Is the Danish Diet 13 Days the Worst Diet You Can Try?

The Danish diet is a very strict diet and is considered one of the worst. But if you want drastic results on your body, it can give that to you.

Do You Know What the Danish Diet Is?

This diet is also referred to as the Copenhagen diet or the Royal Danish hospital diet. Its program is connected with the Danish Royal Hospital, although that connection has never been proven anywhere.

This diet program is considered very strict, but it promises great results – 10 to 20 lb (5 to 10 kg) in 13 days. That’s a great result in such a short time, isn’t it?

You will often come across claims that this diet will give even more drastic results in 13 days and that you can lose up to 40 lb (20 kg). However, such results in such a short time are unlikely, even at the cost of not eating anything.

How Does the Danish Diet Affect the Body?

Supporters of this diet claim that it aims to permanently change the metabolism, and that the results are so good that the weight will not return in the next 2 years.

The Danish hospital diet is a low calorie diet. By following its program, you consume only 600 calories a day. Therein lies the secret of its efficiency, because we know that fewer consumed calories also mean losing weight.

Just because a diet is effective doesn’t mean it’s good at the same time. In fact, such a strict diet is not desirable unless you are under the supervision of a doctor.

Danish Diet 13 Days and Its Rules

You must be wondering what is so rigorous about this diet. Above all, there are strict rules.

Danish diet rules you must follow:

• You can have only three meals a day, preferably every day at the same time. Breakfast should be before 9 am, lunch between 12 and 2 pm, and dinner between 5 and 6 pm.
• Each of the 13 days the diet has exactly prescribed meals and quantities from which you must not deviate.
• You need to drink 2 liters of water a day.
• No use of salt or spices.
• There is no cheating or breaking the rules. No matter how hungry you are, there are no snacks, not even chewing gum. Alcohol is forbidden during this program. If you succumb to temptation, give up dieting. Results are not guaranteed. You can try it again only after 3 months.
• The diet lasts 13 days. Not a day more, not a day less.
• You must not repeat the diet before the two-year period has elapsed.
• The diet is not intended for children, teenagers, pregnant women, nursing mothers, but only for completely healthy people who are overweight.

All this is not so terrible until you look at the menu of the Danish diet in detail. It includes a very limited number of ingredients and very small quantities of food.

It is very likely that the Danish diet will keep you hungry for 13 days .

The only allowed way to deceive hunger is to drink a glass of water.

The rules of this diet also imply that you eat only 3 meals a day, without snacks. However, the big problem is that very often the first morning meal is not a meal at all. It’s just a cup of coffee or tea and a cube of sugar.

It is not enough to give you energy for the rest of the day. In addition, other meals are very weak. Therein lies the reason why it is very difficult to follow the rules that this Danish diet implies.

Danish Diet – Menu

Each diet has its own meal plan that makes it special and sets it apart from other diets. The menu of the Danish diet is very strict. Every day is clearly defined, there are specific foods that you can eat, and it must be strictly respected.

Danish Diet 13 Days – Breakfast:

1. day – a cup of coffee and a cube of sugar
2. day – a cup of coffee and a cube of sugar
3. day – a cup of coffee, a cube of sugar and one piece of toasted bread
4. day – a cup of coffee, a cube of sugar and one piece of toasted bread
5. day – fresh grated carrot with lemon juice
6. day – a cup of coffee, a cube of sugar and one piece of toasted bread
7. day – a cup of tea
8. day – a cup of coffee, a cube of sugar and one piece of toasted bread
9. day – a cup of coffee and a cube of sugar
10. day – a cup of coffee, a cube of sugar and one piece of toasted bread
11. day – a cup of coffee, a cube of sugar and one piece of toasted bread
12. day – fresh grated carrot with lemon juice
13. day – a cup of coffee, a sugar cube and one piece of toasted bread

Danish Diet 13 Days – Lunch:

