Fresh cucumbers should not be eaten during the Attack Phase, on the other hand, gherkins and pickles are diet-safe. This, however doesn’t mean that you menu should consist only of cucumbers.

Remember that the beating heart of the Dukan Diet is protein, and protein rich foods are to be the base of each meal. Don’t hesitate to grab and snack a pickle or gherkin though. Thanks to their distinctive tastes, they add a lot of variety to protein meals.

A few words of caution

Pickles (aka sour cucumbers) are very, very salty. Since the Dukan diet is to be low-salt regime, don’t go crazy with them.

Gherkins (especially the sweet variety of pickled gherkins) are often pickled with the use of vinegar, herbs and sugar. Because of this last ingredient, you should be very careful (and read the label) while choosing gherkins to be consumed during the Dukan Diet. Always choose products with the lowest contents of sugar (possibly below 5-6%). Usually, hot, spicy and piquant varieties contain much less sugar.

Pickles (with Dill) Nutrition Data →

Everything’s great except the sodium contents. Being on diet or not, you shouldn’t eat more than 0.5 kg of salty pickles a day.

But you can eat them in moderation every day! Even during the Attack Phase.