In the world of popular diets, Cabbage Soup is one of the most puzzling. It’s unclear where the plan originated, but surprisingly, that hasn’t stopped people from writing about it. The latest tome, The Ultimate Cabbage Soup Diet (John Blake, 2003), with its 12 green cabbages floating on a deep-blue background, details the regimen in intricate detail. There’s the original soup recipe, plus a couple of ethnic variations. As an added bonus, the author offers 100 recipes for the fruits, vegetables, chicken, and fish allowed on “free days.” Once dieters take a look at the book, they’ll see that the diet is simple and straightforward. It’s basically a seven-day menu plan built around a pot of homemade cabbage soup.
On a cold winter’s day, a warm pot of soup makes a satisfying meal. But soup at every meal, day in and day out, for seven days straight is downright bizarre. There’s nothing magical about cabbage—or a fat-free cabbage soup—that melts away fat. Zeroing in on one food to the exclusion of others is probably what makes you lose weight. But you’ll undoubtedly become sick of the soup and eat less and less of it. Less food equals fewer calories, and fewer calories means weight loss.
Basic principles:
Dieters are encouraged to check with a physician before starting the plan. They then follow a precise seven-day regimen with specific foods on alternating days and two servings a day of a special homemade cabbage soup. The premise: Eat as much as you want, but from a small assortment of foods.
How the diet works:
The recipe makes 24 cups of soup; each cup carries a mere 66 calories. So a person who has 2 cups of soup per meal, a few cups of coffee, the allotted glass of milk, the fat-free salad dressing, and 6 pieces of fruit (2 apples, 2 oranges, 2 peaches) on day one will net 860 calories. On day five, the addition of a hefty 6-ounce portion of fish and 6 ounces of chicken could raise the calorie total as high as 1,030 for the day. But as dieters tire of the cabbage soup and free foods, calories could drop even lower than 800 per day. In short, this an extremely low-calorie diet.
What you can eat:
The list is short. Cabbage Soup. Cabbage Soup Italiano. Szechuan Cabbage Soup. Tex-Mex Cabbage Soup. You’re also allowed unlimited coffee or tea, one (8-ounce) glass of skim milk or low-fat yogurt, and 1 tablespoon of low-fat or fat-free salad dressing per day. On alternating days, you can choose from a list of free foods. On day one, for example, dieters eat unlimited amounts of 22 free vegetables, everything from artichokes to cucumbers to turnips. On day five, it’s unlimited amounts of chicken or fish.
Does the diet take and keep weight off?
Weight loss is a given since calories are so low, but it’s unlikely that the pounds will stay off, particularly once you return to your old eating habits. And—no surprise here—there’s not a shred of clinical or even anecdotal evidence to support the value of this regimen. All there is to go on is a vague statement in the book that “men and women across the world have had incredible success with this diet.” Nevertheless, the author boldly claims you can lose 10 pounds in seven days.
Is the diet healthy?
No way. A diet that focuses on so few foods can’t possibly provide all the nutrients you need. In fact, it lacks ample quantities of everything from fiber to protein to calcium.
What do the experts say?
“Sure, people lose weight with this diet. How much cabbage soup can anyone really eat?” asks registered dietitian Jackie Berning, an associate professor of biology at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. “My problem with the diet is that it doesn’t teach people how to change the eating habits that made them gain weight in the first place.” Oh, and the digestive repercussions of all that cabbage? “Your family will probably kick you out because of all the flatulence,” Berning says. Baylor College of Medicine weight-loss expert John Foreyt, Ph.D., cuts to the chase. “It’s silly,” he says. “It’s just about cutting calories. People will lose weight in the short term, but nobody can stick with it.” Would he recommend it as a quick way to jump-start weight loss? “Of course not.”
Who should consider the diet?
Nobody. This regimen is unsafe.
Bottom line:
Sure, eating a steady diet of cabbage soup will peel off a few pounds over the short term, but they’ll come back. Count on it.
Lead writer: Maureen Callahan, M.S., R.D.
Comments (16)
The cabbage soup itself is okay and can taste quite good, but as far as the diet goes, forget it, its BAD FOR YOU.
