Diet and Nutrition

Good Calories, Bad Calories Publishes in Paperback

A mainstay in the “old school” cannon of dietary knowledge is that cholesterol and fat cause any number of common health problems (heart disease, substantial weight gain, diabetes, etc.), but Gary Taubes, author of Good Calories, Bad Calories, begs to differ.

Taubes spent five years researching his 640 page book, consulting 600 doctors, researchers, and administrators in the process. This is what he came away with:

He’s concerned more about the quality of calories we take in than the quantity. Instead of worrying about cholesterol and fat, make a point of avoiding refined carbohydrates, like white flour, easily digested starches, and sugars. He asserts that the best diet is one that is loaded with protein and fat, but very low in carbohydrates.

Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health is out in paperback today, Tuesday September 23. If you didn’t have a chance to check out the hardcover version, it may be worth a look.

Posted on September 23, 2023 by Jason

The Risky Business of Lifestyle Changes

If you’re contemplating making a change in some area of your life, if you are aware of a problem that is interfering in some way, what could hold you back from determining that the time for change is now? Why do we so often stick with business as usual rather than working to create a better situation for ourselves? It’s always easier to stick with what we know and making a change is never easy, but have you considered that there are risks to change which may be holding you back, even from a change that you want to make? risky business

Taking an honest look at the possible cons of making a change, and comparing to the pros, is part of the stage of Contemplation and moving yourself. Planning to mediate any negative consequences of these possible risks is part of the stage of Preparation, and will enable you to be more successful in making a change in your life. Consider a change you are contemplating in your own life; are any of these commons risks applicable to that change? What can you do to prevent problems as you are focusing on creating an environment conducive to the change you want?

Relationship Every relationship in your life can be compared to a partner dance. Whether it’s your mother, your best friend, a coworker, or your partner, that person is used to you the way you are. Hopefully, the people closest to you are your supports and will encourage any positive change. Unfortunately, when your change impacts them, sometimes the people in your life, whether intentionally or unintentionally, try to pull you back into the familiar dance steps. If you start bringing your lunch to work, how will that impact the coworker with whom you go to Taco Bell every other day? If you commit to saving money, you may not be able to spend as much time with your shopaholic friend who encourages you to spend.

Health Likely the majority of DietsInReview readers, you are contemplating a change that could improve health, but you could also be risking your health to some degree. Ask Bernie what it was like when he first started working out at the ranch. Perhaps you have an old injury that you fear inflaming. You’ve heard it before; talk to your doctor about any possible health risks of a lifestyle change. Your doctor wants you to be healthier and can help you find a way to make it work for you.

Financial Fresh fruits and vegetables can be more costly than Ramen, and you actually risk them spoiling unlike Twinkies, which I’ve been told never go stale. A gym membership, running shoes, and even workout wear can all be fairly costly. Can you compare those costs to the possible costs (medications, doctors, illnesses) of continuing an unhealthy lifestyle?

Are there other risks come to your mind or could apply to your considered change? What can you do to mediate these possible cons and remain focused on the goals you have set?

Per Dr. Phil… Locus of Control is actually under this first key on his website, but it definitely needs more explanation. I’ll try to get that done tomorrow.

Posted on September 23, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

Guest Blog: Get to the Bottom of Food Issues

Melissa Spiesman, CHHC, AADP, is the Featured Guest Blogger at DietsInReview.com for September. She is the director of Nutrition for Your Life, a nutrition program that focuses on health and wellness through whole foods. Melissa develops individual integrative nutrition plans that focus on the total health of her clients. In her private practice, she regularly counsels individuals and groups on a variety of health/nutrition issues, including: cravings, weight loss and management, healthy food preparation, coping with stress, and having more energy.

Melissa received her professional training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition which is affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. She is certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners.

Melissa is a featured contributor of girlawhirl.com. Girlawhirl.com is an online magazine for busy women. It’s updated every weekday with the latest fashion and beauty news, home decorating, nutrition, fitness advice and more.

Our society is obsessed with food. The strongest, most committed relationship we have is our relationship with food.

There are people who eat to live and people who live to eat, people whose appetites are altered with any change in their emotional or physical temperature.

