Diet Programs And Meals - The Cabbage Soup Diet

The rigorous phase of the Soup Diet, which is also known as the Cabbage Soup Diet, lasts for only seven days. During this period dieters rely on a homemade vegetable soup to lose weight, both by melting the fat away and by eliminating excess water from the body. After this initial phase, dieters experience a seven-day stabilization phase. Here are some of the diet principles.

Eat as much of the fat burning soup as you desire. Have some of this by now familiar soup for breakfast, lunch, supper, and even the mid-morning snack. The recipe follows. For three liters (approximately three quarts of water) cook for about an hour the following cut-up vegetables: Three large onions, 1 or 2 cans of peeled tomatoes, a green cabbage, 2 eggplants, 2 bell peppers, 3 asparagus, 1 stalk of parsley, 3 bay leaves, 4 cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, curry, and additional spices to taste.

On a daily basis eat proteins such as 150 grams (about 5 ounces) of lean fish, 4 egg whites, 150 grams of skinless, lean white meat (but not pork), or 200 grams of tofu daily. Eat two snacks a day, a bowl of soup in the morning and a fruit or a no-fat yogurt in the afternoon. During the stabilization phase the morning snack is a no-fat yogurt. Take dietary supplements. Drink lots of water and green tea. During the stabilization phase you may once again eat bread and olive oil. But pasta is still a no no.

An advantage of the Cabbage Soup diet is that you don't have to cook much. But you probably will get sick of that *** soup. And the meals lack variety.

Here are two sample menus:

Menu 1
Breakfast: Grapefruit. Sugarless no-fat yogurt. A bowl of soup. Green tea.
Lunch: A bowl of soup. 150 grams of chicken breast. A plate of broccoli. A few slices of pineapple. Green tea.
Supper: A bowl of soup. 4 egg whites. Green salad. A kiwi.

Menu 2 (Stabilization Phase)
Breakfast: An apple. A light yogurt. A slice of whole-grain bread with a pat of margarine. A green tea or coffee.
Lunch: Green salad dressed with olive oil and vinegar. 80 grams of lean beef. A plate of broccoli. A few slices of pineapple. Green tea.
Supper: A bowl of soup. 150 grams of halibut. A plate of leeks. A kiwi.

Some information in this article comes from a fascinating new book, La Bible des Regimes, written by Jenny de Jonquieres and published by Amerik Media. Her book describes over 80 diets and weight reduction programs. Each diet is presented with 5 menu plans, a detailed discussion of its advantages and disadvantages, and a whole lot more. La Bible des Regimes is available only in French at present.


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Levi Reiss wrote or co-authored ten computer and
Internet books, but would rather drink fine wine,
accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario
French-language community college. Visit his new wine, diet, health, and
nutrition website www.wineinyourdiet.com and
his Italian travel website www.travelitalytravel.com.