<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11897660" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nfl" source="Orion">NFL</keyword> Hall-of-Famer Troy Aikman says he follows a <keyword id="12888486" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="pegan-diet" source="Orion">Pegan diet</keyword>. </li><li>He learned about the diet from Instagram influencer and <keyword id="11910605" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nutrition" source="Orion">nutrition</keyword> author Dr. Mark Hyman. </li></ul><a href="https://www.insider.com/troy-aikman-tom-brady-time-off-competitive-advantage-2021-6">Troy Aikman</a> won three Super Bowls as the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1992-95 and has become a leading NFL broadcaster on Fox. Even though he hasn't played in an NFL game in 22 years, he's still just as conscious about what he eats as <a href="https://www.insider.com/tom-brady-eats-80-vegan-20-protein-2021-12">any active player</a>. The 55-year-old NFL Hall-of-Famer said he has adopted a strict, all-organic <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-is-the-pegan-diet-combines-paleo-and-vegan-2021-2">"Pegan" diet</a> in the last three years, after discovering Peganism founder <a href="https://www.instagram.com/drmarkhyman/">Dr. Mark Hyman</a> on Instagram."There was a time that I was on the <keyword id="11955817" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="vegan" source="Orion">vegan</keyword> diet and it just wasn't for me," Aikman told Insider. But he found Hyman's adapted approach to the diet inspiring — even reading two of his books.Under the Pegan diet, Aikman says he has cut out all gluten, dairy, and processed sugars. These days, he gets most of his calories from <a href="https://www.insider.com/plant-based-diet">plant-based</a> dishes. But unlike those who follow a vegan diet, Aikman still eats <keyword id="11894326" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="meat" source="Orion">meat</keyword> and fish, strictly from organic sources.<h2>What is Peganism?</h2>Hyman first detailed his Pegan diet in <a href="https://drhyman.com/blog/2014/11/07/pegan-paleo-vegan/">a blog post in 2014</a>, then expanded on it with the 2019 book "The Pegan Diet: 21 Practical Principles for Reclaiming Your <keyword id="11894571" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health" source="Orion">Health</keyword> in a Nutritionally Confusing World."The diet focuses on real, whole, fresh food that is sustainably raised, with an emphasis on <keyword id="11939289" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="vegetables" source="Orion">vegetables</keyword>. While the Pegan diet places a heavy emphasis on vegetables and most <keyword id="7958501" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="plant-based" source="Orion">plant-based</keyword> dishes, it discourages grains, beans, or any starchy plant-based foods. Hyman encourages followers of his diet to get their carbs from small portions of quinoa and brown rice. The diet also forbids any dairy, and instead encourages followers to get <a href="https://www.insider.com/saturated-vs-unsaturated-fat">fats</a> from nuts, seeds, coconuts, and avocados.<h2>Aikman mostly eats cooked vegetables </h2>Aikman said three-quarters of his meal plate is vegetables."I've gotten to a point where I eat all vegetables and I enjoy eating them," Aikman told Insider. "Before I would eat them but I didn't necessarily enjoy eating vegetables, but now I really do because I think my mindset is different."His favorite vegetable dishes are roasted Brussels sprouts, steamed broccoli, and grilled asparagus. Roasted Brussels sprouts and grilled asparagus each offer about 4-6 grams of fiber and protein in a 135-calorie serving, and are dense in vitamin A, B, calcium, and iron, according to <a href="https://www.nutritionix.com/i/nutritionix/roasted-brussels-sprouts-1-cup/56a945907eb6025e3c5d2338">Nutritionix</a>.Steamed broccoli is even denser in protein, fiber, and the aforementioned vitamins, offering the same amount in a 50-60-calorie serving.<h2>He now drinks his own sugar-free beer — and 2 gallons of water a day</h2>Still, Aikman does indulge in some gameday snacks from time to time, favoring chips and salsa. But he said he's found a substitute for beer — developing his own low-calorie light lager called "Eight."Brewed with organic grains and Hallertau Taurus hops, Eight contains 90 calories per can and 2.6 grams of carbs, as opposed to around 150 calories and 30 grams of carbs found in most regular lagers."I've always been a beer drinker," Aikman said. "When I drink a beer, I want a beer that's not going to compromise all the work and effort that I put in during the week because my health and wellness and working out are all important to me."Aikman also balances his alcohol intake by drinking at least two gallons of water per day, carrying a water jug around with him at all times.

