The pegan diet: What you need to know

The brainchild of Dr Mark Hyman, one of the most widely recognized names in functional medicine, the pegan diet is a mash-up, both phonetically and conceptually, of the vegan and paleo approaches. Hyman reportedly landed on the idea when he was sitting on a panel between two doctors, one vegan and one paleo, and he jokingly referred to himself as the pegan. Get it? Well, upon further consideration, Hyman realized he may be on to something. So, how do these two seemingly opposite eating modalities find common ground?

A vegan diet is comprised of a variety of whole-plant foods and absolutely no animal products (that means no meat, fish, dairy or eggs). While it’s a sustainable and ethical option, a vegan diet can often be lacking in some essential vitamins and nutrients, like protein, iron and B12, which occur naturally almost exclusively in animal products. The paleo diet, on the other hand, is based around the idea of eating like our Paleolithic ancestors did: no sugar, grains, dairy, beans or legumes, but meat is allowed. But, say paleo critics, some end up eating too much of it. “The pegan diet takes the best of the paleo and vegan worlds,” says Erica Zellner, a health coach at primary care start-up Parsley Health. Think of pegan as a much more plant-forward version of the paleo approach.

Pegans are about plants: lots of them. “Hyman wants your plate at every meal to be 75% plants,” adds Zellner. “So, you’re eating mostly vegetables, a bit of fruit, a bit of starchy vegetables, and then the last 25% are your fats, your animal proteins and anything extra.” The meat and fish you do consume should be in smaller quantities and of the highest quality: grass-fed and non-processed meat, and low-mercury and wild or sustainably harvested fish. “The pegan diet does allow for some gluten-free grains, like quinoa, if you tolerate them and, in small amounts, some beans, like lentils, because they are lower in starch,” explains Zellner. Dairy can, if tolerated, be consumed in very limited amounts, but only products from goats or sheep, not cows.

“The idea is to avoid anything that promotes inflammation,” says Zellner. That means no sugar, refined carbohydrates or gluten. No oils like sunflower, corn, grapeseed, canola or soybean, moderate use of nut and seed oils, and no cow dairy. “By the age of five, most people stop producing lactase, the enzyme we need to digest dairy, so for the majority of people who have low to no lactase it can quickly promote weight gain, bloating, eczema, allergies and acne,” Zellner adds. The same goes for food groups that cause rapid blood-sugar spikes and inflammation. “We know over time that a lot of low-level inflammation can lead to lifestyle diseases like cancer and diabetes,” says Zellner. Another big no-no: processed food. If it sounds like a broad-stroke term, it’s because it is. If processing by definition is any kind of altering, doesn’t most food, even the healthy stuff like a bag of frozen vegetables, go through some level of that? Zellner agrees and recommends looking at the label: if all the ingredients are ones you would use when cooking from scratch, it’s fine. “Like with a jar of sauce: if the ingredients are olive oil, fresh tomatoes, salt, pepper and garlic, that’s all good. But if it has things like ‘red number 40’, then it’s a no,” she explains.

Registered dietitian Stacy K. Leung worries that overcomplicating our diets can lead to a cycle of binging, overeating and guilt that could have a lasting impact. Particularly because of that fact, anyone who has a history of eating disorders or disordered eating should, Zellner agrees, proceed with caution. The same goes for those with gastrointestinal disorders because their bodies may have issues processing certain foods. No matter how impactful the benefits, the pegan diet may be challenging to maintain in the long term. But here’s the takeaway: we can all, at least, appreciate and abide by its core principles – being mindful about industrially processed foods; scrupulously sourcing our meat and fish; going easy on potential inflammation-causers like gluten, sugar and dairy, no matter how delicious they may be; and, most importantly, shifting our plate to be more plant-orientated.