What is the Dukan Diet? This is a diet plan based on the consumption of protein foods. According to Irene Jackson-Cannady, the diet was developed by French general practitioner and nutritionist Pierre Dukan in 2000.
The diet is based on the following principles:
- Variety of products. In the initial phase of the diet, only protein is allowed, but over time the diet becomes more extensive.
- Control of drinking regime. The increased content of protein foods in the menu can lead to dehydration, so women should drink at least two liters of water a day, and men three, as Arend-Jan Meinders says.
- Giving up sugar. A high level of glucose in the body leads to a decrease in the breakdown of fat. Fructose-based sweeteners are used to sweeten food.
- Reducing salt intake.
- Fractional meals. Food is consumed 5 times a day.
What can you eat on the Dukan diet?
The diet plan includes four phases, each of which allows for the consumption of different foods.
The first stage is "Attack". The hardest and shortest stage, which lasts from 5 to 7 days. During this time you can lose 2-3 kg. During this period, only protein food is allowed:
- meat (beef, lamb, lean pork, chicken, turkey, rabbit, quail, offal);
- eggs (whites - no limit, yolks - no more than two per day);
- seafood and fish (lean white and red fish, mussels, squid, shrimp, cuttlefish, scallops);
- skimmed milk, kefir, cottage cheese, cheeses;
- Soya meat;
- spices, dried herbs, vinegar, mustard.
The second phase is "alternation". At that time, one protein day, as in the "Attack" phase, alternates with the next, which makes it possible to add greens and non-starchy vegetables to the menu. The duration of the phase depends on how much a person wants to lose. To lose 1 kg of weight, you mustfollow the recommendations of the 1-week phase.
You can eat all the foods that are allowed in the "Attack" phase, and you can add to the menu:
- whole wheat bread;
- asparagus;
- mushrooms;
- tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkin, eggplant, zucchini, radish, beetroot, avocado, white and cauliflower, broccoli;
- spinach, sorrel, any greens;
- olive oil (no more than one tablespoon per day).
The third phase is "Consolidation". The phase is aimed at preventing weight gain. About 500 g of weight will be lost per week, so the duration of the phase depends on the goals. In two meals a week, you can treat yourself to any forbidden food.
You should consume at least three tablespoons of bran or fiber every day. In addition to the allowed foods in the "Attack" and "Change" phases, you can add:
- honey (no more than three teaspoons per day);
- seasonal berries and fruits;
- lentils, peas, beans;
- olives;
- walnuts;
- corn;
- rice and buckwheat;
- pasta made from durum wheat.
The fourth stage is "Stabilization". During this stage you can eat all the previously allowed food. At the same time, you must continue to eat fractionally, eat bran daily and make it consist only of protein once a week. As long as a person adheres to the "Stabilization" stage, he will remain slim.
The effectiveness of the diet
Digesting proteins is more difficult than fats and carbohydrates, so the body uses the energy it gets from already accumulated fats. In addition, protein food causes a feeling of satiety for a long time, so a person does not overeat or snack on unhealthy food. As noted by Marina Altashina, candidate of medical sciences, an abundance of protein in the diet allows you to lose weight without losing muscle mass.
Since the diet consists of four phases, the last of which can be followed for a lifetime, the Dukan diet plan assumes long-term results.
Menu for the week
How to start the Dukan diet? To make it easier to tolerate dietary restrictions, one week before you start changing your diet, reduce the amount of sugar and salt you eat. Start replacing regular bread with wholemeal or crusty bread.
After preparation, which includes self-motivation, proceed to the first phase of the Dukan diet - "Attack". Let's take a closer look at the menu for the week.
The first day
- Breakfast: grilled turkey fillet, two-egg omelet and low-fat milk.
- Second breakfast: cheesecakes.
- Lunch: shrimp and squid soup.
- Afternoon snack: bread with lightly salted salmon.
- Dinner: low-fat cottage cheese.
Other day
- Breakfast: scrambled eggs, roasted lamb.
- Second breakfast: a glass of low-fat kefir, boiled pork.
- Lunch: chicken broth with aromatic herbs.
- Afternoon snack: rabbit stewed in milk.
- Dinner: steamed veal cutlets.
Third day
- Breakfast: boiled egg, beef, marinated in spices, grilled.
- Second breakfast: cottage cheese casserole.
- Lunch: soup with meatballs cooked on kefir.
- Afternoon snack: omelette with liver pâté.
- Dinner: boiled squid and shrimp.
The fourth day
- Breakfast: cheesecakes.
- Second breakfast: bread with low-fat cheese.
- Lunch: soup with veal and turkey.
- Afternoon snack: milk.
- Dinner: roasted quail.
The fifth day
- Breakfast: steamed omelette, grilled chicken fillet.
- Second breakfast: kefir.
- Lunch: liver and turkey pâté, bread.
- Afternoon snack: fresh cheese.
- Dinner: mussels in mustard sauce.
Sixth day
- Breakfast: two boiled eggs, spicy roast veal.
- Second breakfast: whole grain bread with low-fat cream cheese, slightly salted salmon.
- Lunch: seafood soup.
- Afternoon snack: fresh cheese.
- Dinner: grilled perch fillet.
The seventh day
- Breakfast: fried eggs with beef.
- Second breakfast: low-fat cottage cheese with sweetener.
- Lunch: mussel and squid soup.
- Afternoon snack: steamed chicken and turkey cutlets.
- Dinner: Grilled pork steak
Between meals it is allowed to drink not only water, but also coffee, tea without sugar and herbal decoction. After a week, move on to the next stage of your diet.
The Dukan diet is suitable for effective weight loss. However, it involves serious limitations, so to avoid injury, be sure to consult a doctor before starting.
Attention! The material is for informational purposes only. You should not resort to the treatment methods described here without first consulting your doctor.