The cabbage diet is very controversial: supporters cite facts confirming its positive effect in the struggle for a perfect figure, while opponents criticize such nutrition for negative effects on the body. This article is devoted to the advantages and disadvantages of the cabbage diet, in addition, it will provide dietary options for different periods of time.

Classic cabbage diet: pros and cons

The cabbage diet became popular about 30 years ago. It is easy to use, inexpensive, and allows you to quickly lose weight. In addition, the maximum period of use lasting only one week encourages many people to try this particular method of weight loss.

However, such a diet gives an effect quickly and easily, which is not beneficial for the body, which after its termination immediately returns to its original size, often bringing with it additional kilograms.

There are many different ways to lose weight, but not all of them are equally useful. Cabbage diet is a diet with a very low calorie reserve (up to 1000 kcal per day), which allows a losing weight person to lose about 4-5 kg ​​per week.

The duration of the classic cabbage diet is seven days and requires careful adherence to the recipes of the foods used. The diet is based on easy-to-prepare and, in the opinion of many, delicious soups or stews of white, cauliflower or Savoy (fresh or pickled) cabbage.

Other vegetables are added to the dishes, such as onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots and celery, as well as herbs seasonings. Be sure to cook without salt. In food, you can add a maximum of 2 tbsp. tablespoons of oil per day, as well as a small amount (about 100 g) of low-fat chicken, turkey or veal for lunch and dinner. Dishes based on cabbage are consumed every day for a minimum of two meals in unlimited quantities, which allows a person to feel full when eating a low-calorie dish.

Like any dietary food, cabbage ration has its advantages and disadvantages, which must be paid attention before use, so as not to harm health.

• The benefits and benefits of the cabbage diet:
• Short duration . Weight quickly leaves, the process of losing weight is very short - it lasts only a week.
• The cheapness of the diet . Cabbage, regardless of variety or type, refers to products that are financially affordable for everyone.
• The speed of cooking . The basis of the diet is soup or vegetable stew, which is easy to cook.
• Body cleansing . With the help of the cabbage diet, a person receives a large dose of fiber, since it is based on the consumption of vegetables and fruits. Also, such a diet helps cleanse the body of toxins.

• The disadvantages of the cabbage diet:
• Monotony and specific taste . The daily menu consists of the same products, and not everyone likes the taste of cabbage soup.
• Diet is not balanced in terms of providing the body with useful and nutrients . Despite the use of a large number of vegetables, a lack of fat in the diet does not contribute to the absorption of vitamins from them. Such a diet provokes leaching of minerals from the body, mainly calcium and magnesium.
• The food offered provides a very low level of daily calories, which causes shock to the body, which, after the termination of a strict diet, begins to accumulate the delivered energy in the form of fat, which leads to the effect of "yo-yo".
• Rapid weight loss when using the diet in question is not the result of loss of fat mass, but the result of water loss, since cabbage is a diuretic . The lack of protein leads to the fact that valuable muscle tissue is also lost, which reduces the main metabolism.
• This type of nutrition affects metabolic dysregulation . Applying a diet can cause skin deterioration, hair loss, and nail foliation.

The former weight often quickly returns after a cabbage diet, because such nutrition provides a person with a very low daily dose of calories, insufficient to complete the main metabolism, that is, generate energy necessary for the functioning of the body's systems (circulatory, respiratory, digestive). In this regard, the body begins to adapt to a smaller calorie reserve, which causes a slowdown in metabolism.

Did you know? Cabbage contains potassium and strong antioxidants, thanks to which it supports the cleansing of the liver, reduces inflammation in the body, strengthens the immune system and protects against the occurrence of cancer.

This can be explained by the following example. Before the diet, the main metabolism can be about 1500 kcal per day. After a diet, metabolism can decrease by about 100 kcal, therefore, it is 1400 kcal. After returning to normal nutrition, receiving the necessary nutrients, the body begins to accumulate them in the form of adipose tissue. This is because before this amount of calories the body was enough, and now it is too large, and lost kilograms can be returned in excess.

