At first glance, the General Motors diet looks like a seven-day plan to lose weight by eating healthy foods. Critics of this non-corporate-endorsed crash diet point out big fluctuations and gaps in nutritional content over the week-long program. Proponents like the emphasis on fruits and vegetables and the big payoff in pounds lost quickly. Where did this cabbage soup diet come from? As Roger Cohen reported in the New York Times, not from General Motors.
History
The auto maker denies any association with the General Motors diet. This low-calorie weight loss plan has enjoyed several public resurgences since its 1950s incarnation as the Cabbage Soup diet. The myth attached to the GM diet is that it was created in 1985 as a means for factory employees to lose weight. Its similar or identical structure to other fad diets, including the "Sacred Heart" and "Miracle Soup" programs, however, refutes these origins. It is widely reprinted on the Internet.
Structure
A framework that is both limiting and permissive is what attracts dieters. In one popular version of the General Motors diet, you may eat as much as you like of a soup made from cabbage, onions, green peppers and celery all week. The daily additions and exceptions introduce different nutrients into a diet largely composed of fruits and vegetables. The additions include favorites such as beef, milk and rice.
Time Frame
The low calorie count enables you to lose weight almost immediately, in the course of a seven-day span. To keep the menu interesting and infuse it with essential nutrients, you'll progress from unlimited fruit on day 1 to unlimited vegetables on day 2. Day 3 allows both, with some exceptions. Day 4 adds unlimited nonfat milk, and Day 5 adds a substantial amount of beef and tomatoes. Days 6 and 7 return to unlimited veggies, with the last day promising brown rice and unsweetened fruit juice as well.
Benefits
If you consider short-term weight loss a good thing, it heads the list of benefits from the cabbage soup diet. Some dieters claim to lose weight at the rate of up to 2 pounds a day. Nutritional benefits depend on which fruits and vegetables you choose. With this diet plan, you can expect to enjoy a variable level of vitamins A and C, folate, fiber, fat, protein, potassium, magnesium, calcium and iron. But will it be sufficient?
Risks
Despite this seeming diversity of vitamins and minerals, health care experts say it's not enough. According to Sacred Heart Medical Center (SHMC), which also disclaims any connection to the General Motors diet, even a brief stint of nutrient deficiency can lead to long-term nutritional problems. Certainly, the diet's imbalance of calcium, protein, potassium, iron and even calories can cause a shortfall on given days in the program. Dieters should weigh this risk to their health against another one listed by SHMC: A cabbage soup diet is likely to result in only temporary weight loss.
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