What Are Digestive Enzymes
Giving your body digestive enzymes to help aid digestion is like hiring more workers for an extremely large task. The more workers you have, the better executed the task will be. Digestive enzymes help fight to keep your gut healthy. They are the key substances of the digestive process, working to break down our food for proper absorption. The four primary digestive enzymes are:
Lipase enzymes that help digest and assimilate fats.
Protease/Peptidase enzymes that break down proteins.
Amylase enzymes that break down carbohydrates or starch.
Cellulase enzymes that break down cellulose molecules into simple sugars.
5 Reasons to Take Digestive Enzymes
1. Enzymes Are Vital to Human Survival.
Enzymes are responsible for every chemical reaction that takes place in our bodies. These reactions allow our cells to build up and break down molecules quickly. Vitamins, minerals and hormones mean nothing without the labor force of enzymes. Here’s a simple example given to us by howstuffworks.com…
“The intestinal cells of lactose-intolerant people do not produce lactase, the enzyme needed to break down lactose. This problem shows how the lack of just one enzyme in the human body can lead to problems. A person who is lactose intolerant can swallow a drop of lactase prior to drinking milk and the problem is solved.”
2. Our Typical Diet & Cooked Foods Drain Our Enzyme Supply.
Processed foods with additives, preservatives, nitrates, etc., do not contain the digestive enzymes needed for proper digestion and absorption of nutrients. Because our diet is made up mostly of these foods, our bodies are deficient in many nutrients. These foods also create harmful bacteria & yeast overgrowth in our gut causing inflammation that leads to illness.
The more raw and organic food we eat, the more alive and well we will be. But, even non-organic raw food is better for you than cooked food – especially when it comes to enzymes. Raw foods like avocado, spinach and sprouts naturally contain enzymes. However, when these foods are heated, their enzymes are destroyed.
Enzyme-free foods force your body to steal enzymes from other parts of the body, just to digest, rather than using the enzymes from the food itself to do the job. This depletes the limited supply of enzymes we have in our body.
So, whether you eat a mostly a raw diet or cooked food, taking digestive enzymes before you eat will help your body digest and absorb the nutrients needed for better health.
3. Even Some Raw Foods Contain Enzyme Inhibitors
Raw peanuts, raw wheat germ, egg whites, nuts, seeds, beans, peas, potatoes & lentils are all examples of healthy raw foods that contain enzyme inhibitors. This means that they actually neutralize some of the enzymes your body produces.
Dr. Edward Howell, author of Food Enzymes for Health & Longevity and pioneer food enzyme researcher, explains:
“These enzyme inhibitors are present for the protection of the seed. Nature doesn’t want the seed to germinate prematurely and lose its life. It wants to make sure that the seed is present in soil with sufficient moisture to grow and continue the species.”
So, simply taking extra digestive enzymes when you eat seeds and nuts will neutralize these enzyme inhibitors.
4. Many Factors Cause Our Bodies to Use up Enzymes Faster
The quicker you use up your enzyme supply, the faster you’ll run out. You will only live as long as your body has enzymes.
Our bodies use up enzymes in so many ways. For example, enzymes are used up by our bodies faster in extreme hot & cold weather, with strenuous exercise & when we’re ill.
This is another reason why it’s worth taking extra digestive enzymes to maintain your bodies enzyme bank.
According to Dr. Howell, “people could extend their lifespans by 20 or more years – just by maintaining proper enzyme levels.”
5. Enzyme levels drop significantly with age.
Low enzyme levels are associated with old age. In fact, as we age we have fewer enzymes available and normal digestion slows down. This in turn affects the absorption of nutrients, which then leads to sickness and disease.
“Furthermore, as we pass our prime, the amount of enzymes in our bodies and excreted in our sweat and urine continues to decline until we die,” explains Dr. Howell.
Sourced from www.naturalhealthyconcepts.com
Order your digestive enzymes online at www.vitaminlife.com or come to our Redmond retail store. Call us at 866-998-8855
