Dukan protein diet - allowed foods by stages

What is the Dukan Diet?

The French doctor has developed clear recommendations to help you lose weight and maintain the results. The Dukan diet is based on changing your daily diet. The menu of a losing weight person is almost unlimited. Its main part is occupied by protein products.

The secret of the technique is that digesting such food takes quite a lot of energy, which the body draws from fat. The person does not experience stress and gradually loses unnecessary pounds.

Pregnant girls and nursing mothers, as well as people with diabetes, heart and vascular diseases should avoid the diet. The method of losing weight is not suitable in extreme cases of obesity, when the weight exceeds 100 kg. Like any diet, the Dukan method requires willpower.

Contraindications and side effects

The Dukan diet is prohibited in the following cases:

• age under 18 years;
• pregnancy or planning for it;
• lactation period.

A direct contraindication for the Dukan diet is any kidney disease. In addition, this nutritional system is prohibited for the following diseases:

• atherosclerosis;
• cholecystitis;
• hypertension;
• gout;
• gallstones;
• ulcer of the duodenum and stomach.

It is undesirable to lose weight using the French method in the following situations:

• intestinal atony;
• diabetes;
• gastritis;
• chronic constipation;
• allergy.

With caution, the diet can be used by people engaged in mental work, those whose work involves increased concentration (drivers, doctors, etc.), those suffering from metabolic disorders and people prone to depression.

Sometimes the Dukan diet can lead to the following consequences even in healthy people:

• Constipation. Most often occur on protein days due to a lack of fiber and fiber in food. The problem is solved by mandatory intake of oat bran;
• Due to non-compliance with the water regime or refusal to walk, weakness and dizziness may occur;
• At the first stage, bad breath may appear. This usually goes away by reducing the proportion of protein in the diet;
• A lack of carbohydrates may lead to some decline in mental abilities;
• Increased level of acetone in the blood. To avoid this, you need to drink enough fluids;
• Kidney problems.

Before you start eating according to Dukan, you should consult with your doctor about the compatibility of the diet and the characteristics of your body and health status.

First phase Attack

To prepare for the Dukan Diet, you must follow certain rules:

• it is important to reduce salt and sugar intake 2 weeks before the first phase;
• you need to establish a drinking regime and strive to drink 2 liters of liquid per day;
• you need to eat at the same hours 5-6 times a day;
• There should be three main meals.

The average duration of the first phase is 10 days. During this time, material metabolism is maximally activated. At this stage, it is permissible to eat only protein foods. These include:

• eggs;
• dairy products;
• meat;
• fish.

They are allowed to be eaten at any time. The founder of the technique advises creating a menu from the following ingredients:

• oat bran;
• natural yogurt;
• boiled fish;
• seafood;
• chicken meat;
• turkey;
• liver;
• ham.

Dishes need to be blanched, grilled or cooked in the oven. It is allowed to add garlic, onion, lemon juice and vinegar.

Alternation scheme

To get a specific result, you should alternate days, adhering to a certain pattern.

If you are overweight - up to 5 kg - you can repeat every other day, that is, 1 protein, one protein-carbohydrate. You need to lose up to 10 kg - a 2/2 or 3/3 scheme will do. If you are overweight over 10 kg, you can eat according to the 5/5 plan. But Dukan himself still recommends sticking to the 1/1 or 2/2 scheme.

The duration of this stage of the Dukan diet is an individual indicator. You need to focus on the scales. Once your weight has reached the desired figure, the second phase can be considered complete.

Second phase

The second phase was called “Alternation”. At its stage, weight loss is regulated. The duration depends on individual parameters. Sometimes the phase lasts up to six months. During this period, it is permissible to alternate proteins with vegetables.

The list of permitted ingredients includes:

• garlic;
• onion;
• any cabbage;
• zucchini;
• eggplant;
• legumes;
• cucumbers;
• tomatoes;
• mushrooms;
• asparagus;
• spinach;
• radish;
• pumpkin.

We must not forget about physical activity and drinking regime. The use of oat bran remains a prerequisite.

