Combine Paleo and Vegan to Stay Fit, Happy and Healthy for Life
Buy book - The Pegan Diet by Dr. Mark Hyman
What is the subject of the book The Pegan Diet?
The Pegan Diet (2021) is a straightforward, science-based approach to nutrition that combines the finest aspects of two popular diets — veganism and paleo – in a single package. As a consequence, a new style of eating has emerged, one that emphasizes vegetables, avoids processed carbs, and makes sparing use of fats and ethically obtained animal products while remaining healthy. The advantages of this diet are self-evident: reduced cholesterol, improved gut health, more energy, and greater pleasure.
Who is it that reads the book The Pegan Diet?
- Dieters who are searching for a long-term solution to their weight loss problems
- Would-be healthy eaters who don't want to completely give up meat Fast-food junkies who desire a more nutritious, more delicious diet
Who is Dr. Mark Hyman, and what is his background?
Mark Hyman is a practicing family physician who also serves as the head of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine and the author of eleven nutrition books that have reached the top of the New York Times best-seller list. He is the creator of UltraWellness Center, a personal health and wellness consultancy, and a member of the Institute for Functional Medicine's board of directors, among other positions. He is a frequent contributor to television programs such as CBS This Morning, the Today Show, and the Dr. Oz Show, among many others.
What exactly is in it for me? It's time to take a fresh look at healthy eating.
At first sight, the paleo and vegan diets seem to be diametrically opposed approaches to nutritional management. Part of the reason for this is due to a series of popular clichés that contrast the high-fat, low-carb ideologies of meat-eating paleos against the kale-first policies of allegedly self-denying vegans. These clichés include In reality, the two diets have a lot more in common than they do not. Aside from meat, both advocate for a plant-based, whole-foods diet that is low in carbohydrates, sugar, dairy, and additives and high in fiber. To get the best of both worlds, the Pegan diet combines these two complimentary dietary ideologies into one set of straightforward, science-driven recommendations that promote health and extended life span. It is explained how eating properly may enhance your mood, why meat does not have to be an ethical catastrophe, and how to make veggies the main attraction at every meal in these notes.
The fundamental concept of a healthy diet is to consume plant foods from all of the color groups on a daily basis.
Despite the wide variety of diets available today, all genuinely healthy approaches to nutrition have one thing in common: they are based on a plant-forward approach. The Pegan diet is no exception in this regard. It is important to note, however, that plant-rich does not equate to plant-based. Peganism isn't only about eating veggies, fruits, legumes, and other healthy foods. In contrast to vegan diets, there is a place for high-quality animal proteins and fats in a Peganism-inspired diet. Despite this, plant foods are the basis of a healthy diet. Why? There are two main causes behind this. For starters, plant foods are nutrient-dense, meaning they are rich in nutrients while being low in calories. Second, they have a high concentration of beneficial compounds that have been related to illness prevention. Fortunately, these chemicals are simple to identify - all you have to do is take a close look at what you're consuming.
The most important lesson to take away from this is: The fundamental concept of a healthy diet is to consume plant foods from all of the color groups on a daily basis. Food that is derived from plants, such as tomatoes or zucchini, is densely packed with nutrients. I What's the additional bonus? Because most plant foods are low in calories, you may consume large quantities of them. The fruits and vegetables are also high in something else: phytochemicals, which are a collection of about 25,000 chemical compounds generated by plants to protect them against illnesses, pests, and viruses. Phytochemicals, on the other hand, do not just protect plants; there is a growing body of evidence that they may also benefit people by boosting immunity, reducing inflammation, and even decreasing the risk of cancer.
The question is, what kinds of plant foods should you be consuming? A basic rule of thumb is to consume foods from all colors of the rainbow. To put it another way, make an effort to consume vegetables and fruits from each hue group on a daily basis, if possible. Each of these categories has been related to specific health advantages in some way. Let's start with red plant foods, which are the most nutritious. Consider the fruits and vegetables tomato, cherry, and beet. These are high in chemicals that have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities, which aid in the protection of your cells and other tissues. Orange foods, such as apricots, mangoes, and carrots, on the other hand, include phytochemicals that have been associated to increased fertility and improved mood management.
Lemons, bananas, and yellow onions are all members of the yellow group, and they include phytochemicals that aid digestion, such as gingerol and lutein, among other things. Green plant meals such as broccoli, cabbage, and cucumbers help to protect blood vessels, which in turn helps to maintain proper blood circulation. Finally, there are blue plant foods such as blackberries, figs, and prunes, which are all beneficial for maintaining a healthy mood and maintaining brain health. Food may act as a kind of medication, and vegetables and fruits can serve as your pharmacy if you so want. If you follow the colors of the rainbow, you will be providing your body with all of the nutrients it requires.
