Move Over Cabbage Soup: This Beet Soup Diet Melts Fat and Boosts Strength by 350%!
Nutritionist Cherie Calbom shares how her beet soup diet melts fat and triples energy levels fast
Forget the traditional cabbage soup diet! A 2023 study reveals a new diet soup diet with borscht-inspired beet soup that not only accelerates weight loss but also increases muscle strength by 350 percent.
British scientists have discovered that ordinary soup can become an extraordinary energizer and metabolism turbocharger. All you have to do is…add beets. A 2023 study in the journal Nutrients demonstrates that a daily serving of the humble root veggie helps us burn more calories, lose more fat, target ab flab and increase muscle strength by up to 350 percent in just two weeks. These findings inspired Souping Is the New Juicing author Cherie Calbom, MS, CN, to see if her borscht-inspired beet soup and hidden-beet smoothie recipes might help her tens of thousands of followers jump-start their health goals. “I’m blown away by how well it’s working,” says Calbom, whose new diet soup diet testers report triple energy and losses of up to 9 pounds a week. Terry Huffer, 64, is even back in clothes that were too tight for years. Read on for Terry’s story and to find out how sneaking in beets might transform your body.
Beets: a superfood
Beets are a top source of two nutrients scientists credit with most of the good things they do. Purple pigments called betalains have heart-protecting properties, says Newcastle University beet researcher Kirsten Brandt, Ph.D. And nitrate (which is also in spinach and celery), helps improve circulation and inflammation. Bacteria in our mouths convert nitrate to nitric oxide, “which helps open blood vessels so you get more blood and oxygen to every part of your body,” explains Calbom, noting that processed nitrate can be harmful but natural nitrate is good for us. In fact, a betalain-nitrate combo is so powerful, one study 2019 published in Current Developments in Nutrition found two daily servings of beets drops blood pressure by 10 points in 24 hours; and a separate study found daily beets help older adults improve blood vessels and brain function in mere days.
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Bonus: Like any produce, when beets are blended in smoothies or cooked in soup, “we can absorb more nutrients,” says Calbom. “So I figured a beet soup plan could do good things. And did it ever!”
How beets help with weight loss
Calbom says her plan was designed to help us replace fattening junk in our normal diets with a flood of nutrients that heal and slim. She suspected beets would amp up results. “But I wasn’t expecting such rapid weight loss. Older women lost up to 21 pounds in a month. It was thrilling.” Research helps explain the effect:
Beets lower blood sugar
As bad eating habits catch up to us over the years, “we often have trouble using blood sugar as fuel,” notes Calbom. In the lead-up to type 2 diabetes, dangerous amounts of unburned sugar circulate through us, then end up mostly as belly fat. This leaves us fuel-deprived and triggers hormonal issues that block the burning of stored fat. Betalains to the rescue! They help fix cells and bring blood sugar down by up to 40 percent, according to 2020 research in the journal Plants. “So we burn sugar and stored fat like we did when we were young,” says Calbom.
Beets speed metabolism
Their nitric oxide helps deliver more blood and oxygen to muscles. The result? In a University of Nottingham study, a daily serving of beets increased muscle strength 4.5 times more than a no-beet group. “The more muscle we have, the higher metabolism goes,” says Calbom. “If your metabolism is slow, you’ll absolutely boost it.”
Beets give you energy
In 2017, a Spanish team found evidence that nitric oxide helps us hang on to key compounds that keep us from feeling depleted when we push ourselves. It boosts stamina so much that athletes use beets to enhance performance. “Over and over again, people were marveling about how much more energy they had,” reports Calbom. “On top of everything else, you’ll move more and burn more calories just because you feel so good!”
Beet soup diet success story: Terry Huffer, 64
When life threw Terry curveballs, stress eating led to weight gain and tanked her health. Sick of getting sick, the Washington grandmother tried complicated diets (keto, Whole30), but couldn’t stick with them. Finally, she found Calbom’s books filled with juice and smoothie recipes that made her feel great. So when she heard about the beet soup plan, “I jumped in feet first!”
Terry, a beet fan, loved that the approach was simple to remember yet gave her both structure and flexibility. “Plus, the smoothie and soup were so good—and I lost weight faster and easier than ever,” she shares. “I had a fitted dress that I was kind of bulging out of. Within a few weeks of using the soup diet, it was baggy. My husband and I were both shocked.”
Soon after testing Calbom’s soup plan, Terry Huffer went on a dream trip. “I took beet powder with me to mix in water so I could keep getting benefits,” she shares. To her delight, her hotels in Spain and Morocco offered fresh beets, beet juice and even beet smoothies at their breakfast buffets. Though Terry ate whatever she wanted as she traveled, she found herself gravitating to healthier options. Back home, she resumed making beet-spiked drinks, soups and meals. “I didn’t gain an ounce while I was gone, and I’ve lost a bit more since I got back. My body is telling me I’ve found what is healthy and right for me,” she says. “I’m doing this forever!”
For anyone looking to lose weight or restore well-being, “I 100 percent recommend trying a beet soup jump start!
How the beet soup diet works
Calbom’s plan is meant to be used for a few days or weeks to help reverse the effects of unhealthy eating and prime the body for fat loss. Swap in healthy ingredients you enjoy, but aim for 2 daily servings of beets or 1 serving of a beet supplement (go for chews or powdered mix since mouth bacteria “activates” nitrates). While on the plan, snack on boiled eggs and veggies and drink water and herbal tea. Long-term, add beets to menus built on protein, veggies, fruit, good fat and optional healthy starch. Follow @JuiceLadyCherie on Instagram for more great recipes to try.
What if you don’t like beets?
Calbom wants beet haters to know this plan can work for you too. “You don’t taste beets in a berry smoothie,” she promises, admitting she used to hate veggies and hide them in fruity drinks as she battled health issues.
“It made me better so fast, I went to school to become a nutritionist. I’m proof it’s okay to sneak your veggies!” Another option is popular gummies like Total Beets or SuperBeets (25¢ to 93¢ per serving at superstores). Made from powdered beets, they have the same key nutrients as their fresh counterparts. And when it comes to those nutrients, well…they’re hard to beat.
Secret-beet breakfast smoothie recipe
Blitz 1⁄2 cup almond milk, 1 cup frozen berries, 1 grated beet or 1 serving powdered beets, 1⁄4 cup frozen pineapple and 1⁄4 cup Greek yogurt or protein powder.
A warm + cozy lunch
Enjoy any healthy soup (ideally with spinach or beets); add hunger-killing protein to veggie soups by garnishing with Greek yogurt or cooked egg.
A filling dinner
Prepare any natural protein and unlimited non-starchy veggies with a little good fat (like olive oil or avocado); add an optional 1⁄2 cup beans.
Bonus recipe: Easy beet soup that can help transform your body
Our nutrition team created this ultra-simple version of Calbom’s recipe.
Serves 6.
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 beets
- 1 large potato
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 1⁄2 head cabbage
- 2 Tbs. olive oil
- 4 tsp. minced garlic
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 1 Tbs. dill, dry or fresh
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Peel and dice veggies.
- Add to soup pot with oil. Sauté until a bit soft, 10 minutes. Add garlic; when fragrant, stir in broth plus 5 cups water. Simmer until veggies are tender, 20–25 minutes. Stir in dill.
- Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish.
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