It is rare to find a person who does not have some sort of disordered eating; calorie counting, safe food, comfort foods, diet of the day, secrecy or addiction. There is so much conflicting nutritional information that it is difficult to eat without some sort of food neuroses and it seems that everyone finds something, we follow food rules to give up control and to not deal with choices. We have become a society of dysfunctional diners, never ordering from the menu as it appears but rather, “dressing on the side, no sauce, no carbs, plain grilled”. We have comfort foods and we have celebratory foods and we have foods that connect us to the best (and worst) times of our lives.

We talk about food all the time, for some it defines who they are. We talk about good food, bad food and confess our “food sins”.

Some plan vacations around a specific food experience or spend time researching the “best of” food at their destination. Why is it that some people have to eat all of the food at a buffet because it is there, and there are those that can peruse the buffet and make choices? There are people who spend hours in the supermarket reading nutrition labels and looking for new products and those who do not stray from their lists.

Food is sustenance; it is nourishment, it is a response to a physical hunger. It is gratifying, fulfilling and fun; it can be interesting, creative and social. Food is versatile; it can be used as a reward, a distraction, or an ice breaker. Food is also dangerous, addicting, frightening. It is often used as response to an emotional hunger. Food can bring pleasure and food can bring pain. girl on scale

If we could make peace with food, get in touch with our intuitive eating, change our way of thinking and our behaviors, feed our emotional hungers, we could learn to truly experience and enjoy food without the angst that so many have attached to it.

What is your food issue? Are you in touch with it?

Do you want to share a story?

Guest Blog Series: Look for the following badge on your favorite health sites to see if they have been a featured guest blogger on DietsInReview.com.

See other posts in the Guest Blog series. If you would like to apply to be featured as a guest blogger, please contact us.

Posted on September 23, 2023 by GuestBlogger

High Fructose Corn Syrup 101

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is defined as a syrup, which is made from cornstarch that’s been treated with an enzyme that converts some of the glucose in the molecule to the fructose, which is sweeter. Because of its ability to preserve and extend processed foods’ shelf life (and it is cheaper than sugar) it has become a very popular ingredient in many fruit-flavored drinks, sodas, and other processed foods. Check your food labels! You’ll be amazed by how many foods contain high fructose corn syrup.

high fructose corn syrup

Some nutrition experts have blamed increased consumption of high-fructose corn syrup as the main culprit for the growing obesity problem in our nation. One theory being, that fructose is more readily converted to fat by your liver than is sucrose, increasing the levels of fat in your bloodstream; but unfortunately, research has not been able to prove this yet. Also, some animal studies have found a link between adverse health effects (high cholesterol, diabetes) and increased consumption of high fructose corn syrup. Once again research is lacking here, because the evidence is not as clear in human studies.

The Corn Refiners Association is now trying to down play HFCS by doing a campaign of commercials stating that HFCS is like table sugar and is OK to consume. They do note that it’s OK to consume in moderation (which is true for most things), but rarely does our society consume items in moderation. If we did practice moderation I believe the obesity epidemic sweeping our nation would not exist.

Although research is lacking to give a direct correlation, caution should be taken when consuming these HFCS, processed foods. Typically, these foods are high in calories and low in nutritional value.

Here are some ways to reduce your intake of HFCS:

Read food labels
Consume fresh fruits in place of fruit-flavored drinks
Buy 100% juice
Limit your soda intake
Purchase fruit canned in its own juices instead of in heavy syrup

Posted on September 22, 2023 by Kinsey

Choose the Right Acai Supplement for Your Health

If you haven’t heard of the Acai berry by now, then you haven’t been paying too much attention to the latest in health news. Dubbed as a Superfood from everyone from Dr. Oz to skin guru Dr. Perricone, this tiny purple berry (pronounced like ah-sigh-ee) comes from the Amazon rain forest and packs tons of antioxidants, amino acids and essential fatty acids into its small compact package. In fact, the Acai berry has more than ten times the anthocyanins (or antioxidants) of red grapes and more than 10-30 times that in red wine.

Acai berries

Antioxidants are so important because they help to prevent the risk of certain diseases like cardiovascular diseases and degenerative conditions like Alzheimers. In addition, antioxidants help slow down the aging process making our skin look and feel better. Amino acids are vital for muscle growth and the Acai berry’s near perfect combination of essential fatty acids help promote heart health. It also contains fiber, which helps to keep your digestive tract healthy and regular. But because of the popularity of this berry, which tastes like a mixture of chocolate and berries (yum!), supplement manufacturers are producing enough Acaiproducts to feed every living creature in the Amazon rain forest. So, if you’re in the market for a convenient way to get the benefits of Acai without traveling to Brazil, here is a summary of some of the most popular products on the market.