A well-balanced diet that is high in "brain foods" may help you feel better.
The year 2020 was a difficult one. MILLIONS of people lost their jobs and companies as a result of the epidemic spreading across the globe. Death and disease may be found almost everywhere. The catastrophes that made headlines, however, were not the only ones that took their toll. Worry, boredom, and social isolation all contributed to the development of a mental health crisis. Depression is the fourth most prevalent illness in the world today, and it is the leading cause of disability in the world. When you're going through a difficult moment, you need all the help you can get. Food is a really effective instrument. It turns out that eating properly is beneficial for more than just your physical health; it may also make you happy. The most important message is as follows: A well-balanced diet that is high in "brain foods" may help you feel better. In recent years, an increasing amount of research has shown the relationship between nutrition and brain health.
Several institutions, including Harvard and Stanford, are at the forefront of a new field known as nutritional psychology, which is based on scientific evidence. Researchers in this area have shown that the mind and the brain are two halves of a single, dynamic, "bidirectional" system, according to their findings. What exactly does this mean? It's simple: what you do to your body has an impact on your thoughts as well. Take, for example, a 2017 research published in the journal BMC Medicine. A recent study looked at the consequences of switching processed foods such as sugary and starchy foods – the foundation of a normal Western diet – for whole foods such as fruits, vegetables and legumes as well as nuts, seeds, and modest quantities of high-quality meat. As a consequence, what happened? Incredible, the latter diet proved to be up to 400 percent more helpful in the treatment of depression.
So, what can you do to improve your disposition? The first step is to decrease your consumption of refined sugars, carbs, and artificial sugars, all of which are harmful. These induce a rise in blood sugar levels, which in turn has a negative impact on cognitive performance. Next, avoid late-night meals, which cause calories to be stored as fat instead of being burnt for energy. However, it is important to consume food on a regular basis throughout the day. When you don't eat, your body believes it is dying and begins diverting limited resources away from the brain in order to sustain fundamental physiological processes such as breathing and digestion. As a result, fasting may induce dizziness, lack of concentration, and "brain fog."
According to what we've learned so far, plant foods should be the foundation of your meals, but you may also include some brain foods in the mix. All of these nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids and magnesium, vitamin D, antioxidants, and B vitamins, help to maintain your brain's health. Oily fish such as sardines and mackerel, B12-rich shellfish such as oysters, and fermented foods such as pickles, kimchi, and sauerkraut are also excellent options.
The "75 percent rule" will assist you in balancing your carbohydrate consumption.
In order to preserve cognitive function, it is essential to avoid carbs and the blood sugar rise that they induce. However, it is essential to remember that not all carbohydrates are created equal. Slow carbohydrates (also known as complex carbohydrates) and refined carbohydrates (sometimes known as simple carbohydrates) are two types of carbohydrates. So, what exactly is the distinction? Refined carbohydrates, such as white bread and spaghetti, provide a lot of calories but provide little nutritional benefit. Consuming them does not provide nutritional value to the body; rather, it merely raises blood sugar levels in the short term. Slow carbohydrates, on the other hand, are plant foods that are high in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals, all of which assist your body release energy more slowly - thus the name. Most importantly, they do not cause your blood sugar to get out of balance.
What is the takeaway? You don't have to be afraid of carbohydrates; all you have to do is make sure you're getting more of the healthy carbs than the bad. The most important lesson is that adhering to the "75 percent rule" will assist you in balancing your carb consumption. Considering the glycemic load of carbs is an excellent method of thinking about them. Blood sugar levels are affected by carbohydrates containing a lot of glycogen – or sugar, to put it another way. A high glycemic load is associated with refined carbohydrates, which causes your blood sugar to rise rapidly. Excessive consumption of these carbs may result in undesired weight gain and the development of diseases such as diabetes.
Slow carbohydrates have a low glycemic load, which is why you should consume more of them to maintain a healthy blood sugar level. It is helpful to recall the 75 percent rule, which states that slow-releasing carbs should account for three-quarters of the food on every plate you consume. Let's take it step by step. Slow carbohydrates are also available in two different forms: non-starchy and starchy. This is the difference between, for example, broccoli and sweet potato, among other things. Plant foods that are not starchy, such as broccoli, have an extremely low glycemic index. Sweet potatoes that are starchier in texture are still healthy, but their carbohydrate content is greater – albeit not as high as that of bread or pasta. This is why you want to get 75 percent of your carbohydrates from non-starchy, slow-digesting sources.
