“Now I follow the pegan diet” — Dr Mark Hyman

Dr Mark Hyman, functional medicine practitioner, on his book The Pegan Diet, food practices and food habits to adopt, and what elements to pick from paleo and vegan

In his new book The Pegan Diet: 21 Practical Principles for Reclaiming Your Health In A Nutritionally Confusing World, American physician Dr Mark Hyman, who practises functional medicine, talks about getting our food from “a farmacy not a pharmacy”. In effect, he says food is medicine. He goes onto the specifics — telling us to eat organic, avoid gluten, eat the rainbow, a lot of which we already know — he also gives new advice, such as not combining saturated fats with starch and sugar. In a line, what his book is about appears in the introduction: “Shifting people from an obesogenic, disease-causing, nutrient depleting diet to one rich in whole foods and protective foods that promote weight loss, health, and well-being.”