The Good Stuff Nutrition Series: Enzymes... Let's Break it Down!
- TheGoodStuffHippieBus
- Sep 2, 2023
- 3 min read
Sometimes I crack myself up! If you’re not sure what’s funny... keep reading.
You’ve likely heard it said, “You are what you eat”, but there’s a mighty important caveat that goes with that. Your body has to be able to extract the nutrients from that food or it’s all for naught! Even though eating can be quite enjoyable, its main purpose is to fuel the seemingly countless processes that keep us functioning day to day.
Step 1 to making the most of your food is to eat nutrient dense, organic foods. Yes, it really does matter! That’s a whole other blog entry though, so you’ll just have to trust me for now.
Step 2 is... ready for it?... ‘Breaking that food down’ into nutrients that can be utilized and assimilated, which is essentially a fancy way of saying absorbed. Thus, you are what you absorb!
Enzymes are the little workers that jump on it and break it down. (wow... I am on fire with the song references tonight! Oh, there’s another one... this girl is on fiyah!) LOL
Okay, enzymes... as I was saying, enzymes are critical to the absorption of nutrients from our food and are supportive of subsequent chemical reactions in the body. I was doing some reading about vitamins and how different enzymes can instigate various responses. I’m not gonna lie... a lot of it was over my head, but I got the main takeaway: things don’t work right without them, and we can quickly find ourselves in a malnourished state.
There are 3 categories of enzymes:
- Protease breaks down proteins. HCl (stomach acid) is also vital for this process. It decreases as we age, so it’s not uncommon for older people to need to supplement with Betaine HCl and Pepsin (a protease). Sometimes it can be as simple as drinking a little apple cider vinegar before you eat to maintain the acidic environment in your stomach. (Fun fact... ACV will do way more for acid reflux than Tums or Prilosec ever thought of! In fact, do yourself a favor and stay far away from those.)
- Lipase breaks down fats. Okay, listen up non-gall bladder people! That gall bladder was responsible for the bile that helped you digest fat. Now that it’s gone, you will save yourself a lot of digestive discomfort by including ox bile and lipase in your meal routine. Take it at the beginning for best results. I gave this tip to my dad after he had his removed a while back and that’s one of many reasons I’m his favorite child. ;)
- Amylase breaks down carbohydrates. It is present in saliva, so it is the first enzyme on the scene to get the party started (let’s get it started – Hah! Let’s get it started in here... dance party with the amylase!) Salivary amylase is neutralized by stomach acid, but not to worry! Gastric amylase is there to take over and make sure the party continues. (Oh my... I just had a visual of the hand off: Party on Wayne! Party on Gastric-Garth!)
The body does naturally make enzymes, mostly in the pancreas, but some foods also come equipped with them: avocado, bananas, ginger, honey, mango, papaya, pineapple, sauerkraut, kefir and kiwi.
The production of enzymes decreases as we age, so if you or a loved one are experiencing some digestive distress that goes beyond apple cider vinegar, give a quality enzyme supplement a try and see how you feel after a solid 28-day run. Even without the age factor, some people have trouble with dairy and/or beans and legumes. I’m not a fan of dairy, but if it’s something you’re not willing to forego, lactase (Lactaid) will help. Beans on the other hand... love ‘em! Sadly, they don’t love me back. I’ve heard of Beano before but never tried it. It is the enzyme Alpha-Galactosidase. Guess what I’m going to get next time I’m at the store?
What’s the takeaway for today? Enzymes are busy little proteins that break down our food into nutrients we can absorb... and they like to party. Work hard, play hard!
Peace, love and health, (and party on) friends!
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