Features

• The cabbage soup referred to in the title of the diet is a low calorie homemade vegetable soup that includes green onions, green peppers, tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, celery, cabbage, vegetable flavored soup mix, bullion, vegetable juice and various condiments.
  
  

Types

• The cabbage soup diet is sometimes referred to as a fad diet or a crash diet. Used properly, it can be a good way to experience quick weight loss, but you should not expect it to produce lasting or significant weight reduction effects. Following this eating plan for an extended period of time is not a good idea, nor is it likely to result in long term weight loss.
  
  

Function

• The cabbage soup diet has long been popular among dieters looking for a quick way to drop a few pounds. Many people use this diet as preparation for a long term diet or to lose weight quickly before a big event, such as a wedding, class reunion or job interview.
  
  

Time Frame

• The cabbage soup diet prescribes a specific eating plan for seven days. If you plan to go on this diet, you need to be prepared to follow its guidelines exactly as prescribed. This includes following the food consumption guidelines for each day, and getting off the diet following the seventh day.
  
  

Benefits

• If you need to lose a little bit of weight very quickly, this diet can be a good way to accomplish your short term objective. Low in fat and high in fiber, following the cabbage soup diet for a few days can help you negate the impact of overindulging during the holidays or help you transition from a lifetime of bad eating habits toward a more healthful way of eating.
  
  

Misconceptions

• Many people think that following the cabbage soup diet involves eating nothing but a specific type of soup for the entire time one is on the diet. This is not true. Throughout the course of the seven days of this eating plan, dieters are advised to consume various combinations of fruit, vegetables, meat, brown rice, lean meat, skim milk, water and of course, cabbage soup.
  
  

Warning

• Make sure your expectations for the cabbage soup diet are realistic. Do not lose sight of the fact that it is a temporary diet rather than an approach to long term weight loss. Staying on this diet for too long can be dangerous, as it does not provide sufficient nutrition to maintain a healthy body. Use the diet only as instructed, never following it for longer than seven days at a time.