Digestive Enzymes: The Unsung Heroes of Health

It's essential to eat healthily, but the real question is, what is our body able to absorb?

Digestive enzymes are the key to good absorption. Their role is to help break down food into its basic components, enabling proper absorption in the intestines. The pancreas not only balances sugar levels and secretes insulin but also has another critical role – the production and secretion of digestive enzymes, which are added to digest food before it moves to the small intestine.

When the pancreas weakens and enzyme production is damaged, the entire digestive chain suffers, leading to absorption issues and nutritional deficiencies.

The initial food breakdown occurs in the mouth, where enzymes are secreted by the salivary glands. Therefore, it's important to chew well and mix food with enzymes. From there, food travels through the digestive system, which contains enzymes throughout, ensuring maximum absorption.

When we consume food that is heavily processed, preserved, dried, or frozen, digestive enzymes are destroyed, and the body works hard to produce them. Lack of enzymes can lead to a slow metabolism, contributing to weight gain. Essentially, a lack of enzymes hinders the body's ability to absorb nutrients. As we age, the body's basic ability to produce enzymes declines, making vitamin and mineral absorption more difficult.

The body can produce digestive enzymes when we don't interfere with industrial, waste-laden foods that impede this remarkable ability.

Some foods are rich in enzymes that assist in digestion and absorption. To ensure sufficient digestive enzymes, it's important to consume fresh fruits and vegetables, and it's recommended to diversify types to increase enzyme varieties.

Pineapple is a delicious fruit, rich in "bromelain," a powerful enzyme for breaking down proteins. It's a fruit that can be eaten during meals, especially protein-rich ones – with chicken, fish, or meat. Bromelain helps with better protein absorption and eases digestion.

Papaya is rich in "papain," an effective enzyme for breaking down fats and proteins, which is a great addition to the diet, particularly for a weak stomach.

Additionally, it is advisable to add unpasteurized fermented or pickled vegetables, sprouts of all kinds – variety is key – and flax seeds to the daily diet, and always remember to eat in moderation and not overindulge.