Cabbage Soup Diet Guidelines

Before you embark on a diet of cabbage soup for a week, take a look at the cabbage soup diet guidelines.

What is the Cabbage Soup Diet?

The cabbage soup diet is simple in design. It doesn't rely on dietary supplements, exercise routines, or diet pills, but requires you to follow a strict dietary regimen for seven days. Because this diet is so rigid, however, you'll have to steer clear of fast food and sit-down restaurants because you won't find anything that fits on this diet. What does the diet promise to those who try it? Basically, if you stick strictly to this diet, you can lose up to 10 pounds and maybe more in a week. The secret? It's a very low calorie diet, so the pounds will naturally come off. While the weight will come off, it may not stay off.

Cautions to Consider

The diet can actually be dangerous, too, especially if you try to stay on it for longer than 7 days. Once you go off the diet and resume your normal eating habits, the weight will come back. As with any diet, you should consult your doctor before you try this. Most doctors are dead set against this diet because it lacks nutritional value. You'll be eating much less than 1,200 calories a day, and you won't receive the nutrients you need. Dieters may very well lose the promised 10-15 pounds, but the problem is that most of the weight lost will be primarily from fluids, not fat, and will return once the dieter resumes eating normally. Do not stay on this diet for more than seven days at a time!

Cabbage Soup Diet Guidelines

The cabbage soup diet relies on a combination of foods designed to burn fat. The idea is quite simple—the more soup you eat, the more weight you lose. This is one of those diets that allows you to eat as much as you want of a particular food. For those who hate the feeling of being hungry all the time, this is an appealing diet option.

What to Eat

Cabbage soup diet guidelines are very rigid. While you can eat all you want of certain foods, those foods are very limited. Foods typically include the following:

• Fruit (Bananas only on certain days.)
• Vegetables (Your best bet is leafy, green or raw vegetables. Avoid corn, beans, and peas, though. You can have a baked potato on designated days only).
• Broiled or baked chicken (skinless)
• Lean meat
• Cabbage soup (This goes without saying. You'll typically be required to eat at least two bowls of this while you are on the seven day diet.)

Tips to Follow

While you follow the cabbage soup diet guidelines, consider the following tips.

• Drink plenty of water (plan on 32 to 64 ounces daily)
• Don't drink alcohol
• Don't drink sugared drinks
• Take a multivitamin every day to help you get some of the extra nutrients you won't have on this diet.
• Use spices to flavor the soup
• Eat lots of soup—If you are hungry, you may end up binging and defeat the purpose of the diet!

Cabbage Soup Recipe

The recipe for cabbage soup can be varied somewhat depending upon the spices and vegetables you choose, but here is a basic recipe to try:

• 1 package dry onion soup mix
• 2 cans of tomatoes, diced or whole
• 2 bouillon cubes, either chicken or beef
• 1/2 head green cabbage, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 small celery stick
• 5 large green onions or 1 large regular onion, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, sliced (optional)
• Seasonings (Any you choose)

Sauté the vegetables (except for tomatoes and cabbage) in a pot using fat-free cooking spray. Add cabbage, soup mix, seasonings, bouillon cubes, and water. The amount of water you add depends upon how "soupy" you want your recipe to be. Finally, add the tomatoes. Cook the soup according to your preferences. Some people like their cabbage to be crunchy, while others prefer a tender texture.

Diet Plan

There are various diet plans floating around, but the following is a sample plan that you can follow.

• Day One-Eat all of the fruit you want (no bananas, however), and eat at least two bowls of soup. Drink only water or unsweetened juice or tea
• Day Two-Don't eat fruit on this day. Instead, eat all the raw or cooked vegetables you like with the exception of legumes, corn, and peas. Your reward at the end of the day can be a baked potato with butter. Try to eat leafy green vegetables and stay away from dry beans, peas and corn
• Day Three- This should be a combination of the first two days. You can eat all the fruit, approved vegetables, and soup you want, but no potatoes.
• Day Four-On this day you can eat as many bananas and drink as many glasses of skim milk as you like. Don't forget to eat your soup as well!
• Day Five- You are allowed 10 to 20 ounces of beef and no more than 6 fresh tomatoes, along with your soup. Be sure and drink plenty of water on this day. Broiled or baked skinless chicken may be substituted for the meat.
• Day Six-Eat at least one bowl of soup and all the beef and leafy vegetables you want on this day.
• Day Seven-On the last day, eat as much brown rice, vegetables, soup, and unsweetened fruit juices as you like.

Finally, remember that a diet this low in calories could cause you to feel lightheaded. You may also experience more gas as well. Before starting on this or any diet, always consult your doctor..

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