There is a lot of talk surrounding digestive enzymes and how important they are to your health. Enzymes are the hard workers in our body that allow everything to function properly and, more importantly, aid in digesting the food we eat. Have you ever gotten that sore feeling in your gut like your food is just sitting there? Well more than likely, you need some enzymes to help get that food digested.
Food -especially fruits and vegetables- is also made up of enzymes, called food enzymes, which also help to digest food. But the problem that we run into is that when food is processed or cooked at high temperatures, the enzymes are killed. Therefore most nutritive properties of the enzymes are lost.
Our body is made up of numerous enzymes, some of which are located in our saliva, which are stimulated when we chew food. The main powerhouse where enzymes are created and stored until further use is the pancreas. When the diet is comprised of mainly high-fat or processed foods, the pancreas is stimulated to work harder to produce the enzymes needed to breakdown the food; therefore the body must work harder to digest the food.
A diet filled with raw fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts with enzymes can allow the pancreas to heal with time. This allows the body to spend its energy on more important processes like boosting the immune system and fighting disease. However, sometimes our body needs a little help. Especially if you are treating yourself to a steak dinner or indulging in your daughter’s birthday cake. A little help from an enzyme supplement could go a long way.
Here is a quick reference list:
- Amylase – breaks down carbohydrates, starches, and sugars which are prevalent in potatoes, fruits, vegetables, and many snack foods
- Lactase – breaks down lactose (milk sugars)
- Diastase – digests vegetable starch
- Sucrase – digests complex sugars and starches
- Maltase – digests monosaccharides (malt sugars)
- Invertase – breaks down sucrose (table sugar)
- Glucoamylase – breaks down starch to glucose
- Alpha-glactosidase – facilitates digestion of beans, legumes, seeds, roots, soy products, and underground stems
- Protease – breaks down proteins found in meats, nuts, eggs, and cheese
- Pepsin – breaks down proteins into peptides
- Peptidase – breaks down small peptide proteins to amino acids
- Trypsin – derived from animal pancreas, breaks down proteins
- Alpha – chymotrypsin, an animal-derived enzyme, breaks down proteins
- Bromelain – derived from pineapple, breaks down a broad spectrum of proteins, effective over very wide pH range
- Papain – derived from raw papaya, broad range of substrates and pH, works well breaking down small and large proteins
- Lipase – breaks down fats found in most dairy products, nuts, oils, and meat
- Cellulase – breaks down cellulose, plant fiber; not found in humans
Isotonix® Digestive Enzyme Formula with Probiotics is an isotonic-capable food supplement that is made from a combination of DigeZyme®, a blend of amylase, protease, cellulase, lactase, and lipase, and Lactospore®, the probiotic Lactobacillus sporogenes, and potassium, magnesium, maltase and sucrase, designed to replenish essential digestive enzymes and probiotics, contributing to good digestive health.*
Remember to take your enzymes after a meal. Your stomach will thank you later.