Is it time to go Pegan?

From brightly-coloured blooms to the fresh spring air, the new season signals a time of change and there’s no better time to re-evaluate your eating habits than right now. And if you’re looking to recharge your wellbeing levels and reach your weight loss goals in the coming months, the Pegan diet could be the perfect plan for you. Part Paleo, part vegan, this diet is thought to merge together the merits of both eating trends without being too restrictive – to ensure you stay firmly on track.

One of the biggest reasons most diets fail is that nutritionally they just aren’t properly balanced. After a few weeks on a restrictive eating plan, motivation wanes, cravings set in and you end up going back to your previous eating habits. But what’s thought to be one of the big benefits of the Pegan diet is its flexibility. Being neither strictly Paleo or 100 per cent vegan, it’s lauded as a more sustainable diet for the long haul.

The Pegan plate

While the Paleo (or caveman diet) is based around foods that our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate: such as fish, meat, eggs, non-starchy vegetables and fruits like berries, it shuns grains, legumes, dairy, sugar, and other processed foods, A vegan diet goes one step further, forbidding any animal products whatsoever. Wondering where exactly the Pegan diet fits in? This hybrid of the two focuses around filling your plate with 75 per cent plant-based food and 25 per cent animal protein (think side dish rather than main meal staple) along with a helping of good quality fats. The idea is that you get all your antioxidants, vitamins and minerals from plant-based foods (low GI fruit and vegetables like apples, berries and leafy greens), you eat small amounts of grass-fed, organic animal protein and you factor in essential fatty acids from coconut, olive and avocado oils and nibble on nuts and seeds. The eating plan is high in fibre, as you are also allowed limited amounts of gluten-free grains like quinoa or brown rice.

So what’s not allowed? Just as dairy is avoided by vegan and Paleo diets, it’s also shunned on the Pegan plan and as with many healthy diets, sugar is a big no-no. Soy, which is vegan staple, is also off the menu as Pegan followers believe it to be hormone disruptive, as are legumes – as Pegans believe they disrupt digestion. As mentioned earlier, some grains are allowed but gluten-packed grains like spelt, pearl barley and rye are all banned.

The verdict

Essentially, the Pegan diet forbids gluten and dairy, which can be problem foods for many people, while also ditching processed sugar, as it’s totally devoid of nutrients and causes the blood sugar spikes that are responsible for cravings and weight gain. A diet with an emphasis on plant-based foods is not only kinder to your body, but also to the environment too. And sticking to a veggie-heavy diet that allows small amounts of animal products may have the potential to slash the risk of diseases like diabetes type two, heart disease and possibly even some forms of cancer, according to experts. As with all elimination diets, cutting out specific foods can be a challenge at first and it may take a while to notice benefits. If you do decide to go Pegan, it’s important to supplement with a good multivitamin, to make sure adequate levels of vitamins and minerals like calcium, iron and B-vitamins which on the whole tend to be lower in Pegan diets.

The typical Pegan plate 

BREAKFAST

Scrambled eggs with a side of spinach and tomato.

SNACK

Handful of brazil nuts

LUNCH

Grilled salmon with quinoa and avocado salad.

AFTERNOON SNACK

Berries with handful of almonds

DINNER

A small chicken breast served with steamed vegetables dressed in olive oil and half a cup of brown rice.