The Root of so many Diseases: Poor Digestion

(original credit for image unknown)

Cooked and processed foods are perhaps the single most detrimental deterrent to optimal health. That’s a pretty bold statement when you consider the many health hazards we deal with on a daily basis, but it’s not an exaggeration. Enzymes are minute protein molecules found naturally in food. They serve as catalysts that make it possible for the chemical reactions that digest our food and break it down to useable, absorbable nutrients. Enzymes are the life force found in foods and then transferred to our bodies to keep every system functioning optimally. Problems arise because most of the foods we eat are enzyme-deficient. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 118ºF or above. This means that almost any kind of food preparation method destroys enzymes. Anytime you cook, microwave, fry, bake, grill or otherwise process your foods, you subject yourself to the dangerous consequences of eating enzyme-deficient foods. Mother Nature must have known we wouldn’t eat all of our foods raw, so our bodies do have a backup supply of digestive enzymes. However, that supply is limited. Depleting it places undue stress on the body. In other words, we force our bodies to work harder than necessary. When these resources are commandeered to accomplish digestion, they aren’t readily available to do other things, such as warding off disease or delaying the aging process or burning stored body fat. Eating cooked and processed foods can lead to frequent sickness, premature aging, increased body fatstorage, and countless other problems. Cooked and processed foods are so hard on the body that they actually bring on a condition called digestive leucocytosis. This means the body considers cooked food to be a foreign substance, an unwanted invader and eating cooked food causes the white blood cell count to rise just as it does when sick or reacting to poison. Further, if enzymes are not present in food, not only is the body overtaxed, but food is often only partially digested. This causes additional problems, including allergies, lethargy and deadly plaque build-up in blood vessels. Eventually, you become unable to digest certain foods at all. For example, if you were to use up your supply of lactase enzymes (from eating enzyme-deficient milk products) you would become lactose intolerant. While all this is happening, the body is trying to compensate in yet another way: by pulling from its supply of metabolic enzymes. These enzymes can be called upon to facilitate digestion, but their primary purpose is to run other processes. It is not a good thing to commandeer enzymes that are supposed to regulate the heart, lungs, or kidneys instead. However, that is exactly what happens. The body places a priority on digestion and goes to great lengths to do whatever is necessary to make sure foods are properly broken down and assimilated. Some experts recognize the extreme toll this takes on the body. They believe enzyme deficiency is a factor in all disease and even determines lifespan. Dr. Edward Howell, who studied enzyme nutrition for over 50 years, wrote:

Initially, the body may react to enzyme deficiency with what we call “indigestion.” Minor discomforts of burping, heartburn, abdominal pain and bad breath, as well as excess gas, skin problems, diarrhea, constipation and more can be linked to consuming foods devoid of enzymes. Headaches, mental fatigue, nervousness, lack of concentration, memory loss, insomnia and nightmares can all result when the body doesn’t have enzymes readily available in food. It also interferes with hormone production, inhibits cellular repair and causes chronic digestive problems. (These type of problems are common. One in thirteen hospitalizations are a result of chronic digestive disorders.) There is an ironic twist to this whole scenario. When most people experience the first signs of indigestion, they have no idea that those signs are tied to enzyme deficiency and are a signal that digestion is compromised. Rather than looking for a way to promote digestion and make sure the burden is removed, most people interfere with the process by taking antacids or acid blockers, which stop the digestive process in its tracks. While this may dissuade the symptoms, it doesn’t solve the problem, and is detrimental to overall health and wellbeing. The need for restoring the body’s enzyme supply is unquestionable. Taking supplemental enzymes preserves the body’s own stores. Many people who take an enzyme supplement notice that they aren’t lethargic or sleepy after a meal, the discomfort of indigestion is gone and, for many, food allergies disappear. Enzyme supplementation has been shown to alleviate mild, and even severe or chronic digestive disorders. Many people who may not have noticeable digestive problems but who understand the benefits of enzymes say they take enzyme supplements as a way to ward off the aging process, bolster the immune system and protect themselves from the incredible toll cooked and processed foods can place on the body. In today’s world, it is virtually impossible to eat a diet of only raw foods. If you—or any other individual who has lived on the typical North American diet—were even to start doing that today you still need a way to restore the severely depleted enzymes if you are to experience optimal health. Along with changing your diet and adding more raw foods, the best way to preserve your body’s vital enzyme supply is by taking an enzyme supplement each time you eat cooked or processed food.

Optimal 1 Digestion is the only formula on the market that contains all of the nutrients essential for every stage of digestion. Research shows that if your food is not digested properly, the side effects range from bloating, lactose intolerance, stomach discomfort, gas, indigestion, heartburn, acid reflux, allergies, skin problems, some kinds of cancer, fatigue, and premature aging. Other products, such as antacids and acid blockers, only stop digestion and interfere with the absorption of nutrients. Contains Key Enzymes: Amylase DU (Alpha-amylase Dextrinizing Units) Protease I HUT (Hemoglobin Unit Tyrosine based) Protease II PU (Protease Unit) Peptidase SEU (Specialty Enzyme Unit*) Lipase LU (Lipase Unit) Invertase InvU (Invertase Activity Unit) Cellulase CU (Cellulase Unit) Lactase LacU (Lactase Unit) Maltase ºDP (degree Diastatic Power) HemiSeb HCU (Hemicellulase Complex Unit) *Specialty Enzyme classification.