Does fat flush soup really work? Those on the fat flush soup diet consume two servings of a filling broth-based soup each day, along with breakfast and snacks. Get the details on high protein soup recipes for weight loss, along with my fat flushing soup recipe. At under 500 calories per HUGE bowl, this satisfying, fiber-filled, one-pot soup will help you maintain a calorie deficit.
The idea of weight loss soup recipes sounds great, doesn’t it? I think that’s what drew me to the original fat flush soup recipe when I was on my weight loss journey. A delicious soup that you eat a few times a day, and it flushes the fat out of your body?
Yes, please! Sign me up for that.
Of course, even in my pre-dietitian days, I knew that the silly name of this soup held little meaning. I was aware that if I did not maintain a calorie deficit, I was not going to lose body fat. This holds true regardless of whether my diet contained special high protein low carb soup recipes or not.
Criticisms aside, this is the BEST soup for meal prep! Making a pot or two of this weekly means you’ll have a healthy meal handy whenever you need it. You be less likely to set your weight loss goals aside when family emergencies or other life issues arise.
We all face difficulties where life stops going according to plan. It is important that we continue caring for ourselves, even if with something as simple as a homemade bowl of soup. Feeding yourself health-promoting and comforting meals can be an important act of self-care during the challenging times in your life.
Additionally, this soup is delicious. What do you have to lose by giving it a try?
Jump to:
🍲 What is fat flush soup?
Back in 2011, a fat flush soup recipe based on Ann Louise Gittleman’s book The Fat Flush Plan was featured in Woman’s World Magazine. It quickly became a popular recipe, as its simple, hearty ingredients made for delicious family fare. My recipe is slightly adapted from the original fat flush soup Woman’s World recipe, with some small tweaks I think you’ll enjoy.
🥄 Does fat flushing soup really work?
Believe it or not, there is some science backing the concept of soup for weight loss! A 2007 study found that people ate fewer total calories per meal when they started their meal with soup. That said, there’s no guarantee that including fat flush soup in your diet will make you lose weight.
There is also no need to eat this soup daily (or twice a day, as recommended) to meet a weight loss goal. This soup is packed with elements that will leave you feeling full on fewer calories. If you’ve been wondering how does fat flush soup work, there is your answer.
Luckily, there are many other food options that offer this same benefit. There is no need to rely solely on high protein soup recipes for weight loss!
What you are looking for here are recipes that help you maintain a calorie deficit. These calorie deficit recipes don’t necessarily have to be soup.
As we all know, consistently adhering to lifestyle changes can be difficult. I understand how quick-fix solutions can be extremely appealing.
There are certain times of the year when those of us in the health and fitness space become particularly popular. Lots of people resolve to adopt a healthier lifestyle and try to lose some weight in the New Year, as well as before major life events. Weddings, graduations, reunions, and more all send people looking for solutions.
I love the interest in getting healthier. However, you’re not likely to see long-term results if you treat fat loss with a temporary diet fix, detox, or cleanse. It’s so much better to reap the full benefits of your health efforts by adopting behaviors you can stick to.
⭐ Benefits
The original fat flush soup recipe is filled with all of the components that are needed to create a high-volume, low-calorie satiating meal. Here are some nutritional benefits of fat flush soup:
- Protein: You're getting a ton of protein from lean meat and beans. It’s probably going to help you stay full longer, so you don’t snack between meals.
- Fiber: The soup provides a veritable cornucopia of high-fiber, low-carb, low-calorie veggies. Fiber can add low calorie bulk to your meals, which can help volume eaters feel full. My version of this recipe includes even more zucchini, bell peppers, and mushrooms than the original. You get a whopping 17 grams of fiber!
- Fluid volume: This broth-based soup is fluid-filled. (Technically, we are creating the broth with vegetable juices, but you still get the hydrating benefits.)
- Potassium: You get over 2000 mg of potassium per serving with this recipe. The current AI for potassium for adult females is 2600 mg/d, and for adult males it is 3400 mg/d. In other words, a single serving of this soup may get you most of the potassium that you need in a day.
- Other essential nutrients: Potassium is an essential mineral that your body uses for nearly everything that it does. This includes critical heart and kidney functions, as well as nerve transmission and muscle contractions. Additionally, you are getting tons of vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and other vitamins and minerals that each have critical functions in the body.
