DUKAN DIET

Gluten-free: The earlier phases of the diet may work for a gluten-free diet, but as the rules relax, it's not strictly gluten-free. If you're trying to avoid gluten completely, make it a habit to read food labels carefully.

DUKAN DIET

Support: There is a strong community aspect to this plan. The official website offers sample recipes, inspirational success stories from real men and women (not just superstars), and coaches who help guide dieters through each phase.

The first stages of this diet will likely result in significant weight loss due to the few carbohydrates allowed on the plan. But when you go back to eating normally after reaching your goal weight, you may gain some of this weight back.

Research shows high-protein diets are effective for weight loss, but experts still do not know what the long-term effects are for your health and weight. And there is no evidence that having one all-protein day, along with exercise, is enough to maintain your weight loss.

The downside is that this plan doesn't teach lifelong healthy eating habits. Even more problematic, it recommends that you stay in the consolidation phase until you reach your goal. If you have a lot of weight to lose, this phase could go on for months or even years, which could lead to a nutritionally inadequate diet.

Lauren is an award-winning registered dietitian, author of three books and all-around lover of good food. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in food science and human nutrition and a master's degree in clinical nutrition, Lauren has worked in various nutrition-related settings, most currently writing nutrition-related content for online outlets including Verywell Health, PopSugar, The Kitchn, and EatingWell. Additionally, she manages the Instagram page @LaurenLovesNutrition, where people can receive evidence-based nutrition tips and updates.

Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, has been with EatingWell for three years and works as the associate nutrition editor for the brand. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes.

At Verywell, we believe there is no one-size-fits-all approach to a healthy lifestyle. Successful eating plans need to be individualized and take the whole person into consideration. Prior to starting a new diet plan, consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian, especially if you have an underlying health condition.

Because of the restrictive nature of the Dukan Diet and its emphasis on animal protein, this diet plan is not recommended for overall health since it does not adhere to USDA guidelines. Furthermore, the Dukan Diet discredits the importance of healthy carbohydrates and fats as part of a balanced diet.

Liu AG, Ford NA, Hu FB, Zelman KM, Mozaffarian D, Kris-Etherton PM. A healthy approach to dietary fats: Understanding the science and taking action to reduce consumer confusion. Nutr J. 2017;16(1):53. doi:10.1186/s12937-017-0271-4

Her mother, Carole Middleton, told a reporter she herself had lost weight on the Dukan Diet. The plan grew quietly in popularity in France until those comments. Now it's one of the world's hottest diets and it's headed for the U.S.

\"Everyone picked up on the fact that Carole had lost weight clearly because the pictures said she had,\" said Katie Nicholl, who has long covered the royal family. \"She'd lifted the lid on the secret to her weight loss which was the Dukan diet, although the palace now insisting that neither Kate nor Carol are actually on this diet.\"

However, the Dukan diet is even more restrictive than Atkins. No carbohydrates other than a small amount of oat bran are allowed at the beginning and even vegetables low in carbohydrates such as spinach and cabbage are not allowed initially. Also, unlike Atkins, fat is severely limited and foods such as eggs, steaks and chops are not allowed.

If carbohydrate stores are plentiful in the body, these are burnt as a source of energy instead of fat. Ketogenic diets ensure a low carbohydrate intake in order to force the body to switch from burning carbohydrates to burning fat. This can offer the benefit of weight loss, but an accumulation of ketones in bodily tissues can cause problems and lead to signs of ketosis. The length of time people stay on the diet depends on their current weight, their desired weight and their fitness level.

The low-carb diet (opens in new tab) was then prescribed to Dr Dukan's obese patients. After a string of successful results, he shared his findings in 2000, before going on to publish The Dukan Diet book (opens in new tab) in the UK in 2010.

It's analogy is that consuming large quantities of protein will help with weight loss. And science certainly supports this, with one 2015 study (opens in new tab) finding that those on a high-protein diet burned 260 more calories a day than those on a low-protein plan. This is because protein requires more energy to digest it - which leads to calorie burning.

"Many people have lost lots of weight on the plan and by eating the Dukan diet recipes but it depends how much you need and want to lose," Dr Dukan tells us. "The main thing is getting to your true and natural weight and maintaining it."

On the Dukan diet they deem your true weight (opens in new tab) as "the weight you can reach without struggling, affecting your mood or your health. It is also the weight you can maintain long term without difficulty, hunger, and restricted eating."

"The Dukan diet promotes a diet high in animal protein and low in carbohydrates for 'sustainable' weight loss," says nutritionist Ellie Busby, founder of the plant based nutrition plan Vojo (opens in new tab). "But there are several problems with this method for weight loss."

"The problem with these restrictive diets is that they do work in the short-term for weight loss. But people can't sustain them longer than around 6 months and end up putting all the weight they lost back on.

"I would strongly discourage anyone from following the Dukan diet and encourage a whole food plant-based approach for sustainable weight loss," she tells us. "As previously stated, the Dukan diet is very restrictive. Studies show (opens in new tab) that only 6% of people who lose weight manage to maintain it."

How long does the diet last? For me, I determined that I needed to lose about 20 pounds. I filled out this handy questionnaire on their website and they calculated that my timeline would be just under four months.

The best way to achieve success with the diet is to find those proteins that you like and parlay them into your day-to-day eating. For me, it was egg whites, nonfat plain Greek yogurt, nonfat ricotta cheese, smoked salmon, salmon, ground turkey, and chicken. Once I knew what I could utilize, I could focus on the pure protein meals and the protein and vegetable combinations.

Serves: Amount Per Serving: 16 meatballs Calories 306.89 kcal % Daily Value* Total Fat 13.67 g 20% Saturated Fat 3.6 g 15% Trans Fat 0.18 g Cholesterol 118.64 mg 39.3% Sodium 578.33 mg 24.1% Total Carbohydrate 9.87 g 3% Dietary Fiber 2.47 g 8% Sugars 1.71 g Protein 38.64 g Vitamin A 6.44 % Vitamin C 4.47 % Calcium 9.15 % Iron 21.19 % * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Yes, you can! I believe in the book they recommend skim milk. I drank unsweetened almond milk throughout my time on the diet and was fine with that too. I definitely recommend reading the book as everything is outlined there.

I made these last night (chicken pork combi), and can now understand why everyone is saying you can live on it! It is delicious and does not feel one bit it is part of dieting! Thank you for sharing your recipe! xx 041b061a72