Diet-Friendly Light Cabbage Soup (2024)

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  • Low-Fat Cooking
  • Low-Fat Mains

By

Diana Rattray

Diet-Friendly Light Cabbage Soup (1)

Diana Rattray

Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

Updated on 02/22/24

Tested by

Danilo Alfaro

Diet-Friendly Light Cabbage Soup (2)

Tested byDanilo Alfaro

Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 60 mins

Total: 80 mins

Servings: 7 servings

408 ratings

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The cabbage soup diet is often used to jump-start a long-term diet plan. It was one of the original "soup diets" that became popular in the 1980s, and if you're going to diet, you might as well have a delicious recipe. This basic cabbage soup is an excellent choice and can be made with beans, ground meat, or chicken if you're not dieting. Cook the soup on the stovetop for about an hour or combine everything in the slow cooker and cook all day on low.

Diet-Friendly Light Cabbage Soup (3)

The diet plan centers around the cabbage soup, which is eaten throughout the week. In addition, it begins with a few days of fruit and vegetables and with little or no protein. Then, bananas and skim milk are added. Later in the week, beef or chicken and rice are added along with the soup.

By consuming low-calorie and low-fat foods, the diet burns fat fairly quickly. It's not recommended as a long-term diet but as a means to get you started. How much weight you lose will depend on your metabolism. If you have any special health concerns or dietaryrestrictions or issues, you should speak to your health care professional before starting any diet, including this one.

"While I can't comment on how effective this soup is at producing weight loss, it is certainly a delicious and satisfying soup. If you were skeptical of soup made from canned vegetable juice, rest assured that vegetable juice is basically tomato soup anyway, so you’re just adding cabbage, celery, and the rest of the ingredients." —Danilo Alfaro

Diet-Friendly Light Cabbage Soup (4)

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 6 large scallions, sliced

  • 2 green bell peppers, chopped

  • 1 or 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes

  • 1 bunch celery, sliced

  • 1/2 head cabbage, chopped

  • 1 packagedryonion soup mix(such as Lipton)

  • 1 or 2 cubes bouillon, optional

  • 1 (48-ounce) can tomato-based vegetable juice (or 6 cups water)

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Curry powder, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, optional for seasoning

  • Parsley, optional for seasoning

  • Garlic powder, optional for seasoning

  • Paprika, optional for seasoning

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Diet-Friendly Light Cabbage Soup (5)

  2. Add the scallions, bell peppers, tomatoes, celery, cabbage, onion soup mix, and bouillon, if using, and tomato-based vegetable juice to a soup pot or slow cooker.

    Diet-Friendly Light Cabbage Soup (6)

  3. Cover and cook on low in a soup pot on the stove for 1 hour or in a slow cooker for 5 hours.

    Diet-Friendly Light Cabbage Soup (7)

  4. Add the salt, curry powder, and any optional seasonings, and continue cooking for a few minutes on the stovetop or 1 to 2 hours more in a slow cooker.

    Diet-Friendly Light Cabbage Soup (8)

  5. Eat all the soup you want. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

    Diet-Friendly Light Cabbage Soup (9)

Tip

  • The recipe calls for curry powder "to taste," but if you're not familiar with cooking with curry powder, you might not know what sort of quantity to start with. If you're unsure, try 1/2 teaspoon initially, and add more later, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, if it needs it.

Recipe Variations

To embellish this basic recipe, try adding an extra ingredient or two (diet permitting), such as:

  • 1 pound browned ground beef or ground turkey.
  • Zucchini or summer squash.
  • 1 can drained Great Northern, navy, red, pinto, or black beans.
  • Leftover diced ham or corned beef.
  • 1 can condensed (or double-strength) beef broth or condensed French onion soup instead of bouillon.
  • 1 cup chopped fresh spinach or kale.
  • 1/2 cup diced or thinly sliced carrots.
  • Diced cooked bacon, garnish.

The Diet Plan

The cabbage soup diet allows you to eat all of the cabbage soup you like in addition to adding certain foods on specific days throughout the week. No bread, alcohol, or carbonated beverages, including diet sodas.

  • Day 1: Any fruit except bananas.
  • Day 2: Any and all vegetables, baked potato with butter for dinner.
  • Day 3: Combine Days 1 and 2 without potato.
  • Day 4: Up to 6 bananas, skim milk.
  • Day 5: 10 to 20 ounces of beef or skinless chicken, can of tomatoes, 6 to 8 glasses of water.
  • Day 6: All the beef or chicken and vegetables you want.
  • Day 7: Brown rice, unsweetened fruit juices, and vegetables.

How Does the Cabbage Soup Diet Help You Lose Weight?

In general, soup diets focus on reducing calories and fat for several days. This can lead to quick weight loss and shedding a few pounds, helping some people stay motivated to eat healthier as they move on to a long-term diet. The cabbage soup provides many essential nutrients, and it can increase satiety, helping you feel fuller, so you eat less. However, diets like this should only be temporary because they do not include all food groups and can lead to nutrient deficiencies.

Easy Stovetop Cabbage Soup

  • Low-Fat Mains
  • Vegetable Recipes
  • Pepper Recipes
  • Recipes By Diet
  • Low-Fat Cooking
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
83Calories
1g Fat
18g Carbs
4g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 7
Amount per serving
Calories83
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g1%
Saturated Fat 0g1%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 727mg32%
Total Carbohydrate 18g7%
Dietary Fiber 6g22%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 86mg428%
Calcium 130mg10%
Iron 2mg9%
Potassium 696mg15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

  • Pepper
  • Diet
  • entree
  • american

Article Sources

The Spruce Eats uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Navaro DA, Raz O, Gabriel S, Shriqui VK, Gonen E, Boaz M. Functional foods in fad diets: a review. Functional Foods in Health and Disease. 2017;7(9):702-715. doi:10.31989/ffhd.v7i9.346

  2. Zhu Y, Hollis JH. Soup consumption is associated with a lower dietary energy density and a better diet quality in US adults. Br J Nutr. 2014;111(8):1474-1480. doi:10.1017/S0007114513003954

  3. Hart, K. Chapter 4.6: Fad diets and fasting for weight loss in obesity. In Hankey C, ed.Advanced Nutrition and Dietetics in Obesity. Wiley; 2018,177–182.

