Many people have been promoting the pegan diet as new weight loss plan. It is a combination of the vegan and paleo diets, which promises to support blood sugar management, reduce inflammation and speed up weight loss.

Pegan diet mainly encourages followers to eat more whole, unprocessed foods, fruits and vegetables. But it requires less or controlled consumption of meat, poultry, seafood and grains.

The foods allowed to eat on pegan diet are meat of grass-fed beef or lamb, free-range poultry, cage-free eggs, wild-caught salmon, sardines and tuna. You may also enjoy berries, pears, leafy green vegetables, quinoa, oats, legumes, nuts, unrefined coconut, avocado and olive oil.

However, this diet has been receiving criticisms. Some people describe the pegan approach as ineffective and unnecessarily restrictive.

It is true that the diet has both positive and negative effects. Read on to see the health benefits of pegan diet and how it may harm your health.

Health Benefits of Pegan Diet

Despite combining a list of foods from vegan and paleo plans, pegan diet is easy to follow. It does not require counting or closely monitoring intake of calories and carbs, according to DrAxe.com.

The presence of whole foods gives pegan diet many vitamins and minerals. It promotes healthy ingredients that have been linked to improvements in heart health, blood sugar levels and in the body’s defense against diseases.

Problems With Pegan Diet

Pegan diet restricts some foods that health experts describe as healthy and nutritious. For example, it requires less consumption of legumes, which offer protein, fiber, manganese, B vitamins, iron, zinc and copper.

The diet also limits whole grains and dairy products. Both foods are good sources of nutrients such as calcium, protein, vitamin D and potassium that could prevent a number of chronic health diseases.

The approach also encourages the use of fresh ingredients and sustainably sourced animal products. These products are known healthy but are expensive that may make it hard for some people to follow.

Another challenge in following the pegan diet is its foundation that follows both paleo diet and vegan diet, which may confuse people. Paleo promotes meat and seafood while the vegan approach avoids animal products, including meat, eggs, dairy and honey.

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