Diet rules

The most important rules of the cabbage diet:

1. A diet can last only 7 days or less.
2. Every day, a person consumes only soup or stew, prepared on the basis of raw or sauerkraut or Savoy cabbage with vegetable additives.
3. Salt is not added to dishes at all, as well as animal fats in an amount of more than 2 tbsp. spoons per day. Approved to consume about 150-200 g of poultry, veal, turkey per day.

An approximate menu of cabbage ration for the day:

• for breakfast, eat a portion of cabbage soup or boiled vegetables without salt and fat;
• at lunch - another serving of cabbage with meat (about 150 g), as well as brown rice with vegetables or several fruits;
• have dinner with raw or boiled vegetables or cabbage soup;
• allowed to drink mineral water, not sweet tea, fruit juices, eat fruits and vegetables in unlimited quantities.

You must carefully follow these recommendations in order for the diet to be effective. Products such as cabbage, fruits, rice, protein, are dangerous in the form of a single-component diet: too long use can lead to serious consequences for human health.

Learn more about the benefits and dangers of cabbage for the human body.

Limitations

Since the described vegetable contains a lot of fiber, its long-term use can cause problems in the digestive tract: abdominal pain, bloating, constipation or diarrhea.

• Cabbage-based diet food cannot be used:
• pregnant women and nursing mothers;
• children and adolescents, since there are too few calories and nutrients in the diet;
• people with diabetes, as poor nutrition causes drastic changes in blood glucose levels;
• people with Hashimoto's disease;
• patients with hypothyroidism, since in this case they receive too little energy and carbohydrates;
• people with any diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• men and women exposed to high physical exertion.

Allowed foods during the cabbage diet

On a cabbage diet, you need to eat, in addition to cabbage soup, fresh vegetables, fruits, lean meat and rice. You can also drink coffee, tea (but without sugar) and mineral water.

Products	Featured	Not allowed
Vegetables	You can eat any vegetables other than starch	potatoes (except the 2nd day of the diet) beet corn green beans green pea dry bean seeds
Fruits	Everything except bananas (4 day diet is an exception)	Bananas
Meat and fish	lean beef skinless poultry not oily fish	fat beef pork skinned bird oily fish seafood
Dairy and Eggs	Skimmed milk	fat milk yogurt kefir buttermilk white and yellow cheese eggs
Cereal products	Brown rice	All cereals except brown rice, pasta, vermicelli and baked goods
Fats	A small amount of butter on the 2nd day of the diet	all fats and oils except butter nuts avocado

Is it possible to lose weight on cabbage and how fast?

The considered selection of products is most suitable for better digestion and the fastest possible weight loss.

Such a diet does not impose strict caloric restrictions, however, due to the fact that a person eats only cabbage soup and vegetables, which have very few calories (because they are rich in fiber), the daily portion of energy in the menu ranges from 1000 kcal.

Familiarize yourself with the diet of cauliflower.

According to Israeli nutritionists, the cabbage diet consumes much less than 1000 kcal in the first three days, about 1000 kcal on the 4th and 7th days, and more than 1200 kcal on the 5th and 6th days, which is very small compared to the typical energy requirements of the human body .

This is because, with a low-calorie diet, the body begins to receive energy from glycogen - extra sugar that is stored in the liver and muscles. Glycogen binds a large amount of water.

An ordinary person has 3-4 g of water per 1 g of this sugar, and in general in the body there is an average of 300 g of additional sugar.

Thus, the quick loss of the first kilogram on a cabbage diet is the water released by glycogen, which returns immediately (after turning on more food containing carbohydrates).

Therefore, after returning to more high-calorie foods, a person will begin to get fat again.

The cabbage diet has one important advantage - it does not limit the portion of food consumed. The basis of the diet is a thick soup of white cabbage, which is prepared without salt and fat.

Recipe number 1

Cabbage Soup Recipe

Steps 9 Ingredients

• cabbage or sauerkraut

  one head of fresh or about 3 kg of sauerkraut

• water

  2 l

• carrot

  3 pcs.

