The Amazing Power Of Digestive
Enzymes
Digestive Enzymes, Part 1 |
The Eight Digestive Enzymes For Optimum Health
Power of Digestive Enzymes, Part 1
Copyright © Ron Harder
One of the most common health problems in North America
today is poor digestion. There are several reasons for
poor digestion, but the two biggest reasons are the
inability of your body to produce enough enzymes, and
the lack of digestive enzymes in the food that you eat.
What are digestive enzymes?
They are organic protein molecules that
break down food particles such as proteins,
carbohydrates, and fats; and convert them into smaller
absorbable nutrients that your body can use to build
cells, tissues, and organs.
What do they do? Digestive enzymes are responsible for
breaking down the food that you eat so that your food
can be more easily absorbed and digested by your small
intestine.
It works something like this. You put some food into
your mouth and by chewing it you break this food up into
smaller segments and mix it with saliva. The enzymes in
your saliva start the pre-digestive process in your
mouth, and this continues while your food is on its way
to your stomach.
In the stomach your food is mixed with hydrochloric acid
that helps to digest starches. More enzymes are added at
this point which helps to break down your food even
further and turn it into a paste-like substance called
chyme.
After several hours this chyme moves from the stomach to
your small intestine where pancreatic enzymes are added
to help with further digestion. The more enzymes you
have available the better your digestion will be. Any
food that you are not able to digest will be passed
along to your large intestine where it will await
elimination from your body.
Where do digestive enzymes come from?
You obtain most of your digestive
enzymes from the food that you eat, and your body also
produces enzymes of its own. Unfortunately, because of
soil depletion, herbicide sprays, etc., we do not obtain
anywhere near the number of enzymes that we need.
Another major problem is that modern processing and
preserving techniques, such as boiling and
pasteurization, destroy most of the enzymes that ever
were in your food. Enzymes are also destroyed by
exposure to air, exposure to light, alcohol consumption,
temperatures over 118 degrees, caffeine, cigarette
smoke, and prescription drugs. Parasites, pesticides,
pollutants, ultra-violet radiation, and fluoridated
water also destroy enzymes.
Enzymes are either obtained from plants, or they are
manufactured by the pancreas. Pancreatic enzymes are
animal based and only function in your small intestine.
If pancreatic enzymes are taken with food they will be
destroyed by the acids in your stomach, and therefore,
they are not nearly as effective as plant enzymes.
Plant enzymes are much more effective because they begin
pre-digestion in your mouth, they are not destroyed by
the acids in your stomach, and they function in both an
acid and in an alkaline environment.
As we age, our body looses its ability to produce its
own enzymes, and so we have to include them in our diet.
There are only two ways to accomplish this. One method
is by eating raw organic food, and the other method is
by taking enzyme supplements.
Some good food sources for enzymes are alfalfa, barley
grass, chlorella, spirulina, kelp, peppermint, and sea
vegetables. Most fruits, especially bananas, are also a
good source.
You should make very sure that you get enough enzymes,
because a lack of digestive enzymes will cause a number
of things to occur in your body, and here are some of
the more common. You may develop abdominal bloating,
abdominal cramps, constipation, crohn's disease,
colitis, diarrhea, eczema, heartburn, indigestion, IBD,
psoriasis, skin rashes, and many other conditions that
can cause you a lot of problems.
Low levels of enzymes can lead to a toxic colon because
undigested food in your intestines can ferment and turn
toxic. The toxic byproducts that accumulate in your
intestines will be absorbed through your intestine wall
and will end up in your blood stream, and when these
toxins enter your blood stream they will come into
contact with all the cells throughout your entire body.
When this occurs, all kinds of nasty things, like cancer
for example, can and do develop.
Up to this point we have only discussed digestive
enzymes, but there is another type of enzyme we should
briefly discuss and that is metabolic enzymes.
Metabolic enzymes are protein-like substances that act
as a catalyst in all metabolic actions within your body.
In other words, metabolic enzymes are the workers within
your body that allow the minerals, vitamins, and
proteins to do their job. Metabolic enzymes are your
body's labor force, and they are responsible for all the
anabolic or catabolic activity in your body.
If you eat cooked food, fast food, or processed food,
your body needs all the help it can get. There are
virtually no enzymes in these kinds of foods, and
without enzymes, you will not be able to digest any of
the nutrients that may be present.
If your diet consists of these foods I would strongly
suggest changing your diet to raw vegetables and fresh
fruits so that you can maximize your enzyme intake.
Digestive enzymes in your diet
Above that, I also strongly recommend
taking enzyme supplements as part of your daily diet.
This will ensure that you are getting all the enzymes
that you need for your good health.
Enzymes are very selective in that each enzyme can only
do one specific job. One enzyme cannot do another
enzymes job, so a shortage or absence of just one enzyme
can have a very serious impact on your health.
As you can see, enzymes are an extremely important part
of your diet. How important are they? Enzymes are the
first of the "workers" in your body. They are the
catalyst that allows the minerals and vitamins in your
body to do their job. They are responsible for all
metabolic functions. They are responsible for life
itself.
-------------------------------------------------------
This article written by Ron Harder, Nutritional Health
Consultant, Iridologist, and Author of "How To Defeat
Cancer - Naturally - without Chemo, Radiation, or
Surgery". For more health information please visit his
web site at
www.defeatcancer.ca
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