Is the Dukan diet a healthy diet plan

Is the Dukan diet a healthy diet plan compared to the Atkins diet?

The Dukan diet and Atkins diet may leave you questioning what is the difference between the two. The main difference is that the Atkins diet says that fat is your friend and the Dukan says that protein is your friend.

Dr Atkins suffered a heart attack himself which left a lot of critics suggesting that the Atkins diet was a dangerous approach to dieting due to its high level of saturated fats included within the scheme.


Could it be that the Dukan diet offers a healthier approach to dieting with its primary concept being around protein? Both diets rely on the fact that once you’re on the diet you primarily cut out carbohydrates. The Atkins diet alongside meat allows only 20 grams of leafy vegetables with in the first phase, and the first of the Dukan diet phases allows only high protein foods with low fat yogurt and oat bran.

One of the key benefits of the Dukan diet is that the initial stage of the weight loss plan only lasts roughly 5-10 days depending on your weight. Meaning that vegetables can quickly be reintroduced into the diet and there will be little need to supplement ones diet with vitamins and minerals.

The diet plan also relies on the person undergoing 20 minutes of casual exercise a day. I am always very skeptical of any diet which does not go hand in hand with any sort of exercise. As the two mold together so intrinsically as far as good health and over all well-being goes.

People generally neglect exercise when on a low carbohydrate diet as when the body starts burning of the fat opposed to the consumed carbohydrates people usually start to feel less energetic. So it is refreshing to hear that Pierre Dukan recognizes the danger of this and includes exercise within his weight loss plan.

From weighing up the pros and cons of the Atkins diet and the Dukan diet I would suggest that yes the Dukan diet provides a healthier diet plan to the Atkins. The Atkins probably has more participating because it has been around for longer. However this does not suggest it is more effective, in fact the Dukan seemingly provides a much healthier alternative.