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Diet-Friendly Light Cabbage Soup (2024)

FAQs

Can I lose weight eating only cabbage soup? ›

Like other very low calorie diets, the Cabbage Soup Diet will likely cause temporary weight loss. But people who follow it tend to regain most of the weight lost unless they make other permanent changes. Additionally, eating only cabbage soup is nutritionally unbalanced and not safe.

How many times a day do you eat the cabbage soup diet plan? ›

Most variations of this diet suggest that people eat this soup two to three times a day—although some variations enable the participants to consume even more of the soup. The cabbage soup used in this diet combines ingredients like broth, nonstarchy vegetables, pepper, herbs and, of course, cabbage.

Can you cheat on a cabbage soup diet? ›

The cabbage soup diet has low calories. Eat as much cabbage soup as you would like to keep your stamina up and drink plenty of water. If I start to feel sluggish, I cheat and have a baked sweet potato, a protein shake, or some juice.

Does cabbage burn belly fat? ›

Does cabbage burn belly fat? Although cabbage is a nutritious low-calorie vegetable, many people associate it with weight loss because of the popular "cabbage soup diet". Some creative marketing has led people to believe that cabbage actually burns body fat. In fact, no food, including cabbage, burns body fat.

What are the disadvantages of the cabbage soup diet? ›

Cons:
  • Cabbage commonly causes bloating and flatulence because of its high fiber content. ...
  • The diet is strict, allowing only relatively bland foods. ...
  • The diet may cause weakness and fatigue due to low-calorie and low protein intake.
Jan 5, 2021

What happens if you do the cabbage soup diet for 2 weeks? ›

It will likely leave you feeling hungry, weak, and bored. You might even feel sick. And if you follow the Cabbage Soup Diet for more than a week, you could run short on key nutrients. Nor does the diet encourage the necessary lifestyle changes you need to make in order to be healthier and have lasting weight loss.

How long does it take to see results on the cabbage soup diet? ›

Quick Weight Loss: The idea of rapid weight loss is appealing to most people. It's purported you can lose up to 10 pounds in one week while following the cabbage soup diet, but there is no evidence to support that claim.

Can you eat eggs on the cabbage soup diet? ›

They are high in calories and sugar, so they are not recommended on the cabbage soup diet. High-Fat Foods: Foods rich in saturated fats, such as fried foods, fatty cuts of meat, full-fat dairy products, vegetables like avocado, and high-fat sauces or dressings, should be avoided. It is also recommended to avoid eggs.

Why does the cabbage soup diet work so well? ›

The cabbage soup diet stimulates the body's metabolism and fat mobilization. This diet limits your calorie intake and causes your body to burn fat for energy. Low sodium, low calories, and high fiber allow you to lose weight faster if you followed a reasonable long-term dietary plan.

How many bananas should you eat on the cabbage soup diet? ›

Day 3: Eat cabbage soup and raw, low fat fruits and vegetables, but no potatoes or bananas. Day 4: Eat cabbage soup, skim milk, and no more than eight bananas. Day 5: Eat cabbage soup, six tomatoes, and 565 grams of beef (or a substitute for beef, such as pork, fish, or chicken).

Which soup is best for belly fat? ›

5 Best Soups That Will Help To Burn Belly Fat
  1. Vegetable soup. Lean protein from chicken combined with a variety of vegetables can make a satisfying and low-calorie soup that can help you feel full and satisfied.
  2. Chicken and vegetable soup. ...
  3. Black bean soup. ...
  4. Lentil soup. ...
  5. Tomato soup.
Nov 4, 2023

Can you drink coffee on a cabbage diet? ›

Most versions allow black coffee while following the cabbage soup diet, but not coffee with milk.

What does cabbage do to a woman's body? ›

This cruciferous vegetable provides a good deal of fiber and vitamins C and K, which means it may support your immune system, gut health, and bone health. There's evidence that eating cabbage might help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. You can enjoy cabbage raw or cooked.

What happens to the body when you eat cabbage everyday? ›

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.

Can I lose weight only eating vegetable soup? ›

Regularly consuming soup has been linked to a lower body weight. However, there's insufficient research on the benefits of soup diets for weight loss. Still, due to the low calorie nature of these eating plans, you'll likely lose some weight in the short term.

Is boiled cabbage good for weight loss? ›

Cabbage is rich in water and fibre, which helps in keeping the intestines healthy. By consuming cabbage, the stomach feels full for a long time. This reduces appetite so that you can avoid overeating. The fibre in cabbage removes constipation and accelerates metabolism, which helps in weight loss.

Can I eat eggs on a cabbage soup diet? ›

Eggs are an excellent animal protein source to eat while on a cabbage soup diet. It is rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and protein. Eat lots of meat and vegetables including fish, eggs, tofu, quinoa which can help fill you up longer.

What are the results of 7 day water fasting? ›

Fasting did seem to spur noticeable short-term weight loss, the researchers found. People who fasted for five days lost about 4% to 6% of their weight; those who fasted for seven to 10 days lost about 2% to 10%, and those who fasted for 15 to 20 days lost 7% to 10%.

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