If you haven’t noticed, I’m a big fan of fad diets. After three juice cleanses, the “no eating after 5 p.m.” rule, paleo and veganism (for only two weeks), I wanted to try something else. I try these diets because I think having the same eating routine is boring, and I like to see the physical changes that ensue from consuming different types of foods. I love challenges, which is why I think I love fad diets. After doing some research, I decided to try the seven-day cabbage soup diet. The rules are as follows:
Day 1: Eat only fruits and cabbage soup, but no bananas.
Day 2: Eat only vegetables and cabbage soup, but no starchy vegetables.
Day 3: Eat fruits and vegetables with cabbage soup, but no bananas and starchy vegetables.
Day 4: Eat up to eight bananas, yogurt, and cabbage soup.
Day 5: Eat only tomatoes, lean protein, and cabbage soup.
Day 6: Eat lean protein, vegetables, and cabbage soup.
Day 7: Eat fruits and vegetables with cabbage soup.
You are allowed to eat as much cabbage soup as you want every day. What I loved about this diet is that I was never hungry. Unlike juice cleanses, I never craved food or struggled to say “no” to eating something, because I always had veggies and fruits to eat. Here's a summary of the diary entries from each day.
Day 1
I woke up and made a huge pot of cabbage soup to last me for a week. The soup calls for chicken stock, tomatoes, onions, green onions, bell peppers, celery and cabbage. The best part about it is that it doesn't taste terrible! I ate an apple, strawberries, mangoes, blueberries and a grapefruit this day, along with three bowls of soup. I was never hungry and I didn't feel like I was "dieting" other than when I went to Costco and had to say no to the samples.
Day 2
I love fruit, so not eating fruit was the most challenging part about today. I went to Trader Joe’s and then sautéed asparagus, mushrooms, broccoli and zucchini in olive oil and red wine vinegar. I ate a plate of that along with a bowl of soup and I wasn’t hungry.
Day 3
I wish I could report that combining the rules of days one and two made the third day really easy, but all I wanted was a basket of waffle fries and a pint of cookies and cream ice cream. I never knew just how bad vegetables tasted until I ate a plate of spring mix salad with olive oil and vinegar. Also, I ate half of a watermelon along with a ton of other fruits, and the sweetness of the fruits made me feel sick. I could not wait to eat yogurt tomorrow.
Day 4
Yogurt and bananas are the rule today. I hate bananas, so I decided to cheat and eat normal fruit. I ate fruit with my vanilla Greek yogurt all day long, until I made plans to see my friend. I got fro-yo, and I just didn't feel bad about it. It’s still yogurt, right?
Day 5
I was in physical pain the moment I consumed meat. Today is Memorial Day, so we barbecued and I grilled tomatoes and chicken. I didn't feel good and I regret it. I also regret the corn I ate (oops).
Day 6
I just realized that I haven’t been eating the soup. I had chicken and broccoli for practically every meal. I'm bored.
Day 7
I'm over it. I've noticed the changes in how my body reacts when I don't eat processed foods, and this is a lesson learned. Today, my family is celebrating my brother's graduation and I'm not going to be that girl that orders a plain salad with dressing on the side. I'm going to eat a freaking sandwich.
What did I learn from these seven days? First off, if you pay attention to what you are eating, your body is going to feel a million times better. None of us like to admit that food has a direct affect on our physical health; however, just a little bit of mindful eating goes a long way.
