What is the Dukan Diet? This is a dietary 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. At the initial stage of the diet, it is allowed to consume only protein, but over time the diet becomes more extensive.
- Control of drinking regime. A higher content of protein foods in the menu can cause dehydration, so women should drink at least two liters of water a day and men three, as Arend-Jan Meinders says.
- Give up sugar. High glucose levels in the body cause a decrease in the breakdown of fats. Fructose-based sweeteners are used to sweeten foods.
- Reduce the consumption of salt.
- Fractional meals. Food is consumed 5 times a day.
What can you eat with the Dukan diet?
The diet plan includes four phases, each of which allows the consumption of different foods.
The first stage is "Attack". The most difficult and shortest phase, lasting 5 to 7 days. During this time you can lose 2-3 kg. During this period, only protein foods are allowed:
- meat (beef, lamb, lean pork, chicken, turkey, rabbit, quail, offal);
- eggs (whites - no restrictions, 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;
- soy meat;
- spices, dried herbs, vinegar, mustard.
The second stage is "Alternation". At this time, one protein day, as in the "Attack" phase, alternates with the next, allowing greens and non-starchy vegetables to be added to the menu. The length of the stage depends on how much the person wants to lose. To lose 1 kg of weight, it is necessary to follow the recommendations of the 1 week phase.
You can eat all foods allowed in the "Attack" phase, and also add to the menu:
- wholemeal bread;
- asparagus;
- fungus;
- tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkin, eggplant, zucchini, radish, beet, avocado, white and cauliflower, broccoli;
- spinach, sorrel, any vegetables;
- Olive oil (no more than one tablespoon per day).
The third stage is "Consolidation". The phase aims to prevent weight gain. You will lose about 500 g of weight per week, so the duration of the phase depends on your goals. For 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 foods allowed in the "Attack" and "Alternation" phases, you can add to the diet:
- honey (no more than three teaspoons per day);
- seasonal berries and fruits;
- lentils, peas, beans;
- Olives;
- walnuts;
- corn;
- rice and buckwheat;
- pasta made with durum wheat.
The fourth stage is "Stabilization". During this phase you will be able to eat all the foods previously allowed. At the same time, it is necessary to continue eating fractionally, eat bran daily and make it only protein once a week. As long as a person sticks to the "Stabilization" phase, they will remain thin.
Diet effectiveness
The digestion of proteins is more difficult than that of fats and carbohydrates, so the body uses the energy it receives from already accumulated fat. In addition, protein foods cause a feeling of satiety for a long time, so a person does not overeat or eat unhealthy foods. As Marina Altashina, candidate of medical sciences, notes, a large amount of protein in the diet allows you to lose weight without losing muscle mass.
Since the diet consists of four stages, the last of which can be followed throughout life, the Dukan nutrition plan assumes long-term results.
Menu for the week
How to start the Dukan diet? To make it easier for you to tolerate dietary restrictions, a week before you start changing your diet, reduce the amount of sugar and salt you consume. Start replacing regular bread with whole wheat or crusty bread.
After preparation, which includes self-motivation, we move on to the first stage of the Dukan diet: "Attack". Let's take a closer look at the menu for the week.
First day
- Breakfast: Grilled turkey fillet, two-egg omelette and skimmed milk.
- Second breakfast: cheesecakes.
- Lunch: shrimp and squid soup.
- Snack: bread with lightly salted salmon.
- Dinner: low-fat cottage cheese.
Second day
- Breakfast: scrambled eggs, baked lamb.
- Second breakfast: a glass of skimmed kefir, boiled pork.
- Lunch: chicken broth with aromatic herbs.
- Snack: rabbit stewed in milk.
- Dinner: steamed beef cutlets.
The third day
- Breakfast: boiled egg, beef marinated in spices, grilled.
- Second breakfast: cottage cheese casserole.
- Lunch: soup with meatballs cooked with kefir.
- Snack: omelet with liver pâté.
- Dinner: boiled squid and shrimp.
Fourth day
- Breakfast: cheesecakes.
- Second breakfast: bread with skimmed cheese.
- Lunch: beef and turkey soup.
- Snack: milk.
- Dinner: baked quail.
Fifth day
- Breakfast: steamed omelette, grilled chicken fillet.
- Second breakfast: kefir.
- Lunch: liver and turkey pate, bread.
- Snack: cottage cheese.
- Dinner: mussels in milk mustard sauce.
Sixth day
- Breakfast: two boiled eggs, spicy baked beef.
- Second breakfast: whole wheat bread with low-fat cream cheese, lightly salted salmon.
- Lunch: seafood soup.
- Snack: cottage cheese.
- Dinner: grilled pike-perch fillet.
Seventh day
- Breakfast: fried eggs with beef.
- Second breakfast: skimmed cottage cheese with sweetener.
- Lunch: mussel and squid soup.
- Snack: steamed chicken and turkey cutlets.
- Dinner: Grilled pork steak
Between meals it is allowed to drink not only water, but also coffee, unsweetened tea and herbal decoctions. 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 restrictions, so in order not to harm yourself, be sure to consult a doctor before starting it.
Attention! The material is for informational purposes only. You should not resort to the treatment methods described here without first consulting your doctor.