Everything you need to know on the cabbage soup diet

Origin of the cabbage soup diet

The cabbage soup diet was established in the 1980s by an American clinic to rapidly get obese patients
The soup regime was established in the 1980s by an American clinic to rapidly get obese patients to lose weight before surgery.

How does work the cabbage soup diet?

Basically, the cabbage soup diet is to eat vegetables soup for a week! Traditionally, the diet only consists of soup, but it was adapted by adding certain foods to be less drastic and more healthy. Just follow the steps day by day.

The benefits of the cabbage soup diet

The cabbage soup diet causes rapid and substantial weight loss. It helps melt fat. We’re talking about a weight loss of up to 10 pounds in 1 week. The fact that you can eat specific foods as much as you want will make sure to have you feeling less deprive than other strict diets, and because the soup contains cabbage, it calms the appetite. Finally, as this diet is rich in water, fruits and vegetables, it has a diuretic effect and cleanses the body by draining waste out the body, which helps eliminate toxins. The rapid weight loss is motivating to resume a healthy lifestyle and system cleaning restores energy to the body.

Warning against the cabbage soup diet

You need to be very careful before undertaking this kind of diet that may be considered drastic. The lack of carbohydrates can cause a risk of hypoglycaemia which can lead to fatigue, dizziness and headaches. Listen to your body and do not push it too far. The lack of protein can melt muscles.Then it would be recommended to add protein shake and skimmed milk 1 to 2 times per day. The low caloric intake can also slow the metabolism, so it is important to pay close attention to the food you eat following the diet to avoid the yo-yo effect. This would result to make you gain more weight later. Finally, it is not a fad diet or a long-term solution.

Course of the cabbage soup diet

You can cook vegetable soup according to your taste. The important thing is that it contains cabbage. You can add carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, peppers and all the vegetables you want. Just add broth and spices. (See my 2 favorite recipes below)

Day 1

As much soup as you want.
As much fruits as you want, except bananas.

Day 2

As much soup as you want.
As much vegetables as you want (raw, cooked, canned…)
Green vegetables and salads are recommended but legumes, peas and corn should be avoided.
Have a big baked potato with butter for dinner .

Day 3

As much soup as you want.
As much fruits and vegetables as you want.

Day 4

As much soup as you want.
3 bananas and skim milk (or soy milk or almond milk without sugar). You can make a smoothie!

Day 5

As much soup as you want.
Proteins (beef, chicken breast without skin or fish) and vegetables.
Up to 20 ounces of protein and tomatoes.

Day 6

As much soup as you want.
Proteins (beef, chicken breast without skin or fish) and vegetables.
Up to 20 ounces of protein and green vegetables.

Day 7

As much soup as you want.
Brown rice and vegetables for dinner.

Recommended

Physical activity at low intensity (walking, yoga etc.)
To drink a lot of water
You can also drink herbal tea and unsweetened juice
Vitamin supplements
1-2 protein supplement (low-carb) per day to prevent muscle loss

To avoid

Intense physical activity
Bananas (except day 4), legumes, peas, corn, potatoes (except day 2)
Coffee and sugar

Cabbage soup recipes

Asian version of cabbage soup

Ingredients
– Third of a large cabbage
– 1/2 cauliflower
– 4 carrots cut into julienne
– 4 celery stalks
– 2 tomatoes
– 1 white onion
– 1 medium leek, sliced
– 200 ml tomato coulis
– 6 cups vegetable broth

– 2 small chopped peppers or 2 tsp of Siracha
– 2 garlic cloves
– 2 cm3 chopped fresh ginger
– 2 tbsp sesame oil
– 1 tbsp cumin
– 1 tbsp Curry
– 2 bay leaves
– 2 lemongrass stalks
– 1 tsp soy sauce
– Coriander and chopped fresh parsley

Preparation
In a large pot, add sesame oil, onion, garlic and leeks. Cook 2 minutes on medium-high fire. Add the curry and cumin. Cook 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce. Stir well. Cook 2 minutes. Add all the vegetables. Cook 5 minutes. Add broth, 1 tsp chopped cilantro, hot pepper, the bay leaves, ginger, lemongrass. Cook 10 minutes, then lower the heat. Simmer until the vegetables are cooked enough . Add soy sauce and fresh herbs .

Mediterranean version of the cabbage soup

Ingredients
– Third of a large cabbage cut into small pieces
– 1 red pepper, diced
– 1 yellow pepper, diced
– 4 sliced carrots
– 4 celery stalks, cut into small pieces
– 250 g of snap beans (or green beans)
– 4 small tomatoes
– 1 large Spanish onion
– 2 garlic cloves
– 75 g pitted black olives
– 2 dry chillies or 2 tsp crushed chillies
– 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
– 4 tsp olive oil
– 1 liter of vegetable broth
– 2 sprigs of thyme
– 2 sprigs of basil
– 1 branch of sage
– sea salt

Preparation
In a large pot, cook onion and garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil. Add carrots, celery, beans, cabbage and peppers and cook 1 minute each time. Add salt, peppers and broth and bring to boil. Add thyme, basil and sage to the mixture. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the garlic cloves . Add tomatoes . Simmer until the vegetables are cooked enough. Add finally balsamic vinegar and olives.

After the cabbage soup diet

The cabbage soup diet is not designed for long term weight loss. It is effective to initiate rapid weight loss, but it should be seen as a cure and not as a diet to maintain for more than a week. As for all low-calorie diets, this type of diet decreases metabolism in terms of energy expended by the body at rest. Therefore, we must re-integrate progressively foods to avoid a resumption of rapid weight. We advise many vegetables and fruits, protein and little carbohydrates during the following week.