NFL Hall-of-Famer Troy Aikman follows a 'Pegan' diet to stay in shape — here's what he eats

<ul class="summary-list"><li>For some prehistoric humans in the Andes, the Paleo diet meant eating lots of plants</li><li>The diet of was likely made up of 80% plants, a study found. </li></ul>The popular <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/diet-nutrition/paleo-vs-keto">Paleo diet</a> is based on the belief that we are better off eating like our ancestors by sticking to a largely meat-heavy diet.But a new study suggests that some of our ancestors didn't gorge on meat at all, but preferred a diet that was largely made up of plants."Conventional wisdom holds that early human economies focused on hunting — an idea that has led to a number of high-protein dietary fads such as the paleo diet," Randy Haas, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wyoming who led the study, said <a target="_blank" href="https://signin.aaas.org/oxauth/authorize.htm?scope=openid+org.aaas&amp;response_type=code&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eurekalert.org%2Fauthorization-callback&amp;state=19f6206b8f&amp;client_id=%40%21DF52.8A2B.1610.1D59%210001%21F186.A7D4%210008%21756F.EEE7">in a press release</a>."Our analysis shows that the diets were composed of 80 percent plant matter and 20 percent meat," he said.The research, published Wednesday, studied the remains of ancient people buried in the Andean Altiplano of Peru about 9,000 years ago.It adds to a body of evidence that suggests prehistoric diets were already incredibly varied, ranging from meat-heavy to meat-poor, said Herman Pontzer, a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University told Business Insider."One way to think about it is as soon as anybody tells you that the Paleo diet was one thing, you can stop listening," said Pontzer, who wasn't involved in the study.<div type="image" title="paleovsketo" height="1414" width="2120" msid="107124420" hostid="261" sizebytes="452630"></div><h2>You are what you eat</h2>When you look at an anthropological site, it is easy to think that humans always loved a good barbecue."Animal bone is often better preserved, more abundant, and easier to recover from archaeological sites," Ceren Kabukcu, an archaeobotanist who studies ancient diets from the University of Liverpool, told BI.The same goes for the sharp rock and bone tools used for hunting.This so-called preservation bias has led some prominent researchers to think Palaeolithic humans must have prioritized hunting over gathering.But the advent of more modern analytical techniques, including mass spectrometry, has changed the story. For instance, scientists can now read what people were eating at the time from the type of atoms, or isotopes, preserved inside human bones, such as nitrogen."When you eat proteins, you're eating nitrogen and all nitrogen in the world comes in different flavors," said Pontzer.If you eat something higher up the food chain, "you keep on adding this sort of special form of nitrogen," he said. This isotope binds to the bones as they grow, and scientists can read them thousands of years later.Haas and his collaborators carried out these kinds of analyses on the bones of 24 people of Wilamaya Patjxa and Soro Mik'aya Patjxa in Peru.This was a group of mobile foragers that lived between 9,000 and 6,500 years ago about 2.3 miles above sea level. At that time agricultural and pastoral economies did not yet exist, "at least not to the extent that we know them today," Haas told BI in an email.The group has long been thought to be mostly meat eaters. But Haas and colleagues' investigation, published in the peer-reviewed journal <a target="_blank" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296420">PLoS ONE</a> on Wednesday, found they ate between 70-95% of plant matter in their diet.Tubers — cousins of the modern-day potato — likely made up the bulk of their meals."I was shocked by the result—ca. 80% plant-based diet among early Andean foragers," said Haas."It was clear at that point that I had the story all wrong, and there was a good explanation for why that was so (preservation bias)," he said.<h2>There is no one Paleo diet</h2>This isn't the only research that disproves the model often held up by proponents of the modern-day definition of the Paleo diet.Paleo-diet traditionalists uphold the definition popularised by sports physiologist Loren Cordain in the early 2000s. He called on people to eat a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/popular-heart-healthy-diets-ranked-doctors-aha-2023-4">meat-heavy</a>, carb-poor diets to emulate their ancestors.Since then, people have come up with variations of this idea, like the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-the-pegan-diet-combines-paleo-and-vegan-2021-2">pegan diet</a> — a mix of the paleo and vegan diet.These diets might work for you as an individual, but as far as the anthropological evidence goes, they don't stack up, Pontzer said."Where it starts to get strange is when we start to engage in the storytelling about the past to prop up a particular extreme view of what we're supposed to eat," he said.What's clear is that a meat-heavy diet isn't reflective of what people ate thousands of years ago.Instead, prehistoric populations went for whatever was available around them, almost always relying on a healthy mix of hunting and gathering."Gathering is dependable. You always come home with something," said Pontzen.Some populations, like the Arctic people, may have mostly relied on big game for their food, said Pontzer, who also wrote "Burn," a book that touches on the topic.But others, like the early Australian and South American populations, seem to have eaten mostly plants. Many others were somewhere in between.Early humans or close ancestors didn't necessarily shun starchy foods, Pontzer said. One study, for instance, found on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/neanderthals-human-ancestors-low-carb-paleo-diet-study-2021-5">Neanderthals </a>ate plenty of starchy carbohydrates.<div type="image" title="neanderthal" height="500" width="808" msid="107124421" hostid="261" sizebytes="43788"></div>These diets changed with the seasons or as resources ran out.And as investigation techniques get more sophisticated, we may learn even more about our ancestors's meals by revisiting the evidence, said Haas."Humans, as far as we've ever been able to tell, have eaten a really diverse diet and can do well on all kinds of diets," said Pontzer,"Keep your diet that works. But I do wish that we would have less of this kind of revisionist history to support our choices of diet because there's really little evidence of that," said Pontzer.

