Dukan's 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 need 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 reprinted 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, to hold a workshop and meet with admirers.
"Monsieur Ducan, at the beginning of your book there is a dedication to your wife and children. "Our Internet resource is entirely dedicated 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 changes so quickly, many things are devalued, traditions are destroyed, so it is very important to have a woman nearby - understanding, devoted. It's important that she complements you, because I can do something that my wife can't, and she, in turn, brings something that I don't have. This is the foundation.
My wife gave me two children – all three, as well as my readers, are the most precious thing in my life. This is not a joke, but very important indeed. Our children, thirty years spent side by side, are already from the realm of the spiritual, the religious, this is the magic of life. I think that marriages that are concluded on the fly, when the husbands change like handkerchiefs - get married, get divorced - are bad. This behavior makes a person more fragile, less stable - and this has a negative impact on health. When we are happy, when we are satisfied with our family, with our relationships with our children, then we are better able to withstand the troubles in life.
– 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 launch to make it easier for people to follow a diet.
My daughter Maya is finishing her studies - studying at the Ecole de Commerce. And there is a very funny story connected with her name, I will tell you now. A patient with a German surname - she had a Swiss husband - named Maya came to me. 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 replied? 'I am. 'I am Maya Picasso. "
— Tell us a little about the products of your brand - and how they can be purchased 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 products of the diet, 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. As a result, we started importing them from Finland, and then we realized that the product was actually from another country - that is, it had reached 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. Then I decided that it was time to start selling bran - and that's how the first product appeared.
Later they began to produce cakes (biscuits) made from bran, which I recommend to use during the first stage of weight loss - it is an excellent means of fighting hunger: a person with an uncontrollable appetite can eat them as much as he wants. In my book, I give a recipe for such bread rolls: in addition to bran, you need liquid cottage cheese, proteins and a little vegetable oil. But many readers wrote on my website about 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. Now we manufacture more than 50 products and sell them all over the world. I hope that within 3-4 months, at the beginning of next year, they will start to be sold in our country.
— How topical do you think the problem of overweight 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 move little. But if you eat like the Americans, then you will become like the Americans! We must stay true to ourselves, preserve food traditions. 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 overweight is not just a whim dictated by the desire of women to look more elegant and youthful. It is known that obese people live 9 years less than people of normal weight.
I'm a doctor, not a businessman. And since I was a child I wanted to become a doctor. When after graduating from high school I had to choose between art and medicine, my mother, who has always been a beacon for me, said: "If you become a doctor, you will always be able to paint or collect art, but if you become an artist, you will never be able toto practice medicine. "
Being a doctor, I take great pleasure in curing anyone who can be cured. And in my firm belief, overweight is not even an acute form of the disease, it is a persistent and chronic disease.
In the 70s, everyone wanted to lose weight quickly and did not think about the fact that the weight would inevitably return later. People now understand that weight must be maintained throughout life. Many diets do not stand the test of time due to the lack of a consolidation step.
When I first started, patients who initially lost weight would return to my office again after six months. I improved the technique and they started coming back within a year. But even I, as a doctor, was not satisfied with this result – 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 andwithout outside help.
— How do you respond to criticism of your methodology?
— I emphasize that my method is designed to help you get rid of excess weight. It is necessary to distinguish between a diet for a person with 10-20 extra kilograms and the usual diet for 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 is easier, but still, of course, you need to monitor your diet -if a person has a problem such as overweight, he tends to become obese. 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 inThe 60s, for today's sedentary lifestyle, it's too much. When you eat sugar, your body doesn't want it because it understands that sugar is dangerous to 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 for me to move, and I didn't feel obligated to prove it. But modern society promotes all kinds of technologies that make a person's life easier, make him move less - this is exactly the opinion that needs to be overcome.