• parsley root

  3 pcs.

• bell pepper

  3 pcs.

• fresh tomatoes

  6-7 pcs.

• onion

  6 pcs

• leek

  big bunch

• herbs and spices

  taste

1. Finely chop the cabbage and put it in a pan, after which it is poured with water and spicy herbs, pepper and bay leaf are added. Diet soup is prepared without the addition of salt.
2. The pan is put on fire and its contents are brought to a boil.
3. Next, chopped tomatoes, as well as carrots and parsley roots peeled and grated on a coarse grater, are added to the cooking dish. Bell pepper, onions and leeks are also cut, added to the pan and boiled until soft.
4. At the end of cooking, season the soup with the remaining spices.

Important! In the case of a feeling of severe hunger, a person on a cabbage diet can eat an additional plate of vegetable soup.

5 day fast diet

An important element of the diet is the daily consumption of at least 2-3 liters of mineral water without gas. It is also recommended to take vitamin and mineral supplements, as the diet is monotonous and meager.

Physical activity is not recommended at this time, because the menu has very few calories. You can repeat the weight loss course using this method again no earlier than 2 weeks after its completion.

1 day

• breakfast - porridge on the water, cooked from 3 tbsp. l oatmeal, 250 ml of sweet coffee;
• lunch - boiled lean fish or poultry (200 g), a saucer of cabbage and carrot salad, poured 1 tbsp. l refined vegetable oil;
• dinner - chopped cabbage with olive oil, one boiled chicken egg, green tea (250 ml);
• the second dinner at 19:00 - an apple or an orange;
• at night (with an interval of 120 minutes before bedtime) - 250 ml of fat-free kefir.

2 day

• breakfast - porridge on the water, cooked from 3 tbsp. l oatmeal, 250 ml of sweet coffee;
• lunch - stew of stewed carrots, cabbage and 200 g of lean chicken, unsweetened green tea (250 ml);
• dinner - a steam lean fish or bird (200 g), a small saucer of chopped cabbage with the addition of olive oil;
• with an interval of 120 minutes before sleep - 250 ml of dietary kefir.

We also recommend reading about the use of carrots for weight loss.

3 day

• breakfast - 120-140 g of sauerkraut with grated carrots and green peas, sprinkled with refined vegetable oil, 100 g steamed fish, 250 ml coffee without sugar;
• second breakfast - 100 g of dietary cottage cheese, two apples or two oranges;
• lunch - cabbage soup on the water, a small saucer of chopped cabbage, 250 ml of fruit tea or stewed apples (not sweet);
• dinner - 2 medium (boiled in water without salt) potatoes and 100 g of steam of lean fish, 250 ml of black or green unsweetened tea.

4 day

• breakfast - a small saucer of chopped cabbage with grated carrots and green peas, 250 ml of coffee without sugar;
• second breakfast - 250 ml of dietary kefir;
• lunch - boiled carrots and lean meat (poultry or veal), cooked in a sauce of 100 g sour cream, 250 ml unsweetened apple compote;
• dinner - coleslaw, 250 ml of dietary kefir.

5 day

• breakfast - steam veal or poultry no more than 100 g, a small saucer cabbage saucer;
• second breakfast - 100 g of dietary cottage cheese;
• lunch - cabbage soup with a small cracker;
• dinner - 100 g of grated raw beets with prunes, 80 g of boiled lean meat, 250 ml of unsweetened herbal tea.

Read also if grapes can be eaten while losing weight.

Diet on cabbage soup, for a week

White cabbage has a low calorie content, is rich in vitamins and minerals (especially vitamin C and potassium), it has a lot of fiber, so its use has a beneficial effect on bowel cleansing.

The main purpose of this diet is to cleanse the body, so the diet is not recommended for more than a week. Seven days is the optimal period that allows you to cleanse the body and not harm your health.