The real Paleo diet was heavy on plants with very little meat, according to a study of early human remains

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The paleo-vegan "pegan" <keyword id="6358230" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="diet">diet</keyword> was popularized by Dr. Mark Hyman, physician and <keyword id="52652" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="nutrition">nutrition</keyword> writer.</li><li>The diet combines elements of healthy eating such as avoiding processed foods and grains. </li><li>It emphasizes fresh, whole foods and healthy fats, with some animals products if you want. </li></ul>A few years ago, <a href="https://drhyman.com/about/">Dr. Mark Hyman</a>, a doctor and best-selling nutrition writer, was participating in a nutrition panel discussion when a fight broke out.Two doctor colleagues on the panel, a <keyword id="1052634" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Paleo">paleo</keyword> advocate and staunch <keyword id="6400741" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Vegan">vegan</keyword>, entered into a <a href="https://www.insider.com/why-do-angry-vegans-meat-eaters-fight-so-much-2020-2">heated argument about which diet is best.</a> Sitting between them, Hyman wanted to break the tension, and joked that he was "pegan," or a combination of both.The comment didn't just get a laugh from the audience. It prompted Hyman to seriously consider whether the best elements of those two diets could be mixed together.Hyman initially introduced the pegan diet in a <a href="https://drhyman.com/blog/2014/11/07/pegan-paleo-vegan/">2014 blog post.</a> Since then, Hyman has refined what he considers his personal best strategy for a diet that's good for both human <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health">health</keyword> and the environment, outlined in his new book "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pegan-Diet-Principles-Reclaiming-Nutritionally/dp/031653708X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=&amp;sr=">The Pegan Diet</a>."The book collects principles that most experts agree on for healthy diets, such as avoiding processed foods and eating fresh produce, healthy fats, and quality proteins. It's mostly plant-based but allows for some high-quality animal products, too. The result is a diet meant to unite often-adversarial schools of thought in nutrition against a common enemy: the prevalence of cheap, poor-quality convenience foods, Hyman said on a recent episode of the <a href="https://www.insider.com/keto-diet-gone-too-far-says-early-advocate-dave-asprey-2021-1">Bulletproof Radio podcast</a>."It's like every week there's a new fad and everyone is kind of fighting with each other and we're fighting the wrong person. We should be fighting with the traditional American diet," he said. "That's really what's driving the chronic disease epidemic."<h2>A paleo-vegan diet avoids processed foods in favor of whole foods like veggies and fruit</h2>Processed foods, including refined grains and added sugars, are strongly linked to chronic health issues like <a href="https://www.insider.com/processed-food-sugar-making-the-world-malnourished-obese-2019-12">obesity</a>, and <a href="https://www.insider.com/why-are-processed-foods-so-dangerous-heart-health-2019-11">heart disease</a>, as well as <a href="https://www.insider.com/processed-foods-could-speed-up-cell-aging-according-to-science-2020-9">faster aging</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/evidence-processed-food-leads-to-heart-disease-early-death-2021-1">earlier death</a>. In contrast, there's evidence that a diet rich in vegetables and fruits, such as a vegan diet, has loads of benefits, like a <a href="https://www.insider.com/low-fat-plant-based-diet-better-than-keto-weight-loss-2021-1">healthy