The pandemic has reaffirmed that there is nothing more important than staying healthy – whether through exercise or diet.
Eating like a caveman is gaining importance. The ‘Paleo Diet, also known as the Caveman Diet, is taking the world by storm and stars like Jessica Biel, Uma Thurman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Megan Fox and Nimrat Kaur swear by the diet. caveman.

As the name suggests, before modern agriculture developed around 10,000 years ago, people typically ate foods that they could hunt or gather, such as fish, lean meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

Eating a paleo diet aims to recreate the eating habits of our ancient ancestors, focusing on copious amounts of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and meats, while leaving out grains and legumes.

But this poses a problem. “A diet that lacks all animal products as well as beans and legumes is not well balanced and could lead to nutritional deficiencies,” says Manisha Mehta, dietician, sports nutritionist (certified by the Sports Authority from India) and international speaker.
So that’s where the Pegan diet came in. Actress and model Eva Mendes is a fan of the pegan diet. “It focuses on consuming 75% plant products, but 25% of the calories come from animal products,” says Manisha.

The best of two worlds
While the Paleo diet focuses on consuming only the foods that people in the Paleolithic era, i.e. 2.6 million years ago, would have eaten, and the vegan diet focuses on excluding all kinds of animal foods from your plate, Pegan is an amalgamation of the two.
“The Paleo Diet or the Caveman Diet has been popular for a long time. And in the recent past, veganism has grown rapidly. However, both have certain restrictions in terms of nutrients, which can be addressed with the Pegan diet.

This is much less restrictive and is based on the 5-4-3-2-1 rule:
“5 servings of vegetables,
4 servings of carbohydrates,
3 portions of protein,
2 servings of healthy fats and 1 serving of dairy products, ”explains Avinash Rajapet, fitness entrepreneur and co-founder and program director at Fitb.ee.

Although there is not enough data to confirm the exact long-term benefits,
since this is mostly a plant-based diet, you can eat a ton of veggies without overdoing it in terms of calories. “High fiber intake combined with lower starch intake may help improve overall health and reduce the risk of certain lifestyle diseases. There are also many studies that tell us that a plant-based diet can reduce weight and lower bad cholesterol, ”says Avinash.

Benefits
l Rich in fruits and vegetables, which are good sources of antioxidants and soluble fiber.
l High in protein and healthy fats, which are good for keeping you full, maintaining muscle mass, and supporting brain and heart health.
l will lead to weight loss and possibly better control of glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol.
l Since all processed foods are prohibited, this will prevent sodium overdose and exposure to artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.

Restrictions
l Only gluten-free cereals are authorized. Barley, rye and semolina forms are not recommended.
l Dairy products are strongly discouraged.

The disadvantages
There is a body of research that shows that whole grains and legumes are essential as they provide fiber and the main B vitamins, and these are excluded from the Pegan diet. Also, it can be difficult for vegetarians to keep up, as whole grains and legumes are a major source of protein for them.
“Due to the total ban on processed foods, it is possible that sustainability becomes an issue and results are affected as a result,” Manisha says. “Plus, its association with exercise is still in question. If grains and pulses are lacking, the main sources of carbohydrates, ie energy, will be lacking, and the availability of energy for training will be a problem, ”she emphasizes.

Other possible problems:
l Cutting back on dairy can deprive your body of much needed calcium and vitamin D. Therefore, you may need to start taking vitamin supplements.
l Cutting back on carbohydrates will cause cravings and cravings. It is also less durable because it removes major food groups from your diet.
l You will need a good knowledge of nutrition to follow this diet.
l It can be expensive to keep up.

Modify as needed
“It is a good idea to include a large amount of fruits and vegetables in our daily diet, but if a diet takes us away from our basic roti-dal, riz-rajma routine, we can imagine how long we will be. able to maintain it. And if we are not able to maintain it, then it would just become another trend in the market, ”says Manisha.
“Following this diet for a long time can lead to nutrient deficiencies. However, if you follow the basics of the Pegan Diet (like cutting back on sugar and eating more vegetables and lean protein) and modifying it by adding dairy and gluten, it’s more likely that you can get away with it. hold on, ”says Avinash.

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