For healthy living enthusiasts, this year’s newest buzzword may just be Pegan. A fusion of Paleo and vegan, the word could not be more of an oxymoron. Followers of the former are all about the caveman diet. This means they consume mostly meat, fish, vegetable, and fruit. Vegans, on the other hand, don’t eat anything that comes from animals.

However, Mark Hyman, M.D., author of the forthcoming book The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Cookbook, believes that the two are actually more alike than you realize. They’re both about saying no to processed food—no preservatives, just all-natural. Both also come with health benefits like “weight loss, lowered cholesterol, and reverse diabetes”

So how does the Pegan diet work? Hyman lists down a few must-dos:

1. Fill your plate with mostly fruits and veggies.
They should also make up 75 percent of your plate. Hyman adds: “The deeper the colors, the more variety, the better. This provides a high phytonutrient content protective against most diseases.”

2. Source your animal products well.
Get them grass-fed and sustainably raised as much as possible. If you’re going to eat meat, treat it as a side dish instead of the main course.

3. Go for good quality fats.
You can get these from olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocados.

4. Bid sugar adieu, at least, for now.
According to Hyman, sugar should only be taken as an occasional treat. Consider it a reward after closing a huge client or getting a promotion.

5. Avoid dairy.
Both the Paleo and the vegan diet shun dairy for good reason. “Milk is not nature’s perfect food unless you are a calf and should not be consumed in large quantities by most people, because it can promote weight gain, cancer, and even cause osteoporosis.”

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