weight</a>, <a href="https://www.insider.com/mostly-vegan-diet-lowers-blood-pressure-2020-7">lower blood pressure</a>, and a <a href="https://www.insider.com/vegan-diet-leads-to-weight-fat-loss-improves-gut-bacteria-2019-9">diverse microbiome</a> (the beneficial bacteria that live in your gut). Hyman also recommends avoiding pesticides and eating organic, local, and non-GMO whenever possible. This is more controversial, although it's a common recommendation on paleo diets, because the <a href="https://www.insider.com/gmo-pros-and-cons">health risks of GMOs are minimal</a>, according to current evidence. There's also no clear data that <a href="https://www.insider.com/is-organic-food-better-for-you">organic foods are better for health</a>. <h2>You'll limit grains on a pegan diet</h2>In line with many popular <a href="https://www.insider.com/nutrition-journalist-defends-fad-diets-like-keto-2021-1">low-carb diets</a>, Hyman's plan discourages eating lots of grains, beans, and other starchy plant foods, since they can raise your blood sugar and insulin levels. You can eat some carbohydrates, but the goal is to focus on smaller portions of foods like brown rice and quinoa. These have a lower <a href="https://www.insider.com/foods-to-lower-blood-sugar">glycemic index</a>, meaning they're less likely to spike blood sugar levels. Gluten, and other wheat products, are also limited on a pegan diet except as an "occasional treat," he said on his blog. <div type="image" title="health weightloss greens vegetables veggies fruits vegan vegetarian grocery groceries fitness nutrition scale farmer’s market wellness" height="1666" width="2222" msid="81162711" hostid="261"></div><h2>Pegan dieters prioritize quality fats </h2>Similar to the keto diet, Hyman's pegan diet plan emphasizes getting enough healthy fats from sources like nuts, seeds, and avocados. These are generally regarded to be <a href="https://www.insider.com/saturated-vs-unsaturated-fat">healthy fats</a> by experts, since they can help lower inflammation and manage cholesterol levels. Hyman advocates for small amounts of <a href="https://www.insider.com/why-debate-around-saturated-fat-and-health-is-so-confusing-2020-8">saturated fat,</a> too, from sources like coconut and butter. He doesn't recommend <a href="https://www.insider.com/side-effects-of-eating-too-much-dairy-milk-cheese-2020-3">dairy, which is linked to</a> like digestive distress and higher risk of certain diseases, according to some evidence. Hyman also suggests people should avoid <a href="https://www.insider.com/seed-oils-arent-worse-than-cigarettes-despite-keto-claim-2020-7">processed seed and vegetable oils</a> such as canola, sunflower, corn, and soybean oil. While these are often included in processed foods or unhealthy cooking methods such as frying, there's no clear evidence they're especially dangerous in moderation. <h2>A pegan diet can include animal products if they're sustainably sourced</h2>A pegan diet should be about 75% plants, but can also include some animal products if they are sustainably raised, according to Hyman. Some examples include grass-fed meat or butter, organic eggs, and wild caught-fish, all of which should be included as part of a balanced meal, but not as the main course.This approach maintains some of the ethical and environmental principles of veganism, while allowing people the flexibility to find what works best for their health and wellbeing, according to Hyman."No two people are alike and no two people thrive in the same way, based on the same diet," he said on the Bulletproof Radio podcast. "So you might ideologically be a vegan but it might be the worst thing for you. Or you might ideologically want to eat keto but it might be the worst thing for you. It's important to understand what your body is doing."

