The Cabbage Soup Diet
This diet has been around for a long time, and if you're an active part of the dieting community, or if you've searched for 'quick diet fixes', you're sure to have heard of this one in the past.
Cabbage soup diet enthusiasts claim you can lose up to ten pounds in the seven days you're on it, but most just laugh at that concept. However, with the right person, it could be possible - if only because you're hardly eating anything.
What Can You Eat on the Cabbage Soup Diet?
The Cabbage Soup Diet menu consists of a few key ingredients, but lets you choose how you eat them - cabbage soup being one of them.
Here's each day of the seven-day Cabbage Soup diet, to help you get an idea of what you'll be eating.
Day One
Eat as much cabbage soup as you'd like
Eat as much fruit as you'd like, except for bananas.
Drink black coffee, cranberry juice, water, and unsweetened black tea.
Day Two
Eat as much cabbage soup as you'd like.
Eat as much fresh, raw, or cooked vegetables as you want, but stay away from dry beans, sweet corn, and peas.
As a reward of getting through day one, you can have a baked potato with butter for dinner.
Day Three
Eat as many vegetables as you'd like.
Eat as much fruit as you'd like.
And of course, you can stuff yourself with cabbage soup.
b>Day Four
Eat as much soup as you'd like.
Eat up to eight bananas.
Drink as many glasses of skim milk as you'd like.
This day helps lessen your sweet cravings, making it easier to cope.
Day Five
Eat cabbage soup at least once today!
You can eat between 10 and 20 ounces of beef, broiled chicken, or broiled fish.
You can also have a large tin, or up to six fresh tomatoes.
Make sure to drink at least six glasses of water today!
Day Six
Eat cabbage soup at least once.
Eat as much beef as you'd like.
Eat as many vegetables as you'd like, but no baked potato.
Day Seven
Eat your soup at least once today.
Eat as much brown rice as you'd like.
Eat as much unsweetened fruit juice as you'd like.
Eat as many vegetables as you'd like.
There you have it - the menu for the Cabbage Soup diet!
Also, there are tons of different recipes for cabbage soup floating around, so here's a decent one that's approved to be good for the Cabbage Soup Diet.
Needed:
- 6 Large Green Onions
- 2 Green Peppers
- 1-2 Cans of Tomatoes, Diced or Whole
- 3 Full-Sized Carrots
- 1 10-12 ounce Container of Mushrooms
- 1 Bunch of Celery
- Half a Head of Cabbage
- 1 Package of Lipton's Soup Mix
- 1-2 Cubes of Bullion (For taste - optional)
- 1 48oz Can of V8 Juice (For taste - optional)
- Season to Taste With Favorite Seasons (Salt, Pepper, Parsley, Curry, Garlic Powder, nearly anything. Find something you think tastes good and use it!)
Directions:
Slice the green onions. Put low-fat cooking spray in a pot, and put them in there.
Cut the stems of the green pepper off, and cut them in half. Clean out the inside so there isn't any membrane, and very few seeds, then cut it into bite-sized pieces (However you'd like them in the soup, really). Add them to the onions in the pot.
Take the outer leaves of the cabbage off, and cut it up into bite-sized chunks. Add it to the pot with the others.
Clean the carrots thoroughly, making sure not to missing anything. Cut into bite-sized chunks, and toss them in the pot as well.
If you'd prefer a spicy flavor, add a small amount of curry or cayenne.
You can use 1-2 cubes of beef or chicken bullion cubes. These have all the salt, and flavor, you should need.
Use either 12 cups of water or 8 cups and the V8 juice, and add it to the pot along with everything else. Make sure to mix it up, then cover and put on a low heat.
Cook the soup for about 2 hours or until it tastes done. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
Why The Cabbage Soup Diet is Supposed to Work
There isn't any hard evidence that points to a singular reason - however, the most likely cause is the lack of food you eat. Although there seems to be a good bit at first glance, most people refer to this diet as 'torture'.
However, enthusiasts claim that you can indeed flavor cabbage soup so that it tastes utterly wonderful - however, unless you're a professional cook, this may be hard for you.
Who is The Cabbage Soup Diet For?
If you have high-caloric diet, and are sure you have the will power, this 'diet' could be for you.
However, if you have a low-caloric diet, or just don't possess the will power needed to eat so few calories in seven days, you surely won't see the results promised.
How Can I Get The Most Out Of The Cabbage Soup Diet?
The first step would be to take a good quality multivitamin each and every day while you're on this diet, because it doesn't cover everything your body needs!
Follow the directions to get the best results, of course, and always couple with regular exercise. If you feel weak, dizzy, or ill, don't exercise, as there may be a small but serious risk of blacking out and hurting yourself.
Final Thought about the Cabbage Soup Diet
There is no doubt that this diet could be dangerous, so be careful if you choose to try it. Make sure to only do a week, and eat normally for two before trying again.
Also, the main complaint coupled with the cabbage soup diet is weakness, headaches, dizziness, and in rare cases, fainting. If you feel any of these, rest for a while before doing any physical activity!