Digestive Enzymes – Be Able to Eat Anything Again

I have had digestive problems and stomach pains for as long as I can remember. It wasn’t until I discovered digestive enzymes that I was finally liberated. I can eat almost any food (nuts, ice cream, milk, pizza) now without worrying about the after effects. I do limit fried foods and cheese as a personal preference. And best of all, I haven’t had to take antacids or anti-gas medicines in a very long time!

I meet people all the time who tell me that they have to avoid certain foods like broccoli, pizza, milk, ice cream. How sad is it to go through life and not be able to eat everyday foods?

As we get older, our body produces less digestive enzymes that break down our food for digestion. For some people this happens sooner. And when our body can’t fully digest foods, we end up with undigested foods circulating our bodies. Our body ends up not getting the full nutrients from food for optimal health, resulting in painful indigestion, bloating, gas, and diarrhea.

Raw Foods Vs. Cooked Foods

There is one school of thought, the raw food movement, that believe in eating only raw foods or foods cooked below 104 degrees F. That way, the digestive enzymes that are naturally occurring in foods are not destroyed. They believe that cooked foods are deficient in enzymes. However, I find that I cannot digest raw foods, like carrots on my own without digestive enzyme supplements.

There is another school of thought, Chinese medicine, that do not believe in eating cold foods during certain seasons, such as winter or the week before and during the menstrual cycle. And raw foods like salads are considered “cold foods”. I side more with the Chinese medicine school of thought because it has been around for over 5000 years.

By taking digestive enzymes, we are helping our body digest foods and absorb the vitamins and minerals. According to one of my favorite books, The Detox Solution: The Missing Link to Radiant Health, Abundant Energy, Ideal Weight, and Peace of Mind, incompletely digested foods can lead to intestinal toxicity.

What to Look for in a Digestive Enzyme Supplement:

Protease – breaks down protein

Amylase – breaks down carbohydrates

Lipase – breaks down fats

Lactase – breaks down milk sugar or lactose

Cellulase – breaks down plant fibers

Invertase – breaks down sucrose in cane and beet sugars

Recommended Brand:

Rainbow Light Advanced Enzyme System

Not only is it made from plant sources and vegetarian friendly, but it contains all of the above enzymes and additional ingredients that assist in digestion, such as ginger, turmeric, and peppermint. Take 1 capsule before eating. You can find digestive enzymes at health food stores.

Other popular digestive enzymes include pineapple enzyme (digests protein), Lactaid (digests milk products), and Beano (digests beans). The problem with these enzymes is that they only digest one thing and not the full spectrum like Rainbow Light.

Foods containing enzymes that aid in digestion:

• miso soup
• yogurt
• turmeric
• ginger

If you are skeptical about digestive enzymes, try making your own miso soup and drink it before eating a difficult to digest food. I recommend making your own miso soup as opposed to buying it from a restaurant because most restaurants over boil their miso soup, thereby destroying the useful enzymes. Here is an easy miso soup recipe from my food blog YummySF. Happy eating!

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