You may have come across the popular Cabbage Soup Diet. This quick weight loss program has been around since 1980's. The program claims that the more cabbage soup you take, the more weight you will lose. In fact, some followers had seen drastic weight loss of about 10 pounds in just 7 days. The cabbage soup diet is a short term diet plan. It should not be used as a long term weight loss solutions. The diet, although is a low in calorie and high in fiber, is not nutritionally balanced. The lacks important vitamins and minerals suggested that you must be prepared for supplements when you're on the diet.

The cabbage soup diet plan runs for 7 days. You can eat as much cabbage soup as you like during this period. For each of the seven days of the diet you eat specific foods such as fruits, vegetables, meat, rice, and other foods. No pastries and sweets are allowed during the week. Following is an example of the 7 day menu:

Day 1 - Homemade cabbage soup and any fruit (no bananas).
Day 2 - Homemade cabbage soup, vegetable and baked potato with butter for dinner.
Day 3 - Homemade cabbage soup, fruits and vegetables.
Day 4 - Homemade cabbage soup, fat-free milk and up to 6 bananas.
Day 5 - Homemade cabbage soup, 450 grams of meat or fish and up to 6 tomatoes.
Day 6 - Homemade cabbage soup, vegetables and meat(beef).
Day 7 - Homemade cabbage soup, brown rice, pure fruit juice, and vegetables.

Here's a classic example of the homemade cabbage soup recipes.

- 1/2 of a cabbage head
- 6 softball size green onions
- 1 celery bunch
- 1 pack "Lipton soup mix"
- 1 to 2 tomatoes
- 3 standard size of carrots
- 10 ounce can of mushrooms
- 2 large green bell peppers
- 2 bouillon cubes (optional)
- Herbs, salt and pepper, parsley and garlic powder for added flavor

Points To Remember:

1. Choose organically grown vegetables in your recipe.
2. Organically grown vegetables may have some signs of worms or insects, soak them in vinegar water or salt water for 15-20 minutes.
3. Use stainless steel knife for cutting the cabbage since the phytonutrients that cabbage contains react with carbon steel, turning the leaves black.
4.It is recommended that cabbage is sliced or chopped and letting it sit for 5-10 minutes before cooking to facilitate the production of the most glucosinolates.

Cabbage Soup Preparation:

1. Chop the green onions. Place the sliced onions in a saucepan and sauté the onions adding a little bit of cooking oil spray.

2. Take out the seeds and membrane of the green peppers. Chop the green peppers into small bite sized cube, throw them in to the saucepan together with the sautéed onions.

3. Peel and cut the cabbage leaves into pieces roughly the same size as the peppers, add them to continue sautéing.

4. Wash and clean the carrots. Chop them before adding to the saucepan.

5. Cut the mushrooms in halves or thirds before throwing them in to the saucepan.

6. Add cayenne pepper or a little bit of curry powder to the brew to give it a little kick. That is, if you want you soup to be a little spicy.

7. The bullion cubes can be used to add flavor to the dish. If you do choose to add this to your cooking, it eliminates the need for additional salt.

8. Add about 12 cups of water into the pot. Lower the heat and let the soup simmer. A two hour period is recommended to make the soup most effective. Add additional salt and pepper for taste.