1. Is This a Recycled Cabbage Soup Diet?
No, this soup diet isn't a recycled cabbage soup diet, although cabbage is included in the basic recipe. The basic soup is a hearty vegetable soup with carrots, celery, onions, garlic, tomatoes, green beans, cabbage, zucchini and spinach as the main ingredients. The basic vegetable soup recipe is large enough to last for a week of meals.
2. How Does the Soup Diet Work?
The basic premise of the soup diet is controlling the portion size of your meals. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are specific portion sizes of healthy food. Foods allowed for breakfast include oatmeal, cereal, cottage cheese, English muffins, eggs, smoothies, fruit and yogurt. Sandwiches and salads are eaten for lunch. Dinners consist of a variety of the basic soup recipe along with fruit, salad or yogurt.
3. Variety is the Spice of Life
Starting with the basic recipe of hearty vegetable soup, the recipe is tweaked to add flavor and variety to the soup diet. The variations include Mexican chicken soup, minestrone, southwest chili, Greek fish stew, goulash, Thai shrimp soup and red beans and rice stew. If you want goulash, brown 4 ounces of ground turkey; add paprika, salt and caraway seeds. Add 2 cups of the basic soup recipe and allow it to simmer for a few minutes. Add one half cup of cooked egg noodles for a delicious goulash style soup.
4. Is it Soup All Day, Every Day?
No, you eat the soup when you're hungry or tempted to eat something else throughout the day. Because the basic recipe soup is only 45 calories per cup, it's a very tasty yet low calorie way to curb hunger pangs. Different soup varieties are eaten for dinner, along with fruit or a salad. If you're hungry after dinner, grab a cup of the basic recipe soup.
5. Can I Have Carbs on the Soup Diet?
Yes, you can have carbs but whole grains are recommended. Most carbs are eaten for breakfast and lunch, but some soup recipes add noodles or beans for dinner soup. Whole grain breads, pita breads and cheese are included in the soup diet. Twice a week, you can "cheat" by adding a 100 calorie treat, including beer or wine, Hershey kisses, Oreo cookies in the 100 calorie pack and even a Starbucks cappuccino grande. The soup diet is more about portion control than it is about restricting certain foods.
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