Enzymes are the spark of life. Without enzymes life wouldn’t exist.
So, what are they actually good for? My answer – absolutely everything!
Think of enzymes as a “spark plug” or the catalyst that initiates all the processes that happen within the human body. Having plenty of digestive enzymes is one of the keys to obtaining optimal health.
Every chemical reaction that takes place within the human body requires them. Without enzymes, no mineral, vitamin, or hormone can do its work. Enzymes are quite literally… the substances that make life possible! They are needed to digest food, run the heart, kidneys, liver, and lungs, and yes, even to think!
Focusing on digestive enzymes can be a game changer, so let’s dive in.
You are what you eat, right? WRONG!!!
I’m sure you’ve heard of the old adage “You are what you eat!”, right?
Well, in actuality, you aren’t JUST what you eat – you’re what your body is able to digest and absorb!
All the healthy food in the world won’t do you much good if your body doesn’t have the enzymes it needs to break it down into smaller nutrients.
Americans eat more over-heated, highly processed foods loaded with salt, sugar, additives, and preservatives today than ever before.
To add insult to injury, much of the food we consume is loaded with chemicals, pesticides and fungicides, which depletes our limited supply of enzymes. This places tremendous burden on our digestive system, including the liver and pancreas. Is it any wonder why so many people are suffering today.
According to nutritional research highly processed foods are detrimental to human health and are implicated in a host of chronic diseases ranging from diabetes to cancer.
One of the most effective ways to improve your health and enhance the quality of life is to reduce your intake of these foods and begin replacing them with fresh foods, still full of their life-giving energy.
What you don’t know can hurt you!
Enzymes contain the “spark of life” and are present in foods in their natural state, but they begin to be destroyed at temperatures above 116° F. It’s for this reason that increasing the amount of fresh or raw foods that you consume is especially important in this age of dead and denatured foods.
When we consume fresh fruits and vegetables, home made fresh juices, and thoroughly chew our foods well, we’re releasing the enzymes contained within those foods which aid in their own digestion.
What you may not know is that each of us is born with a limited supply of bodily enzymes at birth. That’s right! This means, our supply of enzymes, like the supply of energy found within a battery, is limited. Our supply of enzymes has to last us a lifetime!
The more overheated, over-cooked, pre-packaged, pesticide/chemical-laden food you ingest, the faster you use up or deplete your enzyme supply. Not only will it shorten your life but you won’t be operating at full power. You won’t have that “zest” for life and be full of energy.
“Enzymes are also a vital part of the immune system. When they’re not busy digesting food, they travel around the body on housecleaning duty, clearing away dead cells, destroying cancer and tumor cells, bacteria, viruses, regenerating bones, skin, blood, muscles, cells and much more. Since the very act of digestion takes most of our enzymes (upwards of eighty percent and more), you can see how important it is to not only take plant based enzyme supplements, but to eat natural, live, living foods that are fresh and raw and have enough of their own enzymes to basically digest themselves.”- Donna Schwenk / Cultured Food Life
Where to start?
Below are a few tips to help to ensure that you are eating a diet of enzyme-rich foods:
- Eat a good supply of fresh “live” food full of enzymes each and every day!
- When you cook your food, use lower temperatures when possible.
- Unless your diet is at least 50% fresh, raw foods, preferably 75%, you should always take natural, plant based enzymes with every meal.
- Eat a variety of cultured foods each and every day. Incredibly powerful, cultured foods are alive and brimming with an enormous amount of very powerful LIFE-GIVING enzymes and healthy bacteria (probiotics).
- Some people with poor gut health have difficulty with raw foods. If this applies to you, take it slowly. Try warming some of the food or lightly steaming. Better yet, start using cultured foods, espcially kefir, on a daily basis and watch your gut health improve.
- Use filtered or spring water only. Avoid city tap water as it contains chlorine which destroys healthy bacteria and enzymes.
- Magnesium is responsible for the creation of hundreds of enzymes in the body. From immune support to a reducing leg cramps, ensuring better sleep you want to make sure you’re getting enough magnesium. Good sources are using Celtic Sea Salt, taking weekly Epsom salt baths and using magnesium oil.
Eating a variety of cultured foods on a daily basis, not only provides the enzymes but can also supply the body with a tremendous amount of pre- and pro- biotics. Culturing food actually increases the supply of vitamins and minerals, and much more.
However, eating enzyme-rich, cultured food isn’t always a good option when one is away from home or traveling… which is why its important to have access to a high-quality enzyme supplement to take when away from home.
Nature did not make this hard for us… we did!
Want to start living healthier, better lives, and be full of energy?
Then make sure that you’re eating fresh, live food, full of enzymes, and incorporating cultured foods each and every day.
A word of caution though… when adding cultured foods to your diet, start with a small amount, and then slowly increase the amount you ingest each day to give your body a chance to acclimate itself to all the powerful, beneficial organisms contained within.
Your digestive system will thank you! I’m confident that when you make the above changes that it won’t be long before you find you have a healthier digestive system and mental dispostion.
Check out this DELICIOUS recipe… No-Cook Cinnamon Applesauce!
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