Did you know that the quality of your health is determined by the level of optimum digestion and absorption of the foods you eat and that your digestion is relied upon by having the enough of the right enzymes doing their job? It is one of the biggest keys to your health, vitality, and longevity!
As we age our bodies become more challenged by various forms of stress, whether its environmental pollution, chemicals, and preservatives we ingest from foods and drugs, work related, or via our emotional issues. All of these deplete our body’s natural ability to make enough enzymes to meet the demands of daily life. When this happens our system may become polluted, digestion poor, all of which can cause toxins to build up within the body and our metabolism to become compromised and eventually lead to further health issues and complications down the line.
Our body needs enzymes to function properly. Not only do we need them for healthy digestion and metabolism, but we also need them to live because without them we would not be able to breathe, swallow, drink, eat, and digest our food. Enzymes are incredible molecules that are found in all living things and without them, life would not be possible.
What are Enzymes and How Necessary are they?
By definition, enzymes are catalysts, substances that cause a chemical reaction to move faster. Enzymes are the catalysts of biochemical reactions in living organisms. They have energized protein molecules that are found in all living things. If it’s a plant or an animal, it has enzymes.
Enzymes are critical for life. At present, researchers have identified more than 3,000 different enzymes in the human body. Every second of our lives these enzymes are constantly changing and renewing, sometimes at an unbelievable rate.
They act as catalysts to help regulate all biochemical reactions that occur within the human body. Enzymes are also instrumental in digestion. They are very important because they help to break up large food molecules into smaller units that are absorbed into the cells making it possible to benefit from the nutrients found in those foods while also removing toxins. They are present in every phase of digestion and without them; you can’t adequately digest what you eat. Enzymes turn the food we eat into energy and unlock this energy for use in the body.
Enzymes not only help the body digest food and assimilate nutrients from that food, but they also assist in all chemical reactions taking place in our body; including the regeneration of cells and tissues, and the elimination of waste products and toxins as well as supporting our immune system. Our body’s ability to function, to repair when injured, and to ward off disease is directly related to the strength and numbers of our enzymes. In short, enzymes make things happen and an enzyme deficiency can be nothing short of devastating since no person, plant or animal can exist without them!
Specific Jobs Enzymes perform:
- Digest food
- Break down toxins
- Cleanse the blood
- Strengthen the immune system
- Build protein into muscle
- Contract muscles
- Reduce stress on the pancreas and other vital organs
Enzymes were first discovered in the 1930’s by the late Dr. Edward Howell who was the pioneer of Enzyme Therapy. Dr. Howell realized the following:
1.Food is composed not only of protein, carbohydrates, fats, fibers, vitamins, and minerals but also enzymes.
2.All living things contain enzymes; in fact, life cannot exist without them. Enzymatic activity is responsible for every biochemical reaction that occurs in living matter.
3.Enzymes are not just inorganic catalysts; they are biochemically active and therefore can be exhausted and become deficient in the human body. They are essential nutrients.
Do we have an infinite supply of enzymes?
Unfortunately not. Enzymes can and do wear out. The scientific team Macarthur and Baille of the University of Toronto, at the conclusion of a piece of research stated:
The organism appears to receive a specific sum total of “vitality” rather than a definite allotment of days. Life runs out its course to its natural term with a velocity directly proportional to the catabolic rate, or, as commonly expressed, according to rapidity of “wear and tear”.
Catabolic rate translates into enzyme activity, and wear and tear into enzyme loss. Dr. Howell states that: boiled down, these definitions of life mean that each child is born with a definite amount of enzyme potential. It can be saved or wasted; used up rapidly by living at a fast tempo, or used sparingly at a slower pace.
It was once thought by scientists and researchers that illness and aging depleted the amount of enzymes found in our body. We now know that illness and aging are caused by a depletion of enzymes in our body rather than the other way around.
What causes depletion of enzymes?
Some of the ways in which we deplete and destroy enzymes are:
- Through sweat and body waste
- Cooking at high temperatures such as deep frying and microwaving our foods.
- Overly processed and fast foods
- Genetically modified foods
- Environmental pollution
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- Stress factors
- Aging causes organs usually responsible for producing digestive enzymes to not produce insufficiently or fewer amounts.
These factors deplete our enzyme levels, stress our digestive system and our immune system, leave us feeling tired, depressed and without energy, and, quite possibly can contribute to a shorter lifespan.
Given these factors of aging, processed foods, and cooking, our bodies are soon to become overburdened and are not able to produce the much needed enzymes that we need. Fortunately though, there are ways we can turn this around and help reverse the problem.
3 Types of Enzymes
There are three major classes of Enzymes:
- Digestive Enzymes
- Food or Plant Enzymes
- Metabolic Enzymes
Digestive Enzymes are secreted by the salivary glands, stomach, pancreas, and the small intestine to help break down food into simple components. Human digestive enzymes include ptyalin, pepsin, trypsin, lipase, protease, and amylase. The body does not make cellulose, an enzyme necessary for proper digestion of fiber, so it must be introduced through the raw foods we eat.
Food Enzymes exist naturally in raw food. If the food is cooked above 115 degrees Fahrenheit the high temperature involved in the cooking process destroys the enzymes. For this reason it is recommended that we supplement our diet with enzymes.
Digestive enzymes and food enzymes serve the same function; they digest the food so it can be absorbed into the blood stream. The difference between the two is that food enzymes are derived from fresh raw uncooked foods such as fruits, vegetables, eggs, raw unpasteurised dairy, meat and fish (sashimi), whilst digestive enzymes are made inside our body.
Metabolic Enzymes are produced in the cells and are found throughout the body in the organs, in the bones, the blood, and inside the cells themselves. Metabolic enzymes help run the heart, brain, lungs, and kidneys. Hundreds of metabolic enzymes are necessary for the working of our body.
