Cabbage soup diet: the complete French-speaking guide

[Article updated on 19/09/2023]

The system of government cabbage soup is the fashion. It consists of eating cabbage soup several times a day. When you follow the program, you can also eat some other foods low-calorie foods, such as fruits (except bananas), beef, vegetables and skimmed milk. Due to restrictions, your calorie count will decrease so that you reach the caloric deficit necessary for weightloss. This diet promises ten pounds of weight loss by end of the week, but is it true? Is it safe? This is what you you will discover in the following lines.

What is the soup diet with cabbages?

A popular diet that only lasts seven days

It is generally considered a trendy program. As the name suggests, it requires you to eat large quantities of cabbage soup for seven days. During this time, you can also eat certain fruits and vegetables, beef, chicken and brown rice, on a set schedule.

Known by other names

The Cabbage Diet is also known by other names, such as the Sacred Heart Hospital Diet or the Mayo Clinic Diet, allegedly because it was developed in a hospital for weight loss. prompt before surgery for cardiac patients. However, the hospitals involved have denied these claims.

No one is sure where this unique diet originated, although it gained popularity during the 1980s and is still used today.

Possible disadvantages

Fans of this slimming program say that it is a good way to quickly lose a few pounds. You can lose weight because it significantly limits calories. But it’s not just fat you’ll lose. Your weight loss is likely a combination of water and fat, and may even include muscle.

Since it is low in complex carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals, you should not stay there for more than one week at a time. The system of government cabbage soup other disadvantages. Depending on the recipe used, it can be rich in sodium. Large amounts of cabbage can also make you more vulnerable to flatulence.

Because you are not eating properly, you may feel weak or tired. And once you stop, it’s easy to regain the weight you lost. Fad diets like this can be tempting, but keep in mind that long-term weight loss depends lasting change in your eating and exercise habits.

What are the rules of the diet?

In addition to soup, you are allowed to eat 1-2 other low-calorie foods per day. However, it is important not to make other substitutions and drink only water or other calorie-free drinks, such as unsweetened tea. A multivitamin daily is very often recommended, because this dietary program can be low in certain nutrients.

Here are the rules for each day of the cabbage soup diet:

• Day 1: cabbage soup and fruits as desired, but no bananas.
• Day 2: only soup and vegetables. Focus on raw or cooked leafy greens. Avoid peas, corn and beans. You can also eat a baked potato with butter or oil.
• Day 3: as many fruits and vegetables as you can eat, in addition to soup. However, no baked potatoes and no bananas.
• Day 4: unlimited bananas, skimmed milk and cabbage soup.
• Day 5: You are allowed 10 to 20 ounces (280 to 567 grams) of beef, which you can replace with chicken or fish. You can also have up to six fresh tomatoes. Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water.
• Day 6: soup, beef and vegetables. You can replace the beef with grilled fish if you didn’t do it the day before. Focus on leafy greens. No baked potatoes.
• Day 7: You can have unlimited vegetables, brown rice and fruit juice, but without added sugar.

What is the recipe for cabbage soup?

In the list of ingredients, we have:

• 2 large onions
• two green peppers
• 2 cans of tomatoes
• 1 bunch of celery
• 1 head of cabbage
• 3 carrots
• 1 packet of mushrooms
• 1–2 stock cubes (optional)
• 6 to 8 cups of water or vegetable cocktail

Chop all the vegetables into cubes. In a large saucepan, brown the onions in a small amount of oil. Then add the remaining vegetables and cover them with water or a vegetable cocktail and add stock cubes or other seasonings, if desired.

Bring everything to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 to 45 minutes. You can season the soup with salt, pepper, sauce hot, herbs or spices. You can also 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 during the 3 basic meals.

Is the cabbage soup diet effective for weight loss?

Undeniable weight loss

The cabbage soup diet has never been studied and it is therefore difficult to truly confirm its effectiveness. However, since it is very low in calories, it will likely lead to weight loss.

Although you are allowed to eat unlimited amounts of soups and some other foods, the choices are so limited and so low in calories that it would be very difficult to eat enough to maintain your weight.

Possible reversibility

Although the cabbage soup diet will likely help you lose weight, most of that weight will likely come back as soon as you stop. In particular, when you severely limit your calorie intake or lose a lot of weight, your body responds by lowering your metabolic rate, thereby reducing the number of calories you burn per day. This drop in metabolism is a common cause of regaining lost weight.

