What Is The Cabbage Soup Diet?

Health Claims

This diet plan promises significant weight loss over seven days. During the first few days of the plan, dieters are usually eating below one thousand calories, and the second half of the week includes a daily intake of roughly 1,200 calories. Patients can expect to lose around four pounds in one week at this calorie level, and some individuals have lost ten to fifteen pounds on the plan. Proponents of the plan claim it could help followers jumpstart their weight loss before they transition into a longer-term diet plan. Anecdotal evidence suggests some cabbage soup dieters have found the diet particularly helpful in limiting carbohydrate intake, and many followers report a smaller waist circumference at the conclusion of the diet. The plan requires a significant intake of cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables. These foods contain glucosinolate, a compound that stimulates the production of liver enzymes. Thus, some health professionals believe the cabbage soup diet may be beneficial for improving liver health.

Similar Fad Diets

The cabbage soup diet is a short-term weight loss plan, and it is considered a fad diet. Similar fad diets include the Hollywood diet, the chicken soup diet, and the juice cleanse. All of these plans involve severe caloric restriction for a few days, and they also restrict followers to certain foods or food groups. For example, dieters who follow the Hollywood diet use meal replacement juices for all of their meals over forty-eight hours. They consume no solid food, and most dieters lose ten pounds in two days. Individuals who use the chicken soup diet eat chicken soup for lunch and dinner. For breakfast, they can choose from five different recipes provided by the plan. The diet is followed for one week, and no other foods are permitted. The juice cleanse is typically followed for three days, and it involves consuming only fruit and vegetable juices freshly prepared at home. Dieters often choose to use celery, cucumbers, apples, tomatoes, and carrots in their homemade juices. Many individuals lose three to four pounds per day on this plan.