Food Freedom Friday Edition 246 - Digestive Enzymes

There is a little more nuance to the famous phrase, “You are what you eat,” in that, in essence, “You are what you digest and absorb!”  Without the support of adequate and optimal digestion of your food you can eat all the nutrient-rich foods in the world, and your body will simply fail miserable in reaping the full benefits. One of the components of a well-functioning digestive system are your digestive enzymes. 

Enzymes are essential for healthy digestion and a healthy body. They work with other chemicals in the body, such as stomach acid and bile, to help break down food into molecules for a wide range of bodily functions. Carbohydrates, for instance, are needed for energy, while protein is necessary to build and repair muscle, among other functions. But they must be converted into forms that can be absorbed and utilized by your body.

Complete digestion, or “food processing” is a four-stage process consisting of ingestion, digestion, absorption, and elimination. It is important to understand these processes to see where and how digestive enzymes factor into the equation, and why it is so important to ensure you have optimal amounts in your system.

Although it might be common to suggest your digestive process begins with ingestion or putting food into your mouth, it can actually begin before that! This is due to the fact that you can begin salivating from simply the thought or smell of food!

The second stage of food processing is referred to asdigestion.” This is the physical and chemical breakdown of food, which occurs when you start chewing. Your mouth’s salivary glands, your stomach, and your pancreas secrete acids and chemicals called enzymes. 

These digestive enzymes break down your food at a molecular level to allow particles such as proteins, carbohydrates, and fats to be processed, and the nutrients absorbed into your bloodstream. 

One of the most important stomach acids is hydrochloric acid, commonly referred to as HCL. HCL assists in the breakdown of protein into constituent amino acids and supports maximum calcium, magnesium, iron, and other mineral absorption. It also helps maintain a healthy gastrointestinal microbe balance.

Low or insufficient stomach acid is one of the most common causes of poor and sluggish digestion. The effects can be felt throughout the digestive tract and can impact every part of the process. Many people take apple cider vinegar to help increase and/or support their acid levels.

The third stage of the digestive process is absorption. This occurs in your small intestine, which continues the process of breaking down food by using enzymes released by the pancreas and bile made in the liver and stored and released from the gallbladder. Your intestines then distribute nutrients to your bloodstream to be carried to all the cells in your body.

Elimination, the final stage of digestion, is the excretion of excess solid waste material. This is facilitated by gastrointestinal (GI) motility, the movement of the digestive system and the transfer of the waste within it.

Without sufficient digestive enzymes, your body cannot break down the protein, carbohydrates, and fats you eat. These powerful digestive chemicals deserve some closer attention.

What Are Digestive Enzymes?

There are several types of digestive enzymes, each with its own a distinctive role. All digestive enzymes are considered hydrolases, meaning they use water molecules to break food down into its basic building blocks.

Digestive enzymes come in many forms. There are protein-digesting enzymes, enzymes that digest starch and carbohydrates, as well as enzymes that digest fat. The main digestive enzymes include:

·       Amylase: Found in saliva, pancreatic and stomach juices, it breaks down carbs and starches into simple sugars

·       Lipase: A digestive enzyme in the stomach and pancreas that breaks down lipids (fats) into fatty acids and glycerol

·       Protease: Found in the stomach, pancreas, and intestine, it breaks down protein into amino acids

·    Lactase: Breaks down lactose, a natural sugar in milk, into the two simple sugars glucose and galactose

·       Maltase: Breaks down malt sugar into glucose

·       Sucrase: Breaks down sugar into glucose and fructose

The body does not produce digestive enzymes that break down plant cell walls such as cellulose, pectins, and resistant starches. These plant cell walls are fiber, an indigestible substance. Even though fiber does not supply the body with any nutrients, it is still beneficial. Fiber passes through your colon where it feeds good bacteria, contributes to fecal bulk, moves water into the stool and helps move waste out.

Importance of Digestive Enzymes

Remembering that not only are you the product of what you eat, but you are what you digest and absorb, you need a full range of nutrient-dense foods along with the digestive enzymes to process them into what your body can actually use for energy. Digestive enzymes can support weight loss, the immune system, and a healthy inflammatory response. 

They can also help some of the many people who simply stop making lactose. Hence the infamous “lactose intolerance” epidemic. Dairy is not an ideal food for everyone for a multiple of reasons making supplementing with a lactase enzyme not suitable for everyone struggling to digest dairy. However, a lack of other enzymes can really cause problems with the digestion of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.

If you have diabetes, for example, a lack of digestive enzymes can contribute to blood sugar spikes. Diabetes can cause an impairment in the metabolism of sugars, and it has also been associated with abnormal metabolism of fats and proteins. 

It is further of relevance to note that digestive enzyme production weakens with age. This impacts the health of your entire digestive tract, and becomes a limiting factor with regards to the nutrients you are able to absorb and utilize. 

Employing a broad-spectrum digestive enzyme can not only help ensure you don’t experience gastric distress from the food you eat, no matter what your age, it can also help ensure you optimally absorb and utilize the valuable vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients the nutrient dense foods you are choosing to eat contain.

A few signs that indicating you may not be digesting food properly include:

·       Bulky, foul-smelling stools

·       Feeling full, even if you haven’t overeaten

·       Gas, bloating, or flatulence

·       Heartburn or burping

·       Lack of energy

·       Undigested food in stool

·       Weight loss even while eating an optimal diet

Optimizing Your Digestion

If you suspect you might have a digestion and/or absorption issue, there are a few supportive measures you can begin to implement:

·       Add a well-formulated, high quality, broad spectrum digestive enzyme to your daily routine

·       Avoid drinking water with meals, as this can further dilute your gastric juices

·       Chew well and eat slowly

·       Consume fiber-rich vegetables and low sugar, fiber-rich fruits

·       Avoid eating late at night

·       Skip processed foods

In conclusion, digestive enzymes are very important and optimal digestive function depends on their presence and effective interaction with food you eat each and every day. When eating in a relaxed state and chewing food thoroughly is not sufficient, combining the proper application of digestive enzymes to promote the full breakdown of food can yield powerful long-term results for both the young and old. It is important to support your journey to optimal health by improving your digestion so that you can absorb all the nutrients in your food.