A key lesson from Nature is that everything is inter-connected and inter-dependent. In the natural stream of life, events happen almost effortlessly when the right conditions are present. A key question however arises: how exactly is life-producing energy made available to each cell in the body? Is there any activity that can enhance the ability to produce more energy with less resources? An important clue might lie in understanding the role played by over 50,000 enzymes. Enzymes make life happen. These catalysts enable metabolic reactions to take place at far lower energy thresholds. Without adequate enzymes, none of the vital functions in the body would happen. Indeed, enzymes are critical for making nutrients available to every cell, and in exchange carry away toxins and waste materials! All the minerals and vitamins we eat, and all the hormones our body produces, need enzymes in order to work properly. Each enzyme plays a very specific role. Enzymes enable a series of sequential interactions. As a catalyst enzymes make the right conditions available for digestion and effective metabolism. Enzymes impact energy production, absorption of oxygen, hormone regulation, and help fight infections, heal wounds, and break down proteins and fats. Most important is their role in reducing a root issue like inflammation (which progressively leads to all the major chronic life-threatening diseases). Another important angle is the role played in strengthening our gut - the birthplace of our immune system, by controlling pathogens. It is not surprising that the incidence of most inherited metabolic diseases can be attributed to a faulty gene that either does not produce a specific enzyme at all, or does so in an ineffective manner.
Dr. Edward Howell spent his entire professional life studying enzymes and can be credited with catalysing enzyme research. He went as far as saying that a person’s life span is directly related to the exhaustion of his/her enzyme potential. Digestive enzymes are produced in the pancreas, the stomach and the salivary glands, and are present in all the raw foods that we eat. In addition, many foods contain an abundance of antioxidant enzymes. When Digestive Enzymes from natural foods are deficient, our body resorts to putting the pancreas and other glands into ‘over-drive’, to help with the digestion of food, thus depleting the essential reserves of metabolic enzymes required by each cell for energy production and reproduction. Conversely, adequate consumption of enzyme-rich foods can decrease that rate of exhaustion, resulting in a longer, healthier and more vital life. The more raw foods we eat, the less burden we put on the body to produce the enzymes it needs. Ideally, we should get 75 percent of our Digestive Enzymes from food. There are eight main types, and all their names end with ‘ase’. For example, Protease - for digesting protein, Amylase - for carbohydrates, Lipase - for fats, Lactase - for milk, etc. Together with proper chewing, choosing of organic, natural and minimally cooked foods ensures that the food we eat enters our stomach laced with Digestive Enzymes. This ‘pre-digestion’ makes it easy for the stomach and subsequently for the small intestines to finish the job of digestion, of extracting all the nutrients and making them available to each cell in the body.
Tip of the Week
Enzyme deficiency can be aggravated by over-cooking food or by excessive reliance on heavily processed foods. Indulging in over-eating can further burden the body’s ability to produce enzymes. Age plays its own role. By middle age, most of us lose 25% of the enzyme capacity we had as children; and by 70 we could be producing as little as one-third of what we need. The best ways to naturally increase enzyme levels are to increase the proportion (ideally to over 75%) of raw, living foods in the diet, to minimise consumption of liquids along with our meals and to chew food thoroughly. Consuming fewer calories can be helpful, as on an average 80% of available energy is spent simply in digesting food. Supplementation can be considered – ideally with plant-based enzyme formulations that should be taken just before a meal. As the demand on the pancreas to produce Digestive Enzymes goes down, it allows the body to divert more of its energy into producing Metabolic Enzymes. In parallel, we can reduce the load on the liver and decongest the bile and pancreatic ducts. Raw beets, leafy greens, cinnamon and the drinking of Fenugreek Tea can help improve the bile flow.
Nature’s Wonder Foods of the Week: Enzyme Rich Foods
While all raw foods contain enzymes, the most powerful enzyme-rich foods are those that are sprouted (seeds and legumes). Besides sprouts, other enzyme-rich foods include:
- unpasteurised, fermented, biogenic foods like miso, apple cider vinegar, natural yogurts, sauerkraut and unpasteurized honey
- papaya fruit, seeds & leaves and pineapple fruit, raw figs, bananas, avocados, grapes, kiwi fruit, mangoes and dates
- fresh Aloe Vera juice or gel, artichoke extract (cynara scolymus), extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil
- raw meat and dairy.
For Education purposes only; always consult a Healthcare Practitioner for medical conditions
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