Before we get into what's kosher to eat while on the pegan diet, it feels important to clarify what the diet actually is. While it may sound easy enough to understand (yes, you're right that "pegan" is a mesh of "paleo" and "vegan"), it's a very difficult diet to actually execute.
In fact, the principles of the paleo diet and a vegan one are entirely different—the former encourages meat-heavy meals, the latter doesn't allow for any animal products at all. But there is a middle ground, pegan founder Dr. Mark Hyman explains. And that middle ground is "real whole, fresh food in its natural state free of processed ingredients, refined carbohydrates, and additives." Yes, that means meat is OK, as long as it's eaten sparingly and it's lean and grass-fed.
In 2015, Hyman told Redbook: "Designed correctly, both a Paleo and vegan diet can provide health benefits like weight loss, lowered cholesterol, and reverse diabetes."
If that sounds like something you're into, can handle, or would find beneficial, here's what is and isn't allowed on a strict pegan diet.
Things you can always eat on the pegan diet
- Vegetables Anything that has a glycemic index of between 55 and 69, which all of the below are. Hyman recommends 75 percent of your diet should be vegetables.
- Bamboo shoots
- Greens: collard, mustard, turnip, etc.
- Brussels sprouts
- Cauliflower
- Broccoli
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Eggplant
- Leeks
- Mushrooms
- Fruits (with that same glycemic index in mind.)
- Apples
- Cherries
- Dark berries
- Citrus fruits
- Pears
- Mangoes
- Pineapple
- Omega-3 fats
- Nuts
- Avocados
- Olive oil
Things you can sometimes eat on the pegan diet
- Proteins—as long as it's sustainably sourced and grass-fed
- Beef
- Turkey
- Chicken
- Salmon
- Shrimp
- Eggs
- Legumes
- Beans, specifically, can be eaten sometimes as a source of fiber and protein, but they should be limited.
- Natural sugars
- Maple syrup
- Coconut sugar
- Honey
- Dates
- Vanilla
Things you can never eat on the pegan diet
- Dairy
- Starchy vegetables
- Sweet potatoes
- Pumpkin
- Gluten—including whole grains and alternatives
- Soy
- Most vegetable oils
- Canola
- Sunflower
- Corn
- Soybean
