The Dukan Diet

The Dukan Diet is a protein based nutritional approach designed by Pierre Dukan, a French nutritionist and dietician. The Dukan Diet, or Dukan method proposes a healthy eating plan which is based on how primitive man used to eat when we were hunter-gatherers. It includes 100 foods, of which 72 are animal sourced and 28 come from plants. And you can eat as much as you like, as long as you stick to those 100 foods. The Dukan Diet has four specific ground pillars or phases, which are called:

1) Attack phase

The aim here is to lose weight rapidly - two to three kg (4.4 to 6.6 lbs) within two to ten days. It is said to be a way of kick-starting the metabolism.

The dieters can eat nothing but lean protein, and unlimited amounts, there is no calorie counting. It is important that the protein is low in fat. Protein could be all kinds of beef, fish, chicken, eggs, soy, and cottage cheese. The dieter is told to be careful to avoid meats with added sugars.

The dieter also consumes at least 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran, the only carbohydrate source allowed in this phase. Pierre Dukan explains that oat bran is very high in fiber, meaning that a large proportion of the carbs cannot be broken down and digested, making oat bran less carbohydrate-rich than they thought. Oat bran also helps suppress hunger because it grows to up to twenty times its size in the stomach.

At least 1.5 liters of water has to be consumed each day.

2) Cruise phase

28 specific vegetables are added to the diet. Fruit is not allowed. The aim is to help the dieters achieve their target bodyweight more gradually. Although based on specific personal conditions, the length of the Cruise phase generally lasts 1 kg (2.2 lb) weight loss per week. So, if a person needs to lose 15 kg, this phase lasts 15 weeks. The program allows some tolerated foods. However, if there is any weight gain, some of them will be banned.

Vegetables can be consumed in unlimited amounts as long as they are not starchy - so, carrots, corn, and peas are out, and spinach, okra, lettuce and green beans are OK. The dieter can also eat unlimited amounts of low fat protein sources included during the first phase. The 1.5 liters of water and oat bran consumption continues.

In this phase the dieter alternates as far as lean protein and vegetables. E.g. on one day the individual eats just lean protein, and the next lean proteins combined with unlimited low-starch vegetables. This alternation persists throughout this stage.

3) Consolidation phase

The aim here is to prevent the person from putting lots of weigh back on. The individual can consume unlimited quantities of protein and vegetables daily, as well as one piece of low-sugar fruit, one portion of cheese, and 2 slices of whole-grain bread. The dieter is allowed to have one or two servings of starchy food and one or two celebration meals each week. In a celebration meal, people can eat whatever they want.

During the Consolidation phase, the dieter starts eating the core diet of pure protein one day each week, preferably on the same day of each week.

4) Stabilization phase

This is, in effect, the long-term maintenance part of the plan. People can eat whatever they want, as long as they follow some simple rules:

1. One day each week they must have an all-protein day, as in the Attack phase.

2. Eat three tablespoons of oat bran each day.

3. Go for a 20 minute walk each day.

4. Never take escalators or elevators.

In order to succeed long-term the dieters need to follow this Dukan stabilization phase for the rest of their lives. It must become part of their lifestyle.

Dieters are allowed to consume artificial sweeteners, vinegars, sugar-free gum, and spices; they are also advised to take multivitamins with minerals.

Various celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez, Gisele Bundchen and Kate Middleton say they have used the Dukan Diet successfully. Lopez and Bundchen to recover their normal bodyweight after giving birth, and Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge, before marrying Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.

7 Tips to control your hunger

You are what you eat.

