GUEST BLOGGER: Kimberly Hammond
Saturday, January 12, 2013 at 1:06PM
Hello, All! I hope this finds you all ecstatically happy, healthy, well and ready to take on another year. Time sure does fly when you're fabulous, right?! ; )
SO. Back in August, my dear, sweet, no-motor-skill-havin' baby giant (my pup, Levi) accidentally (question mark) ran into my leg breaking my fibula and severely spraining my ankle. I was off the grid for a solid week and in lots of pain. This time, however, spawned a major revamping of an already considerably "healthy" diet. I wanted to get as many nutritional soldiers into my bod as I possibly could to help with the healing process, so I dusted off my brand new juicer (who was sadly thrown into retirement before it was even put to work) and gave it an honorable job title. CEO and President of Patchin'-This-Girl-Back-Together. I didn't need to see its resume, call for references or any of that jazz. I knew, without a doubt, that it'd do the job and do it awesomely (yes, that is a word).
I juiced like a champ, workin' that juicer overtime. I even tapped my Vitamix to be Vice Prez. Juicing then pouring the juice and blending it together with kale, frozen 'nana, RAW protein powder (Vanilla), frozen E3Live cubes, etc. I was workin' half days back at my full time job the following week, rockin' the crutches, then back to full days the week after that. Needless to say, my juicer and my Vitamix both earned themselves permanent positions in my company, whose mission changed from patchin' me back up to keepin' me on the up n' up. I heart these two.
The Epiphany
We live in the Land of Junkitarianism and are *barely* surviving off (the) S.A.D. (Standard American Diet). There is one thing that (the) S.A.D. does well and one thing only. Making and keeping people SAD…Sick And Deficient. Juicing and blending are two sure-fire ways to counteract the effects of this; getting everything your body needs and craves into one single glass and including the one major thing lacking in most Americans’ diets, enzymes.
You see- when the heavens opened up, the angels sang, harps played and the trumpets sounded, you were born into this world with a certain number of enzymes. A bank account of enzymes, if you will. All living cells contain these little guys. Enzymes help prevent disease, keep us young and vibrant, and have a major say in our energy levels. These bad boys run our entire show and are responsible for every bodily process and function. There are 3 types of enzymes:
• Metabolic – the Construction Workers. They structure, repair and remodel every cell and tissue.
• Digestive – the Break Dancers. These quick-steppin’ guys break down protein, carbohydrates, and fat.
• Food – the Firestarters. These hot tamales start the digestion of food and are found in raw, uncooked foods.
Most foods are cooked, pasteurized, chemically laden and highly processed. If your diet mainly consists of these types of foods, you're not getting the food enzymes you need to digest and absorb what you are taking in (though, considering what most diets consist of these days, that’s not such a bad thing). When this happens, the body compensates by using the enzymes already in your bank account. If your body is constantly making withdrawals from your enzyme bank and not making any deposits, what do you think happens? Your account goes bust and your body doesn’t get what it needs to function, repair and do its groove thang. This results in disease. A weakened immune system. Incomplete digestion. Malnourishment. Unhappy bodies that don’t function well. And certain unpleasant side effects. Ick.
Avoid the ick. There are many juicers and Vitamix's looking for jobs and are up for hire (I even discovered another handy little tool called a "Nutribullet" that I use when in a rush or on travel. It's like a mini Vitamix!). The ones on my current payroll are:
Juicer- Omega VRT350HD Vertical Silver Juicer
Vitamix- Vitamix 5200
Nutribullet- as itself
Log onto www.nextag.com to see where you can find the best price if you're interested. I heart my guys. They've made a huge difference in my life and I know they will for you, too.
Got questions? I'd love to hear from ya'! You can reach me at: kimberly@healthy-chick.com
Happy Sippin'!
XO,
Kimberly Hammond
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