The cabbage diet is also a cleansing diet - it relieves the stomach, detoxifies the liver, and improves digestion. It has a diuretic effect and thus helps the body get rid of toxins. The cabbage diet is an excellent introduction to weight loss. What are the principles and effects of the cabbage diet? What are the opinions of nutritionists about it?

Contents:

  1. Cabbage diet - rules
  2. Cabbage diet - what can you eat?
  3. Cabbage diet - effects
  4. Cabbage diet - how much weight can you lose?
  5. Cabbage diet - reviews. Is she he althy?
  6. Cabbage diet - contraindications
  7. Cabbage diet - pros and cons

The cabbage dietis one of the many "miracle diets" that promise a very large weight loss in a short time. It is not known who the author of the diet is. It was probably established at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s and has enjoyed unflagging popularity ever since.

In Polandthe cabbage dietbecame known mainly thanks to President Aleksander Kwaśniewski, which is why the cabbage diet is sometimes called the presidential diet. Several books have been written about it, but so far no scientific research has been published that could confirm the effectiveness of the cabbage diet.

Cabbage diet - rules

The cabbage diet lasts exactly 7 days and is based on the consumption of cabbage soup in unlimited amounts every day. It is allowed to eat other products on individual days.

Propagators of the cabbage diet recommend it as an introduction to further weight loss. What does cabbage soup make?

  • a head of white or savoy cabbage or 3 kg of sauerkraut rinsed to get rid of the s alt
  • 6 onions
  • 2 green peppers
  • bunch of celery
  • 6 fresh tomatoes or a can of tomatoes
  • pepper, garlic, chilli

Cabbage diet - what can you eat?

On a cabbage diet, in addition to cabbage soup, you can eat selected vegetables, fruits, meat and rice. You can also drink coffee, tea (but without sugar) and mineral water.

Recommended productsContraindicated
Vegetablesall except starchy
  • potatoes (except on the 2nd day of the diet)
  • beetroot
  • corn
  • green beans
  • green peas
  • dry legume seeds
Fruitsall except bananas (except on the fourth day of the diet)bananas (except on the fourth day of the diet, when they can be eaten)
Meat
  • lean beef
  • poultry without skin
  • lean fish
  • fatty beef
  • pork
  • poultry with skin
  • oily fish
  • seafood
Dairy and eggsskim milk
  • fatty milk
  • yogurt
  • kefiry
  • buttermilk
  • white and yellow cheeses
  • eggs
Grain productsbrown riceall grains and groats except brown rice, bread and pasta
Fata small amount of butter on the 2nd day of the diet
  • all fats and oils except butter
  • nuts
  • seeds
  • avocado

Cabbage diet - effects

This selection of foods is to ensure better digestion and allow you to lose weight as quickly as possible. The cabbage diet does not impose strict caloric restrictions, but due to the fact that you can eat without restrictions only cabbage soup and vegetables, which are very low in calories and filling (because they are rich in fiber), the daily amount of energy in the menu oscillates around 1000 kcal.

According to researchers from Israel who analyzed various "miracle diets", the cabbage diet in the first 3 days consumes much less than 1000 kcal, on days 4 and 7 - about 1000 kcal, and on days 5 and 6 - over 1200 kcal. This is very little compared to your body's normal energy needs.

An important element of the diet is to drink at least 2-3 liters of non-carbonated mineral water a day. It is also recommended to take a vitamin and mineral supplement, because the diet is monotonous and deficient in nutrients.

During the cabbage diet, physical activity is not recommended, because the menu is very low in calories. The diet can be applied again at least 2 weeks after its completion.

Cabbage diet - how much weight can you lose?

The cabbage diet is a very low calorie diet and you can lose weight by using it. However, it must be remembered that such a large loss of body weight (up to 5 kg per week) is mainly due to the loss of water from the body.

