The Cabbage Soup Diet is popularly used by individuals who want to lose a few pounds quickly. Some experts believe that following this rigid diet will help shed around 10 pounds of fat within a week. The diet involves consuming large amounts of cabbage soup and eating a set of specific food items for 7 days.
Unlike other weight loss diet, this is only used to achieve short-term results. This fad diet has been receiving different reactions from health buffs all around the globe. Many doubt its efficacy in helping a person lose weight in a brief time. In addition, many health professionals strongly advise against using this diet because of malnutrition.
Cabbage Soup Nutrients: What You Need to Know
Cabbage soup is made from chopped cabbages, bell pepper, white onions, garlic, chicken broth and tomatoes. The goal of this diet is to drastically reduce the average calorie intake by one half. Hence, instead of consuming 2,000 calories a day, a person under the diet would only consume 1,000 calories.
Although the ingredients of the soup are healthy, many disputes the efficacy of the diet itself. One cup of cabbage soup contains at most:
- 150 calories
- 25 mg sodium
- 2 g dietary fiber
- 2 g sugar
- 20 g protein
- 4 g carbohydrate
Even if a person tries to eat at most three cups of cabbage soup the whole day, the nutrients are not enough to replenish the body. Oftentimes, people who use this diet feel very unsatisfied, tired and even stressed out.
How the Diet Works
The Cabbage Soup Diet is a 7-day meal plan. It is claimed as a high-fiber and low-fat diet, and it is primarily used by people who want to lose weight fast. Unlike other types of weight loss diet, it only offers short term effects.
For the whole week, you need to consume cabbage soup three times a day. Aside from the soup, you will need to eat specific food items per day. Here are the assigned food items that should be consumed with the soup per day:
- Day 1: Eat any kind of fruit except bananas.
- Day 2: Consume any type of root vegetables. Stay away from beans, fruits and corn. You can also eat butter and baked potatoes.
- Day 3: Go for any kind of green veggie. Don’t consume starchy vegetables like potatoes.
- Day 4: Drink skim milk and eat bananas. You can eat at most 8 bananas during this day.
- Day 5: Indulge on 20 oz. of baked skinless chicken or grass-fed beef. You may also eat tomatoes.
- Day 6: Eat beef and veggies.
- Day 7: Pair the soup with brown rice, veggies and unsweetened juice.
What are the Advantages and Disadvantages?
The Cabbage Soup Diet promises to trim off excess water weight. Because the calorie consumption is halved, you can expect to see results right away. This diet is ideal for individuals who want to look slimmer before a celebration.
However, experts do not recommend following this diet for a prolonged time. If you wish to continue it after the first 7 days, you must wait for another 2 weeks. This will give you enough time to consume the vitamins and minerals that the diet cannot provide.
The biggest disadvantage of this diet is that it tends to get boring because of the very limited food options. Some find it very hard to last through the 7-day meal plan. Also, while the diet will help you remove the extra flabs, you will eventually gain them back once you return to your old eating habits.
Cabbage Soup Diet for Weight Loss
The diet is claimed to help shed at most 10 lbs. in just one week. It does not require any form of exercise. In fact, it will be very hard to work out while you are under this diet because of the very low amount of calorie you consume. This diet is already proven effective by many individuals. It may not be a long-term type of diet, but you can use it to kick-off your weight loss journey.
What are the Dangers of Using the Diet?
You shouldn’t try the diet if you have diabetes. It will be very dangerous to follow the diet because of the low carb and sugar intake. Also, eating cabbage or other brassica vegetables for a prolonged time causes bloating. Expect to feel gassy when you use this meal plan.
Is It Really Effective?
The diet is ideal for people who want to lose weight within a few days. However, you should expect to gain weight after you start eating normally again. If you want to continue losing a few more pounds after you finish the 7-day meal plan, you can switch to other types of diet or engage in a regular exercise routine. This will help you maintain your shape or reach your target weight.
