Cabbage Soup Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

FAQs

Does the cabbage soup diet really help you lose weight? ›

Some people may lose weight using the cabbage soup diet. However, there is no scientific evidence to support the diet's suitability for healthy weight loss.

What Experts Say. "The cabbage soup diet promises quick weight loss, but experts agree it's not a sustainable option. Protein and vegetables are a focus, but any weight lost is likely to be gained back. Plus, cutting food groups can lead to nutrient imbalances."

Leafy greens: Cabbage, collard greens, spinach, kale, and other greens are high in nitrates, which have been found to offer blood pressure benefits. It's easier to get your daily dose of greens by varying how you eat them.

The Diet Plan

The cabbage soup diet allows you to eat all of the cabbage soup you like in addition to adding certain foods on specific days throughout the week. No bread, alcohol, or carbonated beverages, including diet sodas.

You may have heard of something called the Dolly Parton Diet — which consists of eating cabbage soup (yes, cabbage soup!) as your main meals along with fruit and vegetables.

Fans claim you can drop 10 pounds or more in a week. Some people use it to kick-start their weight loss plan, or to trim a few pounds for a special event. But before you stock up on cabbage, know that this crash diet won't help you in the long run, and it doesn't give your body the nutrients it needs to stay healthy.

You may season the soup with salt, pepper, hot sauce, herbs, or spices. You may add other non-starchy vegetables, such as spinach or green beans. Every day, you should eat as much cabbage soup as you want — at least for several meals.

In addition to the soup, the diet allows for certain other foods in small portions. For example, you can consume fruits, vegetables, lean proteins like chicken or fish, and grains. However, processed foods, sugary beverages, and high-fat products are generally not allowed.

Most variations of this diet suggest that people eat this soup two to three times a day, although some variations enable the participants to consume even more of the soup. The cabbage soup used in this diet combines ingredients like broth, nonstarchy vegetables, pepper, herbs and, of course, cabbage.

The top fruits for lowering blood pressure include bananas, apples, pears, apricots, grapes, raisins, kiwis, mangoes, watermelon, pomegranate, plums, prunes, avocado, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, tomatoes, citrus fruit, berries, and more.

What is the best morning drink for high blood pressure? ›

The top drinks for lowering blood pressure include water, fruit juices (pomegranate, prune, cranberry, cherry), vegetable juice (tomato, raw beet), tea (black, green), and skim milk.

Gas, Abdominal Pain and Bloating

For this reason, it is no surprise that gas, bloating and abdominal pain are common reported side effects of the Cabbage Soup Diet. Symptoms vary in severity and frequency, depending upon how much cabbage soup you consume and your sensitivity to gas-causing substances in cabbage.

To lose 10 pounds in one week, you'll need to burn between 3,500 and 5,000 calories more than you consume each day by restricting your diet to small portions of nutritious yet low-calorie foods, and significantly increasing your aerobic exercise with interval training, sports, and other vigorous activities.

OTHER CABBAGE SOUP DIET NOTES:

Absolutely NO bread, alcohol, carbonated drinks (including diet), dry beans, corn, peas, lima beans for the full duration of this diet. DRINKS: Stick with water, unsweet tea, black coffee, unsweetened juices, cranberry juice, or skim milk.

Cabbage Soup Diet Rules: A Day-by-Day Meal Plan to Follow

Bananas aren't allowed on the first day. Day 4 Along with the cabbage soup, you can also have a maximum of 8 bananas and skim milk on this day only. Day 5 Eat beef and tomatoes along with your cabbage soup.

The Cabbage Soup Diet is a short-term weight loss diet. Proponents of the diet say that it can help you lose up to 10 pounds (4.5 kg) in a single week, but many health experts warn that the diet does not promote health and wellness, and results are unsustainable.

Cabbage does double detox duty. Its diuretic properties help rid your body of excess liquid, carrying toxins along with it. Like other cruciferous veggies, cabbage is also sulfur-rich, helping your liver break down toxins so they can be more easily expelled.

The cabbage soup diet has low calories. Eat as much cabbage soup as you would like to keep your stamina up and drink plenty of water. If I start to feel sluggish, I cheat and have a baked sweet potato, a protein shake, or some juice.