Hybrid diet trending this year
Paleo and veganism have created peganism. But what is it, asks Viwe Ndongeni-Ntlebi?
ANOTHER new eating regimen, labelled “pegan”. This hybrid of “paleo” and “vegan” was introduced in a 2014 blog post by physician and author Mark Hyman. After Hyman included the pegan diet in his 2018 diet book, Food: What the Heck Should
I Eat? searches related to the pegan diet spiked, landing it on a number of trend lists for 2019.
Pinterest reports that searches for eating pegan increasing by 337% year over year.
But what is a pegan diet? Lila Bruk, Adsa spokesperson and registered dietitian, says the pegan diet is a combination of the paleo diet and a vegan diet. A paleo diet prescribes eating mainly animal proteins, nuts, fruit and vegetables, while avoiding sugar, dairy, grains and legumes.
“A vegan diet on the other hand, eschews all animal derived foods including dairy, meat, chicken, fish and eggs, as well as honey. Both diets have an emphasis on choosing less processed foods,” says Bruk.
Explaining that the pegan diet does still allow for some animal proteins, however the focus is on vegetables, with the majority (75%) of the plate being made up of vegetables.
While the pegan diet is more moderate and potentially easier to follow than either of its dietary parents, it does restrict many nutritious foods for reasons that aren’t quite supported by science. Here are the pros and cons.
WHAT ARE THE PROS OF THIS DIET?
The pegan diet encourages a high vegetable and fruit intake, which improves fibre and antioxidant intake, which in turn has been linked to a lower risk of cancer, heart disease and other diseases.
Many people may find they also lose weight as a result of this increased fibre intake.
Most people also eat too much animal protein, so the focus of making vegetables the hero of the dish is certainly positive to reduce protein and fat intake.
In addition, the focus on less processed foods is also a positive.
The diet also puts significant emphasis on the intake of unsaturated fats – in the form of nuts, seeds and fatty fish, specifically focusing on smaller fish such as sardines to lower the mercury intake and being the more sustainable choice.
WHAT ARE THE CONS OF THIS DIET?
Some versions of the pegan diet exclude legumes. Dairy and legumes are both excellent sources of protein and other nutrients, which are eliminated on this diet. Wholegrains too are highly beneficial and also provide fibre and other nutrients such as B vitamins.
Janet Bond, a cardiovascular nutritionist, recognises the positive aspects of Hyman’s diet: “Fresh and local is great, provided you have the access to buy it. I like that Dr Hyman advocates ‘using meat as a condiment’.”
However, a 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee concluded that a healthy diet should not exclude whole grains, legumes and low-fat dairy.
Whole grains have been shown to decrease risk of cardiovascular disease and lower blood glucose levels.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans advises making half of all grain intake wholegrains.