Like other very-low-calorie diets, the Cabbage Soup Diet is likely to cause weight loss if you can stick to it for one week. However, because it is only a short-term diet, you will likely gain most of the weight back unless you make permanent changes to your lifestyle.
However, eating large quantities of cabbage can cause negative side effects, such as flatulence, diarrhea, medication interactions and hypothyroidism.
It's Good for Your Digestion
Cabbage has 1 gram of fiber for every 10 calories. That helps fill you up, so you eat less. It also keeps you regular, and it could help lower your “bad” (LDL) cholesterol and control your blood sugar. Cabbage also has nutrients that keep the lining of your stomach and intestines strong.
The purpose of the cabbage soup diet is to restrict calories by restricting your food intake severely. “The low-calorie diet combined with the high fiber content of the filling vegetables, fruit, and cabbage help a person to go to the bathroom more than usual,” Rothenberg says.
Studies show those who consume cabbage regularly have the least risk for developing diabetes. Cabbage is high in carotenoids like lutein, which helps protect your eyes from developing macular degeneration as you age. You don't have to know the names of all the good things in your cabbage–just eat it!
TheBUZZ Cruciferous vegetables can burn abdominal fat? Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.) have a very unique compound of phytonutrients that can help decrease stomach fat.
Cabbage is even great for weight loss and beautiful skin!
There are only 33 calories in a cup of cooked cabbage, and it is low in fat and high in fiber. Cabbage also helps keep skin looking healthy, toned, blemish-free and glowing; it's rich in antioxidants (including vitamin C and beta-carotene).
The Cabbage Soup Diet is a short-term weight loss diet. As the name implies, it involves eating large quantities of cabbage soup. 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 is unhealthy and its results unsustainable.
Is it effective for weight loss? Some anecdotal sources say that people following the cabbage soup diet may lose 10 pounds per week or more. People who follow the diet strictly will likely lose some weight, potentially 10 pounds per week or more. This is because it involves eating so few calories each day.
Potential Muscle Loss
Since the cabbage soup has very little protein, you may start losing muscle mass instead of fat. Plus, your energy levels will suffer, because your body won't get the nutrients it needs to keep you going through the day.
Like most cruciferous vegetables (including broccoli and sprouts), cabbage contains a chemical called sulforaphane, which helps the body fight against toxins. Cabbage also supplies the body with glutathione; an antioxidant that helps improve the detoxifying function of the liver.
Cabbage might change the way estrogen is used in the body, which might reduce the risk of breast cancer. Cabbage might also reduce swelling and help with wound healing. Overall, it isn't well understood how the chemicals in cabbage might work as medicine.
Weight Loss: With a mere 33 calories per cup, cabbage is high in fiber and contains zero fat. Cabbage is frequently recommended to people who want to lose weight since it is packed with so many nutrients and its high fiber content makes it quite filling.
"Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts contain three essential nutrients that power your metabolism: B vitamins, calcium, and vitamin C. They also contain a nutrient called sulforaphane that supports the detoxification of toxins and estrogen.
Spinach and Leafy Vegetables
Spinach and other leafy vegetables like lettuce, kale, etc., help burn belly fat. It contains magnesium and vitamin E that supports metabolism and protects the immune system. Since these vegetables are low in calories and carbohydrates, an individual can lose weight easily.
Vegetables that cause weight gain:
Potatoes (0.74 pound weight gain) Cabbage (0.4 pound weight gain)
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.
What can I drink on the cabbage soup diet? It allows for drinking water, coffee, or unsweetened herbal tea – but not alcohol or sodas. But I confess that I drank diet tea (stevia-based). It has zero calories but is not detox.
Cabbage Soup diet: 7-day plan
Day 1: You can eat as much fruit as you want (except bananas) along with unlimited cabbage soup, water and unsweetened tea and coffee.
Cooked carrots, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, cabbage, peppers and many other vegetables also supply more antioxidants, such as carotenoids and ferulic acid, to the body than they do when raw, Liu says. At least, that is, if they're boiled or steamed.
These veggies: certain vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kale and cabbage contain special phytonutrients (fight-o-nutrients), such as indole-3-carbinol (I3C), which help to fight against environmental estrogens that can add belly fat.
Spinach and other leafy green vegetables like kale, lettuce, etc. are great for burning belly fat and are very nutritious as well.
If you want to preserve these nutritional benefits, it's best to steam your cabbage. First, because steaming improves its cholesterol-lowering properties. Steaming also preserves more glucosinolates than microwaving, despite longer cooking time. Purple or red cabbage is a special nutritional powerhouse.
Cabbage: Much like broccoli and cauliflower, eating cabbage helps stimulate the activation of two crucial liver-detoxifying enzymes that help flush out toxins.