Are you looking for a weekly plan of soup diet that will work out your weight loss goal? This NutriNeat article enhances your knowledge on the advantages and disadvantages of these diets and whether, they really work for you.
There are no two ways about the fact that men and women who are over weight, have tried dieting at least once in their lifetime, to lose weight. Taking a soup diet is among the hot favorites of people trying to reduce their calorie intake. Whether it’s a cabbage diet or a vegetable diet, all claim to make a person slimmer and fitter in no time. But do they really work? Let us try to find it out, by knowing about the various soup diets, followed by their pros and cons.
Chicken Soup Diet
Considered to be among the most effective diets for weight loss, this diet plan has to be followed for a minimum of seven days. For breakfast, a person can take ½ cup yogurt, fruits, and wheat germ. Another option for breakfast is 1 glass of orange juice and 1 bowl of cereals. After breakfast, a person following this diet has to consume only chicken soup, for the rest of the day. Chicken soup is prepared by adding vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, and celery.
Cabbage Soup Diet
A cabbage soup is prepared by adding vegetables, which are low in calories, such as tomatoes, onions, carrots, as well as soup mix and tomato juice, to the soup. Here is a 7-day plan for this most popular soup diet.
Day 1
On the first day, fruits are recommended for breakfast. Cabbage soup should be consumed whenever one feels hungry. Other foods that can be taken on the first day are cranberry juice, black coffee, tea without sugar and plenty of water.
Day 2
On the second day, cabbage soup, with low calorie vegetables should be consumed. For dinner, one can have a baked potato with a teaspoon of butter.
Day 3
Cabbage soup, along with low calorie fruits and vegetables should be taken.
Day 4
Eight bananas have to be eaten on the fourth day. Two glasses of skimmed milk and cabbage soup to be consumed thereafter.
Day 5
On the fifth day, introduce meat into the diet. Either beef, fish, or chicken should be eaten, but not more than 20 ounces. Cabbage soup to be consumed whenever a person feels hungry. 6 tomatoes to be eaten during the day too.
Day 6
On the sixth day, besides cabbage soup, 3 beef steaks and an assortment of low calorie vegetables have to be eaten.
Day 7
Two cups brown rice, fruit juices with no sugar, low calorie vegetables and cabbage soup should be consumed on the last day.
Vegetable Soup Diet
It is the most nutritious of all diets, as plethora of highly nutritious vegetables, such as celery, tomatoes, beans, cabbage, carrots, and pumpkins, are consumed during the week that it is followed. This diet is low in calories too and hence, contributes immensely to weight loss. Here is the 7-day vegetable soup diet plan.
Day 1
Eat all fruits, except bananas, in unlimited quantity, along with the vegetable soup.
Day 2
Include green leafy vegetables in the diet, one baked potato, and vegetable soup.
Day 3
Eat both, fruits and vegetables in unlimited quantity, except for bananas and potatoes. The soup intake can also be unlimited.
Day 4
Eat eight bananas, unlimited quantity of skimmed milk as well as vegetable soup, whenever hungry.
Day 5
Vegetable soup to be taken, along with fresh tomatoes and red meat. Water intake to be not less than 2 liters.
Day 6
Eat vegetables which are low in calories, along with the soup. No meat on the sixth day.
Day 7
Vegetables, brown rice, and vegetable soup to be consumed on the last day.
Pros and Cons
Advantages
One of the advantages is that, they restrict the calorie consumption, resulting in immediate weight loss, sometimes, to the extent of up to five to six pounds in a week. Another benefit of taking a soup diet once in a while is that, it helps to detox the entire body system, by flushing out the unwanted, accumulated wastes.
Disadvantages
The biggest disadvantage is that, most of these diets recommend only vegetables and lean meat, making the body burn calories quickly, causing the person to feel very hungry later on. So, the possibility of a person to sustain these soup diets forever is very low. Another disadvantage is that, if the soup is prepared in such a way that it has high sodium content, it will cause water retention in the body, making the person feel bloated.
Looking at the advantages and disadvantages, one can conclude that instead of completely following these diets to the tee, a good idea would be to replace one meal in a day with a nutritious soup. This will not only prove to be healthy, but will also contribute to weight loss as well.