Enzymes- Diet, Disease and Health

Enzymes and Nutrition 

One of the most important improvements one can make to their health, is to simply get enzymes from the food they eat instead of forcing their body to produce them.  Enzymes are the protein based  molecules that do countless processes in the body.  The most important functions of the enzymes available in the food you eat is to break down the food you eat.  In this article we will take a look at why we don't get enough enzymes, why this is important, and how to get more enzymes in ones diet.

Why Aren't We Getting Enzymes in the Food We Eat?

The answer is quite simple.  Enzymes are destroyed by heat, and loss activity over time. Even slight variations of temperature can begin to make changes in enzymes.  When we cook food in a saute pan, microwave, boiling water, or the oven, we can say goodbye to all of the wonderful enzymes that food contained.  This process is known as denaturing, and it is the reason that nearly all Americans have a lack of enzymes in their diets.

So What's the Big Deal About Getting Enzymes from the Food I Eat?

Ah, that's a good question.  If your body can produce the enzymes needed to break down the food you eat, then why should you need to get them from your food?  Your body is not built to handle the amount of enzymes required to break down the foods we eat on a daily basis. Because our bodies are dependable and adaptable it can produce the extra enzymes needed to eat denatured food,  this process is called The Law of Adaptive Secretion.

Although the body can produce these extra enzymes, it does not mean that it is meant too. The long term results of the body needing to produce and store excess enzymes enlarges the liver, and taxes the adrenal glands, the stomach, pancreas and multiple other organs. Lack of enzymes in food causes the bodies organs to wear and prematurely fail.  One of the large reasons people suffer from a larger number of diseases that isn't even present in wild animals, is due to the lack of enzymes in our food.

How Do I Get More Enzymes in the Food I Eat?

By eating more raw foods.  Anything when eaten raw has enzymes in it; fruits, veggies, cheeses, even meat, however remember that even low amounts of  heat kills enzymes.  One great source of enzymes is Wheat grass, nearly all sprouted veggies are a great source of enzymes. Eating fresh vegetables and fruits with every meal can help your body digest your food, which in turn leads to less stressed organs.

In Conclusion 

Everyone knows that a stressed heart or a heart that had to work harder is more likely to encounter problems than one that can do it's job with little effort.  The same goes for all of your organs, and getting proper enzymes is a great way to ease your bodies work load so that it can focus on things like fighting diseases like cancer and basic body up keep.   I believe there are benefits to cooking food especially for the digestion of certain vitamins and minerals, which may be particularly helpful during deficiencies and sickness. For long term health however it is best to "Eat Like an Animal" do it raw... that will be the name of my next article. Have a great day and thanks for reading, keep researching your health and body!
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If you want to learn more about enzymes their is an excellent book called "Enzyme Nutrition -- The Food Enzyme Concept" By Dr. Edward Howell.  This boom was the inspiration for this article.

 I will leave you with a quote from his book-

"The length of life is inversely proportional to the rate of exhaustion of the enzyme potential 

of an organism. The increased use of food enzymes promotes a decreased rate of exhaustion 

of the enzyme potential" 

-Dr. Edward Howell