What Is The Pegan Diet And Can It Help You Lose Weight?
The Pegan Diet May Get Fast Weight Loss Results But Is It Healthy?
Poorna Bell— The Huffington Post UK
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The pegan diet, in the tradition of celebrity couple mash-up names, is supposedly a mixture of the paleo and vegan diet.
Although this might sound like the restrictive eating plan from hell, it's actually meant to distill the best parts of both diets. Essentially, it's a leaner version of paleo in that it includes more vegetables, but unlike the vegan diet you do eat animal products.
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News.com.au quoted nutritionist Brigitte Zeitlin as saying that it:
Contains foods that fall somewhere between 55 and 69 on the glycaemic index (so it won't make your blood sugar spike and crash)
The majority of the diet is fruits and vegetables that fall within this index (but no sweet potato as it's too high on the index)
Around 25% includes lean protein (chicken, grass-fed beef, eggs and fish)
No wheat, but grains such as quinoa, amaranth and wild rice are fine
No dairy, sugar, soya or legumes but you can eat fats like nuts, avocado and coconut oil
For a recap on what the paleo and vegan diets are, dietitian April who blogs at The Thin Kitchen and features Pegan recipes, says: "The Paleo (or “caveman”) diet, includes foods that our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate: meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, and fruit. Grains, legumes, sugars, processed foods,and most dairy products are forbidden.
"A vegan diet consists of vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and seeds—and prohibits anything that comes from an animal."
What do the experts think?
Alice Mackintosh at The Food Doctor says: "In all honestly, this diet is nothing new, it’s the way we used to eat and the way most of us really should eat."
She believes that the two diets when combined, actually compliment one another.
"In doing so minimise the risk of different deficiencies that both can put you at risk of," she adds. "Good quality grains, which are off limits with paleo are included in safe and healthy levels, and all important protein forms a considerable part of the diet also meaning that no fundamental food groups are excluded."
"I think any diet that demonises foods like legumes is a bit suspect! There is no need to be so restrictive and selective.
"If you want to be healthy and lose weight, just eat a balanced diet; at every meal, fill half of your plate with fruit or veg, a quarter with carbohydrate and a quarter with protein, it doesn't have to be complicated and you can still eat from the place across the road from work without having to pick out the edamame beans."
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Facts About The Paleo Diet
It's Not Just Plates Full Of Bacon(01 of13)
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Yes, the paleo diet involves eating meat, but it doesn't mean that you'll just be eating bacon and eggs for every meal. Protein is important, nutritionist Sarah Ramsden advises, but your diet needs to include healthy carbohydrates and fats as well. "You really only need to be eating as much protein as you need to recover from your day to day activities," she says. (credit:Shutterstock)
It Can Be Easier On The Digestive System(02 of13)
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Many people feel an improvement of digestive symptoms once they switch to a paleo-influenced diet, Ramsden says, perhaps because it involves the cutting dairy and grains. "People report that persistent bloating, gassiness, and general discomfort clears up, thanks to the elimination of grains, legumes, and dairy," she says, "which for many people have a negative impact on digestive health." (credit:Shutterstock)
It's More Than Just A Diet(03 of13)
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"Paleo is more than just a diet, it's a lifestyle," Ramsden says. For example, fitness and physical activity are encouraged. There is a focus on energy and getting quality sleep to ensure optimum health. And stress management is another area where work is done, she said. Paleo has a lot to do with what you eat, but Ramsden explains that it looks at improving or removing all of the unhealthy aspects of our culture. (credit:Shutterstock)
It Might Help With Autoimmune Disorders(04 of13)
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Ramsden first discovered paleo when she was looking at holistic ways to treat multiple sclerosis, and says she's had success that shows up in her scans. "The typical Canadian diet is very inflammatory," she says. There is some evidence that a paleo-focused diet can help with other autoimmune disorders as well. (credit:Shutterstock)
You Don't Have To Join A CrossFit Gym(05 of13)
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A lot of people instantly think of CrossFit, the intense exercise program that focuses on strength, endurance and flexibility, when they think of the paleo diet, and vice versa. But while many CrossFitters do eat paleo, for a variety of reasons, you don't have to fling tires around to give the diet a try. (credit:Shutterstock)
It Can Help With Your Energy(06 of13)
