Breaking the habit of being myself

If you want a new outcome, you will have to break the habit of being yourself, and reinvent a new self.

~ Joe Dispenza, Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself

Ever since I can remember, one of my favourite breakfasts has been toast, butter, cheddar and a banana. My grandmother ate this daily and lived drug-free for 95 years.

Dairy, wheat and banana became part of my quick go-to breakfast, along with organic coffee and frothy milk. I LOVED it - until recently.

When you study nutrition, you quickly learn the perils of excessive consumption of dairy and wheat. Dairy and gluten, a protein in wheat, can act like addictive drugs in the brain.

I was addicted. But, other than occasionally feeling congested, I didn't experience enough distress to eliminate these delicious foods from my diet. I did choose their highest quality versions, but the thought of not eating them was uncomfortable.

Although I have never detoxed or dieted, I did set the intention to do a 72-hour fast, which seemed daunting. I had yet to pull it off. It took a stomach virus to make it happen.

Divine intervention

It may be a shock to the ego, but you are not alone in your body, and your microbiota is right now making plans for your future. By manipulating your cravings and mood, it gains control over your behavior. 

~ Scott C. Anderson, The Psychobiotic Revolution: Mood, Food, and the New Science of the Gut-Brain Connection 

When we set the intention, divine intervention can make it happen.

Unable to eat or even drink anything other than water and tea, the ecology in my gut changed. Microbes in the gut shape human behaviour. It seems I purged the microbes that craved bread, cheese and bananas. Somehow, these foods no longer taste great to me. Neither do milk and coffee.

Consequently, I have increased the diversity of my food selection and likely the microbes living within me. Diversity, or variety, increases resilience and can promote anti-fragility. I broke the habit of being myself.