Foods that are so low in calories that they require more energy to digest than they ever had are said to be negative calorie foods. Cabbage is a food with negative calories, giving the name to the Cabbage Soup Diet. The diet is one that will enable a dieter to lose weight quickly, but isn’t intended to be used long term. Some using this diet are seeking a quick start to their weight loss before they begin a completely different diet. There are also dieters who use the diet to quickly drop a few pounds for a special occasion.

Because cabbage soup in any quantity is authorized during the diet, it takes its name from that soup. The more soup that the dieter consumes, the fewer calories are put into the diet. The diet plan is for other foods along with the cabbage soup, though the foods are limited. To best lose weight quickly; the diet spells out the exact foods to eat for seven days. No substitutions are approved for the diet- only the exact foods mentioned. The dieter should also be drinking water each day while on the diet.

During the first day, only fruit and the soup is eaten. The dieter drinks unsweetened items such as tea, coffee and cranberry juice. During the second day, the dieter can eat all of the vegetables they want, except for corn, peas and beans. The dieter can’t eat any fruit this day, but can eat as much cabbage soup as he likes. The dieter can eat any fruits or vegetables on the diet’s third day. Baked potatoes are not allowed during this day, but any other vegetable is approved.

The only food approved on the diet’s fourth day is bananas, which are eaten with skim milk and cabbage soup. On that day, the dieter may eat eight bananas or less. The principle of the skim milk and bananas is that the dieter will not crave sweets after eating them. The fifth day of the Cabbage Soup Diet is a departure from the fruit and vegetable format. This day allows the dieter to eat beef, fish or skinless chicken weighing up to 20 ounces and as many as six tomatoes. Because an abundance of uric acid can be a problem on this day, plenty of water is required and the dieter has to eat one bowl or more of cabbage soup.

Unlimited vegetables and a few servings of beef are allowed the next day. The only excluded vegetable is baked potatoes, and one serving of cabbage soup must be eaten. On day seven, the diet calls for fruit juices without extra sweeteners, brown rice in any quantity and unlimited vegetables. At least one serving of soup is required. The diet bans drinking soda, even if it’s diet soda. The diet also forbids bread and any alcohol.

Following this regimen does cause weight loss. However, the diet does not include many of the necessary nutrients that we need every say. Because it is not nutritionally complete, the Cabbage Soup diet is only to be used for the seven-day diet jump start it was intended for.