Digestion

You are only as healthy as your digestive system. People assume when they eat food that it digests and assimilates into their body. Unfortunately, many people have digestion issues, as is evident by the billion dollar a year pharmaceutical remedies for digestive disorders.  Eating the wrong food can be a major contributor to the problems. Improper digestion is often a  big piece of the puzzle. Enzyme deficiency is often the underlying cause.

Enzymes are the spark of life.  Without them life would not exist.  They are the workers that make your body function and the driving force behind virtually every biochemical process that occurs in the body.  There are hundreds of thousands of enzymes active in every organ, tissue and fluid.  They activate our muscles, stimulate our nerves, make our heart beat, keep us breathing, and even help us think.  These complex biochemical substances also convert nutrients from food into our strong healthy bodies.

There are three distinct types of enzymes:

Food enzymes, which are contained in all raw food.

Digestive enzymes, which are secreted by the body to digest food.

Metabolic enzymes, which run other biochemical processes.

There are four main types of food enzymes:

Protease, which breaks down protein.

Amylase, which breaks down carbohydrates.

Lipase, which breaks down fats.

Cellulase, which break down fiber.

Plant enzymes bring the plant to maturity or ripeness then later break down and digest itself, which is the rotting process.  All raw foods contain just the right amount of just the right type of enzyme to digest itself.  The body is provided with enzymes every time raw food is eaten.  Raw foods are predigested in the stomach before moving on to the next step in the process.

Nature provided enzymes in raw foods so that our body’s enzymes do not have to do all the work. Enzymes are heat sensitive and destroyed by temperatures over 118 degrees, microwaves, and irradiation.  Food enzymes are a natural and important component in our food supply, yet they are systematically removed to extend shelf-life.

While shelf-life is necessary in our modern society, enzymes must be replaced, just as vitamins and minerals are.  For example, when milk is pasteurized it depletes the vitamin A and D content as well as enzymes.  The vitamins are added back in, but the enzymes are not.  Enzymes are the construction workers of the body.  Protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals are simply the building materials.

Digesting food is one of the most energy consuming tasks performed by the human body.  When food enzymes are missing the body is forced to produce all of the enzymes necessary for digestion.  This puts stress on the organs of digestion, which is why we often feel tired after eating.  Over time the body can’t keep up and it then takes enzymes from the metabolic processes, robbing other organs and systems and weakening them.

To have a healthy body we must digest, assimilate (take the nutrients into the cells), and eliminate properly.  Over time our digestion becomes weak due to enzyme deficiencies and digestion slows down.  We cannot get the nutrients from our food and the food literally ferments and rots in the digestive tract.  Toxins are absorbed into the body and the body attempts to deal with it.  The liver becomes overwhelmed and cannot keep up with the hundreds of other functions it is responsible for.  The immune system becomes overburdened and weak, it cannot keep up with all it’s other important work.  This is the cause of many diseases and illnesses.

Consumers spend over 80 billion dollars each year to relieve heartburn, excess acid, bloating, and other symptoms of indigestion.  Fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, gas, headaches, colon problems, hardening of the arteries and high cholesterol are just a few of the conditions that stem from a shortage of enzymes. All of these symptoms can be attributed to poor digestion.

If allowed to progress chronic degenerative disease may become evident years later.  If you are showing any of these signs you may already be enzyme deficient.

To avoid enzyme deficiencies eat as many  raw, organic fruits and vegetables as possible.  Taking a high quality digestive enzyme with every cooked meal reduces stress on the digestive organs and is essential for optimal health.

Enzyme nutrition is the art and science of using nutrition to maintain homeostasis and health in the body.  It works with the body’s innate intelligence to bring the body to optimal health using whole foods that contain protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and enzymes rather than trying to manipulate it by using chemical compounds that produce side effects.

We use proven and time-honored standards to nutritionally support the body.  We recognize that the best sources of nutrients are not concentrated chemical compounds but whole foods with contents that act synergistically when properly digested and assimilated.

We proudly carry Enzyme Solutions digestive enzymes and herbal dietary supplements.  We have been working with and taking these formulas for over a decade.

“Why do enzyme supplements work? Because they replace what belongs in our food in the first place.”

Howard F. Loomis, Jr., DC