Hooray! Today is the first day of my classes at the Institute For Integrative Nutrition. Can you tell I’m excited? I am showing my school spirit with my new tee! I am so00 looking forward to learning everything that I can about holistic nutrition so that I can help others live healthier, happier lives. Not only will I learn about the different types of diets, I will learn how to create healthy minds, bodies, and souls. Who doesn’t need more happy and healthy in their life?
Not only am I starting school this week, I have been busily preparing for our upcoming cruise. Knowing I will be indulging on the cruise, and since I’ve been indulging in a lot of birthday dinners lately, I wanted to detox and drop a couple of pounds. Although I threw out my scales long ago, I can tell when my weight creeps upwards. I just have that uncomfortable feeling. Dieting can be very tricky, especially for me, since I have had a history with an eating disorder. Any extreme diet, such as the Cabbage Soup Diet, should be used only temporarily, so as to not deprive the body of all of the nutrients it needs. Short term diets can be a great way to kick-start a healthy eating lifestyle because they can help to break the habit of eating sugar and processed foods.
Yesterday, I began the Cabbage Soup Diet. I always do this diet the week before the cruise and the week after the cruise, if needed. The exact diet is here. I don’t follow this diet to the “t”. Instead, I eat the soup for all of my meals (or whenever I am hungry). For dinner, I add a lean protein, such as chicken or seafood, to go with the soup. This is my go-to diet when I feel I need to get back on track with healthy eating. After the five days that I am on the diet, I notice a drastic change in my sugar cravings. Also, I’m not hungry on this diet because I eat soup whenever I feel hungry, even if it’s ten times a day. Because I eat often, I don’t worry about my metabolism dropping, as long as I only do the diet for a few days. As always, you should consult your doctor before starting any diet. And, I don’t promise that it will work for you, because all bodies are different. (I just felt like I should throw that in there…)
Here is my version of the Cabbage Soup Recipe…..
Ingredients:
1 head of cabbage, cut into pieces
1 bunch of kale, torn into pieces (middle stems removed)
1 onion, cut into larger pieces
½ bag matchstick carrots
1 green bell pepper, diced
5 celery stalks, sliced
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 boxes low-sodium chicken broth
Salt, pepper
Red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
Parsley
Oregano to taste
Directions:
Throw everything into a huge stock pot.
Add enough water to cover the vegetables.
Bring to a boil on high heat.
Simmer for 2 hours.
Season as needed. (Be creative!)
I experimented with different seasonings by adding them to my individual bowls I reheated, just to switch things up a little. I discovered that I liked adding a little ginger to my soup. Another time, I added turmeric. That was a hit as well. I added crushed red pepper flakes to my soup. Anything spicy speeds up the metabolism! Cruciferous vegetables (such as cabbage, kale, broccoli and cauliflower ) are known as super-veggies. If cabbage and kale could, I’m sure they’d wear a super hero outfit.
Also, I love using the Himalayan salt. It’s actually beneficial to the body and doesn’t have the negative effects of table salt. You can read about it here! I bought my Himalayan salt at our local grocery store.
At the end of my five days, I will know two things for sure.
1. I will be sick of cabbage soup.
2. I will feel better, and hopefully, a little lighter!
Happy Eating!
