Dukan diet: principles and features

In the late 90s of the last century, the French nutritionist Pierre Dukan created a low-carbohydrate diet. Its essence lies in the fact that you eat a lot of protein food, but selectively, and restrict carbohydrates quite strongly. It can be called a “relative” of the Kremlin diet, which was popularized by Komsomolskaya Pravda, as well as the Atkins diet.

“And the starting point, the role model is the primitive hunter-gatherer and his diet,” said Pierre Dukan on the air of Komsomolskaya Pravda Radio. – The baby that is being born now is not some kind of nano-baby, but the same child that was born millions of years ago to the Cro-Magnons – the primitive people from whom we descended. But 20-25 years pass – and he turns into a man of the XNUMXst century, losing all the “benchmarks” laid down by him by nature (from the French Repère – a label, a starting point – ed. note). That is, he starts eating the wrong foods and gets fat. Note – in primitive times, no one heard of white sugar and sweets in general.

The man, running after wild animals, built up his muscles. And then he ate meat rich in proteins and poor in fats. After all, it is also difficult for wild animals to gain weight in the struggle for life. And women collected herbs and roots, vegetables. It was women who brought up to 60 percent of the caveman’s diet.

At the same time, in the life of cavemen, the fruit period was very short, for example, August-September. It was carb month. But it was then that the pancreas began to produce insulin, which quickly converted carbohydrates from fruits into body fat, necessary for a “quality” wintering.

The man was constantly hungry. But when primitive man became more civilized, he began to make confiture from fruit and preserve it. And thus make yourself “fat” reserves.

What is the Dukan Diet

The Dukan diet is designed for several months, depending on the initial weight. In this case, you can eat any amount of food at any time, the main thing is to adhere to the following rules.

• Any fatty meat is excluded from the diet, only chicken or turkey without skin remains; any fish is also allowed – grilled, steamed, boiled. And any seafood.
• Any low-fat dairy products are allowed, as well as sweet yoghurts with natural flavors (vanilla, coconut, etc.).
• Sugar is forbidden, salt is a minimum. But sugar substitutes, natural spices, sauces (mustard, soy, etc.) are allowed.
• After a few days, it is allowed to introduce an unlimited number of vegetables into the diet, both raw and boiled, steamed (excluding starchy ones – potatoes, beans, rice).
• Definitely – a spoonful of oat bran per day.

The diet has several alternating phases – only meat and vegetables plus meat. The duration of the phase depends on the weight (day after day, three after three, five after five, etc. – see details below).

At least one and a half liters of water a day is required. And also a load is required, at least 20-30 minutes of walking a day.

Benefits of the Dukan Diet

The rapid loss of the first kilograms increases motivation. The ability to get rid of excess weight even in cases where this is far from the first diet and the body has already developed a stable reaction to various experiments.

Pretty tasty and more or less varied food in the second or fourth phases. Natural products.

There are no restrictions on the amount of food and time of intake, no calorie counting and hard restrictions.

Cons of the Dukan Diet

A lot of contraindications, like any low-carbohydrate diet.

• Diseases of the kidneys, liver, metabolic disorders, gout, pregnancy and lactation, age up to 18 years.
• An excess of protein, which produces ketone bodies that suppress appetite and cause fatigue, bad breath and body odor.
• A pronounced deficiency of trace elements and vitamins, which leads to problems not only with the appearance, but also with the nervous, cardiovascular and digestive systems.
• Fat deficiency leading to gallbladder problems, constipation, etc. May cause hormonal imbalance.

Often it is simply unbearable for people of mental labor, since carbohydrates are simply vital for our brain!

Stages of the Dukan diet: a sample menu

Despite all the contraindications, the Dukan diet has many fans. And many praise her for not being boring. The fact is that the nutritionist has built several phases, the first of which – the most rigid – allows you to lose a lot of extra kilos at once. And the other two become softer and more varied in nutrition.

1. Phase one – attack

Attack on fat cells. Depends on your starting weight, lasts 3 to 7 days. Maximum – 10. You can only eat protein foods: meat, fish, eggs and low-fat dairy products. And at any time of the day. But do not forget to drink at least one and a half liters of water a day. Dukan himself characterizes this phase as stimulating.

What is recommended:

• chicken and turkey, ham and liver (beef and chicken) are allowed;
• any fish – boiled, grilled or steamed, as well as any seafood.
• fat-free natural yoghurts;
• one and a half tablespoons of oat bran every day.

