New Label for Foodies - Pegan

Any ideas what this might be?  To give you a clue, other labels can include Pescetarian - those who only eat fish and no other animal - or Fruitarians who eat only raw fruit and seeds.  (for more labels of which I'm going to have to add Pegan on the next publication check out my book Why Be Vegetarian …. end plug for book).

So a new label has come into being originating from Dr. Mark Hyman and it's the joining of Paleo and Vegan diets.

Whoa!  Didn't think you'd be able to join those two together as I thought that Paleo needed meat, but apparently not.  Go figure!

His article is a very interesting read, and, if you're into nutrition then I'd suggest you read it -
Pegan Article

VEGAN FOOD

If you don't want to, then I'll give you the main points.

• Vegan and Paleo are very similar as both focus on real, whole, fresh food that is sustainably raised.
• Both shun dairy.
• Paleos do not eat legumes or grains - Vegans do.
• Paleos do eat meat - Vegans don't.

However, Dr Hyman suggests that for the grains, stick to small portions of low glycemic grains like black rice or quinoa.
Beans are great, but again, stick to small amounts - about 1 cup a day is ample - (more than I'd eat.)

Although he's not against eating sustainably raised, clean meat, whereas vegans won't touch it, he does concede that meat does put pressure on the planet …. which it does.

PALEO FOOD

He goes on to to say eggs no longer have the impact on cholesterol as once thought, so they're fine.  Again a no no for the Vegans. 

Then adds that fish, even though you should worry about the mercury that is now abounding through all fish, eat fat rich fish such as sardines or wild salmon to get omega 3.  He fails to tell you that for omega 3 you can get eat flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seed, mustard oil, seaweed, beans (mungo beans the best) and the list goes on.

Just as an aside:  Wild rice should be a staple for all vegetarians and vegans. One cup cooked delivers lots of iron, protein, fiber, magnesium, zinc, and manganese. You’ll also get 156mg Omega 3 while only taking in 195mg of Omega 6.

Sorry, had to get that off my chest.  Back to Dr Hyman.

He says "…Looking at the research it is easy to get confused. Vegan diet studies show they help with weight loss, reverse diabetes and lower cholesterol.  Paleo diets seem to do the same thing…."

From what I can glean from his article, he's saying that a vegan diet is fabulous, but if you don't want to go vegan then a little bit of Paleo added to it works too = Pegan.

THAT'S A VEGGIE BURGER THERE = PEGAN!

All the above has been written from a dietary point of view only .... being vegan encompasses more than just diet and, even if you go vegan for health reasons, you'll soon discover just how much the animals and planet are benefiting from your choice.

Personally I will stick with being vegan.