any healthful and well-balanced diet. The cabbage used
as food by modern humans, Brassica oleracea,was
developed from a variety of wild mustard native to
southern Italy and France several centuries before the
Christian era. It was eaten both raw and cooked by the
ancient Greeks and Romans. Ancient physicians used a
pastemadefromrawcabbagetoreduceinflammation
surrounding a wound. Cabbage is a cool-weather crop
that can be harvested in 50 to 80 days, which helps
explain why it is a dietary staple in northern and central
Europe as well as in Korea and other parts of Asia.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) database, raw cabbage contains 20 calories
per 100g (about 3-1/2 oz), 5.6g ofcarbohydrates, and
32mg of vitamin C—about 53% of an adult’s daily
requirement. The carbohydrate content includes 3.2g
of sugars per 100g, which are released during cooking,
and 2.3g of dietaryfiber. Thus, the cabbage soup diet
does make use of some scientific findings about the
nutritional value and low calorie content of cabbage:
the short period of cooking recommended by the soup
recipe helps remove the bitter taste of raw cabbage
without destroying its dietary fiber orvitamins.Evaluations of the cabbage soup diet
The American Heart Association (AHA) and the
hospitals whose names have been associated with the
cabbage soup diet have issued formal disclaimers
warning the public that they do not endorse this diet.
The Hoˆpital du Sacre ́-Coeur de Montre ́al states in its
2004 press release that the diet is contrary to healthy
feeding patterns and even presents potential dangers
to good health. The Sacred Heart Medical Center
(SHMC) in Spokane requests that people do not affili-
ate the diet with their hospital as they do not consider
it a safe or healthy method of weight loss. A SHMC
disclaimer states, ‘‘This diet did not originate at
SHMC and it is not endorsed by the dietitians or the
staff of our cardiac rehabilitation program. One of ourmajor concerns about this diet plan is it emphasizes the
consumption of fruits and vegetables while excluding
the consumption of meat or fish, cereal grains and
milk products on most days. Any diet that focuses on
only certain food groups will be low or deficient in
essential nutrients and, therefore, lead to poor nutri-
tional status long-term. Our experience with any low
calorie diets like this one is that they do not lead to
permanent weight loss. Once individuals start eating in
a more normal pattern, the weight is regained. A very
important factor in obtaining a healthy weight is to
evaluate your physical activity and other lifestyle con-
cerns. This is most appropriately done by consulting
with a registered dietitian.’’
Scientific evidence is not yet available to support
claims that cabbage has unique detoxifying, fat-burn-
ing, immunoprotective, antidepressant, or anticancer
properties. Claims regarding the possibility of losing
17 pounds by the end of one week on this diet are
exaggerated. In addition, there is no indication that
the government of Australia (or any other govern-
ment) has ever sponsored clinical trials of cabbage
soup, whether in pill form or fully constituted.Resources
BOOKS
Brunvand, Jan Harold.The Mexican Pet: More ‘‘New’’
Urban Legends and Some Old Favorites. New York:
W. W. Norton, 1986.
Danbrot, Margaret.The New Cabbage Soup Diet, rev. ed.
New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2004.
Scales, Mary Josephine.Diets in a Nutshell: A Definitive
Guide on Diets from A to Z. Clifton, VA: Apex
Publishers, 2005.
OTHER
American Dietetic Association (ADA).Fad Diet Timeline—
Fad Diets throughout the Years. Press release. February
1, 2007. [cited April 30, 2007].<http://www.eatright.
org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/media_11092_ENU_
HTML.htm>.
American Heart Association (AHA).Phony American Heart
Association Diets: Seeking the AHA 3-Day, 7-Day, or
Cabbage Soup Diet?[cited April 30, 2007].<http://
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier
=507>.
Callahan, Maureen. ‘‘Cabbage Soup Diet Review.’’Health
MagazineApril 2004. [cited April 30, 2007].<http://
diets.aol.com/a-z/cabbagesoup/_a/cabbage-soup-
review/20050610162209990011>.
Sacred Heart Medical Center (Spokane, WA).Miracle Soup
Disclaimer.<http://www.shmc.org/index.php/page/
298 >[cited April 30, 2007].
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural
Research Service.USDA National Nutrient Database
for Standard Reference, Release 18. November 18, 2005.QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR
DOCTOR Do you have any patients who have tried the
cabbage soup diet?
In your opinion, is this diet safe to use for a week
as long as it is not repeated?
Can someone with high blood pressure use this
diet as long as they are taking prescription
medications for that condition?Cabbage soup diet