Fortunately, there are a plethora of low-carb options to select from. Broccoli, bok choy, tomatoes, cauliflower, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, and onions are just a few examples of vegetables that may be consumed in large quantities without becoming stale. Sweet and normal potatoes, yams, squash, and pumpkins are all examples of starchy slow carbohydrates that may be consumed. These foods have a place on your plate, but they should make up no more than 25% of your total daily calories. As a general guideline, you should consume no more than three and a half cups of coffee each week on a regular basis.
The consumption of ethical meat is dependent on the practice of regenerative farming.
Concerning meat consumption, there are two essential factors to keep in mind: ethics and health. Let's start with the moral considerations. Vegans, of course, are opposed to the eating of meat in any form. People from Pegan communities, on the other hand, do not view meat eating as a binary choice. However, it is important to know what type of meat you are eating. Take, for example, factory-farmed red beef. A large portion of the sensitive ecology of the plant is destroyed every year for the purpose of rearing livestock under horrendous, cruel circumstances. For example, livestock in the United States are given an antibiotic-laced diet that is largely dependent on monocrops such as soy, which can only be generated in adequate numbers by razing even more of the environment in which they live. This meat is a catastrophe on both an ethical and an environmental level. There is, however, an option.
The most important lesson to take away from this is: The consumption of ethical meat is dependent on the practice of regenerative farming. Factory farms, like other types of industrial agriculture, are fundamentally harmful in their design and operation. Take, for example, some of the most frequent issues. Tillage of fields, for example, is one of the most significant contributors to soil erosion and "desertification" across the globe, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. Then there's the widespread use of pesticides and fertilizers, which end up harming the flora and wildlife in the surrounding region. It is also believed that industrial agriculture is responsible for the deaths of about seven billion small animals each year, including rabbits, birds, rats, and insects.
It is not necessary for food production to have a negative impact on the environment. Instead, regenerative agriculture, a science-based strategy that seeks to produce nutritious, high-quality food while also helping to restore damaged ecosystems, is being promoted. regenerative agriculture Regenerative agriculture techniques minimize the need of chemical inputs and tillage, allowing for the establishment of soils that trap carbon and retain gallons of water per farmed acre, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Reduced use of pesticides, as well as the development of natural hedgerows, help to restore pollinators such as bees and bugs that help to remove methane from the atmosphere. Animals raised on regenerative farms have a higher quality of life as well. Their living conditions have been enhanced by providing them with more room and time in natural meadows, as well as a better diet that includes seaweed in the case of cows, which helps to decrease their methane emissions.
According to the United Nations, turning two-fifths of all damaged agricultural areas to regenerative farming would prevent climate change for two decades at a cost of about $300 billion — less than the amount the United States spends each year on diabetes treatment. When seen from this perspective, it seems that there are compelling ethical reasons for incorporating some types of meat in our diets. But what about the consequences on one's health? Let's have a look and see.
The consumption of high-quality, ethically produced meat has been shown to provide health advantages.
It is not all kinds of a certain cuisine that are the same. Take, for example, tomatoes. It is possible to get flavorless varieties of potatoes in supermarkets during the winter months, although this is rare. Origin? Pesticide-soaked greenhouse on the other side of the planet, most likely. Another option is the organic heritage tomato, which may be harvested from a vine around the middle of August. Despite the fact that they are both tomatoes, the variations in flavor and nutritional richness could not be greater. This leads us to the subject of meat. Is it beneficial or harmful? It all depends on the situation. There are many types of meat, just as there are various types of tomatoes. Certain fruits and vegetables are healthy and nourishing. Others are more poisonous than they are delectable. The most important message is as follows: The consumption of high-quality, ethically produced meat has been shown to provide health advantages.
When it comes to the health consequences of meat intake, there is a fairly strong scientific agreement that the kind of meat you consume is critical to your overall health. According to new study, grass-fed meat from animals grown on regenerative farms includes a variety of phytochemicals and nutrients that are beneficial to one's health. Grazing in the natural meadow provides the cow with access to dozens of plant species that are high in these health-promoting chemical compounds, which are then passed on to us when we take a portion of the cow's meat or milk. This finding expands on previous studies that found grass-fed beef to have superior fatty acid and omega-3 profiles, as well as a higher concentration of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), an anti-cancer and metabolism-boosting lipid that is also known as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).
