The Dukan protein diet was developed in 1975. It is based on 72 protein-rich foods: meat, fish, seafood, dairy products, tofu, as well as vegetables and fruits - that means you don't have to go hungry and suffer. Dukan's book "I Can't Lose Weight" was published in France in 2000 and has since been endlessly republished in various languages with millions of copies. The book was only published in other languages in 2011, and now Pierre Dukan has come to give an interview, leading a seminar and meeting with admirers.
— Monsieur Dukan, at the beginning of your book there is a dedication to your wife and children. Our Internet resource is dedicated exclusively to family life, childbirth and raising children. How important do you think family is in today's world?
— I am a traditional person. I believe that finding a wife - a real wife - is a great blessing. Now everything is changing so quickly, a lot of things are being devalued, traditions are being destroyed, so it is very important to have a woman nearby - an understanding, devoted one. It's important that she complements you because I can do something my wife can't and she in turn brings something I don't have. That is the foundation.
My wife gave me two children - and, like my readers, the three are the most valuable thing in my life. This isn't a joke, it's actually very important. Our children, who have spent thirty years side by side, already come from the spiritual, religious realm, this is the magic of life. I think that marriages that take place on the run, when spouses are changed like tissues - getting married, getting divorced - are bad. This behavior makes a person more fragile and unstable - and this has a negative impact on their health. When we are happy, when we are satisfied with our family and our relationships with our children, we are better able to withstand the difficulties of life.
— What are your children doing?
— My son is a financier who lives in Paris and works with me: he takes care of everything related to finance, the Internet, the website and the products we launch to help people comply with ato make diet easier.
My daughter Maya is currently finishing her studies – she is studying at the Ecole de Commerce. And there is a very funny story associated with her name, which I will tell you now. A patient came to me with a German surname - she had a Swiss husband - called 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 respect Picasso a lot and one of his daughters is called Maya. ' And do you know what the woman answered? "It's me. I am Maya Picasso. "
— Tell us about your brand’s products – and how to buy them in our country?
— The first product I started producing under my own name was bran. The fact is that bran is one of the most important food products, but it is very difficult to find in France. Bran is very useful: firstly, it cleanses the intestines, and secondly, it provides the necessary calories. We then started importing them from Finland and then discovered that the product actually came from another country, so it came to France via 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. Then I decided it was time to start selling bran - and so the first product was born.
Later they began to make cakes (cookies) from bran, which I recommend in the first phase of weight loss - they are an excellent means of combating hunger: those who have an uncontrollable appetite can eat as much of them as they want. In my book I give a recipe for such flatbreads: In addition to bran, you need liquid cottage cheese, egg white and a little vegetable oil. But many readers have written on my website how nice and convenient it would be to buy ready-made flatbreads. Then we started producing them. Then they started making ketchup – no salt, no sugar. We now produce more than 50 products and sell them all over the world. I hope that in 3-4 months, early next year, they will be sold in our country.
— How relevant do you think the problem of obesity is in our country?
— I was surprised to read on the Internet that there are more overweight people in the megacities of your country than in Paris. People eat fast food and don't exercise much. But if you eat like Americans, you will become like Americans! We have to stay true to ourselves and preserve food traditions. You are now at a turning point - there is still something you can do, pause so as not to lose your balance.
In general, the problem of excess weight is not just a whim arising from women's desire for a more elegant and youthful appearance. It is known that overweight people live 9 years shorter than people of normal weight.
I'm a doctor, I'm not a businessman. And even as a child I wanted to be a doctor. When I had to choose between art and medicine after high school, my mother said she was always a role model for me: "If you become a doctor, you can always draw or collect art, but if you become an artist, you will never be in thatBe able to practice medicine. "
As a doctor, I take great joy in healing anyone who can be healed. And I firmly believe that obesity is not even an acute form of the disease, but a persistent and chronic disease.
In the 70s, everyone wanted to lose weight quickly and did not think that the weight would inevitably come back later. People now understand that weight needs to be maintained throughout life. Many diets don't last long due to the lack of a consolidation step.
When I started, patients who initially lost weight came back to my practice after six months. I improved the technique and they came back within a year. But as a doctor, I wasn't happy with this result either - I wanted them to be cured forever. That's why in the end I perfected my method: I offer patients not only fish, but also a guide to fishing, that is, a diet plan, following which they can not only quickly and effectively deal with obesity, but also get the results for a long time and without strangersHelp.
— How do you respond to criticism of your methodology?
— I emphasize that my method was developed to get rid of excess weight. A distinction must be made between a diet for a person who is 10 to 20 pounds overweight and the usual diet for a person of normal weight. My technique is based on a very short and concentrated period of time - from one and a half to three months - this is an "attack" on weight, this is war. Then it is easier, but of course you still have to pay attention to your diet - if a person is aProblem such as being overweight, there is a tendency to become obese. For example, according to the recommendations of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization), the daily diet should contain 55% carbohydrates. However, the standards were changed in the 60sadopted; this is too much for today's sedentary lifestyle. When you eat sugar, your body doesn't want it because it knows that sugar is dangerous for the body and should be completely eliminated from your 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 the need to prove it. But modern society promotes all kinds of technologies that make a person's life easier and make him move less - this very view needs to be overcome.