The 'pegan' diet combines paleo and vegan eating into one healthy plan

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The combined paleo-vegan, or "Pegan" <keyword id="6358230" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="diet">diet</keyword>, aims to offer the best of both worlds for healthy eating.</li><li>The diet's creator, Dr. Mark Hyman, said the key is nutrient-dense whole foods instead of processed junk. </li><li>Eating Pegan encourages people to be flexible in dieting and find what works for their unique needs.</li></ul><a href="https://drhyman.com/about/">Dr. Mark Hyman</a>, coined the term "Pegan" for a laugh, but the hybrid of <keyword id="1052634" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Paleo">paleo</keyword> and <keyword id="6400741" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Vegan">vegan</keyword> eating styles could offer the best of both diet plans."The Pegan Diet is for everyone. It's an inclusive set of principles with room for exploration, depending on your preferences," Hyman, a family physician who specializes in a food-as-medicine approach to <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health">health</keyword>, told Insider. His new book, <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/dr-mark-hyman-md/the-pegan-diet/9780316537087/">The Pegan Diet,</a> aims to unite the healthiest aspects of two popular diets for an easy-to-follow, sustainable strategy of eating well. As a Pegan, you can enjoy plenty of fruits and vegetables, healthy fat sources, and, if you want, occasional high-quality meat, fish, and eggs. At the same time, the diet cuts out processed foods, added sugar, and refined grains. With this strategy, Hyman said going Pegan could be a solution for serious health problems such as obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic dysfunction, and other chronic diseases linked to unhealthy eating.<h2>Vegan and paleo diets share a common enemy: the standard American diet</h2>A few years ago, Hyman was sitting on a doctor's panel between two colleagues with different dietary philosophies -a paleo advocate and staunch vegan - whom <a href="https://www.insider.com/why-do-angry-vegans-meat-eaters-fight-so-much-2020-2">were at odds about which diet is best.</a> To break the tension, Hyman joked that he was Pegan, or a happy medium between the two. It may seem, at first glance, that the vegan and paleo diets are on opposite sides of the dietary spectrum. One relies heavily on beans, grains, and sometimes, processed imitations of animal products, like faux burgers and soy cheese. The other sticks to what our hunter-gatherer ancestors might have eaten centuries ago, prioritizing meats, seeds, and very specific types of produce. What both adversaries have in common, though, is a rejection of what we know are the many unhealthy food options of modern life, including fast food and processed foods, refined grains, and sugar. "A few years ago I realized that most dietary philosophies, including paleo and vegan, had far more in common with each other than most realize, and far, far more in common with each other than with the standard American diet," Hyman said. "Of course, you can be a chips and soda vegan, or a bacon and no veggies paleo eater, but the best whole food expressions of each are so similar." And while the specifics vary, both diets can prompt people to focus more on whole, nutrient dense foods, including leafy greens and antioxidant rich berries. <h2>Protein is a matter of preference</h2>The main difference between vegan and paleo is whether to include animal products. Peganism leaves that up to individual choice - Hyman argues that high-quality meat and eggs can be healthy for both people and the planet."If you really dig into the science, you'll see that regardless of whether someone is a meat eater or a vegetarian, those who are health-conscious overall live longer, healthier lives," Hyman said. If you do choose to eat meat, a pegan diet calls for moderation, treating it as a side dish or flavoring rather than a main course. <h2>Quality matters when it comes to carbs and fat</h2>In addition to uniting vegan and paleo, the Pegan diet also bridges the gap between the other great controversy of modern <keyword id="52652" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="nutrition">nutrition</keyword> - low carb vs. low fat. The answer, according to Hyman, is that it's the quality, less than the quantity, that matters for these macronutrients. While his version of a healthy diet is <a href="https://www.insider.com/healthy-diet-75-percent-carbs-by-volume-according-to-doctor-2021-3">75% carbohydrates</a> (by volume, not by calories), those should come from mainly fruits and vegetables, not sugars and refined grains. "A hot fudge sundae and cauliflower both fall into the carbs category, yet they are entirely different foods," Hyman said. Similarly, Hyman said dieters shouldn't fear fats, but instead should focus on healthy sources like avocado, nuts and seeds, and olive oil (similar to the much-touted <a href="https://www.insider.com/mediterranean-diet-may-make-family-healthier-too-study-2021-3">Mediterranean diet</a>). "Contrary to misguided advice offered over the last thirty-plus years, the right fats are needed for healthy skin, cells, brain functioning, fertility, and more," he said. <h2>The Pegan diet offers a flexible approach in a world ruled by dietary dogma</h2>The biggest advantage of the Pegan diet, compared to the plethora of programs available for healthy eating, is that it allows for people to adapt it to their own needs. If you <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-is-the-pegan-diet-combines-paleo-and-vegan-2021-2">try the Pegan diet</a>, Hyman encourages experimentation to find what works best for your needs. Some people, for instance, may benefit from eating some animal products in moderation, including saturated fats, while others do better on a low-fat diets of almost all plants. "It's not about being perfect; it's about feeding your body nutritionally dense food 90 percent of the time and leaving room for pleasure foods and treats," he said. As such, the eating plan helps people focus on what Hyman thinks is the real priority of a diet, which is making people healthier, instead of maintaining restrictions and rules as a matter of principle. "Perhaps the real focus should be on shifting people from an obesogenic, disease-causing, nutrient-depleted diet to one rich in whole foods and protective foods that promote weight loss, health, and well-being," he said. "That is the goal of the Pegan diet."

The 'Pegan' diet started as a joke, but it's actually a good way to get the best of both vegan and paleo, according to a doctor

