The 4 Dukan Diet Phases; Foods Allowed, Safety & Important Cautions

Many people want to lose weight quickly, however, it’s difficult to achieve weight loss in a short time, but among the many diet plans, the Dukan diet appears to be effective for rapid and permanent weight loss, and in this article, you will find a complete guide to the Dukan diet explaining everything that you need To know about the Dukan diet phases.

What is the Dukan diet?

Dukan diet is a 4-stage High-protein, Low-carb diet, created by Dr. Pierre Dukan, a French general practitioner specializing in weight management.

Dr. Dokan devised the diet in the 1970s, taking the idea from an obese patient who said he could give up eating any food for weight loss except meat.

Does the Dukan diet work?

However, after the publication of the Doctor Dukan diet idea, lots of Dukan diet success stories reported that it had helped people to achieve their weight loss goals quickly and easily without starving.

Diet Dukan

The Dukan diet phases are 4:

1- Two phases to lose weight.

2- Two phases to maintain weight.

However, the diet begins with calculating weight, based on age, history of weight loss, and other factors.

Check out how the Dukan diet calculator works.

The time you stay at each stage depends on how much weight you must lose to reach your weight goal.

The Dukan diet phases

1- The Dukan diet attack phase (1-7 days):

The attack phase on Dukan diet (Dukan diet list of foods attack phase) begins by eating:

1- A large amount of lean proteins.

2-1.5 tablespoons of Dukan diet oat bran a day.

The Dukan diet attack phase food list depends mainly on protein-rich foods, besides some Additives that provide minimal calories:

1- lean meats and skinless poultry.

2- Liver, kidneys, and tongue.

3- All kinds of fish and shellfish.

4- Eggs.

5- Non-fat dairy products.

6- Tofu,

7- Tempe and Seitan is a meat substitute made from wheat gluten.

8- At least 1.5 liters of water per day (mandatory). 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran daily (mandatory).

9- Unlimited artificial sweeteners, noodles, and gelatin diets.

10- Small amounts of lemon juice and pickles.

11- 1 teaspoon of oil per day.

Check out more Low-carb diets

2- Dukan diet cruise phase (1-12 months)

In this phase, you switch daily between lean proteins and lean proteins with non-starchy vegetables, plus 2 tablespoons of oat bran daily.

On the first day, followers of the Dukan diet will have to eat foods on the attack stage list only, and on the second day, they may eat foods during the attack phase besides the following vegetables:

Dukan diet vegetables

Spinach, turnip, lettuce, and other leafy vegetables.
Broccoli and cabbage.
Pepper, asparagus, and artichoke.
Eggplant, cucumber, celery, and tomato.
Mushrooms, green beans, onions, leeks, pumpkin, radishes.
1 serving of carrots or beets per day. 2 tablespoons of oat bran daily (mandatory).
Other vegetables or fruits are not allowed, other than 1 teaspoon of oil in salad or for decorating pans, and they should not add fat.

These are the best oils for their health. The stage of fusion and cohesion (variable duration) is eating lean proteins with vegetables, some carbohydrates and fats, and only one day of lean proteins per week, with 2.5 tablespoons of oat bran per day, you should do this for 5 days every pound you lose in stages 1 and 2.

3- Consolidation phase

Are fruits allowed in the Dukan diet?

Yes, but not in the early stages. However, starting from the consolidation phase you may have the freedom to include some Dukan diet fruit.

They encourage mixing of the foods in the consolidation phase lists, for example:

Dukan diet Fruit: 1 serving of fruit per day, such as one cup of berries, chopped watermelon, one medium apple, orange, pear, peach, kiwi, peach, or apricot.
Bread: 2 slices of whole-grain bread daily, with a small amount of butter.
Cheese: 1 serving of cheese 40 grams per day.
Carbohydrates: 1-2 servings of carbs per week, such as 225 grams of pasta and other grains, corn, beans, legumes, and rice or potatoes.
Meat: grilled meat 1-2 times a week.
Free Meals: Two free meals each week, including appetizer, main course, and one dessert dish.
Protein meal: one day of lean protein per week.
Dukan diet oat bran: 2.5 tablespoons of oat bran daily (mandatory).

At this stage, the rules can be flexible as long as the weight remains constant, and you can increase oat bran to 3 tablespoons per day.

4- Stabilization phase

This is the last stage of the Dukan diet and there are no prohibited foods, but there are some principles that you must follow:

1- Put on the stabilization stage a primary framework for planning your dukan diet meals.

2- Continue to get one day of lean protein every week.

3- Keep your daily routine workouts.

4- Take 3 tablespoons of oat bran every day.

Is Dukan diet safe and sustainable?

The safety of the Dukan diet is still not clear, as there are not enough studies.

However, concerns are rising about the high protein diet, especially its effect on the kidneys and bone health.

Some research has shown there are many nutritional deficiencies in women on a Dukan high protein diet, as long-term dependence on this diet may pose health threats by acquiring kidney and liver disease, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease.

But some research has shown that high-protein diets are not harmful for those with two healthy kidneys, yet people who tend to form kidney stones can deteriorate with too much protein.

Bone health will not be affected by the protein-rich diet either, as long as the high-potassium vegetables and fruits are also included.

In fact, recent research suggests that protein-rich diets have a beneficial effect on bone health.

Important Cautions

People with kidney problems, gout, liver disease, or other serious illnesses should consult their doctor before starting any high-protein diet including Dukan diet or Carnivore.

The complicated Dukan diet rules and the restrictive nature of it may make it difficult to follow.

The stabilization stage includes foods high in carbohydrates such as bread and starches, but it is recommended to avoid many healthy foods high in fats, which may be a bad idea as our body needs fats also.