The Cabbage Soup Diet has been around for decades, and has had numerous variations come about over the years. It essentially a very low calorie weight loss plan that involves consuming a great deal of cabbage soup as the staple of the diet. Unlike other diet plans to lose weight, which are supposed to be maintained until the desired weight has been reached, the Cabbage Soup diet is a very short-term plan that dieters are not encouraged to stay on for too long. It is recommended that dieters go of this low calorie plan after one week.
Nutrition
The main food consumed on this diet plan is cabbage soup. There are a few variations on how the soup is made, but they are pretty similar to each other. Here is a sample recipe for cabbage soup:
1 whole cabbage head
6 green or white onions
1 pack of powdered soup mix, or 1 can of soup broth
1 bunch celery
Salt & pepper to taste
Optional:
1 can diced tomatoes
Green peppers
All the ingredients are to be diced up, and cooked in a large pot. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer until all the veggies are soft.
Dieters are allowed to eat all the cabbage soup they want. In addition to eating cabbage soup daily, dieters are also allowed to eat other items on particular days. One week of dieting on the Cabbage Soup plan looks something like this:
DAY 1 – Unlimited soup, fruit (except bananas), tea, coffee, cranberry juice, water.
DAY 2 – Unlimited soup, vegetables (except peas, beans and corn), baked potato, water.
DAY 3 – Unlimited soup, fruit and vegetables, water.
DAY 4 – Unlimited soup, bananas, milk, water.
DAY 5 – Unlimited soup, 10-20 ounces of beef, 6 tomatoes, water.
DAY 6 – Unlimited soup, vegetables, beef, water.
DAY 7 – Unlimited soup, brown rice, vegetables, unsweetened fruit juice, water.
These daily meal plans are very low in calories. Each day’s worth of calories adds up to between 800 and 1050 calories. Due to the limited food items and the extremely low calorie count, this diet is meant to be on for only 1 week, and is meant to help dieters get a jump start on their weight loss efforts. A lot of weight will be lost during this first week, but a lot of it is water, in addition to fat. This diet plan is meant to help cleanse the body as well as help begin a weight loss journey.
Pros
A lot of weight will be lost on this 7-day cleansing diet, which can be a great motivator to continue on with any other long-term diet plan you choose to go on afterwards.
Cons
This diet can be tough to stick with, even though it is a short-term diet plan. The limited amount of foods allowed on this diet does not provide a lot a satiety or satisfaction, nor the sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals necessary for overall wellness.
The Bottom Line
If you carefully monitor how you are feeling while on this diet, it can actually be a great way to get you started on your weight loss journey. However, it is imperative that you go off this plan after the 7 days are over to avoid the dangers of depleting your body of all the essential nutrients it requires.
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