The Dukan diet is one of the most popular diets, especially if you’re looking for quick results with its high-protein, low-carb approach.
This diet consists of several phases that aim to lose and maintain an ideal weight.
While many have successfully lost weight with this method, there are some aspects that you need to understand before trying it.
Let’s discover everything you need to know about the Dukan Diet in this article!
What is the Dukan Diet?
The Dukan Diet is a high-protein diet method developed by Dr. Pierre Dukan to help people achieve their ideal weight quickly.
The Dukan Diet is designed to limit carbohydrate intake to force the body to burn fat for energy.
This diet therefore focuses on consuming lean protein while limiting carbohydrates and fats.
Based on research examining high-protein diets, it can help reduce weight by increasing satiety and naturally reducing calorie intake.
However, before understanding its benefits further, it is important to recognize how the Dukan Diet is implemented through four main phases.
Let's check this out!
Dukan Diet Phases
The phases of the Dukan Diet are designed to maintain your ideal weight by eating high-protein foods.
Once you've started this diet, you're not allowed to return to your old habits, eating fast food and sweets.
There are four phases in the Dukan Diet: Attack, Cruise, Consolidation, and Stabilization.
Attack Phase
This phase emphasizes the consumption of pure (lean) proteins such as chicken, fish, and eggs.
The length usually lasts 2-7 days, depending on the weight you want to lose. You still must consult your doctor on how long you should stay in this phase.
Do light exercise such as walking for 20 minutes a day to help your body adapt.
Cruise Phase
Focus on adding non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and cucumber.
In addition, light strength training such as yoga or pilates can help maintain muscle mass.
Usually, this phase lasts about 1 week for every 1 kg of weight you want to lose, depending on your current weight and your target weight.
Consolidation Phase
This phase aims to reintroduce starchy foods such as fruit, cheese, and bread in limited quantities to prevent weight regain.
Cycling or light jogging is recommended during this phase to keep your metabolism stable.
The duration is 5 days for every 1 kg of weight lost during the previous phase. So, if you lose 10 kg, this phase should last 50 days.
Stabilization Phase
Finally, there's the long-term phase where you maintain healthy eating habits while prioritizing protein.
You should also implement "Protein Thursday" in this phase, where you have to do the Attack Phase one day a week.
Physical activity such as swimming can help maintain long-term results.
Benefits of the Dukan Diet
The Dukan Diet promises several key benefits, such as rapid weight loss.
This diet can stabilize blood sugar, increase satiety, and appetite control by emphasizing protein consumption.
In addition to lean protein, the Dukan Diet prioritizes the consumption of fiber, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and water and electrolytes.
From the various nutrients above, this diet can balance energy in the body, increase macronutrient intake, and reduce body fat levels.
Risks of Dukan Diet
While it is effective for short-term weight loss, the Dukan Diet also comes with some health risks.
A high-protein diet can increase the workload of the kidneys, cause dehydration, and increase the risk of kidney stones.
Also, carbohydrate restriction can reduce fiber intake, potentially leading to digestive issues.
Therefore, understanding the recommended foods and those to avoid is essential before attempting the Dukan Diet.
Foods to Eat on the Dukan Diet
For optimal results, these foods recommended in the Dukan Diet vary according to the phase of the diet:
- Lean Protein: Works to maintain muscle mass and satiety, such as lean meat, chicken, fish, and low-fat dairy products are highly recommended.
- Non-Starchy Vegetables: Useful for supporting digestion and reducing the risks of a high-protein diet. Examples include spinach, broccoli, zucchini, and cucumber.
- Complex Carbohydrates: Keep the body's energy balanced such as quinoa, whole wheat bread, oat bran, and cheese.
- Healthy Fats: Foods such as olive oil, avocados, and limited amounts of nuts are recommended to maintain heart health and hormonal balance.
- Water and Electrolytes: You should drink 2 liters daily to help metabolize protein, prevent dehydration, and maintain kidney function.
Foods to Avoid on the Dukan Diet
The Dukan Diet severely restricts several food groups, especially those high in carbohydrates, excess fat, and sugar, such as:
- Processed Carbohydrates: Have a high glycemic index that can raise blood sugar levels and inhibit weight loss, such as white bread, pasta, white rice, and sugary cereals.
- Sugary Foods and Beverages: Increase the risk of obesity and metabolic disorders. Avoid cakes, candies, sweet chocolate, sodas, and packaged fruit juices.
- High-Fat Foods: Increases the risk of kidney stones, especially on high-protein diets such as the Dukan Diet, and interferes with fat burning in the body. Avoid fried foods, fast foods, margarine, and butter in large quantities.
- Legumes and Starchy Vegetables: Contain more carbohydrates, which is not in line with the low-carb principles of the Dukan Diet. Examples include potatoes, corn, kidney beans, chickpeas, and peas.
- High-sugar Fruits: High in natural sugars that can inhibit ketosis and limit the effectiveness of the initial phase of the diet. Avoid bananas, grapes, mangoes, apples, and dried fruits like raisins and dates.
- Dairy Products with High Fat or Added Sugar: Increase cardiovascular risk and worsen insulin resistance, such as full-cream milk, heavy cream, yogurt with added sugar, and high-fat cheese.
- Processed and Cured Meats: These foods may contain high amounts of nitrates and salt, increasing the risk of hypertension and metabolic disorders, such as sausages, nuggets, bacon, ham, and canned meat.
Conclusion
With the discipline to follow each phase, the Dukan Diet can be a weight management strategy.
However, it is crucial to understand the benefits and risks of the Dukan Diet thoroughly. Interested in trying it?
Let’s learn more about diet and fitness by checking out our articles on LUM’s blog!