Cabbage Soup Diet as the name entails is a short term right where you eat cabbage soup for the larger part of diet. It is one of easy soup fix and cabbage has impressive health benefits as well. But is it good for weight loss? Those who followed the diet advocate for 4.5 kg (10 pounds) within a week of starting the diet.

Now, the question rises is it healthy and sustainable? Experts strongly disagree in taking on the cabbage soup diet.

“It is not healthy weight loss option and unstainable, ” say experts in the field.

Tell me about Cabbage Soup Diet?

So, what is cabbage soup diet ?

Also known as Mayo Clinic Diet or  Sacred Heart Hospital Diet, Diet Soup or wonder soup is intended for rapid weight loss. Cabbage soup diet is a short term plan before you hop to a healthier diet plan. In a week, this easy fix can help you lose 4.5 kg (10 pounds). According to the diet plan, for a week, you eat nothing but homemade cabbage soup along with few fruits and vegetables. The diet plan is for only for seven days and no more.

Speculations were made that, the diet plan was made in hospitals to help patient lose weight before heart surgery. But the hospitals inculpated denied any connection.  Although there is no one can who vouches for the origin of the Cabbage Soup Diet, it became quite popular around 1980’s and is here since.

Easy Cabbage Soup Recipe

You can store the cabbage soup after 2 hours of preparing and once you freeze the soup. It can go up to 3 months long. To make this easy and quick recipe for 4 servings, the ingredients are as follows.

Ingredients

• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 0.5 yellow onion , chopped
• 1.5 cloves garlic , minced
• 2 cups cabbage , cut into 1″ chunks
• 1.5 carrots , sliced
• 1.5 stalks celery , sliced
• 0.25 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 0.25 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 0.25 teaspoon dried oregano
• 0.25 teaspoon dried basil
• 14 ounces diced tomatoes , not to drain

First in a pot, add some oil and sauté the onion and the rest of vegetables. Then add the seasoning to taste and the vegetable broth. Once it comes up to boil, put the flame on low and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes. When carrots and cabbages are tender, the soup is ready.

You can also opt for other non starchy vegetables like, green beans and spinach.

Cabbage Soup Diet rules and plan

In order to lose the weight mentioned above, you will need to follow the diet plan and stick to the rules.

Cabbage Soup Diet plan

In the cabbage soup diet plan your primary food choice is the soup. Which you will need to consume 2-3 times a day in several meals. Along with the soup here are some foods to add and others to avoid. Not to forget the multivitamins, as cabbage soup is low on nutrients.

Another important rule you will have to say goodbye to sweetened drinks of any kind. Strictly only water and unsweetened tea.

Day 1: Low sugar fruits, but no bananas.

Day 2: Raw or cooked low carb vegetables, especially leafy but no fruit or starchy veggies

Day 3: Besides baked potato and bananas, you can eat vegetable and fruits.

Day 4: Skim Milk and bananas.

Day 5: 280-567 grams of beef or chicken without skin and fish. Tomatoes and a lot of water.

Day 6: Focus on leafy greens and beef or broiled fish.

Day 7: Vegetables with brown rice and unsweetened drink on the side.

Diet plant time: Only for seven days at most. You can follow the diet plan again, however, you must wait two weeks before starting the diet.

Does Cabbage Soup Diet work for Weight loss ?

Lost in the realm of its origin, Cabbage Soup diet is not studied enough to contribute an approximate answer. Being a low in calories diet it will prompt loss within days. However, the body fat loss can be temporarily and you are likely to gain once you finish the diet.

How does it work?

Once you begin the diet, no matter how much soup, vegetables or fruits you eat, the total calorie-intake of body is low. Meaning this slows down the metabolic rate, that is calorie burn in a day. In long term diets, low metabolic rate is a cause of weight loss. Within a day or two into the metabolic rate declines swiftly. Which also explains why people gain weight after going off diet; due to the slow calorie burn in a day.

Benefits of the low calorie diet

• Under proper doctor supervision, obese people can see significance shift in weight loss.
• Temporarily reduces Insulin Resistance, although it may be too small to create any significant change in body fat.
• You don’t have to stay hungry, unlimited fruits and veggies, that are high in fiber.
• Cheapest diet plan, easily under your budget.

Drawbacks and Side effects

Drawbacks

The drawbacks of Cabbage soup can likely outrun the benefits, why? Because it is very low in calorie diet and lacks in nutrients. Soon, you will loose muscle fat and very little of body fat.

• The time of cabbage diet plan is only 7 days, which is hardly sufficient time to lose any significant weight.
• Only 34% of body fat is lost on first week, the remaining are muscle mass and water weight loss. (Water weight: Our bodies have emergency energy reserves in glycogen stores. The glycogen thus binds with water to create water weight. As, your body begins to run in low calories, the water weight is shed away.)
• Once you are off the strict diet, body will soon build up water weight with quick energy reserves.
• The so-called wonder soup diet lacks in nutrients. So, it will be difficult to prevent muscle loss. w
• Incredibly bland to endure a week.
• For some making long batch of cabbage soups can be a huge drawback.

Side Effects

Our body has a certain calorie-intake that is necessary to maintain every day calories-intake. Balanced diets are the best way to eat nutritionally balance food. Cabbage soup diet on the other hand, has very low calorie choices and lacks on nutrients. A supplement of multi-vitamin is recommended.

Low calorie Diet

On average, women need to meet 1200 calories/day and men need to meet 1500 calories/day. The calories-intake is necessary to maintain body weight. While cabbage soup is under 800 calories which makes it difficult to reach the required calorie.

Flatulence and Cramping

The diet is high in fiber which can lead to flatulence and cramping, enough to stop the diet.

Lacks in Nutrients

As I mentioned the diet is nutritionally imbalanced. Hence, if you stick to one week diet plan, you may not experience vitamins and minerals deficiency. That is if you take multivitamins every day.  However, you might experience, dizziness, lightheadedness and weakness.

Change in Blood sugar level

The low carb diet may be troubling for diabetic patients as it can cause changes in blood sugar levels.

Gallbladder concerns

Gallbladder blockage and gallstones have been reported in people who followed the diet plan for more than a week.

Normally, our gallbladder uses  digestive juices to break down the high-fat diet. When we are not eating any, the gallbladder doesn’t clear up and form stone. It is concern in any rapid weight loss diet.

Closing UP 

Here are is the sum up:

• Although the cabbage soup diet has rapid weight loss, it is wiser to stick to long-term meal plans.
• This low-calorie diet is nutritionally imbalanced leading to health concerns.
• Drawbacks outweigh the benefits of Cabbage Soup Diet.

Help SHARE with your loved one, if you wish to look for other diet options to lose weight.