🥘 Ingredients
So, what do you need to make fat flushing soup? Here is the roundup:
- Olive oil
- Lean ground turkey
- Green bell pepper
- Yellow bell pepper
- Onion
- Zucchini
- Baby portobella mushrooms
- Garlic
- V8 vegetable juice
- Kidney beans (or black beans)
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Lime juice
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Fresh parsley
- Fresh cilantro
- Jalapeno peppers
- Scallions
My version of fat flush soup is different than the original recipe because I wanted to kick up the heat! Aside from throwing in a couple of jalapenos, I also used V8 Spicy Hot Vegetable Juice rather than original V8. If you like some spice, these changes make the soup taste better, and may provide a small metabolic boost.
The idea of metaboost recipes and ingredients is exciting; some studies show hot chilies giving a boost to metabolic rates. Unfortunately, the change (attributed to the compound capsaicin) is temporary and extremely small. By small, I mean you could negate the benefit with some after-dinner mints.
Also, the Spicy Hot V8 doesn’t actually contain whole hot peppers at all. The spiciness is coming entirely from unidentified natural flavorings. In other words, only the added jalapenos can be counted on as a source of capsaicin.
Want to change things up even more? Make a fat burning soup with ground beef by swapping out lean ground beef for the turkey. You could also use ground chicken instead of the turkey.
To make a fat burning soup without tomatoes, try using bone broth or vegetable broth instead of the V8. Use another non-starchy veggie in place of the canned tomatoes. How about a fat burning soup with cabbage or kale?
🍽 Equipment
You can make fat flush soup without any fancy kitchen gadgets. All you need to make this soup are a good knife and a Dutch oven.
🔪 How to Make Fat Flush Soup
Start by prepping your veggies! Chop the bell peppers, onion, zucchini, mushrooms, garlic, parsley, cilantro, jalapenos, and scallions.
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or another large pot over medium heat. Add the turkey, yellow pepper, green pepper, onion, zucchini, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook until the turkey is browned, stirring frequently.
Break the turkey into crumbles with a spatula as it cooks. It will take approximately 20 minutes to cook through.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot, aside from the scallions. Heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally. It will take about 15 minutes.
All that’s left is ladling the soup into bowls and garnishing with scallions. Don’t be afraid to freeze leftovers- they freeze very well!
👪 More Healthy Dinner Recipes to Lose Weight
Are you looking for more high volume low calorie recipes that the whole family will love? If so, here are more delicious dinner recipes that may help you maintain a calorie deficit:
- Simple Stuffed Pepper Recipe (with a secret ingredient!)
- Turkey Salad without Mayo (uses high-protein curry yogurt sauce)
- Lasagne con Zucchine
- Turkey Meatballs with Zucchini Noodles and Sauce
💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
This is a level 1 recipe (may help support fat loss). The fat flush soup recipe is filled with all of the components that are needed to create a high-volume, low-calorie satiating meal. If weight loss is one of your goals, you need this soup in your life.
The combination of protein, fiber, and water here is tops for those looking for a filling meal for few calories. Think of protein, fiber, and fluid volume as the trifecta for meals that support weight loss goals.
I often have this for dinner, but it works wonderfully as a lunch prep as well. Heat it in the morning, pop it in a thermos, and you’ll have a hot meal waiting for you at lunch. This is a great solution for those who don’t have a way to heat food at their workplace.
A warm thermos of soup is also a great thing to have on long commutes or when you’ll be traveling. Having a soup that is both healthy and delicious on hand makes it much easier to skip the fast food drive-thru. A wide-mouth thermos is a small investment that you’ll likely find yourself using for many years.
FAQs
My fat flush soup has 465 calories per serving. It provides 41.7 grams of net carbs and packs in a hearty 46.1 grams of protein per serving.
To make very low carb fat flush soup, you’ll need to replace the V8, tomatoes, and beans. Use bone broth instead of V8 and more zucchini instead of tomatoes. Use more ground turkey or another ground meat in place of the kidney beans.
You can make vegetarian or vegan fat flush soup by substituting the turkey for a plant-based protein. (In other words, replace the meat with legumes.) Tempeh crumbles, seasoned tofu cubes, chickpeas, or lentils are some ways to make a tasty and vegetarian fat burning soup.
You can make this soup quickly in an Instant Pot using the “sauté” function. Brown the turkey and soften the veggies using high sauté. Then add the rest of the ingredients and heat to a gentle simmer.
