The Importance Of Enzymes in Carmichael CA

When we think of nutrition and our diets, we usually think of things such as carbohydrate intake, calories, protein, fats, fiber and all the items usually found on the back of any product. While these are all necessary and important, we tend to neglect one of the most important pieces of the puzzle: Enzymes. Our clinic in Carmichael CA can help you learn more.

Nutrition in Carmichael CA

For most of us, just knowing the true definition of an enzyme may get confusing, let alone the action of an enzyme.

In a few words, Enzymes are properties of all living cells that bring about change. They are specific proteins that are active in every cell of your body that change things into usable forms.

When the activity of an enzyme is disrupted for any reason, it becomes a foreign protein. When this occurs, the body will go into inflammation and the immune system will become suppressed. Our bodies begin the process of attacking this foreign protein, thus causing an autoimmune type condition. So what exactly causes the activity of an enzyme to be disrupted?

• Heating of foods (anything over 118 )
• Drugs or alcohol
• Fluoride
• Food processing
• Canning
• Genetically modified foods (GMO)

The first one is important to most of us because just the act of boiling water reaches levels of 212 F. So we can see how easy it is to lose some nutrients such as the enzymes and vitamins in foods. In general, raw is better than cooked, steamed foods over boiled foods, meats that are rare before well done. The reason is that the more the enzymes remain in the food itself, the less we will have to use our own body's enzyme supply.
Food processing is probably the most common method on how we lose enzymes in food. It has been around for almost 100 years now. Ironically, about 100 years ago there was no such thing as diabetes, cancers were extremely rare, and GERD was just a flock of female sheep (I just made that last part up). Think it's all just a coincidence? This is all for the sake of manufacturers trying to keep their food on the shelf for as long as possible. Food processing today is a highly sophisticated process that does nothing except remove all key enzymes from the product. Not to mention all the chemical additives that is involved.

Staying on the subject of food and drink, how about milk? Remember, pasteurized dairy goes through a superheating process, antibiotics and hormones are added to the cow's diet and the cows are usually in a mineral deficient environment. It does a body good? It's easy to say that most, if not all enzymes are lost through the pasteurization process. Food in general today is not good and we as a society know that. We know that we lead the world in obesity and that 1out of every 2 people will develop cardiovascular disease. But just turn on the TV and you will find that we are inundated by foods and drinks looking amazingly appetizing. What's worse is when companies claim that that their product has less calories or sugar or fat. It's all the same garbage and there can be absolutely no good found in fast food establishments or restaurants. But most people will buy into it because it's convenient, cheap, and yummy (Of course it's yummy, one ton of sugar or salt on anything will make it taste good). In a nutshell, when food is processed, the enzymes are lost. So what happens? Our body has to go into overdrive because now digestion is completely dependent on our own body's enzymes. When our regular diet is packaged and processed, our bodies cannot make enough enzymes to keep up with it.

Physiologically, we have two types of enzymes: Metabolic and Digestive. Let's go over each of them briefly.

With metabolic, we are mainly talking about the operating system of the body, things such as the life of the cell, hormones, nerve distribution, circulatory and liver function, just to name a few. When the body receives nutrients through digestion, it's the metabolic enzymes that put these nutrients into action.

Now with digestive enzymes, we are talking about the breakdown of any foods that is usable for our bodies. When we eat the right foods, such as raw fruits and vegetables, the body does not require a lot of energy to break this food down. However, when we eat a Double Cheeseburger with Super Size Fries and a Large Coke, things change a bit. The body goes into desperate mode in trying to break this garbage down and as a result uses all of its own enzyme supply up over the course of time. When we are 20, 25, maybe 30 years old, we can get away with this. But once we start to age past 40, the body is not so kind to us. By now, all of our important enzymes are depleted away due to the years of abuse that we have put on our bodies.

