You all know what cabbage is, I’m sure. It might be introduced to you through popular dishes such as coleslaw, sauerkraut, or kimchi.
While we enjoy eating cabbage through our favorite dishes (mine are chopsuey and pansit, by the way), are you aware that this vegetable has more to offer other than vitamins and nutrients?
There are more than 100 varieties of cabbage. Generally, almost all varieties are rich in vitamin C . Known varieties such as bok choy and savoy are good sources of calcium and are known to be cancer fighting foods because of their anti oxidant content.This is, without a doubt, a healthy food that you can always serve your family.
Are you aware that cabbage also promotes weight loss? There are many sources mentioning that this wonderful vegetable can help us decrease weight. In fact, one of the famous lose weight fast diets is named after this vegetable — the cabbage soup diet.
How effective is cabbage in terms of weight loss? There are both good and not so good responses about this topic. Cabbage is considered as a negative calorie food. This means that cabbage has low calories; it takes more calories from an individual to digest cabbage compared to the calories that it provides. This was probably the main reason behind the popular 7 day diet that promises a weight loss of at least 6 pounds per week.
The cabbage soup diet requires an individual to consume large amounts of cabbage for 7 days. This can change depending on the diet variation. During this time, individuals are allowed to eat as much cabbage soup as they can along with some fruits, vegetables, lean meat, and healthy carbohydrates.
The good news is this diet often delivers what it promised — weight loss. However, there are some issues raised by concerned individuals. One of the arguments about eating cabbage to lose weight fast is nutrition. Even if this vegetable contains different vitamins and nutrients (and even if eaten with fruits and meat), nutritionists say that this cannot completely supply the daily required vitamins and minerals of an individual. Another argument is the fast weight loss effect of this diet. Experts say that it is possible that the weight lost during the period is water weight, not fat. This leads to faster weight gain after stopping the diet.
The discussion about cabbage as a weight loss food is still ongoing. Both sides have different opinions and arguments. Get your Cabbage Soup Recipe here.
Have you tried cabbage soup diet before and lost weight during the process? Will you recommend cabbage as a weight loss alternative?
Diana says
Yes I have tried the Cabbage soup diet, where you eat specials kinds of food each and the cabbage soup when you are hungry at the bad times. steak and tomatoes, bananas and milk, vegetables and fruit all day….I did lose 7 lbs in the first week. That was all I needed to lose.
MitchyDee says
I opted for the tomato soup diet [because i heard that the cabbage soup is disgusting] and sure enough i lost pounds. I recommend this type fad diet if you need to shake off some pounds for an upcoming event but going on it for long term then thats a big NO NO.