Souping Can Help You Lose Weight, But You Have To Be Careful and Committed (2024)

Souping, similar to juicing, has been popular in recent years as way to detox the body and to lose weight, but eating only soup for days at a time can cause problems, if you’re not careful.

The diet calls for having soup three to five meals a day and adding vegetables to help cleanse and detox your system. The weight loss occurs by cutting calories from fat and likely from carbohydrates.

As part of a healthy meal plan, soup is fine, says Sharon Cox, a registered dietitian with Parkland Hospital System, but meeting your nutritional needs with soup for all of your meals would present a challenge.

“[Souping is] trying to help us eat more healthy foods in a way,” Cox says. “But you would still need to get in the right amount of protein. You would still needs carbs included and healthy fats.”

Interview Highlights

What to consider when souping:There are problems with pesticides in vegetables, so you'd need to buy some vegetables that would be organic. You would want to get chicken and meat from cows that grow and live in the pastures or on ground; not in the factories because you’d get a lot of antibiotics and other additives. You also have to consider your cooking utensils. You don’t want to cook all those soups in aluminum pans or some poor-quality pot because of chemicals being released into your food over time.

Consuming too much water: For those people that may have kidney problems, heart failure and other problems where fluid should be restricted, souping could be a problem. But the amount of fluid or water you’re taking with the soup should be about average. Maybe six-to-eight ounces per bowl of soup, you would be OK. If you’re not urinating most of what you’re taking in, you should cut back.

Behavioral changes needed to lose weight:If you could say 100 percent that you be able to sustain or continue to eat soup for the rest of your life to maintain a healthy weight loss, then you may be a person who could commit to souping. But it doesn’t really change our behavior because we still need to eat, we need the three meals, we need to know our serving sizes, how to prepare the food, and we need to enjoy and eat our food with the thought that it’s good nourishment for our body more than just to feel full.

Resources

Interview responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Souping Can Help You Lose Weight, But You Have To Be Careful and Committed (2024)

FAQs

Does souping help you lose weight? ›

May induce weight loss: Though evidence for soup-based diets is lacking, some research has found that eating soup as part of a regular diet may have some health benefits, including weight loss. In a 2011 study, soup intake was associated with lower body mass index (BMI) and smaller waist circumference.

What does souping do to the body? ›

Similar to juicing, souping can be used to increase your daily intake of nutrients, and even to lose weight, by replacing meals with between 4 -6 liquid meals per day. High fibre soups can be placed into your meal plan on a regular basis, either through a full-on soup cleanse or simply by replacing one meal a day.

How much weight can you lose on a soup diet in 2 weeks? ›

People who follow the diet strictly will likely lose some weight, potentially 10 pounds per week or more. This is because it involves eating so few calories each day. However, in most cases, people quickly regain this lost weight once they return to their regular diet.

What is the souping diet trend? ›

A 2020 study found that consumption of soup was associated with reduced odds of obesity, while a 2014 study linked soup consumption to having a better dietary quality, including more fiber, protein, and many vitamins and minerals. However, the increased soup consumption also led to an increased sodium intake.

Which soup is good to reduce belly fat? ›

5 Best Soups That Will Help To Burn Belly Fat
  • Vegetable soup. Lean protein from chicken combined with a variety of vegetables can make a satisfying and low-calorie soup that can help you feel full and satisfied.
  • Chicken and vegetable soup. ...
  • Black bean soup. ...
  • Lentil soup. ...
  • Tomato soup.
Nov 4, 2023

How much weight can you lose on a soup cleanse? ›

Broth-based soup diets generally last for 7 days. However, some can last as long as 10–14 days. Over that time, proponents of a broth-based diet claim you can lose up to 10 or even 20 pounds (4.5 to 9 kg). On a broth-based soup diet, cream-based soups are restricted, as they're higher in calories and fat.

What happens if I only eat soup for a week? ›

As the soup diet usually only lasts for 7-14 days, it's not recommended in the long term. The NHS also highlights how very low-calorie diets like this often lead to short term weight loss, but it's likely that you'll put some or all of the weight back on once you go back to eating normally.

How many times a day do you eat the cabbage soup diet? ›

Most variations of this diet suggest that people eat this soup two to three times a day—although some variations enable the participants to consume even more of the soup. The cabbage soup used in this diet combines ingredients like broth, nonstarchy vegetables, pepper, herbs and, of course, cabbage.

What does soup do to your stomach? ›

Boosts Digestion

Soup's warm, liquid consistency also helps stimulate your body's digestive tract, making it an excellent appetizer before eating heartier foods. If you're looking for a nutritious, comforting meal after a long winter day, a warm bowl of soup might be the perfect option.

What can I eat on a soup diet? ›

Specifically, broth-based vegetable soups, like cabbage soup. Some people following this type of diet ‌just‌ eat soup for each meal. Others will add in a source of lean protein (like grilled chicken breast or beans) or a serving of fruit or veggies.

Can you eat eggs on the Cabbage Soup Diet? ›

They are high in calories and sugar, so they are not recommended on the cabbage soup diet. High-Fat Foods: Foods rich in saturated fats, such as fried foods, fatty cuts of meat, full-fat dairy products, vegetables like avocado, and high-fat sauces or dressings, should be avoided. It is also recommended to avoid eggs.

Why am I not losing weight on the Cabbage Soup Diet? ›

One of the main problems with the Cabbage Soup Diet is that it can only be followed for 1 week, which is not long enough for meaningful weight loss. Your body can only burn so much fat per week. In the first week of a low calorie diet, only about 34% of the weight lost is from fat.

What does souping do to your insides? ›

And unlike juicing, which removes fiber from fruit, soup can help to stabilize blood sugar for more sustained energy, especially when it includes tons of fiber-rich veggies, protein and healthy fat, according to Foroutan.

Does souping work for weight loss? ›

The good news is there's something in it for all of us, and it's not cabbage. Experts say “souping,” as the trend has been called, can help you lose weight. And it can do so without making you feel like you're starving.

What is the broth diet 5 days? ›

The schedule. For five days, replace two meals a day with two cartons of bone broth. Reintroduce balanced, healthy meals on day six and seven, by substituting just one meal a day with bone broth. For a five-day cleanse, you will need 12 cartons of bone broth.

How does broth help you lose weight? ›

Bone broth can be a part of a healthy weight loss regime. It is loaded with protein—about 10 grams per serving—that can help you feel full for longer. This extra protein can also assist in building lean muscle mass, which in turn enables your body to burn more calories throughout the day.

What are the benefits of soup cleanse? ›

During a soup cleanse, you are avoiding harmful foods that hurt your body and drag your immune system down. You are also giving your body exactly what it craves, which is foods that are high in fiber and rich in nutrients. This will make your body and mind thank you!

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