How does this happen? When using low-calorie diets, the body begins to obtain energy from glycogen - sugarspare stored in the liver and muscles. Glycogen binds large amounts of water. 1 g of this polysaccharide contains as much as 3-4 g of water, and in the body we have an average of 300 g.

So the quick first kilo loss on a cabbage diet is the water released by glycogen that immediately returns when you include more carbohydrate-containing foods.

The cabbage diet should be considered a cleansing method rather than a slimming method.

During the first week of losing weight on a low calorie diet, fat loss is only about 34% of the total weight lost. The rest is water and muscle mass.

As a consequence of the cabbage diet, we worsen the body composition and we lose the muscle mass responsible for energy consumption from food.

The risk of using low-calorie "miracle diets" is associated with a reduction in the rate of metabolism, i.e. slowing down all processes in the body, and therefore less energy consumption.

Metabolism can slow down after just 3 days of a low-calorie diet! Hence the high probability of gaining weight again after increasing the number of meals.

Cabbage diet - reviews. Is she he althy?

The cabbage diet is not he althy. This diet is very monotonous, too restrictive, and poor in nutrients. The very fact of recommending taking a multivitamin while taking it proves that the menu is not balanced.

A one-time cabbage diet should not bring losses for he althy people, because it lasts for a short time - only a week. However, long-term adherence to this type of diets leads to deficiencies of micro- and macronutrients.

GOOD TO KNOW: VITAMIN DEFICIENCY or vitarexia. How to prevent witarexia?

There is no scientific evidence to prove the effectiveness of the cabbage diet. Another interesting fact is the key to which foods are combined on each day of the diet and how many meals the menus consist of.

These combinations are to increase the effects of weight loss, but where they come from and whether they really have a positive effect on metabolism - it is not known.

The cabbage diet contains a lot of fiber, so it can cause digestive problems - abdominal pain, flatulence, constipation or diarrhea.

The only positive aspect of using a cabbage diet may be the fact of consuming a large amount of cabbage, which has a cleansing effect on the body.

Cabbage contains potassium and strong antioxidants, thanks to which it helps to cleanse the liver, reduces inflammation, strengthens the immune system and protectsagainst tumors. A large amount of vegetables in the diet is also recommended.

Important

Cabbage diet - contraindications

When asked who should follow the cabbage diet, only one answer comes to mind - no one. If any daredevil wants to try, he must be completely he althy.

Cabbage diets must not be used:

  • pregnant and lactating women
  • children and adolescents (too deficient in energy and nutrients)
  • people with diabetes (causes sudden changes in blood glucose levels)
  • Hashimoto's disease
  • hypothyroidism (too low in energy and carbohydrates)

Diet is not suitable for men and active women. It must not be used simultaneously with physical activity.

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Author: Time S.A

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Cabbage diet - pros and cons

Advantages:

  • cheap
  • does not require a lot of preparation
  • only lasts 7 days
  • facilitates cleansing the body of toxins

Cons:

  • monotonous
  • unbalanced
  • deficient in nutrients
  • very restrictive
  • boring and unappetizing
  • no scientific basis indicating its effectiveness
  • slows down metabolism
  • threatens with a yo-yo effect
  • hinders the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K
  • excludes from social life
  • only 29 percent recommend it. people on a cabbage diet

Source:

  1. Navaro D.A. et al., Functional foods in fad diets: a review, Functional Foods in He alth and Disease, 2022, 7 (9), 702 - 715
  2. Muller M.J. et al., Changes in energy expenditure with weight gain and weight loss in humans, Current Obesity Reports, 2016, 5 (4), 413 - 423
  3. https: //www.webmd.com/diet/a-z/cabbage-soup-diet
  4. https: //www.he althline.com/nutrition/the-cabbage-soup-diet
  5. https: //draxe.com/cabbage-soup-diet/
  6. https: //www.dietsinreview.com/diets/Cabbage_Soup_Diet/

Category:

Slimming