Why The Cabbage Soup Diet Won’t Die

(No Matter How Many Doctors Try To Kill It)
Diets come and diets go. However, one diet has consistently stood the test of time when it comes to quick weight loss – the cabbage soup diet.

Nearly every credible health organization, including the American Heart Association and the American Dietetic Association, backs common sense weight loss –yet the popularity of the cabbage soup diet continues to grow.

You may be wondering, why is this diet so popular and how does the cabbage soup diet fit in with the expert’s recommendations?

According to new research: in a surprising number of ways.

The Secret’s In The Soup

Dr. Barbara Rolls at Pennsylvania State University has published over 170 articles in medical journals concluding that the volume of a food has more of an impact on appetite than calories.

That’s why many researchers recommend eating plenty of low-calorie dense foods, like cabbage soup. A study published in the journal Appetite found that eating soup before a meal encouraged participants to eat less -even when tempting, high-fat foods were offered.

Also, the journal Obesity Research published a study that found eating snacks in soup form rather than whole food form resulted in double the amount of weight loss.

How does cabbage soup work? Sensors lining the stomach respond to volume. High-volume, water-rich foods like those included in the cabbage soup diet work because they stretch the stomach so that it tells the brain it is full.

Fiber In Cabbage Reduces Appetite

By weight, cabbage is one of the most fibrous foods on Earth. That’s why it forms the basis of the cabbage soup diet.

In clinical research fiber has been shown to: induce fullness, reduce appetite, and facilitate long-term weight loss. In fact, a Finnish study found that eating a high-fiber diet while cutting calories resulted in 4x more weight loss than dieting alone.

No Brainpower Required

Many popular diets like The Zone diet ask you to count calories, measure portions, and perhaps even weigh your food.

On the other hand, the cabbage soup diet allows you to eat almost unlimited portions of certain foods –cutting out the calories and the thinking. Because of our current hectic lifestyles, this time saver is incredibly important.

According to a study published by the Journal of American Medicine, most dieters don’t meet their weight loss goals simply because they don’t follow the exact specifications of the diet they’re on –a non-issue for the cabbage soup diet.

Happier Dieting

Dieting is no fun. Many people on diet become irritable, starving, miserable shells of their former self.

Not when on the cabbage soup diet. It turns out that soup itself tends to illicit positive feelings and moods. A study in the Journal of Health Science found that soup itself makes people happier. Study author Dr. Midoh Naoki concluded: “…soup was considered to have improved mood states such as tension and anxiety and increased peripheral blood flow.”

Monotony Helps The Weight Come Off

One thing everyone can agree on is that the cabbage soup diet is boring. On the bright side at least 105 studies in the medical literature report that less variety results in more successful weight loss.

Because of its tight regulations, the cabbage soup diet allows you to focus on weight loss rather than culinary exploration.

Not Perfect, But Here to Stay

Despite its drawbacks, the cabbage soup diet has a number of uniquely positive attributes that other diets don’t, making it much easier to stick to than most other restrictive diets.

Nutritionists and doctors will always to fume about its flaws, but don’t expect the cabbage soup diet to go away anytime soon.

References:
1. J.Slavin. Dietary fiber and body weight. Nutrition, Volume 21, Issue 3, Pages 411-418
2. Rolls BJ, Roe LS, Beach AM, Kris-Etherton PM. Provision of foods differing in energy density affects long-term weight loss. Obes Res. 2005 Jun;13(6):1052-60
3. Nicklaus S. Development of food variety in children. Appetite. 2009 Feb;52(1):253-5. Epub 2008 Oct 2.
4. Epstein LH, Robinson JL, Temple JL, Roemmich JN, Marusewski AL, Nadbrzuch RL. Variety influences habituation of motivated behavior for food and energy intake in children. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Mar;89(3):746-54. Epub 2009 Jan 28.