In the pegan diet, opposites attract. This fast-rising eating plan is a fusion of the Paleo diet, heavy on meat, and veganism, which means not eating meat or animal products.
"If God made it, eat it. If man made it, leave it." That's the philosophy, as Dr. Mark Hyman, author and a medical director at the Cleveland Clinic's Center for Functional Medicine, explains it. He coined the term pegan.
But how can eaters go heavy on meat and not eat meat?
"The name pegan is misleading, but the principle of the diet is really on point," says Soraya Spencer, owner of Dallas' healthy fast-casual Gather Kitchen restaurants.
"It's exactly how I eat," she says.
"I avoid processed foods and eat a plant-based diet, but with some fish or beef or chicken here and there. I feel so much more energized."
The diet has gained traction in recent months for combining the plant-centric approach of veganism — including no eggs or dairy — with the best parts of Paleo, the so-called "caveman diet" of what Stone Age hunter-gatherers ate: meat, fish, nuts, fruits and veggies.
In the pegan diet, meat is considered a side dish, not an entrée, which appeals to Spencer.
"When I first came to the U.S. and saw these big portions of meat, it was unbelievable," says Spencer, a native of Algeria.
She also likes the fact that pegan eaters steer clear of highly processed foods as well as hormones, antibiotics and pesticides. "At my restaurants, I came up with a menu that is absolutely free of all that crap, because I think your body is not used to processing all those chemicals."
Dr. Jo Ann Carson, a professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, has some qualms with the diet.
For starters, she thinks it's OK to eat non-organic food, as well as low-fat dairy products and a small amount of eggs. She also points out that beans — another pegan no-no — are very good for you, as long as they have no added fat. Yet Carson says the pegan diet offers a healthier alternative to what Americans typically eat. "It encourages people to eat a variety of whole fresh foods, rather than eating things we've added a lot of sugar, salt and fat to."
Nobody knows whether the pegan diet will stick around or fade like so many fads before it. (Is anyone still on the lamb-chop-and-pineapple diet?)
But Carson, for one, is hopeful the pegan diet inspires people to think less about trendy eating habits and more about eating fruits, vegetables and nutritious food on a daily basis.
"It would be good if people would make changes that are lifelong," she says, "and not just listen to the hype of the latest diet craze."
Are you into eating healthfully? Check out:
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