The more non-digestible foods that our bodies take in, the less enzymes, the more toxic we become. When I say toxic, I mean toxic colon, toxic liver, toxic blood, toxic everything. Toxicity of the blood is no fun. Believe me, when our blood is poisoned, the possibilities are endless as far as the conditions that could pop up. Let's take Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a syndrome that is usually associated with other conditions but, nonetheless, is a problem of its own. When our bodies have habitually taken in all these non-digestible foods and drinks, the sludge that builds up in the intestinal wall needs to get out somehow but because all the primary pathways (liver, pancreas, colon, etc.) are overloaded (see colon section), it gets "leaked" out into the blood due to the intestinal lining weakening. Remember this part: what keeps the circulation going in our bodies are red blood cells, but when this indigestible food ends up in the blood, the red blood cells will clump up and slow things down and eventually deprive our bodies of the needed oxygen. When we are deprived of oxygen, what happens? Of course, we become chronically tired, among many other things (primarily cardiovascular disease).

Let's go on a bit with this… how about allergies. Oh yeah, I forgot, you live in a dry area and every year, no fail, you are supposed to get allergies starting in April and ending in July and as long as you have your Claritin, you can make it through the day. Sound familiar? Am I a total insensitive jerk? Maybe to my wife, but keep in mind here, I am just being realistic in the fact that your allergies keep coming back over and over again. The medications do not work!! Ok yes, they are suppressing the symptoms but how about completely conquering them once and for all and getting to the root of the problem? Have you tried eliminating enzymeless food from your diet? I mean pasteurized dairy, sugar, coke, fast foods, soy, all processed foods, alcohol, smoking, hormone and antibiotic ridden meats. Allergies are usually caused by a reaction to all the undigested foods in your system. Just try it out for 60 days and if you can prove that you still have allergies after eliminating all these poisons from your system, then I will personally treat you to a "special lunch" at the nearest fast food grease pit on Day 61! How's that for confidence!!

Enzymes can also affect the aging process. Here's how: with all these toxins from this rotting food just sitting there, free radicals will form and ultimately destroy the cell membrane, causing it to dehydrate and altering the DNA. Immune function, as we know, is highly important. The immune system is regulated by white blood cells. But again, the white blood cells get "sludged" up due to the undigested foods in our bloodstream, therefore causing a depressed immune system and cell dehydration: premature aging.

Bottom line- after all the organs that are designed to aid in the digestive process (liver, kidneys, colon. etc.) are exhausted by all the poisons they have accumulated, other organs begin and try to help out. But in the process, after trying to rid the toxins, they eventually get diseased themselves. A good example of this is when the kidneys can no longer get rid of the toxins in the blood through the urine, the lungs come in and try to help out. Again, in the process, they begin to secrete the poisons into the mucous membranes and get inflamed themselves. We know the common lung conditions: Asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis and many more. How about the common cold? Wouldn't it make sense that the toxins would also try and be eliminated through the mouth, nose, throat, etc.?

Enzymes are a huge component of our health. This is something at our age that we simply cannot ignore. Now, if our diets are not comprised of at least 80% raw foods (the majority are not), then we need to use an enzyme supplement. A lot of us are told to go on the usual supplements, such as calcium, magnesium, glucosamine, etc. and those are fine, but enzyme supplementation must be a priority. Enzyme activity depends on what's called co-factors, meaning that for the enzymes to do their job properly they need the assistance of vitamins and minerals. Enzymes, vitamins and minerals cannot function solely on their own, they depend on each other to function properly. An enzyme without its co-factors has no enzyme activity whatsoever. Most importantly, it needs to be 100% bioavailable which basically means that it needs to be absorbed at the cellular level. If it is not absorbed at a cellular level, what's the point, right? Also, there must be no metabolic residue. That is, it must aid in the final stage of digestion. If not, then we have some leftover debris in the tract and we know the consequence if that occurs. Lastly, it is essential that the supplement is cultured in whole grain (ex: Aspergillus). These are all key points that most people tend to neglect when they are taking supplements. Just because you are on a daily vitamin regimen doesn't necessarily mean you are addressing all your needs.

Whole food enzyme supplements alone can change your world. Not only are you clearing out the colon but you are detoxifying the blood of all its poisons. If not, chronic inflammation, immune suppression, degeneration, advanced aging, allergies and a slew of other problems will present themselves. If you're serious about getting better, this may be your best starting point.

Better yet, the 60 Day Detoxification Program is probably you're most effective solution if you want optimal results.