1) MonaVie: MonaVie is part business, part health product. Rather than a capsule supplement, MonaVie is a liquid blend of 19 juices and herbs, with the Acai berry being the primary ingredient. Because of its multi-level business design, you must purchase MonaVie through a licensed distributor. It also comes in gel form.

2) Sambozan Acai: Lauded for using only the pure form of Acai Berry, Sambozan Acai includes a number of signature products that contain Acai. Juices, smoothies, sorbets, and supplement forms are all intended to bring you the benefits of the Acai in a convenient way that suits your lifestyle.

acai 3) Acai Berry Power 500: Another capsule form of the Acai berry that is supposed to flush out excess pounds, reduce water bloat, slim your stomach, reduce water retention and jumpstart any weight loss plan. This specific supplement is one of the more popular Acai supplements on the market.

4) PureAcai: This capsule form of Acai includes a long list of the potential benefits from using this product. From weight loss to reduced water retention and to the regulation of cholesterol levels, it promises a lot! No scientific studies have seen a link between weight loss and the Acai berry, despite many claims made by supplement makers.

5) Acai Berry Boom: This supplement is supposed to contain theenormous health benefits of pure Acai berry. A one-month’s supply costs about $60, but the manufacturer offers scant information making it hard to tell exactly which ingredients are in Acai Berry Boom.

Just remember- some supplements’ “free trial” offers automatically enroll you in their auto-shipment program. Be sure to read the terms before purchasing. Also, make sure you read the “Terms and Conditions” before you hit the “Purchase” button. Also, as with any dietary supplement, if the claims made by the product seem to be a bit too-good-to-be-true, they probably are. Your best bet it to look for products that contain pure Acai berry in either a pulp or freeze-dried form. Capsule forms can also contain the Acai fruit in these pure forms so just make sure you read the product label before making a commitment to buy.

Posted on September 22, 2023 by heather

How Yoga Can Help You Lose Weight

When many people think of yoga, the last thing that comes to mind is losing weight. How can a practice that appears to be so gentle, low-impact and non-cardiovascular help to lower that number on the scale?

Yoga and weight loss

Most of us who are avid yoga practitioners or even for those of us who know very little about this ancient practice, are aware of the stress-reducing benefits that come from engaging in a simple routine of breath work and asanas, the Sanskrit name for yoga postures. But what many don’t know is how yoga can become a formidable tool for weight loss. Here are a few of the reasons why:

1) Yoga is tough. Depending upon the style of yoga that you do, you can get in a real workout, one that will make you sweat and use muscles in your body that you didn’t even know you had. If you’re an avid gym goer and need the cardiovascular high of a workout, your best yoga bet is Ashtanga yoga. Ashtanga yoga may go by its original name or yoga schools may offer Ashtanga-hybrid classes under the names of Power Yoga or Vinyassa yoga. Bikram yoga is also another sure-bet calorie burner.

An average 130-pound person taking a 60-minute high intensity yoga class can burn up to 375 calories!

Other styles of yoga that have a lower intensity level can burn anywhere from 150 calories to 200 calories in a one-hour class.

2) Yoga Teaches Mindfulness. Regardless if your yoga of choice is a sweaty kind or a low-intensity style, yoga cultivates both body and mind awareness. By using the breath as a way to focus the mind, an inner stillness ensues. It is in this state, that you are able to watch yourself, even if it is as you are telling yourself that you can’t hold Warrior I posture for an additional second, you still observe how your physical body affects your mind and vice versa. As you become more accepting of the abilities of your body and more mindful of how what you do affects how you feel, your dietary choices are gradually influenced as well.

One of the great misnomers of yoga is that you have to be vegetarian in order to practice yoga. That is completely false. But what is true is that the more you practice yoga consistently, the more aware you become that your relationship to food is more psychological than it is biological. In this sense, a gradual spotlight is shined on our eating habits whether we engage in eating on the run, eating for emotional reasons, or eating out of boredom. Eating for any reason but pure hunger is mindless eating.

