What is this cabbage soup diet you speak of?
The cabbage soup diet is a type of short-term crash diet, otherwise known as a fad diet. The reason why the cabbage diet works for fast weight loss is that the diet consists predominantly of high fiber, low-fat foods. You will lose mainly water weight and some fat due to eating 1,000 calories or less, which is about half the daily recommended number of calories (specifically 2,000 calories).
Common reasons why people use the cabbage diet
- Lose weight quickly for an important occasion (e.g. weddings, reunions, job interviews, other important social gatherings, etc.).
- To jump-start weight loss in general. This cabbage diet can extend for longer periods with a few tweaks to better allow nutritional gains and healthy long-term weight loss.
- To start the process of detoxifying the body, specifically your liver.
The cabbage diet recipe
Cabbage is a great low-fat, high fiber vegetable. There are a few cabbage soup recipes you can try for a little variation without any diet violations. This should help you in case you get tired of eating the exact same type of cabbage soup.
One basic cabbage soup recipe is:
– Half or whole head of cabbage
– 1 or 2 garlic cloves
– 2 green bell peppers
– 1 or 2 cans of tomatoes diced, whole, or stewed
– 1 – 5 stalks of celery, chopped
– 10 oz. of mushrooms, chopped
– 2 yellow or white onions, diced
– Dry onion soup mix or your preferred seasonings for taste or bouillon
Cabbage diet plan
The cabbage soup diet has a strict seven-day plan. Water is the only main beverage you can drink. Alcohol is not allowed. Avoid drinking too much tea and/ or coffee.
Day 1: No bananas! The goal for today is to eat mainly fruit and at least three to four bowls of cabbage soup throughout the day. Eight glasses of water should be drunk throughout the day as well.
Day 2: Today’s goal is to eat mainly vegetables and cabbage soup. No fruit, peas, corn or beans should be eaten. Root vegetables are highly recommended to eat during this day. A baked potato or baked sweet potato with a light amount of butter is permitted. A soup broth is also allowed but no salt. Remember to keep up with your water intake.
Day 3: This day’s goal is eating fruit, vegetables, and lots of cabbage soup. Remember no corn, beans, peas, potatoes, other starchy vegetables or bananas! Make sure to drink plenty of water.
Day 4: This day’s main goal is to beat back sweets cravings. You are allowed to eat bananas and skimmed milk or almond milk. Cabbage soup should still be eaten throughout the day and drink plenty of water too. Cinnamon is a good addition in case you decide to make a nice banana smoothie.
Day 5: Meat day! You are allowed to eat up to 20 oz. of beef or skinless chicken with tomatoes. Still eat the cabbage soup at least twice throughout the day and make sure you get at least eight to ten glasses of water in today.
Day 6: Another wonderful meat day! You can eat beef or skinless baked chicken with tomatoes. Eat at least one bowl of cabbage soup during the day. Eat leafy green vegetables and avoid eating potatoes, peas, corn, and beans. If you want to eat fish instead, you can do so but only for today. Make sure to get enough water today.
Day 7: Today is brown rice day. Eat brown rice, unsweetened fruit juices, and vegetables on top of two to three bowls of cabbage soup. Do not eat peas, white rice, corn, potatoes or beans today. Make sure to drink the recommended amount of water.
Cabbage soup diet reviews
Many people have had success with losing ten or more pounds using this diet. It is not meant for long-term weight loss, so adjustments must be made. There are many health gurus, dietitians, and people who do the cabbage soup diet challenge that offer their own cabbage soup diet reviews. Blogs are also a great source for cabbage soup diet reviews!
All around it is a great diet for fast, short-term weight loss with a few tweaks here and there to make sure you get the appropriate daily vitamins and minerals.
Pros to using the cabbage diet
- You will lose weight and, maybe, even more than expected. The average expected loss is ten pounds.
- It will help start you on the path to cleanse your body of toxins.
- You will get a nice introduction to fruits and vegetables into your diet.
- You will get a nice regular dose of healthy fiber in your diet which is good for colon health.
Cons to using the cabbage diet
- It is bad for those who have health conditions, such as diabetes, or for those who have to maintain a specific diet by doctor’s order.
- Rapid weight loss can be dangerous for the body and can cause serious consequences, such as vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
- You may end up regaining the weight, and then some, after finishing the diet.
- It should not be repeated often for a wide variety of health concerns.
- No new habits will be learned, so the results are temporary at best.
Extra tips to stay healthy and beat cravings
Since cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable, think broccoli and Brussels sprouts, for instance, you should expect a little extra flatulence. This is okay since it means your body is healthy, vegetarians and vegans will tell you.
How to beat those dreadful cravings? Easy make sure you take a multi-vitamin every day to avoid possible malnutrition. If you crave sweets, it means you are missing protein.
A great plus to this diet is when permitted, try to drink various herbal teas such as horsetail, green tea, oolong tea, mint, chamomile, etcetera. These teas will help your body and have been proven to help with weight loss among other health benefits.
For long-term weight loss goals, try to transition from the cabbage soup diet into a vegetarian diet (ova-lacto vegetarian if you don’t want to give up milk and eggs) or a lean protein diet with lots of fruits and vegetables.
