The cabbage soup diet is a one-week fad weight-loss plan that claims you can lose 10 to 15 lbs. in just seven days by eating a vegetable soup and a few other foods. The diet has several variations, and one of them calls for using V8 juice in the soup. This diet is very low in calories and lacks essential nutrients. Although you may lose weight, most of it will be water weight and some could be muscle loss, which will slow your metabolism. This diet is not recommended for people with any serious illness, including those with type-2 diabetes and hypertension. This diet isn't for pregnant or nursing women either.
Recipe
Early versions of the cabbage soup diet date to World War I. According to Diet.com, the standard recipe calls for a large head of cabbage, six green onions, two green bell peppers, a bunch of celery, a packet of dry onion soup mix, one or two bullion cubes, a large can of diced tomatoes and an 8-oz. bottle of V8 juice. To make the soup, simply cut all the vegetables into small pieces and add to a large pot. Pour in the V8 juice and enough water to cover the vegetables and bring to a boil. Once the soup is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, and allow it to cook another 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
Diet
The soup may be eaten as often as you like. Each day you're allowed a small and specific amount of food, in addition to the soup. On the first day you can have as much fruit as you like, except bananas. On day two, you're allowed unlimited amounts of vegetables, except peas and corn, and you may have a baked potato at dinner. On day three, you're allowed fruits and vegetables, but no baked potato. On the fourth day, you may have skim milk and at least three, but no more than eight, bananas. On the fifth day, you may eat an unlimited amount of beef and canned tomatoes. On day six, you're allowed beef, tomatoes and all other vegetables, except potatoes. On day seven, you may drink unlimited amounts of fruit juice and have 2 cups of brown rice and as many vegetables as you like.
Nutrition
The cabbage soup diet is nutritionally inadequate. You're allowed protein on only two days and very little healthy fat. The only fat is saturated fat from beef on days five and six. Dairy, a major source of calcium and other minerals, is allowed only on day four. The National Institutes of Health says that a fad diet makes unrealistic promises about weight loss, isn't based on sound medical research and eliminates entire food groups. By this definition, the cabbage soup diet is definitely a fad diet and not suitable for sustainable or healthy weight loss.
Pros and Cons
If you have an important event to attend and need to lose weight as quickly as possible, the cabbage soup diet can help you. However, because of the low calorie count, you may experience hypoglycemia -- low blood sugar - on this plan. Symptoms include hunger, dizziness, headache, fatigue and mood swings. You will regain most, if not all, of the weight as soon as you resume your normal eating habits. The Mayo Clinic warns that because of the low protein and nutrient content, it's important to follow the cabbage soup diet with at least two weeks of healthy eating to replenish your body's stores of vitamins and minerals.
References
- Diet.com: Cabbage Soup Diet
- Every Diet: Sacred Heart Diet
- MayoClinic.com; Cabbage Soup Diet -- Can it Help WIth Weight Loss?; Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.; January 2011
- University of Florida News; Cabbage Soup Diet No Lucky Charm For Weight Loss, Says UF Expert; Elaine Turner; March 2002
- Medline Plus; Tips for Losing Weight; David Zieve, MD, MHA; October 2009
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