We have received many questions about the use and need for enzymes. Here's a crash course.
Enzymes are responsible for every chemical reaction in the body, including digestion. Sometimes enzymes can act as catalysts for various functions in the body to speed up or slow down the function.
When talking about digestive enzymes specifically, here is what you need to know:
Our bodies produce some digestive enzymes, but it needs the live enzymes in the foods we eat for proper digestion.
Cooked foods are devoid of necessary enzymes because enzymes die at temperatures of over 112 degrees. People who eat primarily cooked foods are enzyme deficient. Raw foods are also called living foods because all their enzymes are alive. Have you ever seen a piece of fruit mature to the point of getting mushy? That's the live enzymes working on the fruit. It is self-digesting!
When a body is enzyme deficient, the following symptoms will appear: cysts, abnormal fat deposits and leaky gut syndrome (when large intestine leaks blood).
Here are a few videos on enzymes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3vYDhSovXY (Preview)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd6OCqsnrI0 (Preview)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFbPHlhI13g (Preview)
Here is a description of what each of the enzymes do:
Protease - for protein digestion
Amylase - for carbohydrate and starch digestion
Lipase - for digestion of fats and oils
Cellulase - for digestion of dietary fiber
Lactase - for digestion of dairy products
Sucrase - for white sugar digestion
Maltase - for digestion of malt sugars and grains
Pepsin - for protein digestion
Cellulase - for digestion of cellulose and frees nutrients in fruits and vegetables
Invertase - for the digestion of carbohydrates, especially sucrose
Ox bile - for the digestion of fats
Not all brands of multi-enzymes have the same ingredients in them, but if you get the top six, that's good for starters. If you decide to start taking enzymes, make sure that the bottle is labeled plant based or vegan (vegan enzymes will not include ox bile). We take three capsules of the enzymes with each meal, but we recommend that anyone who eats mostly cooked foods takes 6 capsules of enzymes with each meal.
If you are interested in doing a little more studying on this issue, you can start by clicking here.
Click here to see the real-life testimonial of our sister Donna Boelke who gave enzymes to one of her kids, who had a cyst on his throat.