What Can You Eat on a Pegan Diet?

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The pegan diet is a diet that combines the ideas from the paleo diet and the vegan diet and makes it into an adaptable way of eating. But with the combination of diets, new rules arise that should be followed if you want to give peganism a try. While some are still asking what a pegan diet is, others just want to know what can you eat on a pegan diet?

Learn what you can eat on a pegan diet so that you can give this new way of eating a try and boost the nutrition in your own life.

What is the pegan diet? The pegan diet is a combination of vegan and paleo. This diet is heavy on vegetation and plants but also adds meat into the mix. However, meat is never considered a main dish. Rather, it is considered a side and should thus be consumed in smaller portions.

The best example of a pegan dish would be something like a salad with chicken in it; more plants and a few bites of meat. While the idea of a pegan diet is easy to understand, there are still questions that need detailed answers, like what can you eat on a pegan diet?

This detailed answer will help you fully understand how to go pegan and get healthier.

Mapping Out a Pegan Diet

Since we now know what the pegan diet is, we need to understand what we can eat. Unlike most diets, this diet allows you to eat some things all of the time and other things some of the time.

The idea is that most of what you eat (about 75%) will fit into a vegan diet. But for those who don’t want to go full vegan, meat and animal products are allowed. However, the animal products fall into the category of “sometimes” because the meat serves a purpose besides just keeping you happy with your meals.

Considering this roadmap, you will have greater success on the pegan diet if you plan your meals around plant-based foods. This means that you should aim to have washed and prepped veggies always available in your fridge.

What Can You Eat on a Pegan Diet | Always

These foods are foods that you can eat all of the time in as big of portions as you wish. Of course, those portions should be within reason but this will be easier to understand when we get to the things you can eat sometimes.

What we are looking for are veggies, fruits, and omega-3 fats. The items on this list all have a glycemic index somewhere between 55 and 69.

For your veggies, load up on eggplant, leeks, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and greens. These are all acceptable veggies that can be consumed more frequently.

When it comes to fruits, apples, cherries, pineapple, mangoes, pears, and citrus fruits can also be consumed more frequently.

With omega-3 fats, we will use mostly nuts, avocados, and olive oil. This list is filled with different options and combinations and will make for the ideal version of the pegan diet.

What Can You Eat on a Pegan Diet | In Moderation

When it comes to the items on this list, you will want to remember moderation is everything. While you can eat anything on this list, it should be in smaller portions (for example, a side or garnish for your meal, rather than the main course).

Add these items as toppings on a salad or have halves instead of full servings. Beef, turkey, salmon, chicken, shrimp, and eggs are all great sources of protein for your diet and as long as you enjoy them in small portions, you will be in line with the pegan diet.

Beans can also be eaten sometimes to help source fiber though greens and other parts of your “Always” list.

Sweets aren’t totally avoidable and the pegan diet plans for that with things like honey, maple syrup, dates, coconut sugar, and vanilla. These sweets should also be eaten in small portions and used as toppings on salads or with fruit.