samedi 24 avril 2010

Pierre Dukan Interview for the Bulgarian TV

The renowned nutritionist Pierre Dukan, M.D, in an exclusive interview for the Bulgarian National Television: There is no one hurt by the protein diet.
•    Teenagers should not follow any diet programs. Prevention is paramount for them.
•    The attack phase should last 7 days maximum.
This recommends the author of the best seller “Je Ne Sais Pas Maigrir” Pierre Dukan, M. D. in an exclusive interview for the Bulgarian National Television.
Pierre Dukan’s book released in Bulgaria with logo “Colibri”, caused a revolution among the female population. This success had the counter effect – Bulgarian nutritionists declared that the diet in question is very dangerous for the kidneys and lever and it can cause permanent damage to the population that follows its course.
Pierre Dukan as a specialist in healthy eating and nutrition offers an addition to its book called “My diet in 350 recipes” which has been recently translated and released to the Bulgarian market. There the doctor shares his personal experience accumulated during the years of study, research and testimonials.
- Dr. Dukan, you diet has become quite popular here in Bulgaria. However, there are critics, which brand your diet to be extreme. What can you answer to them?
- I am confident that the people saying that are not read or understood fully my diet. They accuse my diet of being only protein, which is wrong. The diet composed on four phases. Only the first phase – “attack” is based on protein consumption. However, this first phase last only 2 days for people trying to reduce their weight by 5 or 6 kilograms, and 5 or 6 days for people which are seriously overweight.
What are the proteins? There are not drugs but just a daily portion of what the primitive homo-sapiens daily intake – meat, fish, eggs, and milk. There are not poison. Eating only proteins for 5 days is not dangerous but has a rejuvenating effect. Following the “attack” phase is the so-called “weight loss” phase, which last until the target weight is reached. During that phase the average weekly weight loss is 1 kilogram. This means that if you want to lose 10 kilograms you should maintain this phase for 9 weeks. It does not include only proteins but all vegetables, which means that you can consume at least 100 different types of food. 72 are animal products, 28 – plants. The great thing to say here is that the person can eat these 100 types as much as they want. This fact gives the diet its strength.
Everyone knows that they cannot eat every food that they want to but that can consume as much as they want from these 100 allowed foods.
Fact is the vegetables and meat are hard coded into our bodies from thousand years.
- Should pay attention to something, in order to keep our health during our diet.
- No. I am putting this diet on practice for 30 years now and I do not a single patient that had even a slightest complaint or got ill. Of course, vegetarians or patients with kidney problems cannot use this program. However, such cases are rare and such people are in all case not overweight. There is not a single case that someone got ill by following my program.
- What about people with high cholesterol or predisposed to it?
- I treated 25000 people with high cholesterol. In all cases their cholesterol level was decreased due to the fact that in the diet program fat meats, butter, cheese and all fat food are avoided. If you follow the program strictly your blood pressure and cholesterol levels will improve and also the overall body condition. The diet should not be mixed up with Atkins diet, which allows all fats. My plan decreases the fat intake dramatically.
- There is something curious in your diet plan, though. You allow the intake of light Coca-Cola. By comparison all other diet programs forbid aerated beverages.
- In all countries Coca-Cola light is approved by all organizations. It contains aspartame, which is harmless. Our government allows even pregnant women to consume it. The obesity is treat, which cannot be compared with the treat of aspartame. So it does not harm if we drink a few cups of Coca-cola light. I don’t want to promote Cola-Cola since I even do not like this company. Let’s say that every aerated beverage or milk with sweeteners can be consumed.
- Do you recommend your diet for teenagers?
- No, absolutely not. I do not recommend my diet for children or teenagers. By principal they do not get fat. Nowadays, it happens as a result from too much time in front of the TV or computers. I am not supporting dieting in such early stage. It is best to try and prevent future obesity. Teenagers can drink aerated beverages because they do it all the time. However, it is best they drink such without sugar. Normally, young people are very radical and they are prone to hold the “attack” phase for too long. No, no – I do not recommend the diet for them.
- I much time should the “attack” phase continue?
If you target is to lose up to 10 kilograms, I recommend 1 or 2 days. Then 1 day with vegetables and again 1 day with vegetables. If anyone wants to lose 10-20 kilograms, the “attack” phase should last between 1 and 5 days. For people weighing over 100 kilograms can keep up the phase up to a week’s time. However, after 1 week the phase loses its effect.
- Please, say a few words for the people who are practicing your diet program.
Speaking as nutritionist with more than 30 years of experience, after researching in details all present programs and in my role a chairman of the International Nutritionist Organization, I truly believe that my diet program is the best.
Important recommendations:
•    You should drink a lot of water – 1,5 to 2 liters a day. The water has many advantages in all diet programs and in this one particularly.  The water cleanses the organism and improves the diet program results. The combination – water and clean proteins has a great effect on skin cellulite. Drink water during your meals. It fills your stomach and dampens the hunger.
•    It is good to eat oath meals – better done in the morning. The goals are two: relaxing the intestinal functions and increase of calories intake. Two possible ways for this are eating the oath meals with water or low fat milk. The only setback is that oath meals are difficult to find on the market. There can be substituted with wheat meals but you can experience stomach swell.
•    There are no limits in quantity that you consume from all foods allowed during the diet program. This is the place to say one of the most important rules: “In order to lose weight, one must eat”. Do not miss a meal, ever. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are mandatory. The best thing to do is to eat every 4 hours.
The path to success:
•    Be patient. The program works slowly in small steps. There period during which you lose weight, and ones when you keep you current one.
•    Measure your body. The program will help you decrease your measurement faster then your weight. Measurements are more important than kilograms.
•    Listen to your body. Different things work for different people. Often removal of milk products from the daily diet increases the weight loss. The last to exclude is the yogurt.
•    Be mindful of your daily salt intake. It leads to holding water in your body and slows the weight loss process.
•    Read food labels. Many meat products often contain ingredients like salt and other that will slow down your progress.