By the way, the same logic applies to animals bred in industrial farms, which is a side note. If you consume a steak from a cow that has been fed nothing but corn, antibiotics, and growth hormones in an industrial feedlot, that is exactly what you will be consuming as a result of your choice. Contrary to common belief, you are not what you eat; rather, you are whatever that which you are eating has eaten before you! Another thing to consider is what you're eating in conjunction with the meat. If you search the National Library of Medicine database for papers regarding the health effects of eating meat, you will discover over 100,000 research, for example. The variety of possible conclusions is as wide as the difference between our two tomatoes in terms of taste. A large number of researchers consider meat to be a superfood. Many people believe it to be poisonous as well.
What may be the cause of this discrepancy? Nutritional study, on the other hand, is difficult since there are so many confounding variables. For example, individuals who consume meat as part of a diet that is high in carbohydrates and sugar will have worse health outcomes than those who consume the same quantity of meat as part of a diet that is high in vegetables and legumes and low in fat. To put it another way, when it comes to meat, context is everything.
Some fats are lethal, while others are necessary for a balanced diet to be successful.
Fat has a negative image in society. Governments and health professionals have warned for more than four decades that excess fat is a killer. Not only does it contain twice as many calories per gram as protein and carbs, but it is also an arterial clogger, which increases the risk of heart attack. Since the 1950s, individuals have been advised to avoid fat at all costs, and for almost half a century, they have followed this advice. Despite this, obesity rates in the United States have risen from five to 42 percent, or an 800 percent increase. In a similar vein, diabetes has progressed in recent years. These startling statistics suggest that something was wrong with the professional counsel given by the experts. That doesn't always imply you can consume as much fat and fatty food as you want without worrying about the consequences. No, not at all. The reality is that fats are difficult to understand.
The most important lesson is this: although certain fats are harmful, others are necessary for a balanced diet to be healthy. People need fats in order to survive. All of the fat in the human body is used to make cells, nerve coverings, and hormones. Even the brain is mostly composed of fat. Furthermore, lipids aid in the absorption of vitamins from plant meals. Some have even been proven to lower our chances of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease. To put it another way, fats are essential building blocks of life. We, on the other hand, are unable to create them. Foods such as oily fish, nuts, seeds, and avocados provide polyunsaturated fats such as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, as well as monounsaturated fats. Without these foods, we would not be able to get these nutrients. We wouldn't be able to function if we didn't have them.
Even saturated fat, which is one of the most widely demonized members of the fat family owing to its association with coronary artery disease, is beneficial when consumed in moderation. Extra virgin olive oil, a staple of the renownedly heart-healthy "Mediterranean diet," contains 20 percent saturated fat, according to the American Heart Association. Fats, like meat, are context-dependent: how you consume them makes a significant impact in how healthy you are. The consumption of butter-drenched pasta or pastries is detrimental to one's health, particularly when consumed in excessive amounts, while the application of a little amount of grass-fed butter to veggies is beneficial. There are two important conclusions from this. First and foremost, stay away from fats mixed with carbohydrates and sugar — this hazardous concoction has been linked to inflammation, weight gain, diabetes, and perhaps even dementia. Second, consume the appropriate fats while avoiding the inappropriate ones.
Which one is it, exactly? In general, processed vegetable oils such as soybean, canola, maize, and sunflower oil should be avoided at all costs. Consider using cold-pressed oils from whole foods instead, such as extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil, as well as nuts and seeds like walnuts, almonds, macadamianuts, sesame, flax, and hemp oils.
Sugar is similar to alcohol in that it is good when consumed in moderation but harmful when consumed in excess.
While fat has been the target of a decades-long campaign of demonization, a real killer has gone unnoticed — glucose. Sugar behaves in the same way as a variety of toxins. In modest doses, it's quite safe to consume. If you increase the dosage, though, it becomes deadly. Unfortunately, it is just as tasty – and addicting – as it is lethal in terms of health. The typical American eats 152 pounds of sugar each year, according to current statistics. To put it bluntly, a daily weight gain of less than half a pound does not fit into the "harmless" category — as shown by the fact that one in every two American adults is now either prediabetic or has type 2 diabetes. Even though these figures are alarming, they are not intended to frighten you into never eating sugar again; rather, they are intended as a reminder to handle it cautiously.
The most important lesson to take away from this is: Sugar is similar to alcohol in that it is good when consumed in moderation but harmful when consumed in excess. First and foremost, there is the science. What is it about sweet meals that makes them so delectable? It's all down to our biology. Sugar is something that humans are designed to desire and seek out since it is a pure source of calories and, therefore, energy. The greater the amount of sugar our forefathers ingested and turned into fat, the greater the likelihood that they would survive winters when food was limited. The reason you may have devoured a whole box of cookies in one sitting but have never done the same with arugula is because it is poisonous to humans. This programming manifests itself in a different way in an era characterized by cheap and plentiful sugar-rich meals. Due to the fact that the item we are built to want is available everywhere, we eat much too much of it.
