Cabbage Soup and Diet

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Although I thought her to be a bit strange, I really liked my co-worker who shared the space next to me at work.

One day she announced that she was going on one of those fad diets and by the end of 10 days she should have lost a lot of weight.

That caused my ears to prick up and listen and finally ask for the recipe. We like cabbage at our house, and we also enjoy a nice hearty vegetable soup, so why not try this!

At the end of the 10 days, she was no thinner, reason being that she does not follow through very well, and also she was cheating during break time. Those were the days that I brought to work “Home made Nut bread.” After all, who could resist my nut bread?

Anyway, they tell me the diet is fine, but that you should ask your Doctor first before going on one of these fad diets. The soup is good anytime you desire a lovely soup!

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to make this soup, since I had a beautiful head of cabbage, and also the other ingredients. The soup was delicious. Although I did not follow the rest of the rules, to loose the weight, I did loose a couple pounds (but probably have it back by now.)

If you crave a delicious vegetable soup and want to give this a try, I share with you the recipe along with the diet suggestions:

The Cabbage Soup Diet

Also called "The Dolly Parton diet," for reasons that are shrouded in mystery, this 7-day diet really does work--in the short term, anyway. And there's a great purity to it--especially in the summertime when it's wonderfully refreshing served ice cold. Ingredient proportions can be varied according to your likes and dislikes.

Okay, are you ready? Here we go:

• 1 head cabbage, shredded or chopped

• 2 large onions, chopped

• 16-28 ounces canned tomatoes, chopped

• 2 green peppers chopped

• 4 stalks celery

• 2 packages Lipton onion soup mix, or any dry onion or vegetable soup mix

• Dash of black pepper

• any fresh herb(s) of your choice, chopped (I used dried parsley and dried Italian seasoning

• 6 carrots, sliced

• 1/2 pound green beans, sliced on diagonal

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (optional) (I used apple cider vinegar

Put all vegetables in a big pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, stir in the soup mix (if desired), and boil gently for 10 minutes. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until all the vegetables are soft. Stir in the black pepper and chopped herbs (saving some for garnish). Here I added a can of chicken broth and blended it in.
It seemed to need something else, so I added one tablespoon of sugar!

Eat as much of the soup as you like, as often as you like. Drink as much water as you like and non-caloric drinks including coffee, tea, and herbal teas.

Here's what else you can also eat along with your soup, and when:

DAY 1: All fruits except bananas.

DAY 2: All vegetables, raw or cooked. This includes baked potato with a LITTLE butter.

DAY 3: Fruits and vegetables, but no potatoes or bananas.

DAY 4: Bananas and skim milk--eat as many as 8 bananas and drink as many as 8 glasses of skim milk.

DAY 5: Beef, skinless chicken, and/or fish--as much as 20 ounces, total. You can also eat 6 tomatoes. And you must drink 8 glasses of water. Don't forget at least one bowl of soup.

DAY 6: Beef, skinless chicken, or fish and vegetables. Drink 8 glasses of water and eat at least one bowl of soup.

DAY 7: Brown rice, vegetables, and unsweetened fruit juice.

This post is linked with Ann Kroeker’s, Food on Fridays at http://annkroeker.com/
Do hop on over to her site and gather up some delicious and nutritious recipes.