Our bodies naturally produce two types of enzymes as they are needed, digestive and metabolic, while food enzymes can only be consumed orally.
Nature has placed enzymes in food to digest everything you eat: starches, fats, protein, fiber, sugars, and dairy foods – instead of forcing the enzymes secreted in our bodies to do all of the work.
There are seven categories of food enzymes:
(1) Lipase, which serves to break down fat;
(2) Protease, which works to break down protein;
(3) Cellulase, which assists to break down fibers;
(4) Amylase to break down starch;
(5) Lactase to break down dairy foods;
(6) Sucrase to break down sugars; and
(7) Maltase to break down grains.
Ways to Restore Enzymes
There are two ways to preserve and replenish our enzyme level: by eating raw food and by taking enzyme supplements.
We can supplement our diets with enzymes from outside sources such as plants. If we add an enzyme supplement from external sources to our diet when we eat a meal we will greatly increase the quality and longevity of our lives. Enzyme supplements increase the amount of nutrients we absorb from our diet and improve our overall nutrition, thereby improving health and vitality. Enzyme supplements also help to decrease or eliminate indigestion and acid reflux, reduce fatigue and increase our energy, strengthen our immune system and enhance the regeneration of our cells and tissues.
Who Should Take Supplemental Enzymes?
If you are sick or trying to recover from an acute or a chronic disease, taking enzyme supplements would be beneficial. Some examples of conditions that may be helped by taking enzymes include:
- People with hypoglycemia
- Endocrine gland deficiencies
- Obesity
- Anorexia nervosa
- Stress-related problems
- Skin ailments (psoriasis, acne, eruptions, stretch marks, etc.)
- Chronic inflammation
- Cardiovascular disease
- Circulatory problems
- High blood pressure
- Arteriosclerosis
- High cholesterol
- Fatigue
- Epstein-Barr syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Asthma
- Allergies
- Arthritis
- Joint problems
- Diabetes
- Depression
- Anxiety
- ADD/ADHD
- Insomnia
- Multiple sclerosis
- Candida albicans
- Parasites
- Respiratory ailments
- All types of infections (including colds, flu, sore throat, yeast)
Realizing the vital importance of digestive enzymes and the role they have in maintaining our very lives as well as preventing some of the serious, sometimes life-threatening health issues we face will greatly improve the quality and longevity of our lives.
Enzyme supplementation in our diet
Some of the many benefits to health and energy from increasing your enzymes supplies include the following:
- Improves overall digestion so we have more energy for life
- Reduces the effects of aging, wrinkles, sun spots.
- Aids in disease prevention
- Aids in the prevention of cancer and debilitating diseases
- Minimizes the negative effects of cancer therapies
- Boosts the immune system
- Reduces inflammation /soreness of muscle and joint pain
- Retards periodontal disease
- Prevention of heart disease
- Speeds healing after surgery
- Reduces the negative effects of anesthetics
- Aids in reproduction problems, regulating cycles, infertility and sterility
- Cleanses our system from allergic reactions
Some suggestions to help you improve digestion and absorption of nutrients in foods
In essence, when we improve our digestion we are improving our health.
- Eating our food as close to its raw state as possible is a good place to start.
- If eating well cooked/cured/smoked meats, adding digestive enzymes would be necessary to ensure they are digested.
- When cooking eggs, soft boiled or poached is best, instead of frying. Eggs have some of the best enzymes and nutrients particularly for our thyroid gland and our liver, so it pays to preserve these delicate enzymes in eggs as well as other proteins.
- Avoid drinking water while eating as it can dilute your body’s natural supply of digestive enzymes.
- Add a squeeze of lemon juice to water and even to meals. Lemons add enzymes and flavor.
- Eat a raw salad once a day. Salads are packed with enzymes that help you digest other foods eaten at the same meal.
- Eat a piece of fruit or two a day. Papaya and pineapple are particularly loaded with enzymes.
How Will You Know Enzymes Are Working?
One of the ways is in what you DON’T experience: no indigestion, no bloating, no stomach gas, no heartburn, or flatulence caused by incomplete digestion.
What you WILL experience is an increase in formed bowel movements – at least 1 to 2 times a day, usually after every meal – “one meal in, one meal out.” Also, these movements will not have a foul odor. When this happens, it means your food is being digested properly and used by your body instead of sitting in your intestines where it can rot and putrefy, and attract harmful bacteria.
You may experience mild symptoms of cleansing such as acne, bloating, gas, dull headaches or queasiness. These are only temporary. If you experience discomfort, make sure you drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day to reduce the cleansing symptoms and get at least 10 to 15 minutes of exercise daily.
It’s been clinically proven that the more enzymes you take, the quicker your body can repair, restore, and strengthen itself, sometimes taking a few days to a few weeks. (Allergy symptoms usually disappear 1 hr. after taking Amylase!) However, for minimal usage, you must wait at least 3 to 4 months before evaluating your results. It takes time to re-educate the body’s natural ability to repair, restore, and strengthen itself, so be patient.
You’ll also notice changes in your body. Your body can do magnificent healing on its own, given the proper nutrients.
Enzymes are the spark of life – they run your entire body and without them we die. They are the key to good digestion and immune system function, and it is vital that we ensure that we have enough supply in our system in order to have optimal digestion, energy and overall wellbeing.
Hi! I'm Deirdre Rawlings, a personal Certified Health Coach, Holistic Nutritionist, Master Herbalist,
Naturopathic doctor, Sports Nutritionist, Speaker, Author, and a trained Plant-based Chef. I practice a
holistic approach to health and nutrition to help you to uncover the root cause for symptoms and disease so
you can live a life that restores and supports your wellness, growth, and highest self.
Read More . . .
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