New food trend from the US: the pegan diet

Basically it's a contradiction in terms to combine a vegan diet that's purely plant-based with Paleo, where you eat the kind of things people ate in the Stone Age, including meat.

Despite this, a doctor called Mark Haman from the US has combined the two dietary approaches to create a new trend. It's designed to combat lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular problems.

What does the pegan diet involve?

You eat mainly vegetables, fruit and, occasionally, meat. The things you eat should be fresh, unprocessed and whenever possible organic. Although plant-based oils basically aren't allowed, an exception is made for olive oil.

What's forbidden?

You can't eat any food that contains preservatives or is otherwise artificially processed. This means convenience products are off limits. You also have to avoid modern, agriculturally produced foods; in other words there's no rice, potatoes, pasta or bread. Dairy products, pulses and gluten are also banned.

The "perfect plate" recommended by the Swiss Society for nutrition (sge/ssn)

Unlike proponents of peganism, the ssn recommends taking advantage of the wide variety of foods available and eating a balanced diet. To illustrate this, the ssn has put together a "perfect plate", consisting mainly of vegetables, fruit and starchy foods (bread, rice, potatoes and pasta), plus protein-rich products.


04.04.2018