1. day – 2 boiled eggs, 200g of boiled spinach, one tomato
2. day – a glass of yogurt and a roll of ham
3. day – 2 boiled eggs, a ham roll, Danish salad
4. day – a glass of yogurt and freshly squeezed orange juice (not more than a liter)
5. day – 200g boiled fish, topped with a little lemon and a little melted butter
6. day – grated fresh carrot and 2 boiled eggs
7. day – without lunch
8. day – 2 boiled eggs, a ham roll, Danish salad
9. day – a glass of yogurt and a few rolls of ham
10. day – 2 boiled eggs, a ham roll, Danish salad
11. day – a glass of yogurt and freshly squeezed orange juice (not more than a liter)
12. day – 200g boiled fish, topped with a little lemon and a little melted butter
13. day – grated fresh carrot and 2 boiled eggs

Danish Diet 13 Days – Dinner:

1. day – lean meat steak 200g and Danish salad
2. day – lean meat steak 200g and Danish salad
3. day – one boiled celery with one tomato and any piece of fruit
4. day – 25g of low-fat cheese, boiled egg, and one grated carrot
5. day – lean meat steak 200g, Danish salad, and boiled celery
6. day – Danish salad and roasted chicken without skin
7. day – roasted lamb chop and any piece of fruit
8. day – one boiled celery with one tomato and any piece of fruit
9. day – fat-free pork steak 300g and Danish salad
10. day – one boiled celery with one tomato and any piece of fruit
11. day – 25g of low-fat cheese, boiled egg, and one grated carrot
12. day – lean meat steak 200g, Danish salad, and boiled celery
13. day – Danish salad and roasted chicken without skin

As you can see, if you decide to make this Danish diet your way to a super-slim line, then you will mostly eat boiled eggs, grated carrots, lean meat, a little spinach, celery, some tomatoes and fruit of your choice.

On the seventh day, you only have dinner, and you eat almost nothing all day. If you want, you can replace coffee with tea. An unavoidable ingredient in the menu of the Danish diet is the Danish salad, which you can eat in unlimited quantities during the meal, but not between meals.

How Is the Danish Salad Prepared?

Danish salad is a common meal in this strict diet and you can immediately make larger quantities of this salad, which you will store in the refrigerator, in a box with a closed lid. Of course, you should not overdo the quantities.

If you want your salad to retain its nutrients, it should not be refrigerated for days, so do not stock up for more than 3 days.

Preparing Danish salad is simple. You need to clean and finely chop the following ingredients:

• 1 leek
• 2 lb (1 kg) of carrots
• 2 lb (1 kg) of white cabbage
• two peppers – one red and one green

This salad is topped with 3 fl oz (1 dl) of oil, a little vinegar, and seasoned with half a teaspoon of sugar and half a teaspoon of salt. These are also all the spices you use in this diet.

Danish Diet – Experiences

Surely you are wondering what are the experiences with the Danish diet and is it effective? Well, we have the answer – the Royal Danish hospital diet is effective and allows you to lose 10 to 20 lb (5 to 10 kg) in a relatively short time. These pounds should not come back when you stop dieting.

The Danish diet promises results that last for 2 years.

Experience with the Danish diet also shows that, despite being fast, it is very demanding and difficult because it includes a very small number of groceries and very small amounts of food. It literally shocks your body and primarily affects the loss of water and fat layers from the body.

According to the supporters of this diet, it is a metabolic shock, from which the body cannot recover for two years. It is very important that you return to your previous menu gradually to prevent this shock from being even greater.

A sudden return to the old diet could have a bad effect on your health. In that case, the experience with the Danish diet could be described as shocking! And there is no need for that.

If you have a character strong enough to follow the rules required by this Royal Danish hospital diet, you will easily take care that your further diet is moderate and healthy.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Danish Diet

When you take in half of the calories needed for the body to function normally, it can have more disadvantages than advantages. When it comes to this diet, calorie intake is three times less than needed.

By eating this way, you consume 600 calories a day, and a person who leads a completely inactive life needs at least 1800 calories. It will lead to weight loss, but it is also likely that you will be hungry, exhausted, weak, and in a bad mood.