Fortunately, we are not enslaved by our ancestors' genetic make-up. To maintain a positive relationship with sugar, it is important to practice moderation. Handle it as if it were a recreational drug, similar to how you would use alcohol. It's nice to have a glass or two of your favorite beverage every now and then, but you don't do it every day or drink tequila first thing in the morning, do you? Sugar is precisely the same way — it is a meal that should only be consumed on rare occasions. A piece of dark chocolate after dinner every day, or an occasional heavier dessert, isn't an issue; a container of ice cream every day, on the other hand, is a problem.
Keep in mind that sugar substitutes, which are just as harmful as regular sugar, may creep up on you. The most frequent cause is high-fructose corn syrup, which is an industrial sweetener derived from maize stalks that is added to a wide variety of processed meals and sauces to make them taste better. What steps can you take to prevent it? By exercising due diligence - reading labels before purchasing unknown goods.
The correct preparation of veggies will transform your life.
It's time to get down to business and speak about cooking. The act of preparing food may seem to be a burden, yet there is no avoiding it. If you want to eat healthfully, you must be aware of what is in the food that you are consuming. That implies you'll have to make it yourself. An additional consideration is that you may not have much expertise cooking the veggies that are at the core of the Pegan diet. This is an important consideration. Most of the time, veggies are considered an accompaniment to the main attraction, which is the protein. Vegetables, on the other hand, don't shine when they're treated as an afterthought. At most, they are just a semblance of what should be a well-balanced diet — a symbolic gesture. At the very least, they're a tasteless mush. That is why it is so critical to begin recognizing their contributions. The most important message is as follows: The correct preparation of veggies will transform your life.
Even the vegetables you despise, such as broccoli, may be a star in their own right. What's the trick? A gentle touch is used. Naturally, there are many methods to prepare veggies, but we can start the ball rolling by looking at two of the more flexible approaches available. First and foremost, sautéing. The veggies should be trimmed and chopped into the appropriate form, with the pieces being evenly spaced and tiny enough to cook in a short amount of time. According to the manufacturer's instructions, a full asparagus stalk will take three to four minutes to sauté, while medium-sized cauliflower florets would take five to seven minutes.
Prepare your frying pan by heating it over medium heat and coating the bottom with the fat of your choice (optional). Avocado oil and grass-fed ghee are both great choices for this recipe. When the ghee or oil begins to shimmer, add your veggies and season with salt, pepper, chopped garlic, and/or ginger. Continue to stir the vegetables in the hot pan until they are “al dente” – slightly tender but still firm – but do not overcook. Pour in a splash of water or mirin if they seem to be burning or sticking to the pan. Mirin is a Japanese rice wine that enhances the natural flavors of almost any vegetable. Even more straightforward is steaming. Toss your cut-up veggies with a little olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and freshly-pressed garlic before placing them in a steamer basket, covering with a lid, and steaming over boiling water until crisp-tender — approximately two to five minutes.
Despite the fact that these two methods seem easy, they are sure to make your veggies sparkle. And there you have it: a fantastic recipe for nutritious and delicious meals.
The Pegan Diet: A Last Summary is the final chapter in the book.
The most important message in these notes is: In the Pegan method, plant foods form the foundation of every meal, with the recommendation that you consume some fruits and vegetables from each color group every day and make non-starchy vegetables the focal point of every meal. However, ethically produced meat may be used to complement veggies, rather than refined carbohydrates, which should be avoided. You also don't have to be scared of fats; all you have to do is select the appropriate ones for your needs. Sugar, on the other hand, is a genuine source of risk, and it should be handled with care. Advice that can be put into action: To keep expenses under control, use the “master five” rule. Changing to an organic whole-foods diet complemented with ethically sourced meats and high-quality fats will, without a doubt, increase your food expenses. There are, however, methods to eat more healthfully without breaking the budget as well. What is the key? Learn how to make five simple dinners that you can use again and again whether you're busy or money is tight. Preserve the foods' simplicity while maintaining their nutritional value, and be sure you have them on hand at all times (canned sardines with a fast tomato sauce, for example).
Buy book - The Pegan Diet by Dr. Mark Hyman
Written by BrookPad Team based on The Pegan Diet by Dr. Mark Hyman