One important thing that most people do not consider is eating their food uncooked. Unfortunately we are aware that over 90% of the foods purchased by Americans are processed foods and when we are selecting and choosing these types of foods it is no wonder that we are having epidemic and chronic diseases; that is exactly what you would expect. So ideally we are going to want to have unprocessed foods; typically organically, biodynamicaly and locally harvested foods. But even if you chose those foods the challenge is that if you cook them then you destroy most of the nutrition in them, therefore it is ideally to strive to have ample amounts of raw foods in your diet. You are going to want to strive to make raw foods 85% of your diet selection for a number of different reasons. One of the primary reasons is due to what is called biophotons. You may not be familiar with this term, but in Europe (specifically Germany) there is a lot of research around this area. BioPhotons are typically energy or photons that are transferred from the sun into biological forms, and plants are typically one of the places they are stored. This means that when you eat a raw vegetable or plant you are going to transfer these photons into your body, but when you heat the food you destroy these photons and you lose this transfer or energy.
One of the other damages you cause when cooking your foods is that you damage the enzymes. Enzymes are proteins; they are catalyst that help speed up reactions in your body. They can speed up to a million times or more, and sometimes these reactions never even occur if the essential enzymes are not present. It has been shown that the human body contains over 1300 different enzymes. One of the ways proven that you can speed up the production of enzymes in the body is simply by chewing your food. You have probably heard that many times, but when you chew your food there is actually a signal that goes from your brain to your stomach that tells it to increase the production of the enzymes. This is one of the primary reasons that you do not want to chew gum. Your body will send a false signal for the release of enzymes when you do not need them and therefore you end up wasting your enzyme production. This is a problem because research suggest that as we age our body loses the ability to produce enzymes. Recent research suggest that by the age of 40 we lose 1/3 of our body’s ability to produce enzymes.
It is also wise to note that if your body does not break down and absorb nutrients optimally, the effects can go far beyond the occasional abdominal discomfort you will naturally feel. Surprisingly, recent studies suggest a healthy digestive system is at the root of all health. That’s logical — your digestive tract is the basic source of the nourishment that every cell in your body needs. You want to ensure that you are eating the healthiest, most nutritious diet possible. But if your stomach and intestines aren’t working efficiently, even the perfect diet won’t do much for your health. You just simply will not be able to optimally extract and absorb the chemical building blocks your body depends on. To help your digestive tract do its important job, you’ve got to understand some of the chemical science that goes on inside your stomach and small intestine.
It goes without saying that most people have experienced with strategies to deal with less-than-optimal digestion. They eat plenty of fiber, drink enough water, and consume lots of fresh vegetables. Yet they still experience the discomfort of improper digestion. These are healthy dietary habits, so by no means are we recommending you stop them. But you may need a little extra help. Perhaps the issue is your supply of digestive enzymes. You need the correct supply of digestive enzymes to process food as it passes through your intestines. Here’s how they work:
The food you put into your mouth is a complex mixture of large organic molecules called macromolecules. There are fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, along with vitamins, minerals, and other components. To absorb these nutrients into your bloodstream, you’ve got to break these large molecules down into smaller bits. Fortunately, our body’s have evolved sophisticated chemical engineering to accomplish just that. While you are eating, digestive enzymes are being rushed into your small intestine (from your liver, pancreas, and gall bladder) to break down the large macromolecules into easily absorbable smaller pieces. These digestive enzymes are specialized proteins, each designed to break apart a specific type of molecule in your food. So let’s take a look at the enzymes and what they each break down:
- Lipases — to break down fat
- Amylases — to break down large carbohydrate chains
- Proteases (also called proteolytic enzymes) — to break down protein
It has been noted that the liver, pancreas, and gall bladder contribute other useful helper molecules as well. Digestive enzymes are naturally produced within your body. But sadly, there are far too many people whose enzyme stores become depleted for one reason or another. Then you can’t digest your food optimally. The cycle of occasional bloating, indigestion, and other minor digestive issues begins. Many people are now finding it beneficial to use enzyme supplementation as they age. The problem many people run into is finding a large amount of enzymes to select from. Ideally you are going to want to choose a high quality enzyme supplement as well as one that has the right combination of enzymes as stated above.
The high-quality digestive aid you’re looking for should have these characteristics:
- It should contain a mixture of different types of enzymes, to help digest all the components of your diet
- Lipases for fats
- Proteases for proteins
- Amylases for carbohydrates
- It should contain the right amount of each ingredient without over-riding your body’s own digestive efforts
- The ingredients should be all-natural, and of the highest quality
- The product should be labeled to tell you the actual enzymatic strength of each ingredient, not just its weight
- You should be able to obtain the product at a reasonable cost relative to the high quality
- The supplement should be manufactured by a top-notch company, with excellent quality control and consistent potency
This last point is worth exploring in more detail. If you don’t have confidence in the company that’s making your supplements, how can you trust them with your health, but this applies to any supplementation choice that you make in your life. Trust your source!
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