Over time, this awareness of what we are doing starts to shift our relationship to food. Many people who have started to practice yoga see their weight drop effortlessly because of the body and mind awareness that this ancient spiritual practice so magically develops. They catch themselves in their tracks as they reach for a bag of cookies when they’re really not hungry or they pause before they reach for a second serving of mashed potatoes. As this food mindfulness increases, the amount of food and the kinds of food we typically eat start to shift. This awareness often translates to a reduction in weight because we realize how frequently what we eat is dictated by our mind and not by our physical body’s need for energy.

3.) Keep active in each posture. Even though you may hold a given yoga posture for five breaths or more, you shouldn’t just hang out in the posture. As you stand or sit positioned in a stationary posture, there are many things you can be working on that help your body and burn calories. For instance, keep lengthening your muscles by “growing” or stretching in each posture. Every breath should be an opportunity for you to elongate and strengthen your muscles more. This kind of action burns extra calories as well as improving your flexibility, strength and balance.

Whether you choose to practice yoga for relaxation reasons, weight reasons or for social reasons, you are destined to reap the many benefits of this ancient spiritual mind-body practice.

Posted on September 21, 2023 by heather

Gwyneth Paltrow Reveals Her Health Secrets to Oprah

On a recent episode of Oprah, actress, mother and now traveling gourmet, Gwyneth Paltrow chatted with Lady O about her postpartum depression, her newly transformed body, her family and her latest project with celebrity chef Mario Batali.

gwyneth paltrow and mario batalli

As one of Hollywood’s most beautiful and talented actresses, Paltrow seems like she has it all. And she does in many regards: A beautiful face, a gorgeous body, a lovely demeanor, an amazing career and a wonderful family. But after the birth of her second child Moses, two years ago, Paltrow had a stroke of postpartum depression that lasted for about 6 months. It wasn’t until she started to get out of it did she realize what kind of a hazy fog she had actually been in.

Now, she is sharing her beauty, body and health tips and secrets for women everywhere. Her recipe that helped lift her out of her depression included a combination of steady exercise, healthy eating and her hormones finally regulating back to their pre-pregnancy levels.

Healthy Eating

gwyneth paltrow on oprah

As a long devotee of Ashtanga yoga and a vegetarian, Paltrow takes her health, both physical and spiritual very seriously. But as many mothers can attest, with the complex and intricate combination of hormones, extra baby weight and sleeplessness nights, your once disciplined health routine gets lost in the juggle of family and work.

After years of following a strict macrobiotic diet, Paltrow has since loosened up on her eating rules. Although she still doesn’t eat anything with four legs, she admits to eat anything and everything from poached salmon to creamy French cheeses. But she firmly admits that in order to have the freedom to enjoy dessert after dinner, she must work for it.

She doesn’t count calories or carboyhdrate grams. Instead she exercises. Everyday. And for her, these well-crafted exercise routines are what works for her body so that she can travel around Spain with one of the world’s most celebrated chefs and feast on scrumptious paella.

Rigorous Exercise

gwyneth paltrow and tracy anderson

Admitting to an Achilles Heel for fried dough, Paltrow, said that she couldn’t seem to drop those last 20 pounds of pregnancy weight after the birth of her son, Moses. Until she paired up with trainer Tracy Anderson, a five-foot powerhouse who whisked her own body back into shape after giving birth. Paltrow then introduced Anderson to her pal, Madonna and now both Paltrow and Madonna credit Anderson for whipping their bodies into red-carpet shape (not that Madonna needed that much help in that department).

According to Gywneth, Anderson’s routines kick your butt! She relies on cardio dance training and resistance training to give the body a lean and defined look. Anderson wants her female clients to have the body of a dancer…strong and long.

On any typical day, Gwyneth works out with Tracy at her home gym, but when she’s traveling, she says she won’t leave home without Tracy’s exercise DVDs. They are one of Paltrow’s staple travel companions.

Tracy’s routines for both Madonna and Gwyneth include working out in a room that is heated to 80 degrees. The heat creates sweat which ups the body’s metabolism in an effort to cool itself down. This extra exertion from the body equates to more calories burned. In this heated room, Paltrow spends two hours doing hundreds of squats, lifts and other exercises that give her heart rate and muscles a real burn. Tracy’s own signature band system of exercises targets specific muscles at a variety of angles. And she only has her gals doing resistance training with a 3 pound weights or less. Tracy does not believe that any woman should use more weight than this since she feels it puts the muscle at risk for bulking up.

