The Dukan Diet is a high protein, low carb weight loss diet that is split into four phases.
It was created by Dr. Pierre Dukan, a French general practitioner who specializes in weight management.
Dukan created the diet in the 1970s, inspired by a patient with obesity who said he could give up eating any food in order to lose weight, except for meat.
After seeing many of his patients experience impressive weight loss results on his diet, Dukan published “The Dukan Diet” in 2000.
The book was eventually released in 32 countries and became a major bestseller. It reportedly helped people achieve rapid, easy weight loss without hunger.
The Dukan Diet shares some features of the high protein, low carb Stillman Diet, along with the Atkins Diet.
Level of effortThe Dukan Diet requires a high level of effort. It’s extremely restrictive, especially in the earlier phases of the program, and requires you to take a daily supplement of oat bran.
You must also track your progression through multiple phases of the program that each he their own different guidelines and requirements.
The early phases of the diet are extremely low in carbs, like the keto diet. However, keto allows for larger quantities of fat, non-starchy vegetables, and low sugar fruits like berries. In other words, keto offers slightly more flexibility when it comes to exactly what you can eat.
Later phases of the Dukan Diet offer more flexibility regarding the types of food you can eat, but there are still a number of strict rules to follow.
Does it allow for dietary restrictions and preferences?The Dukan Diet allows for some dietary restrictions and preferences, such as gluten-free or dairy-free eating. You can choose foods within the approved food lists for each phase that are a fit for your dietary preferences.
However, the diet may be difficult for people who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, as it limits foods like grains, beans, and fruit.