Digestion and Enzymes
Most raw food, like our bodies, is very perishable. When raw
foods are exposed to temperatures above 116 degrees, they start
to rapidly break down, just as our bodies would if we had a
fever that high. One of the constituents of foods which can
break down are enzymes. Enzymes help us digest our food. Enzymes
are proteins though, and they have a very specific 3-dimensional
structure in space. Once they are heated much above 118 degrees,
this structure can change.
Once enzymes are exposed to heat, they are no longer able to
provide the function for which they were designed. Cooked foods
contribute to chronic illness, because their enzyme content is
damaged and thus requires us to make our own enzymes to process
the food. The digestion of cooked food uses valuable metabolic
enzymes in order to help digest your food. Digestion of cooked
food demands much more energy than the digestion of raw food. In
general, raw food is much more easily digested that it passes
through the digestive tract in 1/2 to 1/3 of the time it takes
for cooked food.
Eating enzyme-dead foods places a burden on your pancreas and
other organs and overworks them, which eventually exhausts these
organs. Many people gradually impair their pancreas and
progressively lose the ability to digest their food after a
lifetime of ingesting processed foods.
Lack of digestive enzymes can be a factor in food allergies.
Symptoms of digestive enzymes depletion are bloating, belching,
gas, bowel disorders, abdominal cramping, heartburn and food
allergies.
Digestive enzymes are proteins specially tailored to break down
foods into nutrients that your body can then readily digest. The
human body produces some 22 different digestive enzymes. Many
more are found in the fruits, vegetables, meats, grains, and
other foods.
When you eat a meal, digestive enzymes that are released from
your salivary glands, stomach, and small intestine immediately
get to work to speed up the digestive process. Each enzyme acts
on a specific type of food.
Bromelain
Derived from the stems of pineapple, it is known for its healing
and anti-inflammatory properties. This natural digestive enzyme
may also be helpful as a diet aid. Pineapples have had a long
tradition as a medicinal plant among the natives of South and
Central America.
DGL (Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice Root)
A natural antacid, where the glycirrhizinic acid component of
the root has been removed. DGL may stimulate our bodies defense
mechanisms resulting in improved quality of mucous, lengthening
of intestinal cell life and enhanced microcirculation in the
gastrointestinal lining.
Papaya
A tropical fruit containing active enzymes that help improve
digestive and metabolic functions. Derived from the fruit, inner
bark and stems, Papaya Enzymes contain a high concentration of
papain, a protein-digesting enzyme that quickly metabolizes the
protein in foods.