What are they? The simplified version – Enzymes help micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants) get “unlocked” from bulky, hard-to-digest food particles that can’t be absorbed and utilized by the body. The Enzymes “liberate” the micronutrients so your body can get the max benefit from them.
Unfortunately, in our current diets of processed, cooked foods, we are missing most of the enzymes that we need. I just read that nearly 100% of the enzymatic power is deactivated when the food is heated. It is so important to include raw veggies and fruits in our diets.
Our bodies do manufacture our own enzymes but production becomes less efficient as we age and with stress. So who of us are not aging or do not have stress at some time or another?
And here’s another (gross) fact. Without enough enzymes, our bodies can not break down the food we eat, so it remains in the gut! Yuck. Hopefully you’ve been reading some of my blogs which go into the importance ofa healthy gut. This affects how we think, how we feel, even our emotions. Plus an unhealthy gut can effect our liver and pancreas in not so good ways.
AND, it’s good for weight loss. A study by the University of Pittsburg showed that women who added enzyme-rich fruit and veggies to their diet, lost 500% more weight than those that didn’t over a 6 month period.
The quickest way to get enzymes that you may be lacking, is to eat raw veggies and fruits. Try for 50% raw and 50% cooked foods. You don’t have to give up juicing, just add it to your diet with lots of raw fruits and veggies.
What are some of the enzyme rich foods? Greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, seeds. Broccoli is a great way to protect your gut. When chewed, the cell walls of broccoli can release an enzyme that triggers the formation of chemicals that kill E. coli and listeria, two really nasty food-borne bacteria.
Onions are great too. Plus, give the added benefits to reduce high levels of blood pressure and LDL (bad) cholesterol. Pineapples are in this group too. You can try fresh or frozen but stay away from canned. This has a enzyme that can break down dietary protein for better digestion.
Some additional tips:
- Chew your food well with each bite – You need to break open the cell wall of the food to release the enzymes.
- Keep sugar out of your diet. Sugar works against you in creating a healthy gut.
- Against all diet advice that I know, don’t drink water while you eat. The water can dilute the enzyme power of raw food. Instead drink the water at least 30 minutes after finishing your meal.
- Puree berries and fruit for toppings or just do more smoothies.
What I do to increase my enzymes. I will be trying all the above but I have also been supplementing with a couple products by Young Living. I use Essentialzyme-4 when needed. It helps me digest somethings that in the past may have caused heartburn or indigestion. This is a 2-capsule enzyme blend; one designed to release immediately upon entering the stomach for plant material digestion, and one designed to release in the lower intestine region for better animal fats and proteins digestion.
The other enzyme supplement that I take is Life 9, a highly potent probiotic that supports healthy immune function, helps maintain optimal metabolism, and promotes normal intestinal function. It has 17 billion (YES, BILLION) live cultures from nine beneficial bacteria strains. Just one capsule daily, at night before I go to bed.
If you would like to check out the ingredients of these two products, here are my links.
Essentialzymes-4: https://www.youngliving.com/us/en/product/essentialzymes-4?enrollerid=3273941&sponsorid=3273941
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