Kick Start Soup Diet
If you want to try the kick start soup diet, this soup recipe is perfect! Packed with nutritious low calorie vegetables, you will feel full but lose inches quickly.
Health experts recommend the kick start diet soup as the perfect way to launch a weight loss regime. Because it is full of a variety of vegetables, your body still receives all the nutrition and fuel it needs. The kick-start soup is high in flavor, but very low in carbohydrates and fats. Combined with a little regular exercise, you’ll be in better shape in no time!
My husband and I first heard about the kick start diet about 20 years ago. Back then, we had been travelling in Australia and had each put on a few pounds. This recipe was featured on the major news outlets such as Channel 7 and Channel 9. We were travelling on a shoestring budget, but knew it was important to keep eating properly. After a ton of research, the kick-start soup diet seemed to tick all the boxes for us.
At the beginning of each week, we prepared a big batch of soup. Once cooked and cooled, we divided it into individual containers; some we kept in the refrigerator, and some we froze. At meal times, we heated the soup in the microwave.
You might also like our pumpkin soup or Tom Yum soup if you are taking a break from counting calories.
I firmly believe that we should enjoy all foods – as wide a variety as we can manage. For that reason, I don’t suggest you eat only kick-start diet soup for very long. But, it’s great to ‘re-set’ for a few days or a week at a time once in a while. And it’s fabulous to kick-start a healthy eating regime.
So if you’re looking to lose a few inches, look no further than kick-start diet soup!
This recipe attracted a lot of media attention when it was first published; it was featured in several major news outlets. However, news outlets should never replace your doctor! Please consult your general practitioner before starting any significant diet change.
🥘 Ingredients
One of the great things about this soup is that there is a lot of flexibility with the ingredients. This is the list of ingredients, but do not worry if you don’t have exactly these items available.
The concept behind the soup is to eat a large amount of low calories vegetables – all that good fiber will keep you feeling full.
Tomatoes – Lots of tomatoes in this soup. 3 large fresh tomatoes, plus 2 cans of crushed tomatoes make help bulk up the soup but not have you chopping vegetables all day.
Peppers (capsicum) – For color and flavor, I use 3 peppers, one of each color. You can use whatever you have available, eagle eyed readers will spot that there are only 2 red peppers in my ingredient photo as that is all I had on hand the day I made this batch.
Carrots – About 2 pounds (1 kg). Grab a bunch, sometimes they come in bags this size.
Green beans – 2 cups, chop them up nice and fine. My husband doesn’t like them, so I chop them up really fine and he does not notice them!
Celery – 1 bunch, chop chop chop!
Spring onions – 1 bunch, chop, chop, chop with the celery.
Garlic – 4 cloves of garlic. Chop them finely, crush them, use a garlic press. Whatever you have available. But don’t skip the garlic, it tastes great!
Liquid stock – 2 cups vegetable stock. This adds volume and flavor to the soup. Feel free to use chick or beef stock as well if you prefer.
Stock cubes – 2 cubes, vegetable, chicken or beef is fine. We are adding more flavor here.
Dry soup mix – 1 packet of vegetable or French onion soup mix. More flavor.
Salt and pepper to taste.
🔎 Options
This kick-start soup recipe is very low in calories, fats, and sugars, so you start losing weight quickly. There are, of course, various ways to personalize the recipe to accommodate your tastes. However! Please be aware that some options will add to the overall calorie count.
- Replace the listed vegetables with other low calorie, high nutrition vegetables. Some suggestions include:
broccoli
cauliflower
mushroom
eggplant (aubergine)
zucchini (courgette)
turnip
cabbage
leek - Add 1.5 teaspoons curry powder when adding the vegetables.
- Use your favorite herbs to flavor the soup. My favorites are cilantro (coriander) and parsley, but you could also try basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, or sage.
- Spice it up! De-seed and finely chop 1 small chili, then add it in with the other vegetables.
- Blend the soup when it has finished cooking to make a thicker soup.
- Add a dollop of low-fat, natural Greek yoghurt to the top of the soup immediately prior to serving.
- Sprinkle chopped chives on top.
If you’ve tried the kick start soup diet, I’d love to hear your thoughts and triumphs. Please message me in the ‘comments’ section below.
Until next time…
Love & healthy eating, Bx
Kick Start Diet Soup
Equipment
- Large saucepan/ pot
Ingredients
- 3 large tomatoes
- 3 peppers (capsicum) (I use 1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow because I like the color and flavor variety)
- 2 lbs carrots (1kg)
- 2 cans crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups green beans
- 2 cups liquid stock (vegetable, chicken, or beef)
- 4 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 2 stock cubes (vegetable, chicken, or beef)
- 1 packet vegetable or French onion dry soup powder
- 1 bunch spring onions/ shallots
- 1 bunch celery, including leaves
- salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil over a high heat.
- Chop all the vegetables into small pieces.
- Add the vegetables and all remaining ingredients into the saucepan.
- Boil rapidly for 2 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and allow vegetables to simmer for approximately 15 minutes, or until the carrot and pepper (capsicum) are tender.
- Serve hot.
Thank you, Bella, for this site. I was looking all over the web for this particular soup. I made this recipe 20 years ago for my husband and he lost the weight, being 20 years later and age gets in the way, my husband has been asking for this soup once again. Not only tastes delicious but works.
Great tasting soup. I’ve added a splash of hot sauce before eating. Wondering how much volume per serve in the calorie count? I’m going to use this soup on a fast day for 5:2.
I have used this soup many times over the past 20yrs, and it’s always been a winner! It’s the easiest way I have found to motivate myself to get my weight back on track. But with lockdown and perimenopause coming hard, I’m hoping this tried and tested soup will help me do it again so I can feel my best for my 50th birthday!
I have used this diet (2week plan) a few times before, after having children or going through hormonal changes. Worked every time. About to do again as menopause has affected my weight.
Best diet ever & it does work long after the 2 weeks!
Thanks for the positive feedback about your previous experiences! Best of luck as you tackle menopausal weight gain.
Hi how many times a day do you have the soup thanks?
I love this Kick Start soup. I also tried it 20 years ago and I can remember their being suggestions on when to have it and dinner suggestions over the 7 days. If you are aware of these suggestions/ tips on what solid foods to include in your diet while having the soup could you include them in your reply please.
Blended and its so good.
I blended this all together as suggested, was very good and I felt full.
I figured I should drop a few pounds so made some of this soup tonight. I added the extra curry powder you mentioned, it tasted very good.
Really good to find a weight loss plan that is sensible and includes real food. Wife & I made 2 pots. 1 curried vegetable and 1 no curry. Both really good. Both of us lost weight and feel good.
Thank you for taking the time to give me feedback, and CONGRATULATIONS on sticking to your journey to better health!
Best wishes to your and your wife 🙂