This is the diet that promises to bring you speedy results and rapid weight loss, up to 10lbs in a single week in fact.

However, this is not a long term weight loss diet instead the cabbage soup diet should only be used by people who are either looking to embark on a long term healthy eating plan and need a kick start or those who are seeking to fit into that little black dress on Friday but need to shift a few pounds.

The key ingredient to the cabbage soup diet is, believe it or not - cabbage soup! Many people lose weight on this diet thanks to the ‘miracle fat burning soup’ and whilst on the diet you can eat as much of it as you like, in fact you can even have it for breakfast, although I wouldn’t recommend it.

Ultimately this is a low fat, high fibre diet and extremely low in calories, there is some variation with what you can eat, for example fruit, veg and meat are all allowed although can only on different days. The staple food whilst on the cabbage soup diet will be cabbage soup although you can flavour to suit your taste.

So what does the plan involve?

This is a seven day plan which should not be followed long term and here’s all the information you’ll need.

Cabbage soup recipe:

6 large green onions

2 green peppers

1 or 2 cans of tomatoes (diced or whole)

3 Carrots

1 Container (10 oz. or so) Mushrooms

1 bunch of celery half a head of cabbage

1 package Lipton soup mix

1 or 2 cubes of bouillon (optional)

1 48oz can V8 juice (optional)

Season to taste with salt, pepper, parsley, curry, garlic powder, etc.

Directions:

Slice the onions and put in a pot, start to saute the onions with a low calorie cooking spray.

Next, cut the green pepper stem end off and cut in half, take the seed membrane out the cut the green-pepper into bite size pieces and add to the onions.

Take the outer leafs layers off the cabbage, cut into bite size pieces and again add to pot.

Clean carrots, cut into bite size pieces, and add to pot.

Slice mushrooms into thick slices and add to the rest of the ingredients.

Add either beef or chicken bouillon cubes for seasonings and add about 12 cups of water or 8 cups if you are using V8 juice.

Cover and put on a low heat for approximately two hours

Season to taste with salt and pepper and If you would like a spicy soup, add a small amount of curry or cayenne pepper.

The Cabbage Soup Plan:

Day One:
Eat all of the fruit you want (except bananas). Eat only your soup and the fruit for the first day. For drinks- unsweetened teas, cranberry juice and water.

Day Two:
Eat until you are stuffed will all fresh, raw or cooked vegetables of your choice. Try to eat leafy green vegetables and stay away from dry beans, peas and corn. Eat all the vegetables you want along with your soup. At dinner, reward yourself with a big baked potato with butter. Do not eat fruit today.

Day Four:
Bananas and Skim Milk: Eat as many as eight bananas and 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 Tomatoes: Ten to twenty ounces of beef and up to six fresh tomtoes. Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water this day to wash the uric acid from your body. Eat your soup at least once this day. You may eat broiled or baked chicken instead of beef (but absolutely no skin-on chicken). If you prefer, you can substitute broiled fish instead of beef on only one of the beef days but not on both.

Day Six:
Beef and Vegetables: Eat to your heart's content of beef and vegetables this day. You can even have 2 or 3 steaks if you like, with leafy green vegetables. No Baked Potato. Eat your soup at least once.

Day Seven:
Brown rice, unsweetened fruit juices and vegetables: Again stuff, stuff, stuff yourself. Be sure to eat your soup at least once this day.

Although you will lose weight on the cabbage soup diet it is highly unlikely you’ll be losing actual fat, instead you’re more likely to be losing water and muscle tissue.

Do not embark on this as a long term weight loss plan, us it only as a kick start or a quick fix for a special occasion.

You may have also heard this diet is also referred to as either the Sacred Heart diet, thought to have originated from the Sacred Heart Hospital or the Mayo Clinic Diet again thought to have originated from the Mayo Clinic, as far we we’re aware it does in fact have nothing to do with either institution. The origins of the cabbage soup diet or unknown.