Day #14- 40 Days of Training Videos - Training Our Taste Buds

I used to not like coffee, but the very first one I ever had was a latte at Houlihan's. They didn't use milk though they used "ice milk"  which is basically melted ice cream. Who wouldn't love that right?!

Then I started in with lattes  - always sweetened.

As the Starbucks craze hit, I was right there drinking Carmel Macchiatos with sweet vanilla syrup, whipped cream and carmel drizzled on top.

Then I tried to get healthier and switched to lattes with Splenda -  a "Triple Grande 2 Splenda Latte."

Then I tried to get off the Splenda and switched to 2 raw sugars instead.

I remember a couple years after switching to raw sugar a barista accidentally put in Splenda instead of the raw sugar. WOW! It tasted aweful! I couldn't believe I used to like that! This was the first time I really realized our taste buds are trainable.

Then came the big switch...

A couple years ago I did a 21 day sugar fast. I gave have up all sweeteners, including artificial sweeteners. I wasn't giving up coffee though. I even gave up lattes because of the lactose in the milk since its still a form of sugar. (I was going hardcore). It was only 21 days!....I learned a few interesting things:

1. I can live without cookies and sweets in the house and so can my family.

1. I learned to like coffee even though it isn't sweetened - now it is my preference. Just recently a barista gave me a cappuccino with some kinds of sweetened milk in it, and again I thought..."Wow, I can't believe I used to like this."

1. I used to say "I can't drink coffee unsweetened." I used to think I couldn't change in a lot of areas of life which I have since changed for the better - areas I am no longer held captive to the defeating words "I can’t.”

Here's the training lesson in all of this... Everything is trainable, especially our taste buds. Retraining towards our ideal brings about the best changes in our body and our life, but it takes time, and persistence...years in my case.

I encourage you to first give up the words, "I can’t.” It's such a defeating mindset. Instead, try "I'm not quite ready.. .yet." These words holds so much more opportunity for growth.

There are two necessary components to training anything:

1. Belief that change is possible
2. Willingness to work towards our ideal, even if it's a little comfortable for awhile.