(My Delicious Fat Burning|Cleanse Plan)
The 7 day Cabbage Soup Diet Plan helped me lose 17 lbs and actually it wasn’t bad at all. I changed the recipe and it made all the difference in the world.
This cleansing soup also flushes out years of crap/toxins stored in your fat because it is full of fiber. It will make you feel so much better with more energy to boot.
I remember this decades ago and it was all the rage but I could never last on it (maybe two days at most) because the soup was boring to me. But that has all changed.
If you want to lose some weight for the summer months, a wedding or improve your health give this a try and please comment at the end of the page with questions. This works perfectly for those who cannot stay on a weight loss program for a long period of time (like me).
7 Day Cabbage Soup Diet Main Ingredients
1. Canned Tomatoes vs Fresh
The cabbage soup diet plan recipe calls for canned tomatoes – actually two 28 oz cans of diced tomatoes. Many recipes call for plum tomatoes which are available year-round but when you taste these impersonators you are disappointed – no flavor. Why? These are bred to be thick-skinned, tough and dry to withstand long periods as they travel across the US on semis to various supermarkets. Sometimes they are sprayed to look shiny and more edible.
Fresh tomatoes are picked green and some of them are gassed with the fruits own natural ripening hormone called ethylene to promote consistent ripening. So unless you are using your own home grown tomatoes or buying from a farmers market you may want to go to the canned variety.
Tomatoes that go to the canning plant are picked when ripe and red, peeled and processed a very short time – estimating less than six hours from when it is picked to until its canned. It is completely machine harvested and the only humans needed are for picking out stray vines and rare tomatoes that are moldy or crushed.
This means tomatoes that taste like tomatoes. You want to choose canned whole, peeled tomatoes. Stay away from crushed, diced, stewed or any other variety unless specifically called for in a recipe because they are typically made from lesser quality tomatoes and have a more cooked paste-like flavor. Brought to you from the California Tomato Growers Association
Use the following when substituting canned tomatoes for fresh:
One 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes equals 10 to 12 whole tomatoes, peeled – approximately 2 pounds of fresh tomatoes.
One 14 ounce can of tomatoes whole tomatoes equals 5 to 6 whole tomatoes peeled – approximately 1 pound of fresh tomatoes.
This is good anytime you want to use fresh tomatoes for pasta sauce, etc.
In Tomato Season:
1 to 2 pounds fresh tomatoes (see above for amounts)
Prep
Bring water to a boil in a pan with tomatoes until the skin loosens – two to three minutes. Put in cold water and when they are cool enough to handle, slice in half, remove stem and with a spoon remove the core with the watery pulp and seeds – slip off skins. Cut in pieces for the soup.
2. Cabbage
I really enjoy cooked cabbage and brought that love to my cabbage soup diet plan in a different way. Instead of just chopping it up, I sauteed the cabbage steaks in olive oil loaded with seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder and lots of pepper until it was golden brown and caramelized on top.
The cabbage is delicious and sweet. I do not cook it, just brown it and then put the slices in the soup pot like so (see image below)… I continued to layer the sauteed vegetables with no liquid first.
3. Onions
Caramelized onions also are a part of this soup and you do the same with the onion as you did with the cabbage and slice into onion steaks.
I had to laugh when posting this image of the onions. I was starving (ie: hangry) and should of been chopped and caramelized more but in the end result was still delicious. The remaining vegetables are optional, but this is what I used in my soup.
The Recipe
Enjoy this cleaning soup and detox your little heart out. Season it to your own taste buds, you are the one eating this soup, not me. Please post your questions and results at the end of the page.
