining fundamental principles from both the paleo and vegan diets, with a focus on nutrient-dense whole foods, the Pegan Diet could help reduce inflammation, balance blood sugar and support optimal health. The pegan diet is not designed as a typical, short-term diet. Instead, it aims to be more sustainable so that you can follow it indefinitely.
What Are Some of the Benefits?
The Pegan Diet emphasises fruit and vegetables (around 50-75% of the food intake), which can significantly improve our health. The fibre, vitamins, minerals and plant compounds within fruit and vegetables are known to prevent disease and reduce both oxidative stress and inflammation. Other studies show that cutting out unhealthy saturated fats can also help improve our heart health.
Sounds good? Let's look and what Dr Hyman believes a healthy diet looks like and is at the fundamental basis of the Pegan Diet:
Our diet is of very low glycemic load. This means that it is low in sugar, flour and refined carbohydrates of all kinds.
Our diet is high in organic vegetables and fruits. This provides us with a high phytonutrient content which protects against a lot of diseases.
No GMO foods or foods containing pesticides, additives, chemicals, preservatives, dyes MSG, artificial sweeteners, antibiotics or hormones. This is a no-brainer.
Our diet is high in good quality fats such as omega-3. Other good sources of good fats can come from olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocados.
Our diet should include a good amount of protein which helps with appetite control and muscle synthesis.
If we consume animal products, they should be organic, sustainably raised or grass-fed. If we consume fish, they should be low mercury and low toxin containing fish. Examples of these are sardines, herring and anchovies. High mercury load fish that should be avoided are tuna, swordfish or Chilean sea bass.
Now the Pegan Diet takes it a step further, and also removes the following:
No dairy - Both the paleo and vegan diets cut out dairy products and is also completely cut out in the Pegan Diet. Dairy can contribute to obesity, diabetes and heart disease, even though some of us can tolerate it. However, foods made from sheep or goat milk are permitted in limited quantities.
No grains - For millions of people, gluten creates inflammation, autoimmunity, digestive disorders and sometimes even obesity. This was the food I realised was giving me problems when I came across the Pegan Diet. Even grains that don't contain gluten are discouraged.
Restricting beans - While they can be an excellent source for protein, fibre and minerals, beans can also cause digestive problems and trigger spikes in blood sugar. Limit beans/legumes to 1 cup a day, because they can cause digestive problems. Hyman also says that lectins and phytates in beans can cause inflammation and impair nutrient absorption. He states that it's best to stay away from 'big, starchy beans' and limit yourself to lentils.
Choosing the right meat - Rather than opting for cheap or 'feedlot' beef that can raise cholesterol and increase inflammation, we should only consume grass-fed organic meat that has cholesterol neutral stearic acid and contains protective omega 3 fats and vitamins A+D which raise glutathione and antioxidants. This was perhaps the biggest change for me when starting this diet. For the past year and a half I had only consumed fish and chicken, but have since starting eating organic grass-fed beef and have seen the benefits.
Eggs and non-toxic fish are okay and excellent sources of protein, vital nutrients and omega 3.
No sugar (or significantly less), no soy, and no vegetable oils (because they are inflammatory omega-6 fats.
Key Takeaway
It seems like a lot to take into consideration, but it's relatively easy once you get the hang of it. To make thing's more straightforward, here are the key takeaways of things to remember for those interested in approaching a Pegan Diet:
Focusing on the glycemic load.
It's harder to focus on this when on a vegan diet alone, but still possible. Try to focus on more protein and fats such as nuts (not peanuts), seeds, coconut, avocados, sardines and olive oil.
Eating the right fats.
Restricting most vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower, corn and soybean. Instead opt for omega-3 fats, nuts, coconut avocados and saturated fats from organic grass-fed animals.
Eat mostly plants.
As mentioned above, this should make up about 75% of your diet.
Avoid dairy and gluten.
Dairy is for growing calves, not for humans. It is okay to eat goat or sheep products occasionally but mainly restricting them. Gluten should be restricted entirely.
Eat meat as a side dish.
Vegetables should be the focus on the plate, and animal products as a side dish.
Beans and sugar should be consumed sparingly.
Beans and sugars should be restricted as much as possible. Lentils are the best option for those still wanting to consume beans. Sugar should only be consumed as an occasional treat.
I think what has worked for me being on the Pegan Diet is that it’s a little less restrictive, and I know I'm doing the best thing for myself. It was less for how I thought I should feel but more how I knew certain foods disagreed with me and trying to optimise my body. I think it’s important with any diet to realise that I wasn't being disciplined if I didn’t follow it 100% all the time. Can I eat a piece of cheesecake once in a while without damning myself into eternity? Of course I can.
Although following these guidelines will end with the best result, you can pick and choose what suits you and your body best. As with everything, everyone is different so different things work for different people.
You can find out more about Dr Mark Hyman on his site here. I’ve also read a great book that covers a lot of what is discussed above, available here. For recipes following the Pegan Diet, Dr Hyman’s cookbook is available here.
With wellness,
Aleksandar
