Garden of flowering kale, a member of the cabbage family, in Shanghai, China.
Cabbage is rich in fiber, has B12 vitamin and is know for its detoxicating properties. Adding the fact that the Cabbage portion has only 22kcal, it becomes a great ingredient for a balanced and successful diet.
Those of you that read my article “Losing 100 Pounds and Developing Kidney Stones”, know that I'm not a fan of diets. When I first heard about the Cabbage Soup Diet for weight loss, I didn't take it seriously, but when I met some people who actually went through it (it became quite popular here, in Brazil), I decided to make a little research. When I read the diet recipe, I realized that it was a pretty decent diet. It has one aspect that I value very much; a person can actually eat a lot during the Cabbage Soup Diet (as long as it is Cabbage Soup).
Nutritionists evaluated it and said that although the diet is very nutritive and can actually make a person lose weight, it is very poor in protein. Well… I believe that a person can live without much protein for a week or so. In that case, I don't suggest you to use Cabbage Soup Diet as a life changing experience, but as something you can use to look a little better in that jeans that you want to wear in the next party. Cabbage Soup Diet defenders guarantee that a person can loose 12 Pounds in a week with that diet.
Well… let's start with the Cabbage Soup recipe:
- 1 chopped cabbage
- 2 big onions
- 2 cans of peeled tomatoes
- 2 green peppers
- 2 packages of onion soup powder
- Any herbs you want (as oregano or basil)
- 0,5 pound of peas
Preparing:
Put all the vegetables in a pan them with water. Cook it until it boils, then, you add the onion soup powder and cook it for ten minutes. When the vegetables are ready, add the herbs, cook for a little while, and the soup is ready.
Week Menu
Everyday, you can eat as much as you want of the soup, and at the rest of the time you follow this menu.
Monday
Only fruit. Eat as many as you want. The only fruit you can't eat is banana.
Tuesday
Only vegetables, including potato (of course that it is not fried).
Wednesday
Eat only fruit or vegetable, except banana and potato.
Thursday
You can have up to 8 bananas and 8 glasses of milk.
Friday
You can have up to 1 pound of chicken or fish, and 6 tomatoes. You must drink a lot of water in this day and have at least you plate of soup.
Saturday
Meat, chicken, fish and vegetables. At least one soup dish.
Sunday
Coarse rice and fruit juice without sugar.
Well… that's pretty much it. I didn't try the cabbage soup diet yet, but if any of you do it, please, post a comment here as a feedback; I would appreciate it very much.
