Cabbage Soup Diet - Homemade Soup Recipes

The Cabbage Soup Diet has been around for years, and is reputed to help you lose up to 10 pounds in a week. The simplest version of this diet (and there are many out there) says that you may only eat this cabbage soup for the entire 7 days. Seeing as this soup is quite low in protein I question the wisdom of this, but the most common plans also involve a progressive addition of other foods as the week goes on.

Even so, it is not until day 4 that you have any protein of significance, and I am not sure how good that is. However, this soup does have some good things going for it that would definitely aid in quick weight loss.

For instance, the cabbage soup diet quite low in fat, and some variants are even fat-free. Also, cabbage has a good amount of fibre in it, and this will help clean out the digestive tract. Since there is very little meat in this plan, there should be some significant weight loss from this alone.

The real question for me is whether the weight loss would be sustainable. Weight lost by clearing the colon of red meat would simply come back once meat was being eaten again. Water loss can also return quickly, as can fat deposits. So what is the real benefit of this plan?

First, if you really need to lose some weight quickly (need to get into that wedding dress, trying out for a part in a movie, a first date), then this is one relatively safe way to do it. You just have to watch for light-headedness if the lack of protein becomes problematic. Second, this soup actually can play a part in a long term approach to sensible weight loss. It is an excellent filler, and when combined with some lean protein it can be a pretty decent approach to healthy weight control. Just don't try to rely on the soup alone, as there is not enough nutrients of all types to sustain good health.

Ingredients for the Cabbage Soup Diet

6 large green onions, sliced thinly
2 green peppers, chopped
1 or 2 cans of tomatoes (diced or whole)
3 Carrots, chopped
1 Container (10 oz. or so) Mushrooms, sliced thickly (optional; I have seen this left out a lot)
8 to 10 stalks of celery, chopped
Half a head of cabbage, but into bite-sized pieces
1 package Lipton soup mix
1 or 2 cubes of bouillon (optional)
1 48oz can V8 juice (optional)
Season to taste with salt, pepper, and any other spices or herbs you want

Preparation

1. Using cooking spray or olive oil, gently saute green onions, carrots and celery.

2. Add green pepper and continue to cook.

3. Add remaining solid ingredients, top with V8 Juice (if being used), and add water to make 12 cups of total liquid.

4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook on low for about 2 hours.

The Cabbage Soup Diet Plan

Aside from the soup, you have other foods and drinks that you can have on specific days. If you are doing the whole 7 day plan, here it is (it should not be followed for any longer than this).

Day 1: You can eat the soup, any fruit except bananas, and to drink you can have unsweetened tea, cranberry juice and water.

Day 2: In addition to the soup, you may eat all the cooked or raw vegetables you want, but try to avoid beans, peas and corn. In the evening you can have a baked potato with a small amount of butter. No fruit today.

Day 3: Eat all the soup, vegetables and fruit you want, but no baked potato.

Day 4: This day you may have soup, up to 8 bananas, and as many glasses of skim milk as you want.

Day 5: You should have the soup at least once today, and you may also have 10 to 20 ounces of lean beef or skinless chicken, and up to 6 fresh tomatoes. Also make sure to have at least 6 to 8 glasses of water.

Day 6: Again have the soup at least once, and then eat as much beef and vegetables as you like. Try to stick to leafy green veggies, and no baked potato.

Day 7: Once again, make sure to have the soup at least once. (Tired of it yet?) Add as much brown rice, vegetables and unsweetened fruit juice as you like.

Notes

Lest you get completely turned off cabbage soup (and you should not do that to yourself, it really is good for you), you will want to vary up the flavors in each batch. I recommend strong flavors with little or no nutritive effects, such as hot sauce, balsamic vinegar, curry powder, and anything else you can think of to change things up.

Again, I am not crazy about the idea of relying solely on the cabbage soup diet to lose weight, but if you need a quick reduction, and you have no illusions about it being the silver bullet, then go for it!