What is a Pegan and do we want to be one?

What is a Pegan and do we want to be one?

Is it a spelling mistake? a bird? someone who doesn’t believe in God? No, its someone on the Pegan Diet.

A mixture between a Paleo diet consisting chiefly of meat, fish, vegetables and fruit and a Vegan diet that includes no animal products of any kind. So basically a Pegan diet is a Vegan diet with a side serve of meat. Upon looking at it I think they might be onto something. It’s not really a diet, it’s just good food. Yay.

vegan, pegan, paleo, diet, byron bay

Dr Hyman, a legend in this field, says that “as he came up with idea” he should be the one who defines what a pegan diet is. Fair enough.

He says “Eat foods low in sugar and starch. Eat lots of plant foods. If you're going to eat animal foods, eat sustainably grown or harvested foods. Have foods that have lots of good fat, like nuts and seeds, olive oil, avocados...the ratio should be around 70 percent plant based foods."

Sustainably grown foods seem to be the key here, rather than animal versus vegetable.

A lot of people assume that if you eat only veggies then you are reducing the impact on the planet, however it appears that this is not necessarily true.

What about the bees

According to the  the Conversation the bees that pollinate many of our favourite vegetables are sometimes being exploited. When there are not enough bees to do the job naturally some farmers employ a ‘migratory beekeeping’ practice. They truck hives into their fields, the bees do their pollinating thing, then they are transported on to the next farm – they might go from almond orchards in one part of the US then on to avocado orchards in another, and later to sunflower fields in time for summer. Some believe this unethical and stressful for the bees.

The latest craze

When various vegetables become popular such as the avocado sometimes it has a detrimental effect on the country of origin. In Kenya recently the avocado has become so expensive they have had to ban exporting them. The Kenyans could not afford there own produce and were missing out on the food for themselves and the health benefits.

Sustainable farming

Isabella Tree a farmer in the UK, says that "rather than being seduced by exhortations to eat more products made from industrially grown soya, maize and grains, we should be encouraging sustainable forms of meat and dairy production based on traditional rotational systems, permanent pasture and conservation grazing." She says "we should question the ethics of driving up demand for crops that require high inputs of fertiliser, fungicides, pesticides and herbicides, while demonising sustainable forms of livestock farming that can restore soils and biodiversity, and sequester carbon.”

pegan, paleo, diet, byron bay

Animal cruelty

We all know that many animals are treated inhumanely and people choose to be vegan for this reason alone. They believe that there is no such thing as ‘humane meat'. Also that “Terms like “ethically sourced,” “humanely raised,” “free range,” “cage free,” and more show up on animal products to put the consumer at ease, but the bottom line is that it’s not an ethical practice to kill a living being that does not want to die just so you can enjoy the taste of their body... no matter how nicely you treated them before sending them to slaughter." 

The Pegan Diet

The Pegan diet is advocating mainly plant based meals, no grains and sustainable, humane sourcing of animal products therefore it could be the way to go for some people. If so, here are some things to remember...

Stay away from sugar
Eat mostly Plants
No grains or processed food
Go easy on the fruits
Avoid chemicals, additives, preservatives, dyes, artificial sweeteners, or other junk ingredients
Eat healthy fats
Stay away from vegetable, nut and seed oils.
Limit or avoid dairy
Eat fish and meat but treat them as a side dish, not the main course

Dr Hyman believes, as we do, that "we all deserve a life of vitality—and that we have the potential to create it for ourselves". It would seem that his pegan diet is a good way to do it.

Whatever diet you choose and whatever your healthy living journey is, Vitality 4 Life is here to help. We are committed to providing good quality juicers, blenders, oil presses, and food dehydrators amongst other health and fitness products designed to help you maintain a healthy living home.

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