The chicken soup diet is a diet that is designed to
be followed for seven days, although many versions of
the diet say that it can be followed for as long as
desired, or repeated at any time. It consists of a soup
recipe and five breakfast choices. After breakfast, the
only thing that the dieter is allowed to eat until the
next morning is the soup. This diet also tells dieters
what they may or may not drink while on the diet.
The Soup
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.
Breakfasts
The chicken soup diet allows the dieter to chose
one breakfast each day from five possible breakfasts.
Most versions of the diet encourage dieters to eat each
breakfast once for the first 5 days, and then choose the
breakfasts they liked best and repeat them for days 6
and 7. The breakfasts are:
Breakfast 1: The dieter may eat 1 cup of nonfat
vanilla yogurt and 1/2 cup of fruit salad sprinkled with
wheat germ.
Breakfast 2: Breakfast 2 allows the dieter to eat 1
cup of ricotta cheese combined with 1/2 teaspoon of
sugar and a dash of cinnamon. The dieter may also eat
2 pieces of toasted whole-grain bread and 3 dried figs.
Breakfast 3: The dieter may eat 1 1/2 cups of Total
brand cereal, along with 1/2 cup of nonfat milk and
1/2 cup of calcium enriched orange juice.
Breakfast 4: This breakfast allows the dieter to eat
1 small whole-wheat bagel that is topped with 1 ounce
of melted fat-free cheddar cheese, along with 1/2 cup
of prune juice.
Breakfast 5: Breakfast 5 allows the dieter to eat 1
1/2 cups of cooked Wheatena brand cereal along with
1/2 cup of nonfat milk.
After the dieter eats one of these breakfasts, only the
chicken soup may be consumed for the rest of the day.
The origins of the chicken soup diet are not clear.
It seems to circulate mostly from person to person and
on the Internet. For many years, people have believed
that chicken soup has various health properties. Many
different cultures give versions of chicken soup to
people who are sick. This belief in the health benefits
of chicken soup may have something to do with its
popularity as a diet food.