Cabbage Soup Diet Recipe
1 small head of green cabbage, sliced into thick steaks
1 medium onion, chopped
one 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
organic Better than Bouillon beef soup base
water to cover vegetables in soup pot
garlic powder
onion powder
olive oil
fresh ground black pepper
1 fresh lemon, juiced
Seasonings/Ingredient Options (optional)
1 TBS balsamic or apple cider vinegar
spinach leaves (I added them as garnish on top and let them wilt before eating)
cayenne pepper
roasted green or red bell peppers
chopped celery
chopped zucchini
kale
bay leaves
curry powder
sliced mushrooms
roasted garlic
jalapenos
green onions for garnish
hot sauce
Add a little olive oil to your pan and add the cabbage steaks. Heavily season with the garlic and onion powder (even cayenne if you want it spicy) and caramelize both sides. Do not cook it all the way through.
After browning/caramelizing the vegetables I stack them in my soup pot until I was done. I covered vegetables with water and added 3 teaspoons – not a measuring teaspoon, but the teaspoon you use to eat with, of the beef soup base. If you don’t want to use this, no problem. When the original diet came out onion soup mix was one of the ingredients and I did not want to use that.
After seasoning with the beef soup base I added the tomatoes to the pot. Brought to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes max. When done squeeze in the lemon juice from the entire lemon, stir and serve.
The cabbage had a little texture/soft bite to it which I love and wasn’t cooked to death. I loved the beef broth too. Some may crab about the sodium but I couldn’t last on a plain (no flavor) soup for a day much less seven days. Losing weight is better for me in that week than anything else.
Don’t like cabbage? After it is cooked, cool, process in a blender and drink it instead.
Miss Homemade Recommendations:
You may use any vegetable as long as it is not sugary like carrots, corn, potatoes, etc. If you are not trying to lose weight then it is fine.
If you want to cheat just imagine how you will feel and look in those jeans that are too tight or the man you may meet at that wedding – you never know…
I walked everyday for thirty minutes and if you have to do it again after work to get your mind off cravings – do it! Just think only SEVEN days.
The Cabbage Soup Diet Plan
Day One
Eat all the soup and fresh fruit you want except no bananas. Beverages allowed are water, black coffee, unsweetened tea and cranberry juice. No sugar in juice. I did not drink the juice but this is what was in the original diet.
Each day be sure to eat at least one bowl of the cabbage soup.
Day Two
Eat all the raw and cooked vegetables you want except no corn, peas and dry beans. Eat the soup and your choice of vegetables with it. No fruit today. At dinner eat a large baked potatoes with butter – a wonderful thing to look forward to.
Day Three
Mix day one and day two together. Eat all the soup, fruit and raw/cooked vegetables you want except for the ones listed in each category. Except No baked potato today.
Day Four
Bananas and Skim Milk Day.
I did not drink the milk but ate bananas and soup only. You may drink as many glasses of skim milk as you would like on this day, along with your soup. This day is supposed to lessen your desire for sweets.
Day Five
Beef and Tomato Day.
Today you may have ten to twenty ounces of beef (think grilled burger or grilled steak) and up to six fresh tomatoes. Drink water! I drank at least 8 ounces a day because it helps with hunger and cleanses uric acid from your body. Eat your soup at least once today.
Substitutes:
- You may eat broiled or baked chicken with No Skin or
- Broiled/Boiled Fish like Halibut or Cod (I used 1/2 tsp butter on the fish)
- But not both of them.
Day Six
Beef and Vegetable Day.
Today you may eat as much beef and vegetables as you wish except no potatoes, corn and peas. You may even eat two or three grilled steaks with leafy greens or green beans. Eat the soup at least once today. Don’t forget to drink water.
Day Seven
Today you can eat as much brown rice, unsweetened fruit juice and vegetables as you want except corn and peas. Be sure to eat your soup at least once this day. You can do it! Drink water…
If you are a few pounds from where you wanted to be do just the soup for only for one more day.
You should be proud of yourself because you made it! Post your weight loss and how you feel below. I am so proud of you and enjoy the energy you have. You may do this one week a month – it is not a diet to continue with. I would eat lots of salads and continue to do this every month as you see fit.