Although the Dukan diet was at its peak in Spain when the book went on sale I can’t lose weight (RBA, 2011), it is periodically talked about on social networks and Internet forums. To clear up doubts about whether or not it is advisable to follow it, we have asked the dietitian-nutritionist Raúl Zamora-Ros, who is emphatic about this: «Neither a myth, nor an effective method. With him we reviewed all the aspects that must be taken into account before following a nutritional guideline – type miracle diet – like the one proposed by the Dukan diet.
What is the Dukan diet and what does it consist of?
Created in 2000 by French doctor Pierre Dukan, it is a four-phase plan that reduces carbohydrate and fat intake and increases protein intake, supposedly to promote long-term weight loss.
The Dukan diet is high in…
Proteins. Also restrict carbohydrates and fats, especially in the early stages.
Dukan diet: phases and how the complete method works
According to the information on the official website, the method consists of four phases:
- Stroke. It lasts a week and allows you to eat 72 protein foods without limit on quantity. It requires taking one and a half tablespoons of oat bran every day and doing twenty minutes of physical activity.
- cruise. 28 permitted vegetables are added, which adds up to a total of 100 foods to consume without limit on quantity. Days of foods rich in protein (pure protein -PP) are alternated with days of protein foods and vegetables (PV). One week is done for each kilo you want to lose. It requires two tablespoons of oat bran and thirty minutes of physical activity daily.
- Consolidation. Propose the progressive introduction of fruits and other foods rich in carbohydrates such as bread in addition to cheese. Propose a pure protein (PP) day, specifically Thursday. In this phase, body weight is consolidated; ten days are spent for each kilo of weight lost. Same with bran and exercise.
- Stabilization. Food freedom and three rules for life: take three tablespoons of oat bran a day, maintain pure protein Thursday, and exercise daily.
Dukan ladder diet: what it is and who it fits for
The “nutritional ladder” or Dukan ladder diet is a more flexible and progressive version of the program and is suitable for those who do not want such a restrictive plan. In it, the week is organized like a staircase where each day is a step where a new food group is added, maintaining the previous ones. Sunday is free lunch and Monday starts again. Important, it is still a restrictive diet without scientific evidence to support it
Differences between “Dukan staircase” and the classical method
According to our expert, it is an easier method to follow than the traditional Dukan diet and «although more foods are added, it is still a low-calorie and high-protein diet. It is still very strict,» he says.
Dukan Diet express: when it is recommended (and when it is not)
“The Dukan diet express It is the same as the Dukan staircase but only for one week,» explains Raúl Zamora-Ros, who specifies: «It could be recommended to people who want to lose a couple of kilos quickly, as long as they do not have any type of pathology or adjacent metabolic complications.» However, this decision must be discussed with a health professional, such as a dietitian-nutritionist, who will be able to adapt the intervention to the health profile of each person. Making these types of decisions without adequate advice can put our physical and emotional health at risk.
Dukan Attack Phase: Practical Step-by-Step Guide
The Dukan attack phase is the most strict, designed to start weight loss quickly. It should not last more than a week and its duration depends: Do you want to lose less than five kilos? One or two days; for between seven and fourteen kilos, three to five days and, if they are more than eighteen, up to seven days. Here is a guide to follow:
- Only eat foods of animal origin rich in protein and without visible fat.
- Add 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran
- Drink between 1.5 and 2 liters of water a day
- Walk or do some type of aerobic exercise for at least twenty minutes each day, ideally in the morning.
- Avoid the consumption of carbohydrates – simple or complex – and excess fats.
This dietary proposal continues to contradict scientific evidence on body weight management, which involves lifestyle modifications, including diet, as long as they are realistic and adapted to the circumstances of each person.
Dukan Diet Allowed Foods (and Prohibited Foods)
Each phase has allowed and prohibited foods. In attack, everything is prohibited except foods of animal origin rich in protein. On a cruise, only the above and vegetables are allowed. The consolidation phase opens the door to fruits, cheese and foods rich in carbohydrates. In stabilization, nothing is prohibited.
Foods allowed in the Dukan diet attack phase (list and categories)
These are, according to its creator, the 72 foods allowed in the Attack phase of the Dukan diet:
- lean meats: Beef steak or hamburger, horse steak, cured meat, lean veal chop, rabbit, beef fillet, beef tenderloin, veal fillet, lean cooked ham, veal kidney, roast beef, beef tenderloin, game meat and ostrich.
