Digestive Enzymes are catalysts which break down food into its basic components   by #56153   19 year

What are digestive enzymes?

Digestive Enzymes are catalysts which break down food into its basic components so our bodies can absorb the nutrients they require to build cells, tissues and organs.

Where do they come from?

Digestive enzymes come from two sources: internal and external. Internally, the digestive system secretes the enzymes found in saliva, the stomach, pancreas and intestines. Externally, raw food is the primary source. Nature endows all food with the enzymes required for its digestion. Chewing raw food releases these enzymes and digestion begins. our own enzymes assist in this process.

Why don't we have enough?

Caffeine, alcohol, illness, pregnancy, stress, severe weather and exercise all take their toll on our enzyme reserves. Our bodies also produce less as we age. But, the main reason we don't digest food well is due to the processed food in our diets. Our diets don't contain as much raw food as they once did, and modern food processing techniques and cooking destroy nearly 100% of the enzymes naturally present in food. Even raw food doesn't contain as many enzymes as it once did due to environmental factors, depleted soil, and preservation techniques. The body tries to compensate by producing more internal digestive enzymes to make up for the lack of external plant enzymes.

What can go wrong?

Enzyme-deficient food puts a burden on the digestive system that it wasn't designed to handle. Incomplete digestion can lead to poor nutrient absorption, fatigue, digestive upset, food allergies , and other health conditions. Partially digested food particles escaping from the gut can cause an immune response, flogging the immune system. The body may also "steal" enzymes from the immune system, compromising it even further.

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