A cabbage soup diet is an extremely low-calorie, low-fat, and high-fiber diet that is intended to make you lose up to 10 pounds in a week. The diet first gained popularity in the 1980s and has undergone slight variations since, but the main principles remained the same. When on the diet, you may eat as much cabbage soup as you want while following an eating plan for seven days that includes only certain foods.
Soup Recipe
Recipes vary, but most variations of the cabbage soup include cabbage, onions, tomatoes, green peppers, broccoli, celery, mushrooms, carrots, and onion soup mix or chicken stock, plus whatever herbs and/or spices you would like to add. If you use onion soup mix, the sodium content could be quite high, so use low-sodium mix and be careful of how much salt you add if you need to monitor your sodium intake. Some people make their soup spicy to keep it from being bland – cayenne pepper, hot red pepper flakes and black pepper work well.
Days 1, 2, and 3
On Day 1, you may eat cabbage soup for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus as much fruit as you would like to eat, except for bananas. Choose fruit high in fiber to help fill you up, such as apples and melon. Another good choice is avocado, because it has a high fat content. This will help you feel satiated and provides you with essential fatty acids your body will crave over the next week. On Day 2, eat as much soup as you would like, plus any vegetables – including a baked potato and some butter. On Day 3, eat all the soup you want, plus as many fruits and vegetables as you would like, except for bananas and potatoes.
Days 4, 5, 6 & 7
On Day 4, you may eat up to eight bananas plus all of the soup you would like. You also get to drink milk on Day 4. The diet recommends skim milk, but your body and brain needs fat to operate properly – so if you find you are tired and feeling hungry, whole milk might be a better choice. You may add milk to your tea or coffee on Day 4. On Day 5, you may eat the soup and up to 20 ounces of beef, plus up to six tomatoes. On Day 6, you may eat as many vegetables – except for potatoes – and all the beef you would like. On the last day, you eat the soup plus as much brown rice, vegetables – except potatoes – and unsweetened fruit juice as you want.
Caution
Although the cabbage soup diet may help you achieve rapid weight loss, there is some question as to whether the weight lost is from fat or water loss. In addition, the extremely low amounts of protein and essential fats may leave you feeling weak, tired or dizzy. More recent versions of the cabbage soup diet include higher amounts of protein and more fats. This diet is designed to be followed for only one week – longer adherence to the diet may cause nutritional imbalances. Only people in relative good health should undertake this diet. Consult your doctor if you have any concerns or questions about its safety.
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