<ul class="summary-list"><li>If you want to eat well and lose weight, 75% of your plate should be <keyword id="66590" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="carbs">carbs</keyword>, says Dr. Mark Hyman.</li><li>Carbs like green veggies and fruit should be the majority of your <keyword id="6358230" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="diet">diet</keyword> by volume, not by calories.</li><li>These foods are nutrient-dense, in contrast to refined carbs like sugar that can be unhealthy. </li></ul>Carbohydrates have a bad reputation these days amid the popularity of <a href="https://www.insider.com/keto-diet-gone-too-far-says-early-advocate-dave-asprey-2021-1">keto and low-carb diets.</a> People have come to associate too many carbs with insulin resistance, <a href="https://www.insider.com/gary-taubes-case-for-keto-low-carb-answer-weight-loss-2020-12">weight gain</a>, and unhealthy eating habits.Nothing could be further than the truth, according to <a href="https://drhyman.com/about/">Dr. Mark Hyman</a>, a family physician who specializes in a food-as-medicine approach to <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health">health</keyword>, and the author of "Food Fix" and "Eat <keyword id="6373166" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fat">Fat</keyword>, Get Thin.""Carbs are the single most important thing you can eat for health and weight loss," Hyman told Insider in an email interview about his new book, "<a href="https://pegandiet.com">The Pegan Diet</a>."Both the quality and the quantity of carbs matter for your diet goals, he explained. Nutrient-dense, lower calorie carb sources can be a foundation of a healthy diet, helping to cut out "empty" calories like sugar and refined carbs.<h2>Carbs should make up most of your diet by volume, not by calories</h2>The standard American diet (SAD for short) is often criticized for fueling high rates of insulin resistance, metabolic dysfunction, and obesity. It features lots of carbs - <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/carbohydrates/art-20045705">dietary guidelines</a> recommend that carbs make up 45-65% of daily calories, but <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2751719">studies</a> show Americans often get most of that from processed foods. "In fact, most of the SAD diet is <a href="https://www.insider.com/refined-carbs-white-bread-pasta-linked-risks-death-heart-health-2021-2">refined carbohydrates</a> from bread, rice, cereal, pasta, and pastries," Hyman saidIt's OK to make carbs the center of your diet, Hyman said, but not by getting the bulk of your calories from those processed sources.The key to the ideal diet, according to Hyman, is filling 75% of your plate with nutritious, non-starchy veggies like greens, mushrooms, peppers, and tomatoes.Since these foods are lower in calories, they leave plenty of room to round out your daily energy needs with healthy fat sources like fish, olive oil, and avocado, and <a href="https://www.insider.com/5-tips-for-eating-protein-for-weight-loss-muscle-gain-2021-2">protein</a> from sources like beans, grass-fed meat, and eggs. <h2>Prioritize 'slow' carbs like nutrient-dense veggies and fruits</h2>For a healthy diet of 75% carbs (by volume), the type of <keyword id="24262" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="carbohydrate">carbohydrate</keyword> source matters a lot. "A hot fudge sundae and cauliflower both fall into the carbs category, yet they are entirely different foods," Hyman said. Aiming for carb sources like leafy greens, berries, and non-starchy vegetables allows you to get the most bang for your buck, in terms of daily energy. That's because they come packed with nutrients like fiber, vitamins, phytonutrients, and minerals, which help promote healthy digestion and a strong microbiome (beneficial bacteria in your gut).These "slow" carbs, as Hyman calls them, help you feel full and energized for longer after eating, while avoiding the blood sugar spikes and dips that "fast" carbs like sugar can cause. <h2>Treat sugar and other refined carbs as occasional treats, not staples</h2>Unlike fruit and vegetables, Hyman said, refined and processed carbohydrates should be treated like recreational drugs - consumed in limited quantities as an occasional indulgence, if at all. Dr. Ashley Gearhardt, a food addiction researcher and psychology professor at the University of Michigan, told Insider that the combination of sugar and fat in processed foods can encourage us to eat more than we intend to.Gearhardt said it can be sensationalist to compare addictive foods to drugs, but the risks should be taken seriously. That can be challenging when processed food is more available than fresh ingredients, and if you don't have time to cook. "We do all have to eat, and it's not an even playing field since these foods are engineered in a way that they're using our biology against us," Gearhardt said. "It's like having beer in the water fountains. That's our food environment."Gearhardt's solution is to try to avoid having a lot of processed foods in the house whenever possible, and be deliberate about the choice to indulge."I think of them the same as red wine. It's a thoughtful process with boundaries and mindfulness," she said.

