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, it is allowed to consume only proteins, but over time the diet becomes more extensive.
- Control of drinking regime. An increased content of protein foods on 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. High levels of glucose in the body lead to a decrease in the breakdown of fats. Fructose-based sweeteners are used to sweeten food.
- Reducing salt intake.
- Partial 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 the consumption of different foods.
The first stage is "Attack". The most difficult and shortest stage, lasting from 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, prawns, cuttlefish, scallops);
- skimmed milk, kefir, cottage cheese, cheeses;
- Soybean 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 other, allowing the addition of greens and non-starchy vegetables to the menu. The duration of the phase depends on how much the person wants to lose. To lose 1 kg of weight, you must follow the recommendations of the 1-week phase.
You can eat all the foods allowed in the "Attack" phase and also add to the menu:
- black bread;
- asparagus;
- mushrooms;
- tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkin, eggplant, zucchini, radish, beet, avocado, white and cauliflower, broccoli;
- spinach, sorrel, any greens;
- olive oil (no more than one tablespoon per day).
The third stage is "Consolidation". The phase is aimed at preventing weight regain. You will lose about 500g of weight 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 foods allowed in the "Attack" and "Dream" phases, you can add to the diet:
- honey (no more than three teaspoons per day);
- berries and seasonal fruits;
- lentils, peas, beans;
- olives;
- nuts;
- corn;
- rice and buckwheat;
- pasta made from durum wheat.
The fourth stage is "Stabilization". During this phase, you can eat all the foods allowed before. At the same time, you should continue to eat partially, eat bran every day and make it consist only of protein once a week. As long as a person remains in the "Stabilization" phase, he will remain weak.
The effectiveness of the diet
Digestion of proteins is more difficult than fats and carbohydrates, so the body spends the energy it receives from already accumulated fat. In addition, protein foods cause a feeling of satiety for a long time, therefore, a person does not overeat or snack on unhealthy foods. As Marina Altashina, candidate of medical sciences, notes, 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 throughout life, the Dukan nutrition plan assumes long-term results.
Menu for the week
How to start the Dukan diet? To make dietary restrictions easier to bear, one week before you start changing your diet, reduce the amount of sugar and salt you consume. Start replacing regular bread with whole grain or fresh bread.
After preparation, which includes self-motivation, proceed to the first stage of the Dukan diet - "Attack". Let's take a closer look at the menu of the week.
First day
- Breakfast: Grilled turkey fillet, two-egg omelet and low-fat milk.
- Second breakfast: cheesecake.
- Lunch: shrimp and squid soup.
- Afternoon snack: lightly salted salmon bread.
- Dinner: low-fat cottage cheese.
The second day
- Breakfast: scrambled eggs, lamb in the oven.
- Second breakfast: a glass of low-fat kefir, boiled pork.
- Lunch: chicken broth with aromatic herbs.
- Afternoon snack: rabbit boiled in milk.
- Dinner: steamed beef cutlets.
On the third day
- Breakfast: boiled egg, beef, marinated in spices, grilled.
- Second breakfast: cottage cheese casserole.
- Lunch: soup with meatballs cooked with kefir.
- Afternoon snack: omelet with liver pate.
- Dinner: boiled squid and shrimp.
The fourth day
- Breakfast: cheesecake.
- Second breakfast: bread with low-fat cheese.
- Lunch: beef and turkey soup.
- Afternoon snack: milk.
- Dinner: baked quail.
The fifth day
- Breakfast: steamed omelette, grilled chicken fillet.
- Second breakfast: kefir.
- Lunch: goose liver and turkey, bread.
- Afternoon snack: cottage cheese.
- Dinner: mussels in milk mustard sauce.
The sixth day
- Breakfast: two boiled eggs, roast beef with spices.
- Second breakfast: whole grain bread with low-fat cream cheese, lightly salted salmon.
- Lunch: seafood soup.
- Afternoon snack: cottage cheese.
- Dinner: grilled perch fillet.
The seventh day
- Breakfast: scrambled 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 you are allowed to drink not only water, but also coffee, tea without sugar and herbal teas. After a week, move on to the next phase of your diet.
The Dukan diet is suitable for effective weight loss. However, it involves serious limitations, so in order not to harm yourself, be sure to consult a doctor before starting it.
Careful! The material is for informational purposes only. You should not use the treatment methods described here without first consulting your doctor.