The Pegan Diet

One of the newest diet trends right now is the Pegan diet; a combination that incorporates two of the more well known diets: paleo and vegan.  The pegan diet focuses primarily on fruits and vegetables, specifically encouraging that 75 percent of your diet comes from plant based foods, and the other 25 percent from animal protein and high-quality fats.  Animal sources should come from organic, grass-fed and antibiotic-free animals like chicken, beef, fish and eggs, and high-quality fats from olive, coconut and avocado oils, as well as avocados and nuts. The diet also incorporates healthy grains from gluten-free, whole grains, like quinoa for example. Soy, dairy and sugar are three big no-no's while following this diet plan. 

From a dietitian stand point I love that 75% of this diet is based on fruits and vegetables.  I definitely think that this brings vitamins, minerals and nutrients that our bodies need in their purest and most absorbable form.  I also agree with the healthy fats that are encouraged, this is what we should always gravitate towards regardless of following a pegan diet or not.  One huge problem I have though is the discrimination against dairy. For individuals who can't tolerate dairy, and I know there are a lot of you, then yes of course stay away. But, if you tolerate dairy well, then I encourage three servings of low fat dairy daily from milk, cheese, or yogurt. Some studies have shown that this helps with weight maintenance.  Another problem I have is the limited amount of protein.  If people are trying to lose weight then they optimally need at least 35% of their total calories to come from lean, healthy protein.  We don't want the body to break down muscle to get its protein needs, we want to encourage lean muscle building and that means adequate protein intake. The pegan diet also excludes legumes/beans, besides lentils, which I definitely don't agree with.  These are good natural sources of protein and should not be discarded from any healthy diet plan.  

So, if you want to try to follow a pegan diet go for it, but if you tolerate dairy don't leave it out, and keep consuming legumes. Otherwise how can any dietitian argue with a diet that encourages 75% of intake from plant based foods...I love that!

H2O.

Water seems pretty boring to talk about but it is SO important and definitely overlooked. Everyone knows that water consumption is important, but how much water should we actually be consuming? 

Let's talk specifics... I do find it very interesting that there really isn't a recommended daily allowance for water intake but I think a good place to start is to take your body weight, in pounds, and divide it by two, and aim for that many ounces of water daily. So, for example, someone who weighs 140 pounds should be consuming at least 70 ounces of water throughout the day.  This will help aid weight loss as well as revving up your metabolism. I'm sure you've heard that your body is made up of 70% water, but what you might not know is that adequate water is necessary to help the body and liver break down fat and help build protein when you're working towards weight loss.  In fact a recent study showed that in conjunction with a low calorie diet, individuals who consumed 16 oz of water prior to each meal resulted in up to 8 pounds more weight loss, over a 12 week period, when compared to their non-water drinking counterparts.  

And when I say water I mean plain old H2O, maybe throw in a few cucumbers, berries or lemons (check out this neat infusion water bottle Aqua Zinger) BUT we want all of our water consumption to remain calorie free and without unnecessary artificial sweeteners.  I have remained not a fan of artificial sweeteners in general.  I really feel that they are tricking your brain into thinking you're getting something you're not and that comes with consequences. All of that sweet stimulation on your tastebuds, especially if that's the majority of what you're drinking, i.e. diet soda/crystal light/etc., is going to end up causing you to crave sweets and snack. I've definitely lived through the multiple diet pepsi's a day phase and I find it stimulates my appetite and makes me hungry, where water actually has the opposite effect. Water is what your body needs, and it's calorie free, so drink up!

Get your sweat on once a day!

Exercise to me is necessary to my well being and for maintaining balance in my busy life. Not only do I feel better when I exercise, I accomplish more in less time and I sleep better. The most common excuse I encounter for not exercising is lack of time, which I as a wife, mom, to a 17 month old,  and full-time physician assistant, completely understand.  However if you read the second line of this post you will notice that it helps me do what? That's right, accomplish MORE in LESS time.  Exercise is healthy not only for our heart and muscles but for our brain and productivity. We were created to move.  How do we find the time to do it? We schedule it. We use a buddy system if we have to, a friend for example to keep us accountable.  Who doesn't love going to meet a girlfriend for a long run or at hot yoga? And on the days we know we won't have time for these types of activities we hit the gym or do an exercise video at home for 30 minutes. There always is 30 minutes available in our day to work out, just get that ingrained into your brain right now. What there isn't always available is the hour it will take if we didn't plan ahead and now have to stop at home to get exercise clothes, etc. My advice is to try different forms of exercise, be creative and most importantly plan ahead. I am now 5 months pregnant and on my day off all I could fit in was Tracy Anderson's Pregnancy Project DVD while my son Ethan was napping, but it kicked my butt and I got my sweat on today. Did you?