The Pegan Diet: What You Need To Know

The success of this diet lies in the ingredients, which must be natural, free from chemicals and other artificial transformations.

The pegan diet is based on the consumption of foods of plant origin. It is a combination of the paleo diet with the vegan diet. The Paleo diet mimics the one our ancestors had in the Paleolithic.

What is the pegan diet based on?

The pegan diet was developed by American nutritionist Mark Hyman. The main idea of ​​the paleo diet, and adopting the pegan diet, is not to consume processed foods of any kind.

It’s not just about eating the foods our ancestors ate, but also consuming them as they ate them. That is why you cannot eat refined foods, cold cuts, sausages, etc.

In addition, by combining the vegan diet with the paleo diet, you only consume foods of plant origin. However, the rule of not being able to consume processed foods must be maintained. For this reason, foods like tofu or tempeh are thrown away.

What are the keys to the pegan diet?

The success of this diet lies in the ingredients, which must be natural, free from chemicals and other artificial transformations. 75% of the diet must be based on vegetables, which must be natural, of genuine origin, ecological and sustainable.

Healthy fats are necessary because they play a fundamental role in the health of the body. Avocado, coconut oil, nuts or extra virgin olive oil are welcome. Healthy fats provide essential fatty acids, among other nutrients.

In the pegan diet, the meat can only come from pasture animals, the fish should be wild, and the eggs ecological. Legumes, and in particular lentils, are permitted. The daily intake of pulses should be one cup.

Gluten-free grains such as quinoa, amaranth, gluten-free oats, corn, rice or millet are eaten. However, sugars and refined grains are eliminated. Consuming sugars increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and weight gain.

In addition, the pegan diet eliminates dairy products and replaces them, for example, with vegetable drinks such as soy or oat based drinks.

What are the benefits of the diet?

This diet does not exclude any fundamental ingredient for the body. However, it gives you, in balance, everything you need to have energy and function well. Its main properties are as follows:

Balance insulin and blood sugar levels

Being a low glycemic load diet, it balances insulin and glucose levels in the blood since it contains little or no flour and no refined carbohydrates.

Following the diet can improve symptoms of diabetes, stress, anxiety and other conditions associated with changes in blood sugar.

Regulate cholesterol

This action on cholesterol also reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. In addition, it improves inflammation thanks to the supply of omega-3, which can be obtained from flax, oily fish, algae and nuts, and to the reduction in the consumption of meat.

Lower toxicity

This type of diet promotes the consumption of local, organic, non-toxic products and animals raised with respect. It can help you lose pounds and maintain a healthy weight.

Is it healthy to follow the pegan diet?

The question is whether sticky eating is really healthy and can help us maintain a healthy weight. The biggest problem with this diet is that it can get too strict, precisely because of the combination of the other two.

In addition, it also limits the consumption of legumes, certain vegetable proteins and any food that has undergone minimal processing. If you decide to follow it, it is best to do it under the supervision of a nutrition specialist.

Conclusion

It should be remembered that so far no evidence has been found that this type of diet has an advantage over other less strict diets.

Despite their advantages, the other two diets that combine the pegan diet, both paleo and vegan, are less rigorous and more advisable in the long term.