Our fitness trainers try to force us on a diet; our doctors warn us to control our food intake thanks to our high cholesterol levels; our wives and girlfriends have warned us they will walk out on us because of that excess baggage pouring over our belts!
It is not as if we haven't tried. But it is just so darned hard to control our hunger!
Sound familiar? Stay tuned. Rediff offers you tips to control that darn hunger so that you can go ahead and finally be successful in your attempts to stop overeating.
1. Eat small frequent meals.
Want to lose weight? Eat more -- frequently, that is.
Your body needs food to provide energy, repair damaged muscle tissue, and to carry out various other functions.
But there are only so many nutrients it can draw from each meal. Large meals mean more nutrients than your body can handle, thus causing an 'overflow effect'.
Thus, go for smaller, more frequent meals. They provide just the right amount of nutrients every few hours, without causing that overflow effect. They also maintain blood sugar levels, thus keeping your appetite and energy levels in control.
2. Don't skip meals!
Skipping meals and going too long without food can turn hunger pangs into irresistible cravings.
To start with, don't skip breakfast!
It is amazing how so many people skip this meal. If you are one of those, change that nasty food habit. NOW!
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Your first meal of the day helps replenish all those nutrients lost during that all-night fast. It raises those early morning low blood sugar levels.
Missing out on this meal means setting you up for low blood sugar levels and, thus, low energy levels and irresistible hunger pangs and cravings at lunchtime.
3. Eat your veggies!
Vegetables are healthy. They are chockfull with nutrients that can boost your health.
They are also rich in fibre, the dieters' secret weapon to control hunger.
While all vegetables are beneficial as far as good health and hunger control go, certain veggies, like broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and mushrooms, are super-high in fibre and have a negligible amount of calories.
They can fill your stomach and control your hunger while filling you with a small amount of calories.
4. Eat more whole grains and less refined carbohydrates.
Whole grains, besides being healthier than their 'nutrient-stripped' refined counterparts, are also higher in fibre.
Thus they are more filling and satisfying.
While refined carbs -- like idlis, dosas, white bread, white rice -- may be low in fat, they are higher in fibre. You may run the risk of over-consuming calories.
5. Eat slowly!
Give it a shot. It actually works.
The brain actually takes ten minutes longer than the stomach to receive the message that it is full. Thus, eating too fast might cause you to eat beyond the point of fullness without even realising.
6. Sleep and shed those pounds!
Studies have found that people who sleep only five hours every night were 50 per cent more likely to be obese than those who sleep seven to nine hours.
Researchers believe lack of sleep affects hormones related to appetite, causing you to gain pounds.
7. Drink more water!
Water is the healthiest, cheapest and most easily available appetite suppressant around.
Thirst is often mistaken as hunger. Also, foods with high water content can fill you up easily. They naturally pack fewer calories for their volume.
Toss together a salad of lettuce, cucumbers, celery and tomatoes, or a fruit cup with watermelon, strawberries and orange slices for a watery hunger-satisfying snack.

14 Steps to a healthy summer diet !

Here are some other useful lifestyle tips you can follow to beat the summer heat.
1. Water is the best option to quench thirst.
It is a key ingredient in keeping the body cool. With high humidity levels, sweat will not evaporate quickly. This prevents the body from releasing heat in an efficient manner. This is why it is necessary to hydrate and drink water, even when you are not thirsty. Increase water intake regardless of your activity levels.
2. Avoid caffeinated or carbonated beverages, alcoholic beverages, and those high in sugar.
All these drinks contain preservatives, colours and sugars. They are acidic in nature and act as diuretics. They cause loss of fluids through urine.
Many soft drinks contain diluted phosphoric acid, which damages the inner linning of the digestive tract and, therefore, affects its functions.
An excessive intake of soft drinks increases phosphorous levels in the blood. This separates calcium from the bones and moves it into the blood.
This calcium displacement from the bones makes them porous and brittle. It also causes plaque on the teeth, kidney stones, arthritis and bone spur.
Soft drinks also reduce mineral levels in the body to such an extent that enzymes are unable to function well, resulting in indigestion.
3. Do not drink very chilled liquids.
They do not really help cool you down in summers, though they make you cool for some time. Drinking really cold liquids when feeling hot may lead to a slight constriction of the blood vessels in the skin and decrease heat loss, which is not advisable when trying to cool down.
4. Limit all strenuous activity.
5. Eat light, nutritious and non-fatty meals.
6. Reduce intake of heaty vegetables and fruits, like spinach, radish, hot peppers, onions, garlic, beetroot, pineapple, grapefruit and ripe mangoes (if you cannot resist mangoes, soak them overnight in water).
7. Minimise the intake of dried fruits. Increase the intake of fresh fruit.
8. Use sabza (tulsi seeds) in your drinks -- this has very cooling effect on the body.
9. Include lots of fruits and vegetables in the form of salads and fresh juices, preferably without sugar, in your diet.
10. Drink lemon juice, coconut water and thin buttermilk, to replenish the fluids that are lost in sweat.
11. Avoid sugary foods, especially honey and molasses, and stick to natural sugars available from fruits and veggies.
12. Minimise the intake of hot, spicy foods and extremely salty foods. The body retains salt in the organic form found in fruits and veggies; the inorganic salt, meanwhile, is digested and needs to be thrown out of the body. And this is why you need to drink water!
13. Cut the intake of fried foods, like vadas, samosas, chips, bhajias, farsans, etc. Fat has a thermal effect.
14. Maintain good hygiene levels.
Since the sultry heat of summer increases with each degree rise in the mercury, by rooting ourselves to nature's provision of healthful food choices we can experience the bloom of our health and vitality.