The cruise phase is the workhorse stage of the diet, where you alternate the pure
protein days of the
Attack phase with days when you add unlimited amounts of salads and vegetables to your selection of meat, fish and no-fat dairy products. You stay in this phase until you reach your ideal weight.
You can introduce the following vegetables either raw, steamed, boiled or baked (in foil) with your meat or fish: artichoke, asparagus, eggplant, broccoli, cabbage, celery, celeriac, chicory, cucumber, fennel, French beans, leeks, mushrooms, onions, capsicum, pumpkin, radish, salad leaves, sorrel, soybeans, spinach, swede, Swiss chard, tomatoes and turnip.
In principle, you can eat as many of these as you like, but if you want speedy weight loss, Dr Dukan believes it's best to eat until you no longer feel hungry.
Carrots and
beetroot are permitted, too, but they are starchy, so avoid having them too often. During the Cruise phase, steer away from starchy foods such as potatoes, rice, corn, peas, beans, lentils and avocado.
Cruise rules
- Have one to five pure protein days (with no-fat dairy products) interspersed with one to five days when vegetables can be eaten too.
- Eat two tablespoons of oat bran per day.
- Take a 30-minute brisk walk daily.
- Drink 1.5 litres of water each day.
You should be aware the weight loss you enjoyed in the Attack phase will likely plateau when you introduce salad and vegetables, but don't panic.
The protein-only diet has a powerful water-loss effect. A diet rich in meat and dairy products raises the levels of uric acid and urea in the blood. These are toxic by-products of protein breakdown, which the body tries to eliminate by sucking water out of the tissues and pumping it into the kidneys and urinary tract to help it flush out.
When you start eating vegetables again, your body will naturally start to retain a little water. As soon as you switch to a pure protein day, the water expulsion will return.
Dr Dukan says you can expect to lose 900 grams for every week you're on the Cruise phase.