Everything about the Dukan diet: food plan, benefits and side effects

What is the Dukan diet? Let’s find out its benefits, its side effects, and its food plan.

The Dukan diet has become very popular in the last few years, because it is followed by famous, very fit VIPs, such as Kate Middleton and Jennifer Lopez.

Remindin of the high-protein diet, the Dukan promises a quick weight loss without affecting your muscle mass. But does it really work? Let’s see its benefits, contraindications, and its food plan.

Dukan diet: food pattern

The Dukan diet is based on a strict food plan, divided into four stages:

• The first phase is the  protein-based attack phase. During this period, you only eat white and red meat, light dairy products, fish and seafood. It lasts from 3 to 10 days, depending on your goal.

• It follows the cruise phase, during which other the proteins, you add vegetables, except starchy ones (potatoes, corn, peas, legumes, etc.).

• The third stage is called the consolidation phase, during which all foods are gradually reintroduced. In order to avoid the yo-yo effect, this period has to last according to the kilos lost (10 days for each kilo lost).

• Finally, there is the stabilization phase, which is the final one, during which you start to eat normally, but with some rules to follow forever. For example, on Thursdays you only eat proteins, every day you should eaten 3 tablespoons of bran and oats, and you need to walk every day for at least 30 minutes.

The Dukan diet menu: recipes and food

As we have seen, there are some highly recommended foods, others that are allowed and some others you must avoid. The fourth stage, theoretically, is the most permissive once, since it is a return to normality, although with some indications. Let’s see, therefore, what to eat during this diet:

• In the first phase, you should eat veal, beef, chicken, turkey, horse, fish and not too fat dairy products. You can also drink tea and coffee, but all the other foods are strictly prohibited. This is definitely the most complicated phase. The advice is to create a menu that often alternates meat and fish. You can also eat seafood.

• During the second phase, you continue to eat the foods indicated above, but you can add vegetables. You need to avoid potatoes, legumes, cereals, rice, peas and lentils. In this case, the best thing to do is to make one-course dishes varying the side dishes. For example, you can eat grilled steak with spinach, fish with carrots and so on.

• The third phase allows you to eat bread, fruit and hard cheese. You can also eat pasta, legumes, potatoes and rice, twice a week. Therefore, the menu varys more. You can eat first or second courses or one-course dishes. Do not underestimate the opportunity to eat the bread, which allows to make tasty sandwiches to break the routine.

Dukan diet: side effects and benefits

Does the Dukan diet work? Surely it is a diet with several benefits, but one should not underestimate its side effects. The main positive aspect is the rapid weight loss and, if you respect the rules, you will hardly regain it.

The side effects, however, are the deficiencies a protein diet can lead to. To prevent that, it is better to take a multivitamin supplement, at least at the early stages. Moreover, the absence of fibers can cause constipation.

Our advice is to consult a nutritionist or a dietician to learn more about the Dukan diet. In this way, the professional can carefully evaluate your situation to understand what is the diet that best suits you.

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