Carbs are essential for weight loss, according to a nutrition doctor. Here's how to choose the right kinds.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Longevity expert Dr. Mark Hyman said his biological age is decades younger than his chronological age. </li><li>At 63, he said he's as healthy as 43-year-old thanks to simple habits like exercise and good nutrition. </li></ul>Dr. Mark Hyman doesn't act his age — the 63-year old longevity expert said his "<a href="https://www.insider.com/what-is-biological-age-is-reverse-aging-possible-2023-2">biological age</a>" (based on markers of cellular health) is 43, thanks to years of honing his personal routine. There's good evidence that your lifestyle can reduce markers of cellular aging, although <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/new-tests-use-epigenetics-to-guess-how-fast-youre-aging/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tests to determine biological age can be controversial</a> (and Insider hasn't independently verified Hyman's cellular health markers).And you don't have to take drastic, expensive measures (like <a href="https://www.insider.com/millionaire-bryan-johnson-swapped-blood-with-teenage-son-young-blood-2023-5">infusions of teenager blood</a>) to stave off age-related decline. Habits like diet, exercise, sleep, supplements and stress management may be able to add healthy years to your life, helping you feel (and potentially even look) younger, although the science around some <a href="https://www.insider.com/longevity-researcher-harvard-david-sinclair-53-biological-age-decade-younger-2023-3">anti-aging strategies is mixed</a>. Hyman isn't against aging — he just wants us all to do it better. He said it's a common misconception that getting old automatically comes with health problems like achy joints, foggy thinking, and chronic illness. "People don't realize those problems occur with things that we can change, that are reversible. It's a treatable condition, as opposed to an inevitable decline," Hyman told Insider. His new book "<a href="https://youngforeverbook.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Young Forever"</a> breaks down the science of healthy aging, with tips for habits to extend not just your lifespan but your "health span."He said longevity strategies like good nutrition and exercise are key for not just a long life, but a better quality of life, and his healthy routine helps stave off longer-term problems while keeping him in peak shape right now. "Something to make things better decades down the road is kind of a hard sell. You're not just adding years to your life, you're adding life to your years," Hyman said. <h2>He starts the day with meditation, coffee, and time to write</h2>Hyman said the first thing he does every morning, after waking up at 6 am, is meditate for 20 minutes. Then, he enjoys his morning coffee, and sits down for some dedicated writing time. Evidence suggests both habits can aid longevity. <a href="https://www.insider.com/is-coffee-good-for-you-science-says-yes-moderation-2020-7">Coffee linked to lower risk of conditions like heart disease and dementia.</a> and provides a wealth of health-promoting plant-based compounds called antioxidants. <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/mental-health/benefits-of-meditation">Meditation can help improve mental health</a> and reduce <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7400286/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stress, a major factor in how quickly we age</a>. <h2>Strength training exercise is an essential part of the healthy aging routine</h2>After his coffee, Hyman hits a strength training routine with resistance bands, which he said has helped him <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-do-ab-exercise-without-back-pain-personal-trainer-2023-2">build muscle and reduce back pain</a>. "It used to be doing yoga, tennis, or walking. Resistance training really transformed my body and health," he said. Research suggests that even small amounts of <a href="https://www.insider.com/30-minutes-strength-exercise-week-lowers-disease-risk-study-2022-2">strength training can reduce health risks</a>. While lifting weights is a great form of strength training, <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/fitness/best-resistance-bands">resistance bands</a> can offer a convenient, portable option if you're traveling or don't have access to a gym. Hyman said his morning workout is about 30 minutes, but if possible, he likes to<a href="https://www.insider.com/brisk-walking-reverse-brain-aging-in-older-adults-study-2023-6">get moving throughout the day</a> with activities like hiking or biking. "My happy place is about three hours of exercise a day," he said.After his morning workout, Hyman uses a steam shower and cold plunge, staying in the 40-degree water for three minutes. Some evidence suggests hot and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iceman-wim-hof-dutch-technique-science-2019-1">cold exposure may reduce inflammation and improve metabolism</a>. <h2>His healthy aging breakfast is high-protein and packed with nutrients</h2>Following his morning workout, Hyman fuels up with what he calls a "healthy aging shake," with a combination of plant nutrients and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/healthy-fats-in-food-2018-7">healthy fats</a> from ingredients like berries, chia seeds, and hemp seeds. He also has 48 grams of <a href="https://www.insider.com/5-tips-for-eating-protein-for-weight-loss-muscle-gain-2021-2">protein</a>, an essential nutrient for building and maintaining muscle, which he gets by adding whey protein powder to his shake. "As you get older, muscle mass is more important. It's a critical piece of healthy aging," Hyman said. He follows a <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-is-the-pegan-diet-combines-paleo-and-vegan-2021-2">"pegan" diet, a combination of paleo and vegan</a> which focuses on mostly plant-based whole foods, he previously told Insider. Hyman said his supplement routine includes <a href="https://www.insider.com/creatine-supplements-build-muscle-how-to-use-expert-advice-2022-3">creatine, for muscle and brain health</a>. He also takes a special type of <a href="https://www.insider.com/fatty-acid-butter-dairy-may-be-healthy-new-research-suggests-2022-3">recently-discovered fatty acid called C15:0</a>, linked to better sleep, more energy, and lower stress. For people who don't yet have a <a href="https://www.insider.com/arnold-schwarzenegger-anti-aging-diet-exercise-routine-2023-5">longevity routine, old-fashioned healthy habits</a> like exercise and dietary changes can be one of the simplest changes to make for better health, "The most important things are exercise, and a diet with healthy fats and plant foods," Hyman said. "No amount of supplements can replace those."