The lack of calories in this diet program is accompanied by a lack of nutrients. By eating mostly protein foods with little fresh vegetables and a minimal amount of fruit, you will not get all the vitamins and minerals that the body needs, nor the appropriate amount of carbohydrates. As a result, you will not have enough energy to perform daily life activities, let alone to perform hard physical or mental work.

Physical activity is not recommended with this diet. Experience with the Danish diet has shown that with this calorie intake you would not have enough energy for something like that.

This diet uses the authority of the Danish Royal Hospital, but it has never been confirmed by this institution. This fact raises doubts about its efficiency. There is no doubt that it will help you lose weight, but there is great doubt about its consequences on your health.

This diet encourages skipping meals and does not recommend physical activity, and some rules may be pointlessly strict. For example, one sugar-free chewing gum can supposedly ruin the entire diet.

All this leads to the fact that you have to be very careful. It is very important to monitor your condition and stop dieting if you feel very weak, dizzy, or fainting. Consult a doctor and choose a less strict diet.

If you still decide to start this diet, we can highlight a couple of benefits of this diet program.

• By eating fewer calories, you will surely lose weight – the diet is effective
• You only need to follow the rules for 13 days – the diet is fast and short
• The results will affect your metabolism and will last for 2 years – the diet has long-term results

Tips to help you get through the Danish diet more easily:

• Do not try to exercise during the diet.
• Start your diet in the spring or summer, when fresh foods are more accessible.
• Start your diet when you are on vacation and when no one expects much physical effort or mental engagement from you.
• Try to occupy yourself with something, be it a job, a hobby or anything like that, so that you don’t think about food nor break the rules of the diet.

Why Is the Danish Diet One of the Worst Diets You Can Try?

If your only goal is to lose a lot of weight in a short time, and you are ready to sacrifice and suffer because of it, the Danish diet is the right thing for you. However, if health is important in your life, then you should consult a doctor before starting this diet program. 

Although this diet is often called the Royal Danish hospital diet, it is unlikely that a doctor or nutritionist will recommend it to you.

Almost every story about a healthy and proper diet is based on the intake of various foods, and breakfast is the main meal that should have the most calories and provide you with enough energy and nutrients by the end of the day or until the next meal. A cup of coffee or tea and a sugar cube could hardly be called a meal at all, let alone provide anything nutritious.

Proper nutrition usually includes three meals a day and 2 snacks. Diet for weight loss always implies deviations from these rules, and this diet has gone to extremes. It includes 3 meals, which on some days are reduced to 2 meals and a beverage – coffee or squeezed orange juice. 600 calories a day can hardly be called nutrition at all.

We should also refer to the claim that this 13-day diet causes metabolic shock in the body and that after diet the body functions according to that newly established metabolism for 2 years. Do you really want to give your organs such a shock?

The Danish diet is not, and should not be a long-term diet. Such strict and low-calorie diets are not healthy and always last a short time. However, in a way, they can awaken in you the awareness of how unhealthy you eat in your daily life, how much you eat and which of your habits have led to the accumulation of fat layers. There is a better way to reduce belly fat.

The Danish diet can be a difficult but valuable lesson about health and nutrition.

Usually, such strict diets are prescribed to people who are extremely overweight, people who find it difficult to move due to being overweight, and have other health problems caused by being overweight. They are then performed in a hospital setting and under the constant supervision of a doctor. That is why we can often hear about this diet being a hospital diet.

Do you think that the Danish diet is the right choice for you, or that you should give preference to a less strict and better balanced diet? If you do not know the answer, consult your doctor.

References

1. The Copenhagen Diet: Everything you need to know about the 13-day weight loss plan
2. FOOD FOR THOUGHT What is the Copenhagen diet plan, is it low sugar and is it is safe? All you need to know
3. Danish Roy Hospital Diet
4. Low-Calorie Diets: a Basic Guide
5. Low-Calorie Diets
6. The Surprising Secret to Healthy Aging
7. The Risks Of Poor Nutrition
8. What is nutritional-deficiency anemia?