Pierre Dukan and his diet. Interview with the doctor

The Dukan protein diet was created in 1975. It is based on 72 protein-rich foods: meat, fish, seafood, dairy products, tofu, as well as vegetables and fruits - that is, you do not have to starve and suffer. Dukan's book "I Can't Lose Weight" was published in France in 2000 and since then it has been endlessly published in different languages in millions of copies. The book was published in other languages only in 2011, and now Pierre Dukan came to give an interview, hold a seminar and meet with fans.

— Monsieur Dukan, at the beginning of your book there is a dedication to your wife and children. Our internet resource is fully dedicated to family life, birth and raising of children. How important do you think family is in today's world?

— I am a traditional person. I believe that finding a wife - the right wife - is a great blessing. Now everything is changing so fast, many things are being devalued, traditions are being destroyed, so it is very important to have a woman around - understanding, dedicated. It's important that she complements you, because I can do something that my wife can't, and in return she brings something that I don't have. This is the foundation.

Pierre Dukan and his diet

My wife gave me two children - and the three of them, like my readers, are the most valuable in my life. This is no joke, but very important indeed. Our children, thirty years spent side by side, are already from the spiritual, religious sphere, that is the magic of life. I think that marriages that take place on the run, when the spouses change like handkerchiefs - marriage, divorce - are bad. This behavior makes a person fragile, less stable - and this has a negative impact on health. When we are happy, when we are satisfied with our family, our relationships with our children, then we are better able to resist life's troubles.

— What do your children do?

— My son is a financier, he lives in Paris, he works with me: he deals with everything related to finance, the Internet, the website, the products we release to make people's diets easier.

My daughter Maja is finishing her studies - studying at the Ecole de Commerce. And there is a very funny story associated with her name, I will tell you now. I had a patient with a German surname - she had a Swiss husband - named Maya. I said, "Oh, my daughter's name is the same as yours. " She asked why we named our daughter that. I explained, "Because I have a lot of respect for Picasso, and one of his daughters is called Maya. "And do you know what the woman answered? "I am. I am Maya Picasso. "

— Tell us something about your brand's products - and how they can be bought from us?
Dukan at an interview

— The first product I started producing under my own name is bran. The fact is that bran is one of the most important food products, but it is very difficult to find it in France. Bran is very useful: firstly, it cleans the intestines, and secondly, it provides the necessary calories. As a result, we started importing them from Finland, and then we found out that the product was actually from another country - that is, it came to France through Finland. (Canada is the largest supplier of bran in the world). When people "tried" this product, they came to us with suitcases and bought everything. That's when I decided it was time to start selling bran - and that's how the first product appeared.

Later, they began to produce bran cakes (biscuits), which I recommend you use in the first phase of weight loss - this is an excellent tool for suppressing hunger: a person with an uncontrolled appetite can eat them as much as he wants. In my book, I give a recipe for such flatbreads: in addition to bran, you need liquid cottage cheese, proteins and a little vegetable oil. But many readers wrote to my website that it would be nice and convenient to buy ready-made flatbreads. Then we started producing them. Then they started making ketchup - no salt, no sugar. We now manufacture more than 50 products and sell them all over the world. I hope that in 3-4 months, at the beginning of next year, they will start to be sold here.

— In your opinion, how current is the problem of excess weight in our country?

— I was surprised when I read on the Internet that there are more obese people in the megacities of your country than in Paris. People eat fast food and move little. But if you eat like Americans, then you will become like Americans! We must stay true to ourselves, preserve the traditions of food. Now you are at a turning point - you can still do something, stop, so as not to lose your balance.

In general, the problem of excess weight is not just a fad dictated by women's desire to look more elegant and younger. It is known that obese people live 9 years less than people with normal weight.

I am a doctor, not a businessman. And ever since I was little, I wanted to be a doctor. When I had to choose between art and medicine after high school, my mother, who has always been a beacon for me, said: "If you become a doctor, you will always be able to draw or collect art, but if you become an artist, you will neverto be able to practice medicine. "

Being a doctor,  I take great pleasure in treating anyone who can be cured. And, according to my firm belief, excess weight is not even an acute form of the disease, it is a permanent and chronic disease.

Dukan's opinion on excess weight

In the 70s, everyone wanted to lose weight quickly and didn't think about the fact that the weight would inevitably come back later. People now understand that weight should be maintained throughout life. Many diets fail the test of time due to the lack of consolidation steps.

When I first started, patients who initially lost weight would return to my office after six months. I improved my technique and they started coming back within a year. But as a doctor, I was not satisfied with this result either – I wanted them to be cured forever. Therefore, in the end, I brought my method to perfection: I offer patients not only fish, but also a fishing guide, that is, a diet plan, according to which they can not only quickly and effectively deal with obesity, but also maintain the results for a long time and without external help.

— How do you respond to criticism of your methodology?

— I emphasize that my method was created to get rid of excess weight. It is necessary to distinguish between the diet for a person with 10-20 extra kilograms and the usual diet of a person of normal weight. My technique is based on a very short and concentrated period - from a month and a half to three months - this is an "attack" on weight, this is a war. Then it's easier, but still, of course, you need to monitor your diet - if a person has a problem such as excess weight, there is a tendency to obesity. For example, according to the recommendations of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the daily diet should contain 55% carbohydrates. However, the standards were adopted in the 60s, for the current sedentary lifestyle it is too much. When you eat sugar, your body does not want it because it understands that sugar is dangerous for the body and should be completely eliminated from the diet.

Very important - and this is not news - physical activity. I was born into a world where it was natural to move and I didn't feel obligated to prove it. But modern society encourages all kinds of technologies that make man's life easier, make him move less - this is exactly the attitude that needs to be overcome.