What is #Dukan #diet?

Dukan diet was devised and structured by Dr. Pierre Dukan, a French doctor popular in the field of clinical nutrition.

So far with the help of Dukan diet apparently 40,000 patients have experienced weight loss. But what’s Dukan Diet all about? Today, with the help of Nutritionist, Neelanjana Singh with Heinz Nutri Life Clinic we break down the Dukan Diet and throw light on the pros and cons of Dukan Diet. The first question that comes to mind; is the Dukan Diet applicable to everyone?

Expert speak on Dukan diet

“Dukan diet like all other popular diets owes its success partly due to the number of celebrities following it and partly because it is simple to follow once you understand the rules. This diet is also referred to as the ‘Princess Diet’ as it is believed that Princess Kate Middleton followed it before her wedding to achieve her stunning figure,” says Neelanjana.

But how effective is it for us?

Why is the Dukan diet popular?
Neelanjana explains why the Dukan Diet is popular, “It is diet popular for achieving weight loss. It was created by the French physician Pierre Dukan for the treatment of his obese patients. The dieters find it easy to follow as there is no requirement of counting calories, or weighing of foods. One can eat as much as one wants at whatever time of the day provided one sticks to the prescribed foods which is mostly lean protein.”

What are the negative effects of Dukan Diet?
As with all diet there are negative effects that can hamper your body. So are there any negative effects of Dukan Diet? “The negative effects of this diet are those that occur when the consumption of carbohydrates is restricted severely. The Dukan diet is extremely low on carbohydrates especially in the first phase of the diet which is the ‘Attack phase’. The common complaints are constipation, bad breadth, tiredness and dryness of the mouth.”

Short term weight loss or long term weight loss
Nurtitionist Neelajana Singh sees the loopholes of the Dukan Diet and she tells you why it is not a favourable diet. “Anyone who is in a hurry to lose weight is naturally attracted to such a diet due to the success that is usually achieved by following it. It is also very popular diet for losing post pregnancy weight. However, such a diet is unlikely to get the recommendation of a nutritionist as this diet is not a balanced, healthy one.”

If you plan to follow Dukan Diet here’s what you really need to know:

Neelanjana sums up Dukan Diet, “This diet allows only lean protein to be eaten in the first 10 days. For a vegetarian, such a diet becomes a challenge as non-fat dairy milk and soya are the only available options for them. Rapid weight loss that occurs in such a diet can lead to loss of valuable muscle mass too. The elderly should definitely stay away from such a diet. Rapid weight loss can promote the formation of gall stones.”