Cabbage Diet - Weekly Menu

1 day

• breakfast - cabbage soup, black coffee without sugar;
• second breakfast - steamed broccoli salad, fresh cucumber and radish salad;
• lunch - cabbage soup, herbal tea;
• afternoon tea - 1-2 tbsp. tea from berries and raspberries;
• dinner - a large amount (1-2 liters) of non-carbonated mineral water.

2 day

• breakfast - cabbage soup;
• second breakfast - salad with arugula, bell pepper, tomatoes and 2-3 pcs. young raw carrots;
• lunch - cabbage soup;
• afternoon tea - berry tea without sugar;
• dinner - 2 baked jacket potatoes in their skins, with oil and without salt.

We recommend finding out the recipe for weight loss soup from leeks.

3 day

• breakfast - cabbage soup;
• lunch - fruit cocktail: watermelon with melon and mint;
• lunch - baked vegetables: zucchini, bell peppers, carrots;
• afternoon tea - 1-2 tbsp. unsweetened strawberry tea;
• dinner - non-carbonated mineral water (1-2 l) or a small portion of cabbage soup in case of a stomach aching from hunger.

4 day

• breakfast - cabbage soup;
• lunch - 1 banana;
• lunch - vegetable stew from cabbage, pepper, carrots and onions;
• afternoon snack - 3 bananas;
• dinner - 2 liters of skim milk or 1 liter of non-carbonated mineral water.

5 day

• breakfast - cabbage soup;
• lunch - 200 g of grilled chicken breast or boiled lean beef, lettuce, lettuce, radish and fresh cucumber;
• dinner - 6 ripe tomatoes, 2 liters of non-carbonated mineral water.

6 day

• breakfast - cabbage soup;
• lunch — 300 g of cod baked in foil with dill, fried zucchini;
• dinner - a plate of vegetables: stewed broccoli, raw pepper, cucumber, spinach, 2 liters of non-carbonated mineral water.

7 day

• breakfast - cabbage soup;
• lunch - not more than 50 g (weight of cereals before cooking) of brown rice, a salad of fresh vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, radishes);
• dinner - a large number of freshly squeezed fruit juices and non-carbonated mineral water.

Did you know? When the fellow citizens asked the Roman emperor Caesar Gaius Aurelius, who had renounced power, to return to the throne, the former ruler replied that if people knew how excellent he had grown cabbage, they would never ask to change their occupation. It is with this phrase of the emperor Diocletian that modern historians of Ancient Rome associate.

Sample menu for a month for a cabbage diet

People who want to lose weight need to know that physicians and nutritionists are not recommended to stay on a cabbage diet for more than seven days, so during a month a weight loss course can be carried out twice with an interval of 14 days.

If you do not adhere to these recommendations, you can cause irreparable harm to health.

Having decided to conduct a weight loss course for one month twice, a person can apply a seven-day menu of a cabbage diet.

The right way out of the diet

In order for the result of losing weight to be effective and lasting for a long time, you need to get out of the diet correctly - this is a process that changes the calorie intake from low to normal.

An increase in calories should occur gradually. All healthy eating habits that were acquired during the diet should remain with the person forever.

Each week, only 100 kcal is added to the diet, while carefully monitoring changes in body weight. The moment when a person notices that the weight indicators are no longer changing, means that the correct calorie level has been found, which should be stopped.

Important! It must be remembered that body weight is not a fixed value and may well fluctuate within 2 kg (plus or minus) after the diet, depending on the season or menstrual cycle. Only a larger increase in body weight, which lasts longer than two weeks, can alarm.

Капустная диета не рекомендуется медиками как хороший способ потери нежелательной массы тела: при её применении в течение недели человек не может выработать правильную привычку питания, которая должна стать основанием для потери нежелательных килограммов.

Капустный рацион вызывает снижение веса в основном за счёт потери мышц и воды вместо потери жира. Такая диета уменьшает скорость обмена веществ и не обеспечивает получение ингредиентов, необходимых организму для выполнения основных функций, связанных с работой разных систем.