- Birds: Chicken, turkey, turkey or chicken ham, quail, guinea fowl, pigeon.
- Fish: Tuna, fresh cod, anchovies, mackerel, bream, halibut, rooster, haddock, sole, sea bass, hake, grouper, mullet, whiting, swordfish (emperor), monkfish, stingray, turbot, mullet, salmon, sardine, bream, trout.
- Seafood and mollusks: Lobster, squid, crayfish, crab, clams, shrimp, prawns, cuttlefish, octopus, lobster, oysters, mussels, cockles, sea ox, scallops, sea urchin and other seafood products, such as surimi and eels (in whose ingredients there are no flours or starches).
- egg: chicken and quail.
- Skimmed dairy (0% fat): Skimmed milk, skimmed natural yogurt, sweetened skimmed yogurt, 0% whipped fresh cheese, skimmed cottage cheese.
- Plant-based foods rich in protein allowed: Tofu, seitan, textured soy protein.
- Sugar-free gelatin.
Dukan diet menu attack phase: examples so as not to improvise
For breakfast, coffee or tea with skimmed milk and no sugar, plus a few pancakes made with a mixture of egg white, one and a half tablespoons of oat bran and 0% whipped fresh cheese. Mid-morning, a low-fat yogurt and a boiled egg or a few pieces of natural fat-free ham. To eat, grilled chicken breast covered with low-fat gratin cheese and some natural mussels. For a snack, another coffee or tea with milk and a yogurt or turkey ham or cockles or a few spoonfuls of order. For dinner, roasted hake loin covered with shrimp and a sugar-free gelatin.
As can be seen, the Mediterranean diet is conspicuous by its absence, which shows that miracle diets like this proposal by Dukan do not improve the food literacy of the people who follow them.
Dukan diet drinks: what to drink during the plan
The program recommends adequate hydration and, taking into account that sugar and alcohol are prohibited, in addition to fruits, the Dukan diet drinks are basically water and light soft drinks, in addition to herbal teas or sugar-free infusions (caloric sweeteners are allowed).
Are there benefits of the Dukan diet? (and points to watchman)
Raúl Zamora-Ros-Ros is clear about it: «The Dukan diet promotes daily physical exercise and that is a great point in its favor. In the advanced phases it recommends the consumption of vegetables, fruits (in less quantity), legumes and whole grains, foods that are very suitable in any diet. It includes lean meats and, especially, fish, seafood, eggs and low-fat dairy products, which are also healthy options -although not in the proposed quantities-. It also includes healthy oils, although in too small quantities, in my opinion It is evident that the diet is made for a French culture where cheese, bread, beef, seafood and wine cannot be missing.”
As for the points to monitor, for the expert the most dangerous thing is to maintain diets as restrictive as this one for a long time, since they have associated problems. «Another recurring problem,» points out Zamora-Ros, «is the rebound effect of miracle diets. And finally, if the person has cardiometabolic and/or kidney diseases, they should consult with their doctor to control these parameters and avoid major complications.»
Opinion of dietitians-nutritionists about the Dukan diet
The Spanish Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, in its position statement on the 2023 Dukan diet, considers, after an exhaustive evaluation, that it is a high-protein miracle diet, low in carbohydrates and fats in all the proposed phases of weight loss with the method. «Additionally,» they believe, «the Dukan diet, far from presenting advantages over balanced low-calorie diets, carries potential persistent health risks for people who follow it.»
The ALDI Council
Forget restrictive diets. Go for a healthy plate with vegetables, fruits, healthy sources of protein (legumes, dairy products, meats, fish, eggs), whole grains and healthy fats.
Raúl Zamora Ros.. Principal researcher at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and associate professor at the University of Barcelona. He has training in the field of Nutritional Epidemiology, where he obtained a Doctorate at the University of Barcelona. He has carried out several postdoctoral stays at IDIBELL, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, France) and the University of Cambridge (UK), before joining his current position as Principal Investigator at IDIBELL since 2016. His research focuses on investigating whether dietary factors, especially polyphenols and foods rich in polyphenols, are causally associated with the development of chronic diseases. He is co-author of more than 145 scientific articles (>5,500 citations, H index = 46) and more than 10 book chapters in his area.
