The Sacred Heart Diet is a one-week weight-loss plan that promises rapid results with a low-calorie vegetable soup and a specific eating regimen. On each day, you're allowed certain foods, in addition to the soup, and the menu changes each day. Although called the Scared Heart Diet, this weight-loss plan is not associated with any hospital or medical center.
The Sacred Heart Diet is a variation of the cabbage soup diet -- low in calories, protein, healthy fat, fiber and nutrients. This risky fad diet may not cause serious health problems if you follow it for just one week, but the Mayo Clinic advises against staying on it for any longer than that. If you decide to do this diet for one week, follow up with at least two weeks of balanced eating to ensure proper nutrition.
The Sacred Heart Soup
The soup's basic ingredients are canned tomatoes, canned green beans, fresh onions, a bell pepper and carrots, combined with beef broth and the seasoning packet from a dry chicken soup mix or bullion. Some people add chopped cabbage. You can season to taste with Worcestershire or hot sauce, garlic, pepper or curry powder. You can add as much water as you like -- more for a thinner soup, less to keep it more like a stew. Simply simmer until all the vegetables are tender. You can eat as much soup as want on every day of this diet.
Daily Diet
In addition to unlimited quantities of the soup, you're allowed some other foods. On day one you may eat as much fruit as you want, with the exception of bananas. On day two, you can eat all the vegetables you want except tomatoes. On day three you're allowed all the food you were permitted on days one and two. On day four, you can eat up to eight bananas and drink skim milk. On days five and six, you're allowed animal protein and tomatoes. On the last day of the Sacred Heart Diet you can have brown rice, vegetables and fruit juice. No other foods are allowed. Only two days of this diet provide any type of protein, and whole grains are permitted only on the last day.
Dangers
This diet is extremely low in calories, nutrients, carbohydrates, fat and protein. You may experience hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, which could cause hunger, headaches, mood swings, anxiety, dizziness and fatigue. Although you will lose weight, much of it will be water weight and easily regained when you start to eat normally. The American Academy of Family Physicians classifies the Sacred Heart plan as a fad diet, because it makes unrealistic weight-loss claims, limits food choices, eliminates entire food groups and does not encourage exercise. Sustainable weight loss requires a healthy and balanced diet, along with regular exercise.
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