This detox cabbage soup is a great way to jumpstart a weight loss program or simply to warm you up on a chilly day. Packed full of tender vegetables in rich vegetable stock, enjoy unlimited amounts of cabbage soup on the sacred heart soup diet. On a diet, or on its own it's sure to be a Whole Lotta Yum!
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Cabbage Detox Soup
This detox cabbage soup was used by Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital and given to cardiac patients prior to surgery to rapidly lose weight. The recipe is written as is from the 1980ʼs when it was popular (before keto!).
Even without a diet in mind, this cabbage soup is delicious and could easily be added to your soup recipe rotation. This cabbage soup diet is the perfect jump start to a healthy diet, new workout routine, or weight loss journey.
Now don't be scared that this is all you'll be eating. During the 7 days of the detox cabbage soup diet, you'll be allowed other foods, but unlimited amounts of cabbage soup and at least 8 glasses of water. Lucky me, as I love soup! Here's a brief breakdown of how the seven days play out.
- Day 1- Eat fruits, except bananas.
- Day 2- Enjoy a baked potato then other veggies except starchy options.
- Day 3- Eat only fruits and veggies, except starchy vegetables.
- Day 4- Eat bananas, milk, and yogurt.
- Day 5- Eat 6-8 tomatoes and protein like fish, chicken, or turkey.
- Day 6- Eat only protein and non-starchy veggies.
- Day 7- Eat fruit, veggies, and juice.
Why You'll Love This!
- Great for meal prep- When you're short on time during the week a soup is a great option for a warm meal on the go.
- Super yummy- Very filling and easy to adapt!
- Quick and easy! Just a few ingredients, simple to customize.
- Healthy - Easy homemade soup, great for weight loss. Can be made Vegan as well.
🥘 Sacred Heart Diet Soup Ingredients
Fresh whole ingredients and spices are all you need to build a yummy homemade soup.
- Green onions - The green and whites of the chopped onions.
- Canned tomatoes - Can of diced tomatoes
- Green cabbage - A whole head of cabbage. Cleaned and with any loose or bruised leaves removed.
- Water - Instead of using water, add more flavor with chicken stock.
- Green peppers - Two whole green bell peppers
- Celery - The whole bunch of celery will be needed.
- Lipton soup - Beefy onion flavor
- Dried garlic and basil to taste
- Other seasonings (optional) - salt, lemon pepper, curry powder, parsley, crushed red pepper flakes, bouillon, or hot sauce.
** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **
Variations
- Without Lipton Soup Mix: To reduce carbs you can use beef or chicken broth instead. Then add other seasonings such as onion flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Other Veggies: Add vegetables like carrots, diced sweet potato, canned or fresh green beans, chicken broth instead of water, or use chicken noodle soup.
- Add meat: Add more protein with diced up chicken breast, ground turkey, or ground beef. If you substitute beef, replace the water with beef broth.
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
- Sharp knife and a cutting board
Prepare detox cabbage soup on the stove top, Instant Pot, or crockpot.
A Pressure Cooker - This is the Instant Pot model that we used, we also have a Ninja Foodi a pressure cooker & air fryer combo.
🔪 How to Cook Detox Soup
Prepare a load of fresh veggies and spices. Toss them in a pot and cook low and slow until reduced and the veggies have softened.
Prep Ingredients
Cut the vegetables into small to medium pieces. Add cabbage, green onions, canned diced tomatoes, green bell peppers, celery, and cans of water or vegetable broth to a large pot.
Assemble The Soup
Add the Lipton soup mix, dried garlic, and dried basil to taste. You can also add salt, pepper, curry, parsley, bouillon, or hot sauce to taste.
Boil the soup for 10 minutes. Reduce the soup to a simmer and continue cooking it until the vegetables are tender, which will take another 30-60 minutes.
Serve
If you want it to have more flavor, adjust the seasonings as preferred. Enjoy!
🥗 Dietary Substitutions
As written, detox cabbage soup is low carb, keto-friendly, and dairy free.
- Gluten free & Whole30: Omit the Lipton soup packet, and opt for the suggested spices such as onion flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste.
💡 Recipe Tips
- This is the original Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital soup recipe the hospital recommended to overweight patients to rapidly lose weight before surgery. There are other versions out there on the internet but this is the recipe we've been using for over 30 years!