Translated from Bulgarian by Ivan Georgiev. (found on http://www.think-slim.com/2008/08/pierre-dukan-md-exclusive-interview/)

jeudi 22 avril 2010

The Importance of snacks and anticipation


In the Dukan diet, one of the advice that is really useful is to anticipate these little cravings ( or big) that we all have. Especially during the beggining of the diet, our body is still addicted to sugar.

I explain myself : once you have eaten some sugars (it includes white bread,white pasta,white rice ) the sugar level in your blood raises.
To regulates it, your liver will produce insulin ( that is what diabetics cannot produce, that is why they are insulino-dependant and have to shot themselves with insulin)
Once in your blood, insulin will withdraw all the sugar all of a sudden : and that is where you are craving for a cookie at 3 o'clock in the afternoon! Your body is craving for more sugar ! Infernal circle.

With the attack phase, you cut off the circuit. And you ll experience cetosis.No more big sugar cravings.

But on the long run, you have desires. You see chocolate cakes...you see all these sweet things that you like..

And the good news is that with the sweeteners (Splenda or aspartam or truvia, erythritol , stevia)
you can totally treat yourself. The trick is to always prepare in advance the sweet things that you are allowed to eat and to always have some accessible in case of big craving to avoid all temptations that would defeat all your efforts.

I am cooking quick things as Meringues. (whipped egg-whites with sweeteners cooked in the oven)





The secret is to whip your egg whites in a pot put in boiling water; Also it is important to put the sweetener at the end and to leave the oven open while cooking them.... Then you got some crispy meringues that you can eat as much as you like ( Don't forget that eggs are the only "pure proteins" product that exist !
You can then add some colouring and flavor you like :





I also cook myself a chocolate-tofu flan :

I buy some organic silky tofu ( the soft one, is more creamy and so better for dessert).
Add a spoon of corn starch, a spoon of cocoa powed ( no fat, non sweet ) and I cover  the preparation with sweetener  (I use Truvia powder , but most of the French women use liquid aspartam for cooking). Mix with electric mixer. I put the all thing in a cooking pot ( don't take too large so your flan will have some deepness , yummy !)  in the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes at about 350 ° F. ( 200°C)
Then let it get cold and put it in the fridge for a while. Enjoy !

( I  added some vanilla aroma and hazelnut aroma drops : yummy  !)

If you want a real "flan" texture ( more jelly) boil the mixed preparation in a pot with some agar-agar before cooking it.

If you want a nice presentation of this dish, you should remove it from the mould in a nice plate when still warm...




