I’ll be glad when the royal wedding is over and done with because Kate Middleton is wasting away! No, not from the bride jitters, but because she has been dieting! She has been following the Dukan Diet which was developed by Dr. Pierre Dukan of France who just recently released an English version of his book. I decided to do some investigating because the French have interesting eating habits (red wine and dark chocolate!) and I have to weigh in on the latestd diet rage to see if it is just another high protein, quick weight loss diet as they claim.

Here is how it works:

Phase One – The Attack Stage

This consists of avoiding all carbs, eating only lean proteins and oat bran. Now my first question is, isn’t oat bran a carbohydrate???? So of course I Googled oat bran and here is all you need to know about oat bran according to www. carbs-information. com:

Oat Bran and Carbs

Grains and oats (like Oat Bran), have a high carb count but a lower “net carb” or “digestible carb” content. They contain several vitamins and minerals. Grains and oats are often a good source of dietary fiber, which has a number of health benefits. For example, fiber helps protect against digestive disorders and disease. Healthy low carb diet plans typically recommend grains and oats in later phases of the eating plan, when you are permitted more carbs – although whole grain varieties are preferred.

For more details about carbs in grains and oats, see below.

Oat Bran and Glycemic Index

Oats and grains which are higher in insoluble fiber content (mainly cellulose) are digested more slowly, and are thus lower on the glycemic index, which helps to maintain more stable blood glucose levels and healthierglucose metabolism. Eating more fiber helps to reduce the effect of high glycemic index foods by lowering theglycemic value of meals.

Phase Two – The Cruise Phase

Protein is balanced with vegetables on alternate days but no potatoes or avocados are permitted.

Phase Three – The Consolidation Phase

Now you can add one serving of fruit per day and whole wheat bread. (I would have trouble with this because I like my berries in the morning for anti-oxidants, and my apple in the afternoon to keep the doctor away…..)

Phase Four – The Stabilization Phase

This is the maintenance stage where you can eat whatever you want but one day per week must eat pure protein only. (Whatever you want may be very different than whatever I want.)

Six glasses of water are recommended per day and 20 minutes of walking.

So there, you have it! This is what Penelope Cruz, Jennifer Lopez and Gisele Bundchen followed to lose their baby weight, but why does Kate Middleton need to lose weight? I personally would have a difficult time following this diet because I need my nuts and berries and I’m not sure it really teaches you how to make good choices. I haven’t read the book, but you can be sure I’d be looking for the dark chocolate and red wine phase!