Your metabolism may begin to decline as early as day three of a very low-calorie diet. This slowdown may explain why it’s so difficult to prevent weight gain after you stop eating.

So many health benefits!

However, very low-calorie diets present also some advantages. Studies indicate that, under the control of a doctor, obese people, following a very low-calorie diet program for 4 to 12 weeks, can see a marked improvement in the short term weight loss and metabolic health.

Some studies show that short and very Low-calorie diets can temporarily decrease insulin resistance, even if they are too short to produce significant changes in the tissue adipose.

Another positive benefit of the cabbage soup diet is that you don’t have to go hungry, because you can eat as many of the allowed foods as you want each day. The program also includes lots of fruit and vegetables, low in calories and high in fiber.

Plus, it is very inexpensive to follow. Unlike other diets that require you to buy expensive supplements or books, this one only requires you to buy low-cost ingredients for soup and a few other staples.

Potential disadvantages

Although the cabbage soup diet can help you lose weight, its drawbacks may outweigh its benefits.

Very short diet, and perhaps not effective enough

One of the main problems with this program is that it can only be followed for a week, which is not long enough to achieve significant weight loss.

Your body cannot burn so much fat within a week. During the first week of a low-calorie program, only about 34% of the weight lost actually comes from fat. The other two thirds come from water loss and loss of muscle mass.

Water weight comes from your glycogen stores, which constitute your body’s quick-access energy stores. Normally, Glycogen binds to water molecules in your body. When you don’t don’t consume enough calories, your body uses stored glycogen and also eliminates this excess water.

However, as soon as you return to a less restrictive program, your body will rebuild these emergency reserves and regain lost water, even if you continue with a healthy diet.

Potential lack of nutrients

Another big problem with cabbage soup is its lack of nutrients. The cabbage diet contains so few food choices that it lacks many vitamins and minerals and is not a true source of protein on most days. With so little protein, you’ll have a hard time preventing muscle loss.

Furthermore, the soup diet is incredibly bland, making it difficult to endure for an entire week. It also requires frequent cooking of large quantities of cabbage soup, which may be a disadvantage for some people.

Safety and side effects

The cabbage soup diet is not recommended for more than a week due to its restrictive nature and the nutritional imbalance it causes.

It is very low in calories

Although it is not a starvation diet, the foods are so little calories that it would be difficult to reach 1,000 calories per day. this is below the minimum number of calories needed to maintain weight stable.

This minimum is generally 1,200 calories for women and 1,500 calories for men, on average. Very weak cures in calories (less than 800 calories per day) are only recommended for obese people and must be driven under the close supervision of a doctor.

It may not provide enough nutrients

Low-calorie programs used under a doctor’s supervision are generally designed to be nutritionally sufficient. However, when it comes to the cabbage soup diet, the food choices are very limited and unbalanced. It contains almost no protein and is also very low in carbohydrates, fat and calories.

Additionally, it lacks many vitamins and minerals. There is no serious risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies if you follow this program for a week, especially if you decide to take a multi-vitamin. But that doesn’t make up for the lack of calories and protein.

Therefore, many people who choose the cabbage soup diet complain of dizziness and weakness.

It can cause flatulence and cramps

Since this diet is very high in fiber, many people complain of flatulence and cramps as major side effects. These effects can be annoying enough to lead to program termination.

It can lead to gallbladder problems

There have been a few anecdotes reported of gallstones and gallbladder blockages in people who have used the Cabbage Soup diet long-term. Gallstones can be the unintended consequence of any rapid weight loss.

Normally, when you eat foods rich in fat, your gallbladder releases digestive juices to help break down. However, if you eat almost no fat, your gallbladder bile may not empty over a long period of time, which increases the risk of stone formation.

Gallstones may be more common in people who are dieting very low in calories or a low-fat diet, like this program based on cabbage soup.null

The Cabbage Soup Diet May Change Blood Sugar Levels

If you are diabetic and want to follow a soup diet with cabbage, proceed with caution. Low carbs and calories can cause big changes in your blood sugar.

That said, the diet should not have dangerous side effects for most healthy people, provided it is only used for one week as intended.

---

Also discover my article on soup diet right here !