The new health trend you haven’t heard of

A new year brings a new “it” diet.

The pegan diet -- a hybrid of paleo and veganism -- could be the new diet of 2019, according to USA Today. The word pegan has seen a 337 percent increase in searches on Pinterest since last year and has seen a steady climb in searches within the last six months. It was born when Dr. Mark Hyman, New York Times best-selling author, coined the term – a mashup of paleo and vegan –  in a blog post that detailed his own diet.

In short, a pegan diet incorporates pieces of the paleo and vegan diets.

A vegan diet is refraining from eating all animal products or byproducts – no meat, eggs, cheese, yogurt and sometimes gelatin. A paleo diet is a nutritional plan that mimics how people used to eat in the Paleolithic era 2.5 million years ago. So dieters eat unprocessed foods consisting mostly of vegetables, fruits, nuts, grass-fed meats and fish.

So what are pegans supposed to eat? According to USA Today, plants. Essentially most of the pegan diet will be comprised of vegetables, good fats and nuts and seeds.

According to USA Today, a physician explained that 75 percent of the diet should be fruits and vegetables while avoiding eating dairy and gluten.

But if you must eat dairy, the diet advises to reach for sheep- or goat-based dairy products. Maria Marlowe, a nutrition health coach and author who operates her own nutrition health coaching practice in New York City, said this is because goat and sheep's milk are easier to digest than cow's milk, but it's preferable to avoid all dairy.

To read the USA Today article, click here.