To watch Gwyneth and Tracy in action, have a look at this video.

Posted on September 19, 2024 by heather

Promise® SuperShots® to Cure Cholesterol and High Blood Pressure

UPDATE: This product is no longer available. Please see the Promise Web site for more details.

The brand Promise® has come up with the cure-all SuperShots® to cure cholesterol and high blood pressure.

First, I’ll discuss the blueberry flavored SuperShots® that “remove cholesterol” from your body. These 100ml servings contain 70 calories, 3.5g fat, 0g sat. fat, 30mg sodium, and less than 1g fiber (1.5 WW Points). They claim that this product contains “natural plant sterols, an ingredient clinically proven to help remove cholesterol from the body as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.”

promise supershots

So, let’s break this down… in my opinion, and there are studies to support this, a key component to lowering your cholesterol level is fiber and this product only contains less than 1 gram. It is promising, however, that these products do contain plant sterols, which have been shown to reduce cholesterol.

These SuperShots® products alone are not the miracle cure all for cholesterol; in fact, they even say that these products should be taken along with following a low saturated fat and cholesterol diet. This type of diet is more of the cure for lowering cholesterol along with increasing your intake of fiber. So, this product is a good healthy choice to make for a snack, but your emphasis should be on eating a low-fat, lower calorie, and low-cholesterol diet.

Second is the product Promise® has for lowering your blood pressure. On their website, they claim that the “essential, heart healthy fruit blends provide a good source of potassium in a convenient 3 fl. oz. serving*. Potassium can help flush sodium from the body. Promise® SuperShots® can be used as part of a high potassium, low-sodium diet because diets containing foods that are good sources of potassium and low in sodium may help reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.”

Let’s break this down… the single best way to reduce your blood pressure is watching and restricting your sodium/salt intake. However, potassium has been shown to do great things for lower blood pressure, so in this sense, Promise® is correct. The same goes for this product as the product above, yes these are a healthy choice, but don’t rely on them alone to remove cholesterol or eliminate your high blood pressure. First, follow a low sodium diet, then incorporate this product as a snack.

The key to overcoming a disease, ideally, is by prevention. Prevent these diseases from even happening. This can be done by following a healthy low-fat, low-cholesterol, moderate-low calorie diet. Make sure you consume plenty of fruits and veggies, whole grains, and water… and of course, exercise! These products above are OK to consume, but don’t expect them alone to make drastic changes in your body or for your health.

Posted on September 19, 2024 by Kinsey

Guest Blog: Veggie Dinners: Spaghetti Bolognese

Monica Shaw is a freelance writer who specializes in science, health, fitness and food. She is the primary author of the website and blog, SmarterFitter.com.

In my early days as a vegetarian, I guess you could call me a “pasta vegetarian”. Give me a packet of spaghetti, a jar of marinara sauce and a shaker of Parmesan cheese and I was a happy kid. Two months and five pounds later, I quickly realized that this was not a sustainable diet.

These days I try to balance my dinners around protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats and loads of veggies. On any particular night, dinner might be black bean tacos with avocado and salad, or curried lentils with basmati rice and sautéed greens, or a simple tofu stir-fry with ginger, garlic and whatever veggies I have on hand.

Still, there comes a time in every vegetarian’s life when no other meal will do but pasta. But pasta is no longer the carbo-loaded, out-of-a-jar meal that it used to be. These days, I kick up my pasta sauce with a little TVP to give my pasta a much-needed protein kick. TVP, or “textured vegetable protein”, is a low-fat, high-protein soy mince made from defatted soy flour. When paired with tomato sauce, it does a nice job of mimicking an Italian Bolognese sauce, typically made with beef.

