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/)
Il y a 10 ans
