- With Mayo Clinic nutritionist
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
As a specialty editor for the nutrition and healthy eating guide, Katherine Zeratsky helps you sort through the facts and figures, the fads and the hype to learn more about nutrition and diet.
A Marinette, Wis., native, Katherine is certified in dietetics by the state of Minnesota and the American Dietetic Association. She has been with Mayo Clinic since 1999.
She is active in nutrition-related curriculum and course development in wellness nutrition at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and nutrition education related to weight management and practical applications of nutrition-related lifestyle changes.
Other areas of interest include food and nutrition for all life stages, active lifestyles and the culinary arts.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served a dietetic internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and worked as a registered dietitian and health risk counselor at ThedaCare of Appleton, Wis., before joining the Mayo Clinic staff.
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Question
Cabbage soup diet: Can it help with weight loss?
What is the cabbage soup diet, and can it help me lose weight?
Answer
from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
The cabbage soup diet is generally considered a fad diet. As the name suggests, the cabbage soup diet requires that you eat large amounts of cabbage soup for a week. Proponents of the cabbage soup diet say it's a good way to lose weight fast, as much as 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) in seven days. Although it may help you lose weight in the short-term — as almost any low-calorie diet can — this diet doesn't help you make the lifestyle changes necessary for maintaining a healthy weight over the long term.
Variations of the cabbage soup diet have been around for years, written about online and in books. It's not clear where the cabbage soup diet originated. On the cabbage soup diet, you eat cabbage soup every day for seven days. During that time, you can also eat certain fruits and vegetables, beef, chicken and brown rice, according to a daily schedule. Because the cabbage soup diet is low in complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals, you wouldn't want to stay on the cabbage soup diet for more than a week at a time. It should be followed by at least two weeks of a normal, balanced diet to ensure proper nutrition.
The cabbage soup diet has other disadvantages. Depending on the recipe for cabbage soup, the diet can be very high in sodium. The large amounts of cabbage also can make you more prone to flatulence. And if you're not getting proper nutrition, you may feel weak or tired while on the diet. In addition, the cabbage soup diet doesn't include physical activity and exercise.
Any time you drastically cut calories, you can lose weight. If you lose a lot of weight very quickly, though, it may not be fat that you're losing. It might be water weight or even lean tissue, since it's hard to burn that many fat calories in such a short period. And once you stop the diet, it's easy to regain any weight that you lost, especially on plans that don't include physical activity.
Remember, successful weight-loss programs address both diet and exercise and help you develop healthy lifelong habits that keep the weight off.
Next questionFlat Belly Diet: Can it help you lose weight?
- Cabbage soup diet information. CabbageSoupDiet.com. http://www.cabbage-soup-diet.com/. Accessed Dec. 13, 2010.
- Zeratsky KA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 21, 2010.
- Nelson JK (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 21, 2010.
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