What is the Dukan diet? This is a diet plan based on eating protein foods. According to Irene Jackson-Cannady, the diet was developed in 2000 by French general practitioner and nutritionist Pierre Dukan.
The diet is based on the following principles:
- Product variety. At the initial stage of the diet it is permissible to consume only protein, but over time the diet becomes more extensive.
- Control of the drinking regime. An increased content of protein-containing foods in the diet can lead to dehydration, so women should drink at least two liters of water a day, men even three, as Arend-Jan Meinders says.
- Stop sugar. High glucose levels in the body lead to reduced fat breakdown. Fructose-based sweeteners are used to sweeten foods.
- Reducing salt intake.
- Partial meals. The 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 most difficult and shortest phase, which lasts 5 to 7 days. During this period 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 (protein – without restrictions, yolk – no more than two per day);
- Seafood and fish (lean white and red fish, mussels, squid, shrimp, squid, scallops);
- skimmed milk, kefir, cottage cheese, cheese;
- soy meat;
- Spices, dry herbs, vinegar, mustard.
The second stage is "Alternation". At this point, one protein day alternates with the next, as in the "Attack" phase, allowing the inclusion of vegetables and non-starchy vegetables in the diet. 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 foods allowed in the "Attack" phase and also add the following to the menu:
- whole wheat bread;
- Asparagus;
- Mushrooms;
- Tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkin, eggplant, zucchini, radishes, beets, avocado, white and cauliflower, broccoli;
- spinach, sorrel, any vegetables;
- Olive oil (no more than a tablespoon per day).
The third stage is "Consolidation". The phase is aimed at preventing weight gain again. About 500 g of weight is lost per week, so the duration of the phase depends on the goals. With two meals a week, you can eat all the forbidden onesTreat yourself to food.
You should consume at least three tablespoons of bran or fiber daily. In addition to the permitted foods in the "Attack" and "Switch" phases, you can add the following to the diet:
- honey (no more than three teaspoons per day);
- seasonal berries and fruits;
- lentils, peas, beans;
- olives;
- Nuts;
- Corn;
- rice and buckwheat;
- Pasta made from durum wheat.
The fourth stage is "stabilization". In this phase, you can eat all the previously allowed foods. At the same time, you need to continue eating fractionally, eating bran every day and ensuring that it consists only of proteins once a week. As long as a person is in the phase"Stabilization" remains, it remains slim.
Effectiveness of the diet
Digesting proteins is more difficult than 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 consume unhealthy foods. As Marina Altashina, candidate of medical sciences, notes, abundant protein intake in the diet makes it possible to lose weight without losing muscle mass.
Since the diet consists of four phases, the last of which can be followed for 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 endure, reduce the amount of sugar and salt you consume a week before starting your diet change. Replace regular bread with whole grain or crispbread.
After preparation, which includes self-motivation, move on to the first stage of the Dukan diet – "Attack". Let's take a closer look at the menu of the week.
The first day
- Breakfast: Grilled turkey fillet, two-egg omelette and low-fat milk.
- Second breakfast: cheesecake.
- Lunch: Shrimp and squid soup.
- Afternoon snack: bread with lightly salted salmon.
- Dinner: low-fat cottage cheese.
Second day
- Breakfast: scrambled eggs, baked 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 schnitzels.
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: omelette with liver pate.
- Dinner: boiled squid and shrimps.
fourth day
- Breakfast: cheesecake.
- Second breakfast: bread with low-fat cheese.
- Lunch: Soup with veal and turkey.
- Afternoon snack: milk.
- Dinner: baked quail.
fifth day
- Breakfast: steamed omelet, grilled chicken fillet.
- Second breakfast: kefir.
- Lunch: liver and turkey pate, bread.
- Afternoon snack: cottage cheese.
- Dinner: mussels in milk-mustard sauce.
sixth day
- Breakfast: two boiled eggs, spicy baked veal.
- Second breakfast: wholemeal bread with low-fat cream cheese, lightly salted salmon.
- Lunch: seafood soup.
- Afternoon snack: cottage cheese.
- Dinner: grilled zander fillet.
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 you can drink not only water, but also coffee, tea without sugar 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, this comes with serious limitations. In order not to injure yourself, you should definitely 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.