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When you cut out sugar and refined carbs, your metabolism and blood sugar can become more stable, which means you'll have a more constant supply of energy. For that reason, going Paleo can help you fight that 3 p.m. crash. "It's the kind of diet to really help give you energy throughout the day," Ramsden says. (credit:Shutterstock)
Paleo Can Help You Fight Sugar Cravings(07 of13)
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Always looking for a chocolate bar? Because it eliminates sugar and encourages you to eat in a way that keeps blood sugar stable, the paleo diet can cut that "hangry" feeling and reduce sugar cravings, Ramsden says. (credit:Shutterstock)
You Can Give It A Shot(08 of13)
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If the idea of a wholesale switch is scary, Ramsden suggests committing to switching to a paleo-influenced diet for 30 days, then seeing what your results are and deciding on going forward from there. She is a Canadian representative for Whole 30, a "diet reset" program that aims to help followers decrease inflammation and improve metabolism health, among other benefits, and suggests a guided program as a way to test out paleo. (credit:Shutterstock)
The Fats You Eat Are Healthy(09 of13)
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Yes, there are fats in some of the foods more common on the paleo diet, for example, in eggs. But the point is to get healthy fats, Ramsden advised, particularly healthy animal fats from a healthy source. (credit:Shutterstock)
You Should Add In Fermented Foods(10 of13)
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Fermented foods are a great addition to any diet, including the paleo diet. Choices like kimchi and sauerkraut are full of healthy bacteria that will help with digestion and may improve your immune functioning. (credit:Shutterstock)
You'll Want Quality Sources Of Protein(11 of13)
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Don't just run to the supermarket for the cheapest cuts you can find, Ramsden advises. Because animal fat can store unhealthy additives like the hormones that may have been used to raise animals, you'll want protein from as clean and high-quality a source as you can get. "People need to balance their budget with the cost of a better quality animal protein," she says. If you are buying conventionally raised meat, go for leaner cuts with less fat. (credit:Shutterstock)
It's Not Necessarily Low Carb(12 of13)
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Yes, paleo involves cutting out grains and legumes, which are sources of carbs. But that doesn't mean you'll have no carbohydrates in your diet — or that you should, for that matter. Root veggies like taro have carbs, as do other vegetables like broccoli and fruits like berries. "The low-carb myth also comes from the fact that we load up on pasta, bread, etc. to fuel life at our desk jobs," Ramsden says. "We tend to eat far too many carbs to suit our activity levels, which has a significant impact on our health." (credit:Shutterstock)
It's Friendly For The Gluten Intolerant(13 of13)
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Because paleo diets cut out carbs like wheat and barley, which both contain gluten, it can be a good diet for those who need to or wish to avoid gluten. It's also a way to see how your body responds if you remove gluten from your diet, or at least cut it back. (credit:Shutterstock)
"Cutting out gluten when this is not needed leads to an unnecessarily restrictive lifestyle. Just because you are not eating gluten does not mean you are healthier."
Instead, she suggests rather than following a diet, that "it would be better to make long term changes to your lifestyle that you know you can stick to and will make long term differences to your health. For example eating more fresh, unprocessed, whole foods. Cook as much as you can from scratch, eat more oily fish, more plant protein and increase your fruit and vegetable intake."
As for whether it will actually result in weight loss, nutritionist Karen Poole thinks it might, but that's not necessarily a good thing.
"At a first glance this diet could bring positive results and quite quickly too as it offers a mainly vegetarian high fibre menu with no added sugar, processed food or fat and lean animal or fish protein.
"Depending upon your previous dietary habits and lifestyle this could help with weight loss or management ,reduce the risks of certain conditions such as diabetes or cardiovascular issues and inflammatory arthritic or skin complaints.
"However, with any diet that excludes certain food groups you have to be very careful to ensure you get all the vital nutrients your body needs to function efficiently."
These nutrients include making sure you're getting enough B12 - it "enables the maturation of red blood cells, aids the metabolism of fat, protein and carbohydrates and is vital for good overall physical and mental health" says Poole.
Overall, the consensus is the Pegan diet isn't the worst of the lot out there and does align itself with healthy eating ideals rather than faddy weight loss regimes. However it is still restrictive, and may make sticking to it a bit harder than most.
This simple spring salad works well as a side dish or main since the quinoa is packed with protein. Fresh snap peas and toasted pumpkin seeds offer lots of texture.Get the Quinoa Salad with Sugar Snap Peas recipe (credit:Quentin Bacon/Food & Wine)