Calorie balance | Cabbage Soup Diet

Calorie balance

White cabbage is a very low calorie vegetable. It has only about 25 kcal per 100gr. The classic recipe for the cabbage soup diet consists of a white cabbage, 3 onions, 400g of tomatoes, 200g of carrots, a bell pepper, a stick of celery, in addition parsley, other herbs and a teaspoon of oil.Thus prepared, one comes to a total of about 650kcal for the whole pot of cabbage soup.

How many portions of it you take a day, you can decide for yourself. An average calorie requirement of 2000kcal for women and 2500kcal for men (varies depending on size, activity level and body weight) allows for a wide range. In addition to the calories of cabbage soup, however, the calories of the side dishes are added daily.

Here one should consider that especially fruits are relatively rich in calories due to their high sugar content, which is why one should avoid high-calorie fruits like bananas, grapes or honeydew melon. This also applies to pumpkin, beans, corn and other calorie-rich vegetables. When selecting meat, you should also fall back on lean varieties.

Is a yo-yo effect to be expected?

Many people fear after a diet that the lost weight will be gained again and even more weight will be gained as before the diet. The so-called yoyo effect is a widespread spectre. It must be clear to every participant in the cabbage soup diet that the great weight loss that has been achieved is not the result of the loss of fat reserves, but mainly the loss of water.

If the glycogen stores of liver and muscles are replenished by the transition to a different diet after the diet, the body automatically stores water again. First of all, one gains weight again, which one has lost through the loss of water in the diet. Many people fall back into old patterns after a short-term change of diet and consume more energy than the body needs and actively uses.

So if you want to lose weight in the long term, you have to change your habits and either limit the intake of calories or increase consumption through exercise and sporting activities. Weight loss is slower than with crash diets, but is permanent and much healthier. In healthy adult participants, a short-term cabbage soup diet is at least not a cause for concern from a medical point of view.

But medical supervision is still recommended. Cabbage has few calories and a high proportion of potassium, iron, vitamin A and vitamin C. It provides fiber and can alleviate constipation problems. On the other hand, it can lead to gas formation in the digestive tract.

In addition, cabbage is said to protect against a variety of diseases through its antioxidant properties, to have an anti-inflammatory effect and, as a source of minerals, to strengthen bones and maintain the health of eyes, skin and brain. Cabbage therefore has definite advantages as part of a balanced diet. However, as the basis of a long-term lifestyle, cabbage soup is definitely not recommended.

The diet contains too little protein overall, which is an indispensable building block for the body in a balanced diet. Likewise, the cabbage soup diet contains very little fat, which has a generally negative effect on hormone production and the body’s metabolism. If you notice excessive exhaustion, tiredness and lack of concentration during the diet, as well as physical discomfort, circulation problems such as dizziness, the diet should be discontinued.