The Pegan Diet

The Pegan Diet proposes a deliberate hybrid of two approaches usually treated as opposites. From the vegan side it takes the emphasis on plants as the bulk of the plate. From the paleo side it takes the emphasis on food quality, protein and fat, and the avoidance of refined and industrially processed products. Mark Hyman's argument is that the loudest dietary arguments are over the wrong questions, and that the camps agree on more than they admit.

The book is organised as 21 principles rather than a meal plan. Plants should make up roughly three-quarters of the plate, chosen for low glycaemic impact. Protein should be adequate and well sourced. Fats should come from olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocado and fish rather than refined oils. Sugar is treated as a recreational food. Dairy and gluten-containing grains are limited or avoided, as are most processed foods. He also addresses sourcing, environmental impact and food quality.

It is for readers looking for a flexible framework rather than a strict protocol, particularly those who find both veganism and strict paleo unworkable.

On the evidence, the resulting pattern is close to what nutrition research broadly supports: mostly plants, minimal ultra-processed food, limited added sugar, adequate protein and unsaturated fats. That part needs little defence. The specific exclusions are less well supported. There is no good evidence that avoiding gluten benefits people without coeliac disease or diagnosed sensitivity, and dairy is associated with neutral or favourable outcomes in most cohort studies. Hyman presents these restrictions with more confidence than the literature carries, and some of the reasoning about inflammation and individual sensitivity is extrapolated from clinical impression. The overall shape of the diet is sound; the rules at its edges are optional.