The Negative Aspect Of The Dukan Diet: The Side Effects

The Negative Aspect Of The Dukan Diet: The Side Effects

The Dukan diet is a low carbohydrate, high protein, fast weight loss diet. The chief strengths of the Dukan program are rapid initial weight loss followed by even, regular, weight loss; a lack of hunger and minimal food cravings; no calorie counting or food weighing; dieters can eat unlimited amounts of allowed foods and can eat whenever they want. While all of this strengths make the Dukan diet a viable alternative to traditional calorie counting weight loss programs there are some negative side effects to the Dukan regime. In this article I will be looking at the negative side of the Dukan diet: the side effects.

The first few days on the diet are the hardest. Although there is usually substantial weight loss many dieters report feelings of tiredness with slight to mild headaches. These in turn can cause irritability. This is a price often seen as worth paying by followers of the Dukan diet since the side effects only last a few days and are not considered as bad as the constant hunger and food craving experienced during the first weeks of a more traditional weight loss program,

Due to the high protein content and low carbohydrate content of the diet, some people may experience constipation as their body adjusts to their new eating habits. This admittedly unpleasant side-effect is easily treated by increasing the amount of oat bran consumed and ensuring the correct amount of water is drunk each day.

Some people have brought up an unusual side-effect of the Dukan diet, that shopping is made more difficult due to the restricted menu. This strictly speaking is not a side effect, as traditionally considered, but I will address the problem here. The foods permitted on the Dukan diet are all regular, every day foods, with the possible exception of oat bran. The meats, beef, chicken, turkey, and fish are all regular cuts available in all supermarkets. The same goes for the vegetables. A wide range of vegetables are permitted and dieters are encouraged to try flavors they have not experienced before but this is only to make their overall diet more interesting. The oat bran is less popular and so people may have to go to a health food store or order some online. Many of the bigger supermarket chains do stock it however and this will increase as the benefits of this special fiber becomes more widely appreciated