The Chicken Soup Diet

What it is: The Chicken Soup Diet is a week-long diet where dieters eat a specific breakfast and then are only permitted to consume chicken soup for the remainder of the day.

How it works: Because chicken soup is low in calories, the diet is designed to result in significant weight loss at the end of the week.

What you do: Dieters are permitted to choose one breakfast a day from a selection of five breakfasts. The breakfasts are as follows:

Breakfast 1: 1 cup of nonfat vanilla yogurt and ½ cup of fruit salad with wheat germ

Breakfast 2: 1 cup of ricotta cheese combined with ½ tsp. of sugar and a dash of cinnamon, 2 pieces of toasted whole-grain bread, 3 dried figs

Breakfast: 3: 1 ½ cups of Total brand cereal, ½ cup of nonfat milk, ½ cup of calcium enriched orange juice

Breakfast 4: 1 small whole wheat bagel with 1 oz. fat free cheddar, ½ cup prune juice

Breakfast 5: 1 ½ cups of cooked Wheatena cereal with ½ cup nonfat milk

After breakfast, the dieter is only permitted to consume chicken soup throughout the day. The chicken soup must be of the diet’s specific recipe, which is as follows:

• 2 tablespoons of oil (olive oil is recommended)
• 4 parsnips (about 1 pound) cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 4 ribs of celery
• 1 turnip (about 3/4 of a pound) cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 16 cups of reduced fat, low sodium chicken broth
• 7 (5 oz.) cans of chicken or 1 1/2 pound (5 cups) cooked fresh chicken
• 1 bag (16 oz.) frozen carrots
• 1 box (10 oz.) frozen broccoli florets
• 1 box (10 oz.) frozen chopped collard greens
• 1 1/2 cups frozen chopped onions
• 1/4 cup of lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dried dill

Directions: Heat the oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the garlic, salt, cayenne pepper, jalapeno, parsnips, celery, and turnip to the pot. Cook these until the vegetables are tender but still crisp, which will take approximately 15 minutes. Next, add the carrots, collard greens, broccoli, onions, chicken broth, and lemon juice to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow the soup to simmer for 5 minutes. This recipe is said to make approximately 26 one cup servings. There may be slightly different versions of this recipe, but this one is the most common.

Benefits: The diet’s chicken soup recipe is low in calories and contains vegetables with proven health benefits. The soup may leave dieters feeling full from fewer calories than a typical meal.

The Down Side: Because it is so limiting, the chicken soup diet may not provide sufficient vitamins and minerals in your diet. The plan also lacks any kind of exercise program and is not considered good for long-term weight loss.