I also treat myself with some Dukan lemon american cheesecake :

For that I use non fat ricotta and fat free philly cheese and 0% yoghurt that I leave one night in a colander ( to avoid the water of the cheese, that ruins the cooking !) then I mix it with  two or three eggs ( with a furk not an electric mixer because the ricotta is a bit granular ( to avoid the granular effect, either change the cheese for another or leave it really long in the oven at small temperature) lemon aroma drops and sweeteners ( I use 6 to 8 packets of Truvia)
Then I cook in the oven for about 45 min to one hour in a double boiler ( that avoids the water !) ( the lemon smell that comes out ..! mmmh !)
and leave it in the fridge for the night.

my favorite.



You can even recreate the crust with oat bran

Another recipe of cheesecake :

Put 600 g of "fromage blanc" ( solid yoghurt 0%) in a colander for the night with absorbing paper in the top. Whipp the white of 3 eggs + a  pinch of salt ( put in the fridge)

Mix 3 tbspoon of power milk (non fat non sweet) until it is smooth. Mix with an electric mixer one yolk with 3 tbspoon of liquid sweetener to cook, 2 spoons of vanilla aroma (or lemon ) , 2 tbsp corn starch and 2 tbsp of yeast and then add the first mix of milk. Mix until it gets whiter.

Add 400 gramms of the yoghurt from the colander and electric mix.
Then incorporate delicately without breaking them the whipped egg whites.

Put in a silicone pot.

Cook approx. 45 min at 160° C ( 200° F) double- boiling ( = in a pot full of water)

Once cooked, let it in the oven with the door open.


Take the cheesecake out of it silicone pot and put it in the fridge on absorbing paper.

Eat cold:




(Pic taken from Duduche blog)



I also make some "home -made minute ice-cream" by mixing some yoghurt with power milk, coloring, aroma, and sweetener  : it is great :



Finally, yo can cook what we french call the "DUDUTELLA" that replaces the Nutella :

  • 1tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp powder milk
  • 1 small spoon liquid sweetener
  • Hazelnut arome
  • 1yolk
 Mix everything, sweetener and aroma last and leave it in the fridge for a while.
A good substitute if you really are craving for Nutella. You can toast it on a Dukan Pancake !



Learn how to treat yourself... with real diet and good food !

mardi 20 avril 2010

Introduction to the Dr Dukan Diet : calculate your true weight

True Weight

True Weight - is calculated from Pierre Dukan's 11 parameters.

True Weight - is the weight that is right for you, achievable, feasible, acceptable and above all maintainable - for life!

So what exactly is your True Weight? True Weight is an acceptable weight, not necessarily the lowest weight you've ever reached (in your adult life) or the weight you'd most like to get down to, but rather an achievable, comfortable weight that you can realistically maintain for the rest of your life.

Calculated from Dr. Pierre Dukan's 11 parameters, working out your true weight means you can slim sensibly and remain happy and healthy in the consolidation and permanent stabilization phases - i.e. forever!



Find your true weight

The principles of the diet ?

The diet is based on “all-you-can-eat” natural proteins (meat, eggs, fish, fat-free dairies).

It's a 4 phase-diet:

- Phase 1 is the Attack phase. It's a short phase that allows your body to start the process of losing weight. You can only eat proteins.

- Phase 2 is the Alternative phase. During this phase, you alternate days when you eat only proteins and days when you eat proteins and vegetables. You will be in this phase until you reach your weight loss goal.

- Phase 3 is the Consolidation phase. It's a long phase where you progressively come back to normal eating.

- Phase 4 is the Stabilization phase. It's a lifetime phase. You eat normally, but you still have to be careful in order not to go back to bad eating behaviors; and there are 2 rules you will have to follow if you really want to achieve the weight loss program.

What is the Dukan Diet ?


“Dukan” is the name of the  French nutritionist, Dr Pierre Dukan, who created this weight loss program. He is a specialist of eating behaviors and has written many books on dietetics. In his last book, "Je ne sais pas maigrir" ( "I don't know how to lose weight"), he gives a detailed method to lose weight.
When he introduced his Dukan Diet there ten years ago, the book rushed to the top of the French best-seller list and spawned an underground dieting revolution of 200 websites, forums and blogs ! even more today  ! After ten years of widespread use in France, the Dukan Diet also called " Protal" for "Proteins Alternatives" has been proven to help the obese as well as those with only a few pounds to lose. 
Check on the English blog of  Doug : http://doug-on-diet.blogspot.com/

And… me =) !