What is the Dukan Diet? It is a diet plan based on the consumption of protein foods. According to Irene Jackson-Canady, the diet was developed by French general practitioner and nutritionist Pierre Dukan in 2000.
The diet is based on the following principles:
- A variety of products. At the initial stage of the diet, it is permissible to consume only proteins, but over time the diet becomes more extensive.
- Control of the 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.
- Give up sugar. High levels of glucose in the body lead to a decrease in fat breakdown. Fructose-based sweeteners are used to sweeten foods.
- Reducing salt intake.
- Small 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 most difficult and shortest phase, 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, clams, squid, shrimp, cuttlefish, clams);
- skimmed milk, kefir, cottage cheese, cheese;
- Soya meat;
- spices, dry herbs, vinegar, mustard.
The second stage is "Alternation". At this time, one protein day, as in the "Attack" phase, alternates with the next, which allows the addition of vegetables and non-starchy vegetables to the menu. The length of the stage depends on how much one wants to lose. To lose 1 kg, you must follow the recommendations of the 1-week phase.
You can eat all foods allowed in the Attack phase, as well as add to the menu:
- whole grain 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 the weight from returning. 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 foods.
You should consume at least three tablespoons of bran or fiber every day. In addition to the allowed foods in the "Attack" and "Rotation" phases, you can add to the diet:
- honey (no more than three tablespoons per day);
- seasonal berries and fruits;
- lentils, peas, beans;
- olives;
- nuts;
- corn;
- rice and buckwheat;
- durum wheat pasta.
The fourth stage is "Stabilization". During this phase, you can eat all the previously allowed foods. At the same time, you must continue to eat partially, eat bran every day and only consist of proteins once a week. As long as a person adheresto the "Stabilization" phase, it will remain weak.
Diet effectiveness
Protein is more difficult to digest than fats and carbohydrates, so the body uses up the energy it gets from already stored 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 noted by Marina Altashina, a candidate of medical sciences, the abundance 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 for life, the Dukan meal plan implies long-term results.
Menu for the week
How to start the Dukan Diet? To make dietary restrictions easier to tolerate, 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 crusty bread.
After the preparation, which includes self-motivation, proceed 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 omelet 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, roast 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 beef cutlets.
The third day
- Breakfast: boiled egg, beef marinated in spices, grilled.
- Second breakfast: cottage cheese casserole.
- Lunch: soup with meatballs made with kefir.
- Afternoon snack: omelette with liver pate.
- Dinner: boiled squid and shrimp.
Fourth day
- Breakfast: cheesecakes.
- Second breakfast: bread with low-fat cheese.
- Lunch: beef and turkey soup.
- Afternoon snack: milk.
- Dinner: roasted quail.
Fifth day
- Breakfast: steamed omelette, grilled chicken fillet.
- Second breakfast: kefir.
- Lunch: turkey liver and pate, bread.
- Afternoon snack: cottage cheese.
- Dinner: mussels in milk-mustard sauce.
Sixth day
- Breakfast: two boiled eggs, spicy roast beef.
- Second breakfast: whole grain bread with low-fat cream cheese, lightly salted salmon.
- Lunch: seafood soup.
- Afternoon snack: cottage cheese.
- Dinner: grilled pike fillet.
Seventh day
- Breakfast: fried eggs with beef.
- Second breakfast: low-fat cottage cheese with sweetener.
- Lunch: clam 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 decoctions. After one week, move on to the next stage of your diet.
The Dukan diet is suitable for effective weight loss. However, it includes serious limitations, 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.