Third phase

The “Fixation” phase allows the body to get used to the new state. For every kilogram lost, it takes 10 days. If a person manages to lose 12 kg, success must be consolidated within 4 months. The third phase allows the consumption of foods allowed in the first two stages. The menu can also include the following products:

• cheese (no more than 40 g);
• fruits (no grapes or bananas);
• up to 2 slices of bread per day;
• pasta, rice and potatoes (twice a week).

It is permissible to eat sweets once a month. One day a week should be purely protein.

How does Cruise work?

At this stage, it is important to even out the weight loss process. To ensure that the skin has time to adapt to new silhouettes and not hang in unsightly folds, carbohydrates are introduced.

Just as in the first phase, on protein days you use fat reserves, and on mixed days the body receives energy from incoming foods.

This allows you to lose weight slowly but evenly. In a week of eating this way, about 1 kilogram of weight is lost. In addition to losing weight, this stage is responsible for cleansing the body of waste and toxins. Vegetables containing coarse indigestible fiber play an important role in this process. Digestion improves, harmful substances are easily removed from the body.

Fourth phase of stabilization

The stabilization phase should last a lifetime. It allows you to return to your normal diet. However, there are a number of important rules:

• you need to eat in moderation and not overeat;
• optimally eat 2-3 tbsp. l. bran per day;
• an active lifestyle is a priority;
• You need to have a protein day every week;
• you need to drink enough water.

Only in this way can you change your attitude towards food and maintain a slim figure.

Where to begin

The author of the method invites everyone who wants to join the ranks of fans of the Dukan diet to use a special calculator. This is your assistant in creating an ideal diet, proper nutrition. Calculating your ideal weight is very simple. You need to fill in the empty fields of the online calculator, and you will receive the following data:

• Current weight status at this particular moment.
• Ideal weight for you.
• Body mass index.
• How many kilograms do you need to lose?
• How many days should you devote to each phase of the Dukan Diet?

And answering the questions is not difficult. All you need to do is enter your weight, height, age and gender, as well as your daily activity level.

Examples of menus in various phases

The weekly menu in the first phase may look like this:

Cottage cheese, yogurt, kefir and low-fat milk are suitable snacks.

The menu in the second phase could be as follows:

The diet in the fixing phase is as follows:

Once every 7 days you are allowed to drink a glass of wine.

Authorized Products

Protein products allowed for consumption in the first phase of the Attack are complemented by a vegetable assortment of 28 items.

Greenery

• Dill
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Basil
• Celery
• Leaf salad
• Spinach
• Chinese cabbage
• Szavel and others

Vegetables

At the Alternation stage, it is allowed to eat non-starchy vegetables:

• Tomatoes
• cucumbers
• Eggplant
• White cabbage
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Kohlrabi
• Cauliflower
• Artichoke
• Radish
• Beet*
• Carrot*
• Zucchini
• Zucchini
• Pumpkin
• Mushrooms
• Onion
• Green beans

*Beets and carrots are allowed to be consumed in very limited quantities. The high sugar content of these vegetables can slow down weight loss.

Carrots can only be used as a “vegetable”. Carrot juice is prohibited.

Nuts

According to one of the latest adjustments to the Dukan diet, the list of allowed foods at the Alternation stage was supplemented with nuts. You can use them both on protein-vegetable days and on purely protein days. The main rule is not to exceed the specified norm:

• Almonds - 25 g;
• Raw peanuts - 50 g;
• Roasted peanuts - 35 g;
• Hazelnut - 22 g;
• Walnut - 22 g;
• Cashews - 28 g;
• Brazil nut - 21 g;
• Pine nuts - 22 g;
• Sunflower seed - 30 g;
• Pumpkin seed - 30 g;
• Sesame seed - 28 gr.

These standards are for raw nuts. If you take roasted nuts (for example, almonds or peanuts), then their daily consumption rate will be reduced significantly.

IMPORTANT! If you have eaten the permissible amount of nuts, then you should not consume butter on this day.

Vegetable oils

At this stage, it is allowed to consume up to 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil per day. It is usually used during cooking (for example, frying with 1-2 drops) or as a salad dressing.

