What’s really going on with this hype?
dr. Frank van Berkum is currently the most famous doctor in the Netherlands. His book ‘Healthy slim with Dr. Frank’ is flying out of the shops and thousands of people are following his diet via his site. He himself calls his method ‘nice’, ‘tasty’ and ‘long-lasting’. But what does it really mean?
How does it work?
the dr. Frank diet is based on the intake of a constant amount of protein. This allows you to burn fat without affecting your muscle mass. This is important, because the muscles use a lot of energy. In addition, proteins provide a feeling of satiety and fullness. As a result, you stop eating earlier and you have little or no problem with a tasty appetite.
What do you have to do?
After years of research, Dr. Frank came up with a diet in which you get a lot of proteins and a limited number of carbohydrates. Bread, rice, pasta and even fruit are therefore forbidden territory and you will hardly find them in the specially selected daily menus. You may vary with the menus in the book, because variety is important. Just following this diet is not enough. You will also need to move more. The combination of his diet, sufficient exercise and perseverance is according to Dr. Frank the key to success.
For who is it?
If you want to follow this diet, realize that from now on you will have to do without bread, pasta, potatoes and fruit. If you can’t do this, don’t start it. You can only keep it up if you adjust your diet according to the doctor’s rules. If you don’t do this, the kilos will fly back on. If you have a BMI of 27 or higher, you can follow this diet. Also if you suffer from diabetes, underactive thyroid, high cholesterol, high blood pressure or a gluten allergy. Children are not advised to use the Dr. Frank diet.
What do experts think?
Nutritionist Freya Zuidervaart of Valtaf.nl: “In my opinion, Dr. Frank is a hype that you will probably not hear about in a year. With this diet you can indeed lose weight quickly without having a lot of appetite. The big question is always whether you can also maintain the weight loss afterwards. Probably everyone who now follows Dr. Frank will participate in a new hype next year to lose the weight that has arrived again. A healthy diet for the long term is really the best solution!”
Advantages
- Easy to keep up with, because the many proteins provide a feeling of satiety.
- Hardly any muscle breakdown, so your metabolism stays at the right level.
- Because you lose weight quickly – maybe even a little too quickly – you stay motivated.
Cons
- Such a diet without carbohydrates is very one-sided and unsustainable in the long term.
- Fruit is off limits, so you get few vitamins and minerals.
- You may suffer from headaches and bad breath.
Disclaimer
The effectiveness of a diet depends on many factors. Losing a lot of weight quickly is never a good idea, so avoid the so-called crash diets. People who are seriously overweight (BMI > 30) are better off consulting a dietician for a tailor-made diet than following a diet on their own. Also keep in mind that most diets are designed for ‘life’. Whoever falls back into his or her old diet, will quickly regain the lost kilos.