If you’re looking for options to fill you up on fewer calories, some soups are better than others. Soup made with a broth or vegetable base will generally be lower in calories than cream-based soup. You’ll also want your soup to have adequate protein to help with lasting satiety.
Soups to lose belly fat are an enticing concept! Unfortunately, it’s not possible to target fat loss from a specific part of your body with diet. You’ll lose body fat through maintaining a calorie deficit, but you don’t get to choose where in your body the fat loss comes from.
👩🏻🍳 Other High Protein Soup Recipes for Weight Loss
Are you looking for more weight loss recipes? If so, here are a few fat burning dinner recipes to help keep your meals from getting boring:
- Best Cabbage Soup Diet Recipe
- One-Pot Sausage, Bean, and Swiss Chard Soup Recipe
- Chicken Feet Soup
- Crockpot Turkey Soup with Wild Rice
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The Disclaimer…
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don't sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to my overnight oats no sugar post. Let's get cooking!
📖 Recipe
Fat Flush Soup Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb. ground turkey, lean (454 grams)
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cups onion, chopped
- 1 lb. zucchini, chopped (454 grams)
- 10 ounces baby portabella mushrooms, chopped (283 grams)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 46 ounces V8 Spicy Hot vegetable juice (1.36 liters; low-sodium)
- 15 ounces canned kidney beans, drained (425 grams)
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes (canned) (411 grams; no salt added variety)
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped (curly or Italian parsley is fine)
- ¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
- 2 medium jalapenos, chopped (remove seeds for less heat)
- 3 scallions, sliced (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Start by prepping your veggies! Chop the sweet peppers, onion, zucchini, mushrooms, garlic, parsley, cilantro, jalapenos, and slice the scallions.
- Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or another large pot over medium heat. Add the turkey, yellow pepper, green pepper, onion, zucchini, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook until the turkey is browned, stirring frequently. It will take approximately 20 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot, aside from the scallions. Heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally. It will take about 15 minutes.
- Ladle the soup into bowls (or meal prep containers) and garnish with scallions. Wasn't that easy?
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post has been updated from 2020 to include new photos, more nutrition information, and a recipe video. Enjoy!
MW says
Is the serving size 1 cup? Or how cups is one serving?
Summer Yule says
Hi MW, great question! There can be some variation in the volume measurements, so I usually just divide the whole recipe evenly between 4 containers/bowls after making it. That's the best way to get the most accuracy in terms of what you're getting nutritionally.
One reader said they doubled the recipe (minus 16oz veggies) and it made 18 cups. Using that, the recipe as written makes 9 cups (minus one cup veggies), so 8 cups total, or 2 cups per serving. Another reader said it made 36 fluid ounces per serving, or 4.5 cups per serving. (This is a great example of why I try to avoid volume measurements. Haha) Thank you for visiting, I hope you enjoy the soup 🙂
Sue Kidder says
I came across your recipe the other day and decided to make it. During preparation, I thought this is a lot of work, chopping up all those vegetables and thinking not sure I’m going to do this again. We’ll when I put everything together, and I made the soup I was pleasantly surprised. It was delicious. No after affects of heart burn, indigestion and 💩. I’m on day two. I’m hoping for some “Fat Flush” but not doing a diet specifically. I did however notice this morning, no bloat! I often seem to feel bloated. So I don’t know if it’s the soup or what but I’m going to keep on this path for the rest of my his week and next and see how it goes. I’ll be making another batch or two. Thanks for the recipe!
Summer Yule says
Hi Sue, I'm glad you're here and happy to hear you're feeling good after eating this recipe! I go through times where I make a few batches in a row too 🙂
Nicole says
Delicious! I would eat this even when I'm not dieting. Quick question, what is the suggested serving size?
Summer Yule says
Hi Nicole! I'm so glad you liked it and thank you for leaving a rating! I just split the entire recipe into 4 servings for the nutrition info. Another commenter said it ended up being 36 ounces per serving, but I don't (usually) do soup servings by volume or weight.
Kevin says
I made it and doubled the recipe minus 16 iz of veggies. It made about 18 cups.
Summer Yule says
Hi Kevin, thank you so much for the info! I know others will appreciate it. Many thanks for the 5 stars too 😀
Jacky says
Delicious recipe!! It tastes like a mix between chili and minestrone soup. I couldn’t find the spicy V8 juice so I just used regular veggie juice and added a little Cholula and red pepper flakes and it turned out just great. It definitely keeps you full as well!
