The cabbage soup diet

The cabbage soup diet is a quick weight loss plan that has been around for at least 14 years - long before the popularity of the Internet. This shows that the cabbage soup diet works, at least temporarily. Or at least a lot of people think it does!

(Your webmaster actually used this diet, or one of it's many variations, to lose a few pounds 14 years ago, which is how I know how long it's been around. And yes, the weight came right back.)

Do you just need a quick jump-start, or do you need to lose a little bit of water weight so you can fit into that dress for the class reunion? Then the cabbage soup diet might not be so bad - but it's important to remember that no one takes responsibility for having created the cabbage soup diet, and no one who passes it on will recommend staying on it for more than a week or two.

There's actually a very popular e-book built around the cabbage soup diet, but which follows up the first restrictive week with a practical, healthy weight loss program. You can see it by clicking here. (I don't recommend this book, even though it adds more nutrition than you'll get from the 'traditional' cabbage diet.)

With the cabbage soup diet the problem is not in nutrition, exactly. The soup itself probably has more nutrition than most American meals, but is so repetitive that many important nutrients are left out. But this is an extremely low calorie diet - actually a starvation plan. That's why no one can stay on it for long.

And strangely enough, putting yourself into starvation mode can actually make you gain more weight when you go off the diet - making you even fatter than you were to start with. If you decide to try this diet, please follow it with a weight loss program that offers lots of good, healthy, filling food.

On the cabbage soup diet you are supposed to be able to eat as much cabbage soup as you want, and are required to eat it at every lunch and dinner for a week. There are a few other things, like baked potatoes and bananas, that are eaten at a specific schedule.

I tried the soup recently, just to see what it would be like. The first day I loved it, because this really is good soup. The cabbage soup has all the flavor you could want, and I actually recommend it as a recipe that will be enjoyed by your family (in moderation). As an occasional meal, it's really good for you.

I made a huge pot, following the directions below. There was lots left over to eat throughout the week.

The second day I was less enthusiastic, and on the third day I was unable to eat the soup at all. The high amount of sulfur in the cabbage created some intestinal disturbances that we don't need to discuss. (The book I mentioned has tips on reducing the intestinal discomfort you get from eating the cabbage, but it can't do away with it completely. This vegetable is known to be a great intestinal cleanser, but it can also cause uncomfortable gas.)

Maybe Beano would have helped, but even without the cabbage, the very low calories would make you feel as though you're starving. Because you are.

The rest of the diet consists of potatoes, other vegetables, and bananas, eaten on alternate days.

Cabbage soup diet recipe (one of many)

6 large green onions
2 green peppers
1 or 2 cans of tomatoes (diced or whole)
1 bunch celery
1/2 head cabbage
1 or 2 cubes low-salt bullion (optional)
1 48 oz. can V8 juice (optional)

Add all ingredients to a large (very large) pot and simmer until done, about one hour.

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Will you lose weight if you go on this diet?

Yes. There are very few calories, so of course you will lose weight. However, it may trigger your body to go into "starvation mode," slowing your metabolism and causing you to regain the five pounds that you lose (and more) as soon as you go back to eating normally.

But is it good for you? The number of calories and the amount of nutrition in this diet is so close to starvation that the answer has to be "No!"

Where did the cabbage soup diet come from?

No one claims responsibility for this diet, but it does have some very interesting correlations to the cancer-fighting diet created by Dr. Max Gerson. His diet included many servings of a soup that contained cabbage and other veggies, but his soup also had potatoes.

Dr. Gerson was a pioneer in treating cancers and other illnesses with nutrition, and his famous diet does require one to eat cabbage soup at least once a day. He also insisted that his patients give up salt, because he believed that salt slows the inner workings of the cells, leading to lower metabolism and possible cell death or cancer.

Of course, Dr. Gerson's diet was not designed to help people reduce their weight, and included far more than just soup and potatoes. The mainstay of Dr. Gerson's diet was fresh, organic carrot and apple juice, (as much as 14 glasses a day).

Dr.Gerson, who died in 1959, may have been influenced by
Dr. Norman W. Walker, the originator of the Norwalk hydraulic press juicer and one of the first people to emphasize the nutritional benefits of fresh juice. The Gerson cancer therapy also includes many micro-nutrient supplements to flood the body with minerals and enzymes.

Even if the anonymous originator of the cabbage soup diet was influenced by Dr. Gerson, so much nutrition is left out of this diet that it isn't safe, even for a week.

So, you can obviously tell that this author does not recommend the cabbage soup diet. Before you even consider going on this diet, or any other low-calorie fad diet, look at this list of low-calorie-induced illnesses and symptoms that you may experience. If you ignore all those negative side effects and go on this diet anyway, get ready to buy some bigger clothes, because within just a few weeks after the diet is over, you'll be fatter than you are today. It's guaranteed.

 

 

Please also visit my other sites:

All About Gastric Bypass - An honest look at the benefits, costs and complications of weight loss surgery.

The Craving Control Diet: The only diet that helps you lose weight, controls your appetite, eliminates food obsessions and cravings, and improves your moods - all with the fat-fighting power of whole, natural foods. It isn't just safer than fad diets - it actually works for permanent weight loss.

 

 

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