HYBRID THEORY
A trendy blend of the paleo plan and veganism, this doctor-built diet promises to shed fat and maintain muscle. But does it really cut it?
01 WHAT IT IS
Pegan is a mash-up of paleo and vegan. On the diet, you can eat whenever you want and as much of anything as you want – as long as you’re filling your plate with 75% plant-based foods and 25% sustainably raised animal products. (So, yeah, it’s not really vegan.) Mark Hyman developed the diet – and wrote a bestselling book about it, too.
02 THE PROMISE
Dr Hyman says that his pegan diet can reduce inflammation, prevent chronic disease and promote weight loss while also taking care of the planet. Because you can still eat meat, fish and eggs on pegan, you don’t have to worry about protein intake, a common concern with a vegan diet.
03 WHAT YOU CAN’T HAVE
Quite a lot, actually: non-organic produce, vegetable oils, dairy (except for organic sheep’s or goat’s milk), gluten, soya and more than 125g of cooked grains or 75g of legumes daily, plus monosodium glutamate, artificial sweeteners, additives, preservatives and dyes. Whew.
04 THE GOOD
Eating more plants is always beneficial. Fruit and vegetables house diseasefighting antioxidants as well as fibre, which helps you stay full and feeds good gut bacteria. Also nice: there are no calorie or macronutrient
(fat, protein, carbs) restrictions on the pegan diet and – grains and legumes aside – you don’t have to measure portions, which is just annoying.
05 THE NOT SO GOOD
Dr Hyman states that dairy is linked to cancer (not true), gluten causes obesity (also not true), and grains and legumes can trigger autoimmune disorders (sigh). There is no solid scientific evidence that suggests any of the foods he excludes from this diet, in moderate amounts, can cause poor health.