French diet gets royal treatment, but experts scoff

Americans looking to slim down for summer may soon be cheering "Vive la France" when “The Dukan Diet” book makes its American debut on April 19th. But U.S. nutrition experts are already saying "mon Dieu!" about yet another carb-hating, protein-loving, weight-loss plan.


The Dukan regimen invades America just as speculation builds that Kate Middleton and her mum are following it to lose weight for the royal wedding. Carole Middleton, mother of the princess-to-be, has claimed to be a Dukan fan, telling the British press it helped her lose four pounds in four days. In the U.S., Dukan has been gaining buzz through celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Gisele Bundchen, both of whom reportedly lost their baby weight on it.
The four-phase, high-protein Dukan Diet, published by Hodder & Stoughton, is Atkins with a French twist. While Atkins encourages consumption of “natural fats” like those found in olives and avocados, if you go Gallic, get ready to live on lean meats, no-fat cottage cheese and seafood. Oh, and oat bran. You’ll be consuming it during all four phases, along with liters and liters of water. Plus, there's lots of exercise.
The Dukan program, already wildly popular in Europe and England, starts with an “attack” phase â€" about two days to a week or so â€" allowing only as much lean protein as you can stomach. Limited amounts of previously forbidden foods like fruits, whole grains and 28 approved vegetables (no potatoes!) are added in later phases.
Eventually, you can eat what you want as long as you have a protein-only day once a week.
The promise is you’ll lose about seven to 10 pounds in the first five days alone. But France’s National Agency for Food, Environmental and Work Health Safety names it as one of 15 diets that are potentially risky. The British Dietetic Association doesn’t think much of it either, naming it as one five worst diets of 2011.
It's calories, not the carbs
One American who won't be copying Kate is Linda Schuster of Cleveland, Ohio, who remembers her bout with a protein-centric approach years ago. The normally well-mannered Schuster became a self-described, “rhymes with witch,” she says. “Without my beloved carbs, I was just no fun.”

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