A doctor said his biological age is 20 years younger than his actual age. Here's his morning routine.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The former <keyword id="11897660" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nfl" source="Orion">NFL</keyword> quarterback and current broadcaster <keyword id="12897796" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="troy-aikman" source="Orion">Troy Aikman</keyword> follows a strict <keyword id="11894571" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health" source="Orion">health</keyword> routine. </li><li>One of Aikman's new habits is carrying around a water jug to make sure he's always hydrated. </li></ul>The Pro Football Hall of Famer <a href="https://www.insider.com/nfl-hall-of-famer-troy-aikman-follows-pegan-diet-2022-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Troy Aikman</a> says he drinks up to 2 gallons of water a day — partly inspired by <keyword id="11931177" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tom-brady" source="Orion">Tom Brady</keyword>. Aikman, who won three Super Bowls with the <keyword id="12454106" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="dallas-cowboys" source="Orion">Dallas Cowboys</keyword> from 1992 to 1995 and is now the lead color analyst for the NFL on Fox, told Insider he's always made a point to stay <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-much-water-should-i-drink" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hydrated</a> in addition to eating a <a href="https://www.insider.com/nfl-hall-of-famer-troy-aikman-follows-pegan-diet-2022-1">Pegan diet</a> and working out at least six hours a week.But it wasn't until he noticed Brady walking around with a giant water bottle that he really upped his water intake.Brady has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tom-brady-diet-lots-of-water-2017-9">spoken and written extensively</a> about drinking up to 2.5 gallons of water a day — halving his weight (in pounds) and drinking that many ounces of water daily. About three years ago, he stepped into a meeting with Aikman, lugging "a big jug" of water, and it inspired Aikman."I was reading more about the benefits of water, making sure you're hydrated, and I thought, 'I'm going to get a jug' because Tom had one that one time." Aikman says he's been relaying Brady's water-jug example to his colleagues at Fox ever since, and just last month his partner, the play-by-play man <a href="https://www.insider.com/joe-buck-troy-aikman-drank-tequila-calling-nfl-games-2021-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Buck</a>, turned up to the Week 15 Green Bay Packers-Baltimore Ravens game hauling a jug of his own. <h2>Carrying a water jug around promotes thorough and frequent <keyword id="12538942" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hydration" source="Orion">hydration</keyword>, which is especially healthy for physically active people</h2>The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends that men should consume about 125 ounces of fluids per day, while women need around 91 fluid ounces, but some individuals will <a href="https://www.insider.com/benefits-of-drinking-water" target="_blank" rel="noopener">need more</a> than that based on their level of physical activity and protein consumption. Brady previously told <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2017/09/28/tom-brady-drinks-about-14-to-37-glasses-of-water-a-day/?sh=29c333d31608" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Forbes</a> that he drinks up to 37 cups of water every day, which is 2.3 gallons. For <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUgkQK0lcvw&amp;t=32s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brady</a>, who is an active NFL player on a high-protein diet, that much water is necessary to stay hydrated, according to the <a href="https://www.verywellfit.com/high-protein-diets-cause-dehydration-3120674#citation-3">American College of Sports Medicine</a>. Aikman is not quite as active as Brady but does work out six hours per week. Drinking up to 2 gallons of water per day is appropriate for someone like Aikman, according to <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-water-should-you-drink-per-day">Healthline</a>.The NASEM also recommends that people drink water consistently throughout the day and not just reserve certain times to load up on fluids. Having a water jug at all times to regularly sip from to get a steady intake of water is a much healthier habit to depend on than simply relying on getting big gulps fewer times a day, according to NASEM.

You Searched For "pegan diet" and got 7 results

NFL Hall-of-Famer Troy Aikman follows a 'Pegan' diet to stay in shape — here's what he eats

Jackson Thompson

The real Paleo diet was heavy on plants with very little meat, according to a study of early human remains

Marianne Guenot

The 'pegan' diet combines paleo and vegan eating into one healthy plan

Gabby Landsverk

The 'Pegan' diet started as a joke, but it's actually a good way to get the best of both vegan and paleo, according to a doctor

Gabby Landsverk

Carbs are essential for weight loss, according to a nutrition doctor. Here's how to choose the right kinds.

Gabby Landsverk

A doctor said his biological age is 20 years younger than his actual age. Here's his morning routine.

Gabby Landsverk

NFL Hall of Famer Troy Aikman says he drinks 2 gallons of water a day after being inspired by Tom Brady

Jackson Thompson