Spaghetti and vegan Bolognese (affectionately called “Spag Bol” in my household) is one of my go-to meals for quick dinners. Prep time is less than 5 minutes and cooking time is around 20. Packed with high-quality protein and carbs, it’s the perfect dinner to fuel your morning workout. You could kick up the “health factor” by using whole wheat pasta and cutting down on the olive oil, but I find that the olive oil gives it a fabulous richness and if the Mediterranean diet is anything to go by, olive oil is a health food in itself. I typically serve this with broccoli, which I lightly blanch by adding it to the pot of simmering pasta water right before the pasta is cooked. Enjoy!

vegetarian spaghetti bolognese

Spaghetti with Vegan Bolognese Sauce
Serves 2-3

Ingredients

• 50g TVP (i.e. “textured vegetable protein” or “soya mince”)
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp oregano
• pinch each of crushed red pepper and mixed spice
• pinch of sugar
• salt and pepper to taste
• Spaghetti, enough to serve three

Directions

1. Put the TVP in a bowl and put in enough water to make it wet. You want enough water so that the TVP soaks it all up with no excess. (If you do wind up with extra water, don’t panic, just drain it in a sieve.)
2. Heat the olive oil on medium heat and add the onion, garlic and bay leaves. Cook until the onion is soft, making sure they don’t brown.
3. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes, covered on a low heat.
4. In the meantime, make some spaghetti (using 10g of salt per liter of water) and grate some Parmesan cheese (if desired, though this will no longer be vegan!).
5. Serve sauce over pasta with a side of broccoli.

You can find more of Monica’s vegetarian recipes at SmarterFitter.com.

Also Read:

Naan Crust Pizza with Homemade Cabernet Basil Sauce

Confetti Vegetable Sauce With Zucchini, Squash, & Red Pepper

Dark Chocolate Vegan Brownies

Guest Blog Series: Look for the following badge on your favorite health sites to see if they have been a featured guest blogger on DietsInReview.com.

See other posts in the Guest Blog series. If you would like to apply to be featured as a guest blogger, please contact us.

Posted on September 19, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Win a Copy of Crack the Fat-Loss Code

UPDATE: The winner has been chosen! Find out who it is in Tuesday’s newsletter, as well as have the first chance to enter our next giveaway. Sign-up for the DietsInReview.com Newsletter today!

This month, we’re giving away a copy of Crack the Fat-Loss Code.

crack the fat loss code This is a hot new book in which author Wendy Chant explains how it is possible to work “with” your metabolism to achieve weight loss goals and better overall health. It’s a flexible and scientific approach promising noticeable results the first week.

Current DietsInReview.com Newsletter subscribers, simply email [email protected] to be eligible. Or, simply subscribe to the DietsInReview.com newsletter and/or the Biggest Loser Updates newsletter by 9/26/08.

Winner will be announced in the September 30 Newsletter.

See the Crack the Fat-Loss Code review.

Posted on September 18, 2024 by Natalie K

Getting Your Head in the Game or Race

The first of Dr. Phil’s 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom is “right thinking”. The Ultimate Weight Loss Race’s head trainer Robert Reames gives his “no excuses weight loss tip” to make your workout a priority that you schedule and block time for like an appointment with a doctor or a client. Dr. Phil’s explanation of the first key sounds a lot like REBT, or Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, developed by Dr. Albert Ellis.

REBT can be a very user-friendly therapy technique that teaches you to be aware of your thoughts and empowers you to be in control of your emotions. A main principle of REBT is that your reaction to any situation is based more on your evaluation of the situation than the facts of the situation. Consider an airplane full of people who are told to line up, grab a parachute, and jump out of the plane. Person A is scared, but person B is thrilled. Person A is considering all the dangers, while person B is thinking this is the opportunity of a lifetime. The situation is the same, but the emotional reaction differs because they are thinking different things. Right up Dr. Phil’s alley, REBT puts the responsibility on your shoulders, reminding you that your thoughts and feelings are uniquely your own and, this is the part some don’t want to hear, under your control.

Making REBT work for you can be as easy as learning the ABCs.

A – the Activating Event, the facts of the situation to which any observer would agree.

B – your Beliefs, your evaluation of the situation, your thoughts. What exactly are you telling yourself?

C – the Consequence of your beliefs is your emotional experience.

D – to alter your emotional experience, evaluate and Dispute your Beliefs. Find a more helpful truth. Helpful can be more important than accurate at times.

So basically, A) something happens, B) you have a thought about that something, C) your feelings result from your thought. If you don’t like how you’re feeling, you can D) make a change to your thinking, and E) experience a new emotion.

Although the set up is in ABC format, it can take a lot of practice to make REBT work. Making a change to thought patterns requires awareness and determination. There are some common Thinking Errors that can trip us up, which I will discuss in more depth sometime soon.

Posted on September 18, 2024 by Brooke Randolph

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