See my variation of the Cabbage Soup Recipe
I’ve done this diet 3x – twice after the birth of my first child, and once after my second, due to excess weight left over from pregnancy. With the intention to “kick off” better eating and exercise regimen, I had success all 3 times losing anywhere from 8-11 lbs. This is also weight that I KEPT OFF, after following a healthy diet and exercising thereafter. It’s not guaranteed you’ll put the weight back on if you’re conscious of what you’re eating (as you likely would by simply losing water weight). Also, you can take in as much of the allowed foods as you want on any day, so that means you can actually end up eating a lot of calories – and still lose weight. I know others – including my husband- who’ve had success as well. I would recommend it! I’m actually on day 3 of the diet right now ! lol Be sure to take your multivitamin, and good luck!
-LP
this diet works true.
but after a week if you quit the diet you gain half it back! so becareful . do this diet if your going too do it for the rest of your life.
I don’t make soup out of it, I just eat cabbage, broccoli, caul,corn (not the 1st 2 days). In short I just eat vegetables for dinner. I throw in some protein every other day, eggs, nuts , soy products. Yogurt and rice cakes for a snack at night. I’ve lost tons my face looks thin , my stomach is flat. Why knock a diet if “people” go back to eating their old way? Thats their problem not mine. I never DID eat the way others do. If I have a rich dessert one day I balance it out with low cals the next. People DO need fast results or they quit.THis diet gives you fast results. It’s way healthier than living on greasy hamburgers and pizza. It’s the low calories that makes people lightheaded NOT the veg’s themselves. This makes people believe the vegetables are to blame. Have only one hamburger a day and nothing else and your going to be lightheaded.
I agree with you totally !!!
Couldn’t have said it better!
OK. I’ve done this diet a few times and there is absolutely NOTHING unhealthy or unsafe about it. You are pumping your body with antioxidants. Everything you eat is full of vitamins. You don’t heve to eat just the soup. The first day includes fruit & the soup. So, don’t be stupid, eat a variety of fruits too. I made some beautiful fruit salads. The second day includes vegetables and the soup. I made some delicious vegetable salads with dark green leafy spinach and loads of other colorful vegetables. The third day includes fruit, vegetables and the soup. What can be more healthy than that??? Also, you can eat as much as you want!!! It doesn’t have to be that boring!!!
It really amazes me that people would be afraid of eating too many vegetables for just a few days. What really more dangerous, a week on the cabbage soup diet or a week gorging yourself with toxic desserts around the holidays? Use your brain, toxins or antioxidants? It’s your choice.
hi. i just want to know will cabbage will reduce the weight if we add daily or 1 day after
my dad has been on it for a while with exercise he has lost around 30 pounds. i am very proud of him and me and my mom have joined him. sure it;s not tastely to me. i’m 16 years old i want to eat mc. donalds and fast food but like carolyn said you eat fruit the fisrt day and veggies the next. then you mix the first day with the second day and for the third you eat bananas and drink milk. and the you can eat meat and tomatoes. use your brain,be creative.
seriously dude, a sixteen year old shouldn’t be on this diet. i was on it about the same age and ended up vomiting violently. you should wait until your body is grown and your hormones balance out a little before using such drastic measures as this =[
I have done cabbage soup a few times. It’s restricting but I like the soup a lot. Right now I have been doing it for 9 days. I think having the soup around even when you are eating more normally is a good idea too. It fills you up and the gassiness is not as bad after the first time you do it. I def. get in ruts where I tend to eat garbage, so it feels great to do cabbage soup for a week to kick start healthy eating again and detox. It has really opened me up to eating a ton of vegetables, drinking more water and cooking my own fish, chicken and steak. I’d recommend it to anyone.
please help me how to lose some kg
thx
i have tried the cabbage soup diet a few years ago, and i think its good i lost every bit of 15pounds within that week, following it to the tee, will give u a good start, i am about to do it again, after having taken steroids for a while its wonderful!
I’ve tried it and it worked for me. The soup tasted good…I made sure to season it just right and by alternating that and the vegetables and fruit, it was no problem staying on the diet. Great for short term weight loss, although you have to change your eating habits if you want to keep the pounds off.
A tip to keep things interesting… make a big batch of the soup, but before you finish it, divide it into two or three different pots and season them differently. I make one pot spicy, I season one with Lipton soup mix, and I try different combinations for the third pot. Making the soup this way cuts down on some of the monotony and its easier to stick to.
This diet works! I lost 20 pounds with being on the diet for a week and then continuing healthy eating habits after. I did put on 4 pounds, but that was because I slacked and not because the diet doesnt work. With any diet the diet alone will not change your life, its everything.