The cabbage soup diet is a short-term, highly restrictive eating plan marketed for rapid weight loss. While it may produce quick results, it’s unsustainable, potentially harmful, and lacks long-term health benefits. This approach, like many fad diets, prioritizes immediate weight drop over balanced nutrition and lasting lifestyle change.
How the Diet Works
The cabbage soup diet centers on consuming large quantities of cabbage soup for seven days, with limited additions of fruits, vegetables, and meat on specific days. The primary mechanism is severe calorie restriction, leading to initial weight loss that’s largely water weight. As registered dietitian Julie Rothenberg explains, the high fiber content can also increase bowel movements, further contributing to short-term weight reduction. However, this loss isn’t fat loss and will likely be regained when normal eating resumes.
The diet’s structure varies daily:
- Day 1: Soup and fruit only (no bananas)
- Day 2: Soup with non-potato vegetables
- Day 3: Soup with fruits and vegetables
- Day 4: Soup, bananas (up to eight), and skim milk
- Day 5: Soup with beef (2-20 ounces) and tomatoes
- Day 6: Soup with beef and non-potato vegetables
- Day 7: Soup with brown rice and unsweetened juice
Why Fad Diets Fail
The cabbage soup diet falls into the category of fad diets that offer temporary solutions without addressing fundamental health principles. These diets often lack scientific backing and can disrupt metabolism, lead to nutrient deficiencies, and encourage a cycle of restrictive eating followed by weight regain.
Key concerns include:
- Nutrient Imbalance: The diet severely limits essential fats, vitamins, and minerals.
- Unsustainability: Extreme restriction makes long-term adherence nearly impossible.
- Metabolic Disruption: Rapid calorie restriction can negatively impact metabolic function.
- Social Isolation: The diet’s restrictions make normal social eating difficult.
What Experts Say
Health professionals consistently advise against fad diets like the cabbage soup diet. Gradual, balanced weight loss through sustainable lifestyle changes is far more effective and healthier. Rather than seeking quick fixes, individuals should focus on long-term dietary habits that support overall well-being.
“Fad diets like the cabbage soup plan can lead you to gain weight when you stop doing the plan,” says Rothenberg. “I have had a client come to me and say they did the cabbage soup diet prior and it did ‘work’ in the short term, but she ended up gaining the weight back with an additional 5 pounds the following week.”
A Better Approach
Instead of relying on restrictive diets, incorporating nutrient-rich foods like cabbage into a balanced eating plan is a more sensible strategy. Low-calorie, vegetable-based soups can be part of a healthy diet, but they shouldn’t be the foundation of a short-term, unsustainable fix.
The cabbage soup diet is not a viable solution for lasting weight management. Sustainable weight loss requires consistent effort, balanced nutrition, and realistic expectations.
