You've probably heard about fad diets, such as the cabbage or grapefruit diets, that claim to provide fast weight loss. Some diets gain popularity because they are -- incorrectly -- associated with legitimate medical facilities, such as the Cleveland Clinic. The Sacred Heart Miracle Diet, also known as the Sacred Heart Diet or Miracle Soup Diet, is another weight loss plan purported to be developed for overweight cardiac patients at a "Sacred Heart" medical facility. Although this diet is rich in fruits and vegetables, it lacks essential nutrition needed to support the body.
Identification
The Sacred Heart Miracle Diet is a seven-day eating plan that features strict guidelines for each day. The primary food in the diet is the soup; however, there are other foods that can be eaten on specified days. For example, the first day requires eating only the soup and fruits, with the exclusion of bananas. Other days may involve a meal plan of soup, vegetables, baked potatoes, brown rice, milk and bananas. The fifth day of the diet allows 10 to 20 oz. of beef, and on the sixth day, you can eat as much beef as you want.
The Soup
The cornerstone of the Sacred Heart Miracle Diet is the vegetable soup. Its base is chicken noodle soup mix. Other ingredients include tomatoes, celery, green onions carrots, green peppers, green beans and beef broth. Salt, pepper, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce can be used to flavor the soup. The diet plan allows individuals to eat as much of the soup as they want each day.
Claims
Like other fad diets or weight loss gimmicks, the Sacred Heart Diet promises to deliver considerable weight loss -- up to 17 pounds at the end of the seven days. The theory behind how this eating plan works involves the combination of the foods that can be consumed. It's believed that together they work to burn fat -- and quickly.
Misconceptions
It's untrue that the foods in this diet create a unique method of burning fat; in reality, those that lose weight on this diet are doing so because of a major reduction in calories. In addition, the quick weight loss that may occur is mostly due to a loss of water weight. It's also important to consider that no reputable medical establishment has created or endorsed this diet. The Sacred Heart Medical Center & Children's Hospital in Washington states on its website that no staff members -- including the cardiology rehabilitation department -- endorse the diet. In addition, the Sacred Heart Hospital of Montreal, Canada, also states on its website that no staff member participated in developing this diet.
Warning
Both the Canadian Sacred Heart Hospital and the Sacred Heart Medical Center in Washington released statements expressing their concerns over this diet's use -- and for good reason. The diet severely limits consumption of a variety of foods that provide vital nutrients to the body. In addition, since most of the loss is water weight, dieters are likely to experience weight gain as soon as they resume their normal way of eating. Always discuss diets and other weight loss methods with a physician or registered dietitian before proceeding.
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