What Is Cabbage Soup Diet? Does It Work for Weight Loss?

The cabbage soup diet, also called CSD, is a week-long rapid weight loss diet. It claims to help you lose over ten pounds a week.

For one week, you only have to eat nothing but cabbage soup; however, you can also have a few other items, such as fruits but no bananas, vegetables, skimmed milk, etc.

While the diet claims to help you lose a significant amount of weight in a week, many health experts believe it's a fad and unhealthy diet that delivers unsustainable results.

Read on to learn more about the cabbage soup diet. Does it really work?

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What is the cabbage soup diet?

The cabbage soup diet is a seven-day diet that promises weight loss of up to 4.5 kg. The diet is high in fiber and low in fat. This approach includes eating cabbage soup several times a day for one week. The main purpose of the diet is to restrict calories by limiting your food intake.

While following the diet, you only have to eat 1,000 or fewer calories during the first two or three days. For the remaining days, you have to increase your calorie intake to about 1,200 per day.

So, given the fewer calories you're consuming, it's obvious that you could lose 4 lbs in a week or so. However, keep in mind that it's more than the recommended weight loss per week, so this diet can be unsafe and unhealthy.

If you're still eager to give it a try, consider the following sample recipe. The ingredients for the soup listed below may vary depending on your choice of vegetables and spices.

Ingredients

• 1 cabbage, sliced into small pieces
• 2 onions, sliced
• 3 tomatoes, cut into small pieces
• 2 green peppers
• 2-3 carrots
• ½ bunch of celery
• 4 to 5 mushrooms
• 1 garlic

Directions to cook

Chop all the ingredients into small cubes, and put them in a large pot or any other cooking utensil.

Add a few cups of water depending on the quantity of the ingredients, and boil them all together. Reduce to medium heat, and cook till the vegetables get tender. Add seasonings, such as pepper, salt, herbs, and other spices, if desired.

Once cooked nicely, serve hot, and enjoy. You should eat as much cabbage soup as you can for a few meals every day. Apart from the soup, you may consume a few other low-calorie foods daily. While it's best to drink only water during your diet, you may also opt for other calorie-free and unsweetened beverages.

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What food can you eat?

Other foods and drinks you can have during the diet include:

• Vegetables
• Berries
• Beef
• Sugar-free juices
• Apples
• Skim milk
• Brown rice

What foods you cannot eat?

• Bananas
• Chicken
• Fish
• Eggs
• Potatoes
• Alcohol
• Bread products
• Fruit juices
• Sugary drinks
• High-fat foods

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Does the cabbage soup diet work? Is the diet safe?

The cabbage soup diet hasn’t been studied extensively, so it's impossible to confirm on its effectiveness. However, as the diet is low in calories, it can cause quick weight loss. While the idea of losing weight rapidly may seem like a great option, note that it can be unhealthy and dangerous.

Not to mention, the food restrictions included in the diet can make you lose out on essential vitamins and nutrients, thereby damaging your metabolism and overall health.

An important thing to know about the cabbage soup diet is that the weight loss that happens during the diet is primarily a result of your body getting rid of water retention. So, as soon as you get back to your normal or less restrictive diet, you are likely going to gain weight, and the body will start storing water again.

So, does the cabbage soup diet work for weight loss at all? Yes, it does at first, but there are risks that outweigh its benefits.

The cabbage soup diet seems to work best for people with short-term weight loss goals. That especially includes people who like cabbage and the taste of the soup, as one of the main reasons why people quit the diet is because can’t stand cabbage.

The diet doesn’t seem to work for people who want to lose a significant amount of weight or are obese. Moreover, it's also unsuitable for people with heart problems, type 2 diabetes, or other chronic illnesses.

While the cabbage diet may help you lose weight quickly, remember that there are other safe and healthy options to achieve long-lasting weight loss results that are safe, healthy, and sustainable.