Paleo + Vegan = Pegan?

A close friend of mine recently started another, for lack of a better word, fad diet: peganism (not paganism!)

Don't get me wrong. I'm not against new diets; anything that helps us eat better and feel better is a good thing in my books, but beware of what you read from some guy on the internet! But this got me thinking, what is peganism? Is it just a new fad or a healthy way of living? So here is my short journey into the world of Pegan and my findings! Plus a new supermarket near me I just fell in love with!

Firstly, what counts as veganism?

Ok, you're probably thinking to yourself, 'seriously, what is a vegan diet?'. I know, I should know this! I had a basic idea, but I wanted to know exactly what it meant. So, for those that don't know, or like me, weren't 100 per cent sure, here is what you can eat as a vegan:

• Vegetables

• Grains

• Nuts

• Fruits

• Plus anything made solely from those things!

My sister tried to be a vegetarian, and that seemed hard! She still ate eggs and dairy, but to be a true blue vegan, you can't eat anything that comes from an animal. So no cheeses, no milk, no yogurts, & no butter! That just killed my average breakfast!

So veganism is not eating anything that comes from animals! Great, next step...

What exactly is a Paleo diet?

This is a little bit more complicated. Paleo, diet from the Paleolithic era (roughly 2.5 million years ago to 10,000 B.C.), you can eat anything that you can hunt or gather! Well, what you could hunt or gather 2.5 million years ago! So hunting a Big Mac is out of the question!

But seriously

What you can eat:

• Grass-fed meat

• Fish

• Eggs

• Vegetables

• Fruits

• Nuts

• Seeds

• Herbs

• Spices

• Healthy fats

• Oils

What you can't eat:

• Processed foods

• Sugar

• Soft drinks

• Grains

• Most dairy products

• Legumes

• Artificial sweeteners

• Vegetable oils

• Margarine & trans fats

That also means no coffee, no drink that comes in a can; all you can drink is natural fruit juice and water! No legumes; this one actually surprised me! Something so healthy, full of fibre, proteins and iron, and low in fat, and I wouldn't be allowed to eat it. Anyway, now we know the definition of vegan and paleo, we can go to the next question.

Is Pegan really Paleo + Vegan?

It seems complicated to fathom how you can merge a 100 per cent non-animal diet with a diet high in grass-fed meat, fish & eggs. Pegan is 75% vegan 25% paleo. It's supposed to take the best of both worlds. Increasing your greens and lowering your meat intake sounds healthy, but I still have my doubts!

I started looking into the origin of the Pegan diet. It all began in 2014 when an American doctor called Mark Hyman started endorsing a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. Ok, reading that it doesn't sound too bad, I continued to delve deeper!

According to his Wikipedia page, the 4 pillars of the pegan diet are:

• A plant-rich diet, gluten-free with lots of non-starchy vegetables

• Grass-fed organic meats & low-mercury fish

• No processed food or refined sugars

• No cows milk, but not dairy-free (limited intake of organic goat or sheep milk, yogurt, kefir, grass-fed butter, ghee or cheese)

So you can eat plenty of:

• Low-glycemic vegetables. Things like artichokes, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, leafy greens, etc.

• Fruit

• Nuts. Almonds, pistachios, walnuts, and other nuts, but no peanuts

• Seeds. Flax, chia, pumpkin, and other seeds

• Low-mercury fish. Which includes shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon & pollock

• Grass-fed meat. Organic beef, pork, and poultry

• Eggs

• Oils high in healthy fats. Coconut, avocado & olive oil

You can't eat:

• All dairy products from cows milk. In small amounts, you can eat dairy products from sheep and goats milk

• Grains. Small amounts of gluten-free grains are permitted

• Legumes. Peanuts, chickpeas, beans, peas & lupins. Lentils are excluded from the list

• Sugar

• Refined oils. E.g. canola, sunflower, corn, and soybean oil

• Processed Foods

Paleo sounds harsh but interesting. I don't see myself full vegan! No disrespect to those who can, all the opposite! Kudos to them! I don't think I'd be able to do it! But pegan sounds possible!

The Pros of peganism

Ok, now we have a general idea of the pegan diet; we need to know if it is healthy. Well, let's start looking at the pros and cons of peganism.

Many pages on the internet claim that the pegan diet is the best of paleo and vegan diets, but the deeper I dived, the fewer studies on the health advantages and disadvantages from respected sources I could find. But here is what I did find:

Healthwise:

• Increasing the intake of fruits and vegetables is proven to lower blood pressure, the risk of heart disease, strokes, and even digestive problems

• Removing processed foods that are high in sugar, sodium, saturated fats, and artificial additives is a big plus! Ultra-processed foods can cause hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, depression and irritable bowel syndrome

• Weightloss. By removing all processed foods & lowering your meat intake, the chances are you will dramatically reduce your calorie intake! And we all know that a calorie deficit diet will make you lose weight!

• Fresh produce! You'll have to find a trustworthy organic food store!

There is another big pro for the planet! Cattle farming is thought to be the biggest greenhouse gas emitter! More than cars or industry! So if we eat less meat, it's better for the environment! And the cows don't mind either!

The Cons of Peganism

So, is it all good points to a pegan diet? So far, the scales are tipped to go pegan! Or is there more to it? Let's see the cons, and maybe it will be enough to tip the scales!

Healthwise: Possible calcium and vitamin deficiencies. Low dairy intake and no legumes will punch a big hole in your calcium intake! But not just calcium, also potassium, Vitamin D, and protein will need supplementing! Beans and legumes are also sources of iron and protein. If you don't get enough of those vitamins and minerals, your body won't be able to produce enough haemoglobin, and you'll feel tired, short of breath, and increased muscle soreness!

You'll be removing complete food groups! If you go down this path, you'll need to read up on food plans, vitamin supplements and maybe have to see a dietician!

This brings up another point; it can be expensive, or you'll have to cook A LOT! No shortcuts, no premade tomato sauce, no premade meals. You probably won't ever be able to eat at a restaurant again (Unless you can find a pegan friendly one)! You'll have to have very understanding friends, or always eat at your place! (Or find new friends) It's more than a diet; it's a way of life!

Final thoughts

I respect my friend, and if he can live up to the pegan way of life, I wish him all the best! The same goes for everyone else on the same path! With this article, I mean not to offend anyone. I congratulate you and wish you the best! But this path is not for me; I don't have the time or the willpower! Plus, there are way too many things I would have to give up! Like a good pork pie, Devondale butter & Maggiebeer ice cream! I couldn't do it!

I will keep trying to eat a healthy, balanced diet! A little of everything, without excess! I might try to go more for a Mediterranean diet!

That's another thing I take from this journey; I found a great new grocery store near me! When I looked for ingredients for the pegan recipes & I stumbled onto Maloneys Grocer. The place is full of the freshest ingredients, the best meats and fish, everything I needed for my pegan journey! Plus much more, which is why I'll be going back! If you're looking for a supermarket near you, and you're lucky enough to be in Sydney, take a look! If you see me there, let me know what you think of my article, please don't be too harsh!