It is advisable to use unrefined oils, because... they contain a fairly high content of healthy fatty acids - olive, flaxseed, mustard, camelina, sunflower, etc.

Of the unrefined ones, for frying, it is good to use coconut oil.

Remember that if you ate a salad dressed with vegetable oil today, you can no longer eat nuts.

DOPs

• Corn starch - 1 tbsp. spoon or 20 grams;
• Skimmed milk powder - 2-3 tablespoons or 30 grams;
• Cheese (up to 7% fat) - 30 grams;
• Poultry sausages (up to 10%) - 100 grams;
• White table wine - 3 tablespoons or 30 grams - only for cooking;
• Coconut milk (up to 15% fat) - 100 grams;

It is important to remember that you can consume no more than two DOPs per day, including in ready-made dishes. For example: 30 grams of skimmed milk powder. Or 10 grams of cornstarch and 50 grams of coconut milk.

Other foods allowed on the Dukan Diet:

• Goji berries - 1 tablespoon on purely protein days, 2 tablespoons on protein-vegetable days;
• Shirataki noodles;
• Soy protein isolate;
• Wheat gluten;
• Low-fat cocoa;
• Psyllium;
• Egg powder;
• Gelatin - up to 30 grams per day;
• Apple pectin;
• Agar-agar;
• Sweetener (liquid or tablets);
• Sugar-free syrups - up to 20 ml.
• Chia seeds - 1 tbsp.

Interesting recipes

It is acceptable to include the following recipes in your menu.

Hodgepodge for the Attack phase

Required Products:

• 6 olives;
• 4 pickled cucumbers;
• medium carrot;
• smoked chicken;
• onion;
• 30 g capers;
• salt and pepper;
• 3 tbsp. tomato paste.

Preparation:

• Fry grated carrots and chopped onions in oil for 10 minutes.
• Add chicken pieces and cook for 2 minutes.
• Fry the food together with chopped cucumbers, olives and capers for 2 minutes.
• Add tomato paste, spices and salt and pepper.
• Pour in 1.5 liters of water.

Cook the hodgepodge for 40 minutes until fully cooked.

Seafood salad

To prepare sea salad you will need the following products:

• 2 squid;
• 2 eggs;
• some red lightly salted fish;
• natural yogurt.

Recipe:

• The squids are cleaned and boiled for 3-4 minutes.
• Boiled eggs are cut into cubes.
• Add shredded squid and pieces of red fish to them.

All ingredients are mixed with natural yogurt.

Cheesecakes with bran

A recipe for cheesecakes is perfect for a delicious breakfast. They are made from the following components:

• 5 tbsp. l. oat bran;
• 3 tbsp. l. sugar substitute;
• a pinch of vanilla;
• 500 g cottage cheese;
• 3 large eggs.

Cooking method:

• All ingredients are mixed together.
• Form cheesecakes and place on a non-stick frying pan. No need to add oil.
• Cover the dish with a lid and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side.

Cheese pancakes are served with low fat sour cream.

Reviews about the Dukan diet

Those who managed to lose weight on the Dukan diet note the clear advantages of the method:

• The result makes itself felt quite quickly. He motivates for further achievements.
• You can lose up to 40 kg in a year.
• All food offered is healthy and tasty.
• The diet suits almost everyone.
• The feeling of hunger does not bother me.
• The recipes will appeal to all family members.
• There is no need to count calories or severely restrict yourself in food.

Some girls experienced side effects such as constipation and high cholesterol. Therefore, before starting a diet, you should consult a doctor.

Physical exercise

Dukan recommends walking more than 20-30 minutes a day. I would advise increasing this time to 40-50 minutes. Skip the elevator and walk to work and back.

Be sure to include a visit to the pool and gym in your schedule. Aerobic exercise and cardio should be your lifelong companions.

Reasonable nutrition and exercise are the most important habits of a healthy person. It is with their help that it is easy to keep yourself in shape and maintain results. With them, other important changes in lifestyle are acquired: healthy sleep, lack of stress.