The Dukan Protein Diet was created in 1975. It is based on 72 protein-rich foods: meat, fish, seafood, dairy, 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 has been endlessly reproduced in various languages in millions of copies. The book was published in another language only in 2011, and now Pierre Dukan has come to give interviews, conduct seminars and meet with fans.
— Tuan Dukan, at the beginning of your book there is a dedication to your wife and children. Our Internet resource is completely dedicated to family life, giving birth and raising children. How important do you think family is in today's world?
- I am a traditionalist. I believe that finding a woman—a real woman—is a great blessing. Now everything changes so quickly, many things are degraded, traditions are destroyed, so it is very important to have a woman nearby - an understanding, faithful one. It's important that she complements you, because I can do something that my wife can't, and she brings something that I don't have. This is the basis.
My wife gave me two children - and the three of them, as well as my readers, are the most precious things in my life. This is no joke, but very important. Our children, thirty years side by side, already from the spiritual realm, religion, this is the miracle of life. I think that a marriage that happens on the run, when partners are changed like a handkerchief - married, divorced - is bad. This behavior makes a person more fragile, less stable - and this has a negative effect on health. When we are happy, when we are satisfied with our family, our relationship with our children, then we are better able to withstand the hardships of life.
— What are your children doing?
— My son is a financier, lives in Paris, works with me: he deals with everything related to finance, the Internet, the website, the products we produce to make it easier for people to follow a diet.
My daughter Maya is finishing her studies - she studies at the Ecole de Commerce. And there is a very funny story related to his name, I will tell you now. A patient with a German surname came to see me - she had a Swiss husband - named Maya. I said, "Oh, my daughter's name is the same as yours. "He 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? "It's me. I'm Maya Picasso. "
— Tell us a little about your brand's products - and how they can be bought in our country?
— The first product I started to produce under my own name was bran. The fact is that bran is one of the most important dietary products, but very difficult to find in France. Bran is very useful: firstly, it cleans the intestines, and secondly, it provides the necessary calories. As a result, we started importing it from Finland, and then we discovered that the product was actually from another country - that is, through Finland it came to France. (Canada is the largest supplier of bran in the world). When people "try" this product, they come to us with suitcases and buy 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 of bran, which I recommend to use during the first stage of weight loss - this is an excellent tool to fight hunger: a person with an uncontrollable appetite can eat it as much as hewantIn my book, I give a recipe for such a flatbread: in addition to bran, you need melted cottage cheese, protein and a little vegetable oil. But many readers write to my website about how nice and easy it is to buy ready-made flatbread. Then we started producing it. Then they started making ketchup - without salt, without 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, it will start to be sold in our country.
— In your opinion, how relevant is the problem of overweight in our country?
— I was surprised to read on the Internet that in the big cities of your country there are more overweight people than in Paris. People eat fast food and move little. But if you eat like an American, then you will be like an American! We must remain true to ourselves, maintaining food traditions. You are now 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 desire determined by women's desire to look more graceful and youthful. It is known that obese people live 9 years less than people of normal weight.
I'm a doctor, I'm not a businessman. And since I was little, I wanted to be a doctor. When, after graduating from high school, I had to choose between art and medicine, my mother, she 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 not be able to practice medicine. "
Because I am a doctor, I am very happy to heal everyone who can be healed. And, in my belief, being overweight is not an acute form of this disease, it is a continuous and chronic disease.
In the 70s, everyone wanted to lose weight quickly and didn't think about the fact that the weight would definitely come back later. People now understand that weight needs to be maintained throughout life. Many diets do not stand the test of time due to the lack of consolidation steps.
When I first started, patients who initially lost weight would come back to my office again after six months. I improved the technique and they started coming back within a year. But as a doctor, I am also not satisfied with this result - I want them to be cured forever. Therefore, in the end, I bring my method to perfection: I offer patients not only fish, but also a guide to fishing, that is, a diet plan, according to which they can not only quickly and effectively overcome obesity, but also maintain the results for timeold and without outside 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 a diet for a person with 10-20 extra pounds and a normal diet for a person of normal weight. My technique is based on a very short and focused period - from one and a half to three months - this is an "attack" on weight, this is a war. Then it's easier, but you still, of course, need to monitor your diet - if someone has a problem like being overweight, there is a tendency to get fat. 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 standard was adopted in the 60s; for the current sedentary lifestyle, this is too much. When you eat sugar, your body does not want it because it understands that sugar is harmful 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's natural to move, and I don't feel obligated to prove it. But modern society encourages all kinds of technology that makes one's life easier, makes one less mobile—this is the view that needs to be overcome.