- Other additions you can do (based on other internet variations) include adding carrots, canned green beans, chicken broth instead of the water (and then skip the Lipton soup), or use chicken noodle Lipton soup.
- You can also skip the Lipton soup mix to reduce the carbs and use beef or chicken broth instead, and then add other seasonings such as onion flakes, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Lipton's does have corn starch, so this isn't a strict keto recipe.
🥡 Storing and Reheating
- Storing: Store leftover detox cabbage soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- Freezing: You can freeze cabbage soup as well. I recommend using freezer safe Souper Cubes or another airtight container to store in portioned amounts. Freeze for up to 2-3 months.
- Reheating: Reheat easily on the stove top or in the microwave.
❓ FAQ's
Eating only soup for an extended time can lower your calorie intake, which may not be sustainable especially when it comes to getting the proper nutrients. However, it's common to follow a soup diet for up to seven days to jumpstart your weight loss journey or reset your eating habits.
The sacred heart diet, or cabbage soup diet, is a weight loss diet that lasts for seven days. This weight loss soup diet is meant to be a way to lose weight quickly, but not a diet that should be continued past the recommended seven days. This unsustainable fad diet is one someone would use to break through a weight loss plateau or before starting a healthy weight loss diet or plan.
This healthy soup calls for cabbage and other cooked veggies in a vegetable broth. Depending on the variation you chose, sometimes lean beef or turkey can be added.
The souping trend has gained popularity in recent years as a healthier alternative to juice cleanses. However, it is important to note that a cabbage soup diet should not be used as a long-term weight loss solution and should only be done no more than a week and under the guidance of a healthcare professional.
Other healthy foods that are often served with, alongside, or during the cabbage soup diet can be:
-Fruits like apples, berries, and melons.
-Vegetables like greens, broccoli, and carrots.
-Lean protein like chicken, fish, or tofu.
-Brown rice or quinoa.
-Skim milk or low-fat yogurt.
😋 More Delicious Soup Recipes
For more filling and delicious soup recipes try any of these options!
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Detox Cabbage Soup (Sacred Heart Soup Diet)
This detox cabbage soup is a great way to jumpstart a weight loss program or simply to warm you up on a chilly day. Packed full of tender vegetables in rich vegetable stock, enjoy unlimited amounts of cabbage soup on the sacred heart soup diet.
Ingredients
- 6 large Green onions
- 1 (28 oz) cans Tomatoes, diced
- 1 large Green cabbage
- 3 cans Water
- 2 Green peppers
- 1 bunch Celery (the whole bunch)
- 2 pkg Lipton soup (beefy onion)
- Dried garlic to taste
- Dried basil to taste
- Other seasonings (optional) - salt, pepper, curry, parsley, bouillon, or hot sauce.
Instructions
- Cut the vegetables into small to medium pieces.
- Add the green onions, canned tomatoes, green cabbage, green bell peppers, celery and cans of water to a large pot.
- Add the Lipton soup mix, dried garlic, and dried basil to taste. You can also add salt, pepper, curry, parsley, bouillon, or hot sauce to taste. Boil the soup for 10 minutes.
- Reduce the soup to a simmer and continue cooking it until the vegetables are tender, which will take another 30-60 minutes. If you want it to have more flavor, adjust the seasonings as preferred. Enjoy!
Notes
- This is the original Sacred Heart Memorial Hospital soup recipe the hospital recommended to overweight patients to rapidly lose weight before surgery. There are other versions out there on the internet but this is the recipe we've been using for over 30 years!
- Other additions you can do (based on other internet variations) include adding carrots, canned green beans, chicken broth instead of the water (and then skip the Lipton soup), or use chicken noodle Lipton soup.
- As written, this recipe is low carb, keto-friendly, and dairy free.
- You can also skip the Lipton soup mix to reduce the carbs and use beef or chicken broth instead, and then add other seasonings such as onion flakes, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Lipton's does have corn starch, so this isn't a strict keto recipe.
Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 47Total Fat 1gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 8mgSodium 242mgCarbohydrates 6gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 4g
The nutrional information is just an estimate and was calculated by an automated calculator. If you're on a restricted health program please manually calculate this information using the brands of ingredients you have since brands can vary.
Lura says
Could you give instructions if I was to use a crockpot?
WholeLottaYum says
Hi Lura, I'd just add all ingredients to the crockpot and cook on low for 4 hours or on high for probably 2 hours. Good idea!