May
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The Dukan diet–Why It’s not Healthy for All of Us
May 12, 2011 | 13 Comments
With the media all over the British Royal wedding 2 weeks ago, talks on a new FAD diet, the Duakn diet, were everywhere. Presumably followed by the new bride and her mother to shed away pre-wedding pounds, the French low-carb, low-fat, high-protein diet made it to the US with the release of the book in April.
What is the diet?
On the diet you eat unlimited amounts of lean protein. No carbs. No fat. No fruits. On some days, you can eat veggies–and not all veggies. You can look up the details elsewhere.
I was interviewed for my expert opinion by ABC on the diet. After editing the report, my opinion didn’t come across the way I intended it to be. Watch the clip and tell me what you think, then read below to see what I have to say about it!
Click to see HERE.
Why I don’t like the diet?
- It’s not nutritious and not balanced. You can’t have beans and lentils, sweet potatoes, bananas, grapes, and nuts, all of which are excellent sources of various nutrients.
- Eating unlimited amounts of lean protein is not risk-free. Lean protein still has fat, and if you eat too much—and you will because you don’t get to eat anything else—the fat grams will add up. Too much fat can hinder weight loss and increase cholesterol and triglycerides.
- It has immediate side effects. Eat too few carbs and you’ll get mood swings, headache, dry mouth, and bad breath. When you barely eat any fiber, expect to be constipated. You can lose productivity with not enough carbs and calories. What else will you lose? The fun factor in your meals and a healthy relationship with food.
- If you’re still determined to live through the short-term nuances of the diet, read some more. The diet is very restrictive and difficult to sustain long enough to see all the weight go away. After few weeks or even days, you will realize how difficult and impractical it is and quit. Then the weight you lost will bounce back. You lost muscles as you lost weight, but gained it back all as fat when you regained the weight. Ouch.
The diet highlights oat bran. What is it?
If there’s one good thing to say about this diet, it would be oat bran–the outer husk of the oat grain. It’s high in fiber and minerals and might help lower cholesterol. Great, but there’s a problem. You eat 1.5 tablespoons a day in the first phase and graduate to 3 tablespoons a day on the last one. Three tablespoons of oat bran have 2.5 grams of fiber, and to put it into perspective, we need about 25 grams of fiber a day. Oat bran in not enough. You still need veggies, fruits, beans, and whole grains.
My take home message:
The best diet is the one you can follow for a long period of time and preferably forever, and that’s why I vote for healthy, balanced, and realistic lifestyle changes that don’t strip the fun away from food. There’s no fix that fits all. We all have different preferences and taste buds, and our bodies don’t all work exactly the same way.
Comments
13 Comments so far
Great point of view, I agree with you, this diet is definitely not a balanced, healthy way of eating. People don’t understand- that you WILL gain the pounds back once you get off the diet. I wonder if Dr. Dukan mentions in his book whether this diet is meant to be used for a short period of time or not.
Btw, you looked great in the video!
Glad I finally saw the clip – You look great and it totally looks like they cut you off during editing.
When you cut out an entire food group and parts of others, of course it will result in some weight loss – but as you said, it is really more efficient to learn healthy eating so you can develop a long-term relationship with it!!
This diet is for people who have tried and failed at living a ‘healthy, balanced, and realistic lifestyle’. I have tried for years to curb my sugar and carb addiction, but i still keep going back for more. This diet allows your body to adjust to not eating sugar and carbs in a healthy manner. Maybe you should try it? it really isn’t that hard
Salma: Thanks for comment. According to the diet, you need to spend 3 days in second phase for each pound you want to lose, and then 5 days in the third phase for each pound you lost. It can take months.
Amena: Thanks for the comment. Healthy long-term relationship is what I’d go for. And yes, they did edit the clip.
Selene, Thanks for stopping by and leaving me a comment. I’ve done so many similar diets as a teenager and I can’t do it anymore. I can’t have a list of forbidden foods–why torture myself and crave the forbidden when there are more balanced ways to eat healthy? I like carbs and I notice that I crave them a lot when I’m tired, overworked, or not getting enough sleep, so I try to work on these issues instead.
After Dr. Oz talked about this diet on his show I’ve been wanting to post about it. You did a great job and I agree with all that you said! What a hot topic right now.
I’m diabetic typ2 90 lbs overweight want to know if the daken diet is safe for me to go on. I do not take insulin I take 2pills. Am insulin resistent
Although I basically agree with the fact that it is probably not healthy to cut out some things in your diet. i have followed this diet since April and lost 85 lbs. It was not difficult for me to follow and I just did a check blood test to ensure my numbers were ok after a heavy protein diet and am pleased to say that all is fine. It is of course a personal decision but between taking a few months restricting yourself to some food and being way overweight I wonder which is less healthy.
i enjoyed reading your opinion on the dukan diet, i’ve been in the attack phase for 4 days and although i have lost weight there has been that persistant niggling in my mind about rebound dieting. I so agree with you and therefore have stopped the dukan diet right now . A balanced diet is so much better for our bodies, fruit .. vege… whole grains …everyday !
i meant to say rebound weight gain
Good luck Wendy with your journey. It’s more about respecting your body and giving it what it needs. Nourishment. Diets that make people deprived do more harm than good. Thank you for stopping by! ‘
Thank you for leaving me a comment J. I’ve heard more bad experience that good from people who followed the diet. I’m glad your lab values are normal. Restrictive diets that are very low in calories tend to lower metabolic rate, which means your body gets to store more calories when you re-start eating normally again. I hope this isn’t the case for you. Stay healthy.
I tried the diet for 8 days. It was awful. I was moody,not sleeping,constipated and gained a kilo. It’s not for me!! I need a balanced diet with 5 healthy fruit and veg as well as grains. I’m off it now and back to healthy eating plan and feel so much happier. I also lost weight. I hated it the Dukan diet. I felt so unsatisfied and became instantly obsessed with unhealthy thoughts about good nutritious foods. Never again will I put my body through this shock.
Hi – I started the Dukan diet on July 25, 2011, and in 3 months/3 weeks I lost over 50 lbs and went to my target weight. I felt good throughout. It’s now been 2 months since I reached my target, and I’m still keeping the weight off. I really like this diet. I’m in the 3rd phase right now, and I am introducing more foods back into the diet. For me, this diet has been a blessing.