Enzyme Nutrition

We like to think that ‘we are what we eat’ but unfortunately it is not quite as simple as that.  In fact, it should be ‘we are what we can digest and absorb’.  Food can only be used beneficially by the body if it has been pre-prepared so that the body can absorb it  well.  This preparation is done by enzymes.  These are chemical compounds that digest the food and break it down into smaller particles that can be utilised by the body.  Enzymes also benefit the digestive system by binding to free oxygen particles in the large intestine, this helps to reduce fermentation and putrefaction in the intestines, a factor linked to colon cancer.

Good ‘enzyme health’ is as important to good health as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemcials.  In fact, if your enzyme health is poor, having copious amounts of vitamins and minerals is pointless, as they will not be absorbed without the enzymes.  Enzymes come into contact with food in 3 main ways.  Firstly, our body produces enzymes.  Every day, 10 litres of digestive juices (full of enzymes) are released into various sections of the digestive tract. Secondly, they are found naturally in foods, for example pineapple is full of bromelain and papaya has papain, both of which are great at digesting protein.  Raw foods are particularly high in enzymes, and even higher again if eaten fresh from the ground.  And thirdly, man has realised the benefits of enzymes for centuries and has been adding them to foods before eating them, so that they are partially pre-digested.  Foods in this category are fermented and aged foods.

For a body to make these enzymes it needs nutrients.  If you become nutrient-deficient, enzyme deficiency soon follows.  This in turn means you will not be able to absorb nutrients well so you become even more nutrient deficient and so on.

Once a plant is picked, or an animal killed, a grain split or milk homogenised, it begins to loose essential life force.  Transporting foods over long distances diminished their life-giving capacity.  Processed foods often statistically contain the same nutrients as fresh or homemade foods but we know instinctively that they aren’t quite the same.  In fact they are enzyme-deficient.  If your food doesn’t contain enzymes your body works overtime to make them.  Therefore it has less energy for other processes.

If you are wondering where to go from here to increase your ‘enzyme health’ the following is what I recommend.  Have plenty of local, organic, fresh fruit and raw vegetables daily.  Eat vegetables of many different colours.  Eat foods whole rather than refined or processed.  Buy fresh foods little and often so that they are at their freshest.  And hopefully 2007 will be a good ‘enzyme’ year for you!  Happy New Year!