Swapping vegan for pegan

Move over keto – there’s a new food fad dubbed the ‘pegan’ diet and it’s working its way to the top, promising to promote optimal health through the ultimate combination of benefits from two popular eating regimes – paleo and vegan.

While the two styles may seem like they’re at odds, the main principle that ‘peganism’ takes from both is a focus on real, nutrient-dense whole foods – in short, anything you can find based on the concept of ‘hunting and gathering’. Primarily consisting of fruits and vegetables, alongside small to moderate amounts of meat, certain fish, nuts, seeds and good fats, ‘peganism’ limits dairy intake and avoids heavily processed foods like sugar, oils and grains, instead embracing low gylcemic fruits and vegetables like strawberries, grapes, peas and kumara and heart-healthy oils such as olive, avocado and coconut.

When done right, the diet not only aids weight loss because of the filling fibre and less calories offered by fruits and vegetables, it also claims to help control diabetes through balancing blood sugar levels – although (sadly) you will have to abolish coffee and alcohol. Whole foods – fruit and veggies – are famed for their anti-inflammatory and detoxification benefits, which will evidently lead to a healthier you.

So whether you want to up your health game, embrace a new diet that doesn’t limit your food options, or you’re a once-steadfast carnivore looking to welcome a more plant-based style of eating into your dieting regime, ‘peganism’ could be for you!