Dukan Diet comes from France and is known as the princess diet. The Dukan Diet is a protein-based diet. The main idea of the diet is that it is based on 100 allowed foods.
The schedule of the Dukan Diet is based on high protein meals and it`s main objective is to help people to lose important amounts of weight in approximately short time. During the four phases that Dukan Diet has, the last phase is aimed to teach people healthy eating habits for their life. It is known that this diet highly cuts back carbohydrates (including whole grains, fruits, starchy vegetables or legumes).
The Dukan Diet has four phases:
- Attack
- Cruise
- Consolidation
- Stabilization
The attack phase intends to create a schedule through which the dietitian will rapidly lose 2 – 3 kilograms in less than one week. In this phase there are 72 protein-rich foods that are allowed. Dietitians have to eat pure protein with carbohydrate-free and fat-free condiments. This is the moment when through the diet is made a kick start to the metabolism. It is also recommended a 20 minute walk, everyday.
The cruise phase is the second phase of the diet and intends to allow persons to achieve the weight desired in a more graduated way. During the second phase, there are alternated only-protein days with vegetables days. You can continue eating the protein foods from the first phase adding 28 specific vegetables. This phase is dependent upon each person. The lenght of the phase is calculated as 1 kilogram of weight loss per week. This phase is continued until the aimed goal of the weight is achieved.
The consolidation phase prevents the body from future weight gaining. This is the phase in which fruit, bread, cheese and starchy foods are reintroduced in a normal diet and only two meals per week will be conducted by the plan. In this moment there is required only one more day per week of only-protein meals. This phase has to take place 10 days for every kilogram you lost.
The stabilization phase is the phase in which people can eat whatever they want without gaining weight but they have to follow some rules like: intake of protein once a week, everyday eating oat bran combined with some physical exercises.
Through the Dukan Diet weight lost can be reached and many nutritionists say that by cutting out some food groups the diet will not meet essential dietary needs. The first two phases are very restrictive and if there is a lot of weight to lose a high protein diet can lead to high cholesterol, gout or constipation. Moreover, another risk that appears is that burning body fat instead of carbohydrate, places a higher charge on the kidneys and liver which can lead to the damage of the organs.