The Sacred Heart Diet has been making the fad diet circuit for awhile. Dieters may have tried the Sacred Heart Diet under another name from an exhaustive list of curious monikers: the Cabbage Soup Diet, Mayo Clinic Diet, T.J.'s Miracle Soup Diet, the Spokane Heart Diet, the Cleveland Clinic Diet, the Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital Diet and the Miami Heart Institute Diet. The Sacred Heart Diet purports that dieters can lose between 10 lbs. and 17 lbs. in one week, but these results are most likely temporary.
Sacred Heart Diet Origin
The urban legend behind the Sacred Heart Diet is that hospitals give it to patients who need to lose weight before heart surgery. Although the origins of the Sacred Heart Diet are unclear, the Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center says that it's not a part of the hospital's program and does not consider it "healthy or safe." Similarly, the Mayo Clinic has its own diet program; however, it's dramatically different than the Sacred Heart Diet and includes a broad array of healthy food types, as well as exercise.
What's On The Menu
Depending on what incarnation of the Sacred Heart Diet that falls into your hands--or pops up on your search engine--the diet may vary. However, a primary component of the seven-day Sacred Heart Diet is consuming large quantities of cabbage soup that dieters prepare at home in addition to other specific food types that are permitted or disallowed, depending on the day. For example, one variation of the Sacred Heart Diet permits the consumption of fruit (except bananas) on the first day of the diet; vegetables (except dry beans, peas and corn) and a baked potato on the second day; and all types of fruit and vegetables on the third day, sans potato. Bananas and skim milk are eaten on the fourth day, tomatoes and beef on the fifth. Day 6 permits beef and vegetables, and the last day adds brown rice, fruit juice and vegetables.
What Else?
Most versions of the Sacred Heart Diet allow dieters to drink unsweetened juices (including cranberry juice), skim milk, water, and black coffee and tea. However, although the Sacred Heart Diet is purportedly a "fat-burning" diet, physical activity is not a recommended component. Nutritionist Lisa Drayer mentioned the Sacred Heart Diet (Cabbage Soup Diet) as one of four fad diets to avoid in an October 2008 CBS segment of "The Early Show."
Experts Weigh In
Dietitian Joanne Larsen, a member of the American Dietetic Association and the Society for Nutrition Education, notes that no diet can "burn fat." This can only be accomplished by eating fewer calories than the body requires or engaging in aerobic exercise. Larsen says that the maximum amount of weight a person can lose in one day is 1/2 lb., and any other weight shed on the Sacred Heart Diet occurs due to loss of body water. Once water is replaced, Larsen notes, weight is quickly regained.
Your Better Bet
The ADA warns dieters to eschew fad diets, especially those that give certain foods "magical qualities" that lead to weight loss. They set up dieters for long-term failure, because rarely can they be sustained for a long period. The ADA notes that the key to successful long-term weight loss is "balancing the calories you consume with the calories you burn"--which includes increasing your level of physical activity and making lifestyle changes.
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