What is allowed:

• up to two eggs a day. If you have high cholesterol, eat no more than 3-4 egg yolks per week. Protein – unlimited.
• yogurts flavored with coconut, vanilla or lemon – up to two per day.
• when cooking, you can use sugar substitutes, vinegar, spices, seasonings, garlic, onions, gherkins, lemon juice, mustard.

What to exclude:

• sugar is prohibited, salt can be consumed in small quantities.

2. Phase two – “cruise”

It lasts from one to several months, depending on the initial data. The phase consists of alternating “protein” days with days when you include an unlimited amount of vegetables in the diet, complementing meat, fish, poultry and low-fat dairy products. And don’t forget about half a liter of water!

Allowed:

Raw, boiled or baked in foil artichoke, asparagus, eggplant, broccoli, any other cabbage, celery, chicory, zucchini, cucumbers, beans, leeks, onions, mushrooms, peppers, pumpkin, radish, sorrel, soybeans, spinach, tomatoes and turnips.

Prohibited:

Starchy vegetables are potatoes, rice, grains, peas, beans, lentils, and avocados.

Rules for the second phase:

1. Alternate one to five days on pure protein with one to five days when vegetables are added to protein foods:

   – if you want to lose less than 10 kg, an alternation of 1/1 (1 day of pure proteins, then 1 day of proteins + vegetables) is recommended, but 3/3 or 5/5 is also possible.

   – if you want to lose 10 to 20 kg, a 3/3 alternation is recommended.

   – if you want to lose 20 to 30 kg, a 5/5 alternation is recommended.

2. The consumption of oat bran is increased to two tablespoons per day.
3. The duration of a daily walk is increased to 30 minutes.

The rotation scheme can be changed at any time.

EXAMPLE MENU FOR THE SECOND PHASE:

Breakfast: coffee or tea 225 small fat-free yogurts (or XNUMXg fat-free cottage cheese) a piece of lean turkey (or chicken, lean ham, or one boiled egg).

Lunch: one small fat-free yogurt or 115 g low-fat cottage cheese.

Lunch: stewed mushrooms (without oil), tuna, tea or coffee with low-fat cream.

Snack: oatmeal pancake with a slice of lean ham, chicken or salmon.

Dinner: zucchini puree soup, beef kebab, egg white dessert.

3. Phase Three – Consolidation

Its duration depends on how many kilograms you have lost weight. For every kilogram lost – 10 days. Lost weight by 10 kg, which means that you are consolidating success for another three months.

During this phase, you can eat the following foods:

• Stage 1 products and Stage 2 vegetables;
• you can afford fruits – one serving (except bananas, cherries, grapes) per day;
• 2 slices of bread a day;
• 40 g of mature cheese;
• 2 servings of starchy foods per week (for example: potatoes, pasta, rice, maize, beans, peas).

Once or twice a week, you can afford a “feast” – eat whatever you want! But not more than twice a week and not in a row. Pure protein day – required once a week (we return to stage number 1).

4. Phase four – stabilization

In fact, at this stage you return to your usual diet. However, following two important principles:

1. one day a week should be a “pure protein day”, that is, a pure protein day;
2. three tablespoons of oat bran a day – now should be always.

Pierre Dukan advises to follow these recommendations for life.

By the way

According to Dukan, there are only ten doors that open the way to happiness. He wrote a separate book about this.

• First door – food. This is one of the most important foundations of life – if you don’t eat, you will die. And you also enjoy food.
• Second door is sex. Sex is not just as a physical beginning, but as love, as an emotion.
• Third door is power. The more influence you have, the greater the release of serotonin, the hormone of happiness.
• fourth door – your cozy home, where it is pleasant to return, an important point in a happy life.
• Fifth door – physiology, everything connected with our body, including sports.
• Sixth – nature and everything that it gives, that is, clean air, green foliage, the smell of the earth …
• Seventh attachment to one’s social group, whether it be a group of interests or work.
• Eighth – everything related to the game, entertainment.
• ninth gate – everything sacred, religion and not only.
• И tenth – the beauty. Only we know how to admire and enjoy beauty.

If you have all these ten doors open, you are happy, you get serotonin. But if any of them is closed, you feel its lack. And you start eating, throwing open the very first, closest door.