There’s a lot of talk going on about the zero-calorie soup diet. Some people also call this the cabbage soup diet because cabbage is one of the main ingredients in it.
Here’s the main idea behind it.
Step 1: You make a soup that contains so few calories that it basically qualifies as zero calorie.
Step 2: You eat a few other foods along with the soup (additional fruits, vegetables, meat, and brown rice), but only in limited quantities.
The idea is that the majority of the food you consume is this zero-calorie soup. This soup then takes up so much room in your stomach that even when you eat some of the other foods, you still end up with a calorie deficit.
Thus, you’ll experience weight loss.
Now, these types of diets are only intended to be practiced for 5 to 10 days at a time—mostly because they’re not really sustainable.
Plus, the soup on its own, while delicious, won’t really satisfy your hunger.
That’s part of the reason for why you need other foods.
But in the short term, the diet can be good for you.
And it can also help you to lose weight.
Plus the soup is actually pretty tasty!
So all in all, it’s not a bad deal.
So let’s take a moment and talk about exactly what this ‘zero-calorie soup’ contains.
How To Make Zero Calorie Cabbage Soup
First off, it’s important to understand that this soup isn’t necessarily a zero-calorie soup.
It just contains so few calories that it’ll virtually always lead to a calorie deficit.
Also, as a disclaimer, it’s important to understand that this soup isn’t intended to be eaten all by itself.
You’re supposed to maintain a healthy diet of other foods along with it, to make sure that you’re getting the nutrients you need to stay healthy.
Alright. Let’s talk about the ingredients that are usually used to make the soup.
- 3 cups of nonfat beef broth
- ½ of a yellow onion
- ½ of a cup of chopped carrots
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 2 cups of chopped cabbage
- ½ cup of green beans
- ½ teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup chopped zucchini
Now, there are various different ways to prepare this.
But most people start by sauteing the onions, carrots, and garlic before adding the other ingredients, and then cooking it all in a slow cooker or in a pot over the stove.
It won’t take long for the soup to cook (usually less than 10 minutes). It comes out looking colorful and delicious. Plus, it tastes amazing!
And best of all—it’s super healthy, and contains almost no calories.
Just make sure that you eat other healthy foods along with it, so that you won’t end up malnourished.
And don’t eat it for too long (generally, not for more than 10 days in a row).
If you do, you can end up slowing down your metabolism—which may hurt your energy levels and make it even more difficult to lose weight.
