Losing weight can take a long time, so it's sometimes tempting to try a quick fix instead. Fad diets may be simple, but they're not the answer to sustained and effective weight loss. The cabbage soup diet, which involves eating a cabbage soup concoction for one week, may help you lose weight because it is low in calories -- but as soon as you return to your normal diet, you're likely to regain the weight you lost. Talk to your doctor before trying any fad diet.
Directions
The cabbage soup diet is a weight-loss program that has been around for years, but no one seems to know its origins, according to Mayo Clinic nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky. The cabbage soup recipe involves cooking 6 chopped green onions, 2 chopped green peppers, 2 cans diced tomatoes, 1 bunch chopped celery, 1/2 head chopped cabbage, a packet of onion soup mix and salt and pepper. Some variations of the diet involve drinking only the soup, while others allow minimal portions of other foods, like bananas and tomatoes. Dieters may consume unlimited portions of cabbage soup for seven days.
Results
Even though dieters are encouraged to eat large quantities of cabbage soup, the diet is very low in calories. Depending on the supplementary foods eaten along with the cabbage soup, dieters get 800 to 1,030 calories per day. Whenever you are consume fewer calories than you take in, you will lose weight. But in the case of a short-term fad diet, such as the cabbage soup diet, you will lose mostly water weight. This weight will return when you resume your normal diet. Because you can't live on cabbage soup forever, this weight-loss method is not sustainable.
Dangers
Most doctors and nutritionists don't recommend the cabbage soup diet. Because the soup is made with onion soup mix, it is very high in sodium. The diet involves eating only one type of food over and over again, so malnutrition could be a risk -- the diet is particularly low in protein, fatty acids and calcium. Because the diet is not accompanied by a recommended exercise plan, it does not provide any solutions for sustainable, long-term weight loss.
Healther Weight-Loss Plans
The cabbage soup diet is not a long-term weight-loss solution. A safer, sustainable weight-loss regimen is based on a balance of nutritious foods, including lean protein, fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Combine your eating routine with a regular exercise program to lose weight and keep it off in the long run. Consult a doctor before making any changes in your diet or exercise program, especially if you have injuries or health conditions.
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