First things first: the title of the book is a little misleading. “Pegan” is a portmanteau of “paleo” and “vegan”, making it sound like it will be appropriate for both of those dietary practices. Instead:
- Dr. Hyman offers advice about eating the right grains and legumes (inappropriate for a paleo diet)
- He also offers such advice as “be picky about poultry, eggs, and fish”, and “avoid dairy—mostly” (inappropriate for a vegan diet).
So, since his paleo vegan diet is neither paleo nor vegan, what actually is it?
It’s a whole foods diet that encourages the enjoyment of a lot of plants, and discretion with regard to the quality of animal products.
It’s a very respectable approach to eating, even if it didn’t live up to the title.
The style is somewhat sensationalist, while nevertheless including plenty of actual science in there too—so the content is good, even if the presentation isn’t what this reviewer would prefer.
He has recipes; they can be a little fancy (e.g. “matcha poppy bread with rose water glaze”) which may not be to everyone’s taste, but they are healthy.
Bottom line: the content is good; the style you may love or hate, and again, don’t be misled by the title.
