The Cabbage Soup Recipe Diet

The cabbage soup recipe diet is a short term (7 day) rapid weight loss plan that some people have claimed was responsible for them losing up to 10 pounds in one week while following it. And because you can lose weight fast on this diet, many people will undoubtedly be more motivated to stick to it for the entire 7 days. Though the diet seems to have come into circulation in the 1980's, its origins are apparently unknown.

There are many different versions of the Cabbage Soup Diet recipe floating around, largely due I suspect to people tweaking it a little to satisfy their own tastes.

But the classic recipe that follows has kept the basic ingredients intact through the years. Only the foods that are allowed on the diet, which also seem to vary a little bit, are included here.

Recipe For Cabbage Soup Diet

• 1 small head of Cabbage, chopped
  
• 4 to 5 stalks Celery
  
• 5 to 6 large Green Onions
  
• 1 large or 2 small cans Tomatoes, diced
  
• 4 to 6 Carrots, sliced
  
• 2 Green Peppers, seeded and sliced or chopped
  
• 1 - 10 oz. can or container Mushrooms, largely chopped
  
• 1 package Lipton Soup Mix (optional - use 1 to 2 additional low sodium bouillon cubes for less salt)
  
• 1 48 oz. can V8 Juice, optional
  
• 1 to 2 Beef or Chicken Bouillon Cubes (low-sodium) optional
  
• Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Curry, optional to taste
  

Directions For Making The Soup:

Place the green onions, green peppers, carrots, and mushrooms, into a large soup pot and begin sauteing in a small amount of cooking spray. Add the chopped cabbage to the mixture and continue to saute, adding a small amount of Curry or Cayenne Pepper at this point if you'd like to have a spicy soup. Optionally you can just cover all the vegetables with water and boil, omitting the sauteing step, but I find the soup a bit more tasty if you saute the veggies first.

Add about 12 cups of water to the vegetables, or if you like a tomato base, you can use half V8 Juice and half water. Bouillon cubes can add a lot of flavor to the soup, and if you choose to use them, that should eliminate the need for additional salt.

Bring the mixture to a boil, stir in the soup mix and boil gently for about 10 minutes. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

The 7 Day Cabbage Soup Diet

In addition to being allowed to eat as much of the soup as you like, and at any time you like, you are encouraged to drink lots of water, preferably 8 glasses per day. You are also allowed non-caloric drinks including coffee, tea, and herbal teas. The foods you are allowed to eat in addition to the soup each day are listed below.

Day 1: You may have all the fruits you want, excluding bananas.

Day 2: Any kind of cooked or raw vegetables are allowed on day 2, with the exception of beans, corn, and dry peas. You may have a baked potato with a light pat of butter. No fruits today.

Day 3: Fruits and non-starchy vegetables, but no bananas or potato.

Day 4: Today you may have bananas (as many as eight) and skim milk (as many as 8 glasses).

Day 5: As much as 20 ounces of beef, skinless chicken, and/or fish are allowed today. You can also have up to 6 tomatoes, and you must drink 8 glasses of water, which aids in removing the uric acid that will have accumulated in your body. Eat at least one bowl of soup.

Day 6: Unlimited beef, skinless chicken, or fish, and non-starchy vegetables. Again, at least one bowl of soup today.

Day 7: Brown rice with your soup and non-starchy vegetables. Unsweetened fruit juice.

Except where portion size is specified, you can have as much of the named foods as you want. You may eat as often as you like, but you must not use any oils or anything else that is not on the list. On days that beef is allowed, you may cook the beef in the soup if you like, or you may just choose to grill a steak, or have some ground beef cooked in a little water in a frying pan.

Why Does The Cabbage Soup Diet Work?

Although much of the weight loss during the 7 days on the cabbage soup diet is water, this drastic calorie reduction will produce rapid weight loss. We know that the majority of the weight loss is water because it takes a reduction of 3500 calories to lose one pound of fat, and that is a huge calorie reduction. But even though most of the weight lost is water, you will still look thinner since water retention makes us look bloated. As long as you don't go back to a diet full of of salt and processed foods, it is possible to maintain your weight loss even after you stop the cabbage soup diet.

Because cabbage is a low calorie, high fiber food, it will make you feel full without weight gain, making it easier to stick to the diet. It is also a very nutritious food, containing a surprising amount of protein, minerals, and vitamins.

The Cabbage Soup Diet plan is structured so that starches are not eaten together with proteins and fat is not eaten together with fruit, which some claim makes the food easier to digest, therefore affording you the maximum nutrition from it.

Any Negatives With The Cabbage Soup Diet?

The main problem with the cabbage soup diet, as with all short term diets, is that most people put the weight right back on as soon as the diet is over. You must change your eating habits long term in order to keep the weight off. And remember that you can only stay on this diet for 7 days, then you must go off of it for a couple of weeks before doing it again.

Eating so much of this cabbage soup recipe can become tiresome, as you can imagine, although you may be surprised at how good it tastes if you've never tried it. Some variety is gained by changing the permitted foods each day, but boredom is likely to be a problem.

Eating large quantities of cabbage could possibly have some negative consequences on your health, but sticking to the 7 day regime shouldn't be a problem. Staying on the cabbage soup recipe diet for longer than seven days at a time is not recommended, and as usual, before starting this or any other diet, you should seek the advice of your doctor.