Summer Yule says
Hi Jacky, thank you! I love the substitutions you made- very clever!
Kelly says
The recipe looks amazing! Can you please provide the nutritional information is you make the recipe with the low carb choices!! (Bone broth, zucchini, additional Turkey instead of the regular recipe choices). Thank you so much for sharing.
Summer Yule says
Hi Kelly, thank you so much! The nutrition information for the low carb swaps will depend on how much turkey, zucchini, etc. you use as a replacement. If you're counting carbs as part of your medical nutrition therapy (such as for diabetes) I highly recommend calculating with specific products and amounts you use rather than using the nutrition info you find with web recipes.
Diane says
I was afraid to use the spicy V8 so I went with the regular low-sodium and added the jalapeños and some red pepper to taste. Very good!!!
Summer Yule says
Hi Diane, that sounds great! Thank you so much for leaving a rating 🙂
BumbleFighter says
Is one serving really 36 oz? I made nine servings in 16 oz serving cups.
Summer Yule says
Hello! I didn't weigh individual servings (it will depend on the weight of the veggies), but this is definitely a meal for volume eaters! If you split it into 9 servings, you're only getting about 200 calories per meal. Whether that is enough or not depends on how many meals/snacks you eat in a day and whether or not you're eating about the same amount of calories at each meal/snack. I worry that what you've suggested may be too little for an adult for a one-pot meal, but again, it depends on what the rest of the day's food looks like. Thank you for dropping in!
Brandis Rykyto says
Hi Summer! I see you’re a dietician. My question for this recipe is whether or not you would recommend this for someone who is combating a rare inflammatory disease (PMR polymyalgia rheumatica). I’m looking for recipes to meal prep for my mom who was recently diagnosed.
Thanks for your time!
-Brandis
Summer Yule says
Hi Brandis, I can't give individual medical advice here (including food recommendations) because I don't know the details of your mother's medical history including what medications she is currently taking. The physician treating your mother should know if there are any special dietary considerations. Sorry I can't be of more help, and thank you for visiting!
Crystal says
LOVE this recipe. So fresh, easy and delicious! Will become my go to for easy , fresh and healthy!
Summer Yule says
Wonderful! Thank you so much for leaving a rating! 🙂
Angie Coder says
Wow thanks so much! I just made this, I used 25 oz's of no sodium chicken bone broth and 25 oz's of the V8. Didn't add the tomatoes and was out of corriander, added white pepper and a lot of ground pepper. The spice level is perfect, soooo good!
Summer Yule says
Hi Angie! So glad you liked it, and thank you for leaving a rating! The modifications you made sound super 🙂
Lady says
I was curious what the expected weight loss will be after following the soup recipe for one week? Is it comparable to the cabbage soup weight loss soup as far as weight loss?
Summer Yule says
Hello! The amount someone loses (with either soup) will vary by individual depending on the calorie deficit they are maintaining. The reason these soup diets work for fast weight loss is that they allow the person to eat large amounts of food for very few calories. They may make it easier to maintain a calorie deficit without feeling hungry all of the time. Dietary patterns that are packed with non-starchy veggies (crowding out some other foods) can also do this without having to live on just the soup. Protein can also help with satiety. 🙂
Medsides.Com says
I am allergic to tomatoes and beans. Can I use quinoa instead of the beans and omit all the tomatoes? Maybe more both?
Summer Yule says
I haven't tested this but I might add more turkey instead of the beans. You'd also have to substitute the V8 for bone broth (since V8 contains tomatoes). If you want to add quinoa, I'd make sure to hold off on adding it until the final 15-20 minutes of cooking. These changes would dramatically alter the recipe (both nutritionally and in flavor) but I think they could work! Thank you for visiting 🙂
Shin Canady says
Its nice, very good information
Summer Yule says
Thank you!
Terrified Amateur says
Splendidly satisfying, particularly in winter's throes.
Turkey? Yes.
Hot peppers? Doubly so!
Mushrooms? Oh, h*** yeah!
A perfect soup. Then, major health benefits too? Well, that's just the ultimate bonus, isn't it?
Summer Yule says
Thank you so much! This silly-named soup has become kind of special to me because it was something comforting and consistent during a particularly rough patch in my life. I’m glad I finally got around to sharing it!