What Is The Pegan Diet?
Before we get into what's kosher to eat while on the pegan diet, it feels important to clarify what the diet actually is. While it may sound easy enough to understand (yes, you're right that "pegan" is a mesh of "paleo" and "vegan"), it's a very difficult diet to actually execute.
In fact, the principles of the paleo diet and a vegan one are entirely different-the former encourages meat-heavy meals, the latter doesn't allow for any animal products at all. But there is a middle ground, pegan founder Dr. Mark Hyman explains. And that middle ground is "real whole, fresh food in its natural state free of processed ingredients, refined carbohydrates, and additives." Yes, that means meat is OK, as long as it's eaten sparingly and it's lean and grass-fed.
In 2015, Hyman told Redbook: "Designed correctly, both a Paleo and vegan diet can provide health benefits like weight loss, lowered cholesterol, and reverse diabetes."
If that sounds like something you're into, can handle, or would find beneficial, here's what is and isn't allowed on a strict pegan diet.
Things you can always eat on the pegan diet
Vegetables Anything that has a glycemic index of between 55 and 69, which all of the below are. Hyman recommends 75 percent of your diet should be vegetables.
Bamboo shoots
Greens: collard, mustard, turnip, etc.
Brussels sprouts
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Peppers
Eggplant
Leeks
Mushrooms
Fruits (with that same glycemic index in mind.)
Apples
Cherries
Dark berries
Citrus fruits
Pears
Mangoes
Pineapple
Omega-3 fats
Nuts
Avocados
Olive oil
Things you can sometimes eat on the pegan diet
Proteins-as long as it's sustainably sourced and grass-fed
Beef
Turkey
Chicken
Salmon
Shrimp
Eggs
Legumes
Beans, specifically, can be eaten sometimes as a source of fiber and protein, but they should be limited.
Natural sugars
Maple syrup
Coconut sugar
Honey
Dates
Vanilla
Things you can never eat on the pegan diet
Dairy
Starchy vegetables
Sweet potatoes
Pumpkin
Gluten-including whole grains and alternatives
Soy
Most vegetable oils
Canola
Sunflower
Corn
Soybean
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