I often rejoice in the magnificence of nature. When I discovered the nature of enzymes, it was an epiphany. It was one of many epiphanies on this journey of understanding how life keeps expanding. I felt that I had found a secret.
The Skinny on Enzymes
Enzymes act as catalysts for proper food digestion and assimilation.
At birth, each human receives a limited amount of digestive enzymes. Once gone, they’re gone; food enzymes must then be supplied from the outside.
Each plant contains food enzymes, the precise enzymes needed for proper human digestion of that food, if the plant is left in its raw state.
More About Enzymes
I find it’s most helpful to think of enzymes as catalysts, because that’s their function. They ignite life. It’s also true that most enzymes are proteins. As important as proteins are, enzymes are so small that it’s pointless to try to calculate them into your daily protein count.
Understanding that enzymes make food more digestible and able to be assimilated is key to understanding the importance of these little gems. Even if you don’t have a felt digestion problem, if you’re not properly digesting or assimilating your foods, then you’re not getting the nutrients that you need.
Food that’s not properly digested does not travel through the body properly and its nutrients are not used fully by the body.
Enzymes are destroyed when heated above 118° (or, depending who you read, 120°). Therefore, enzymes are only found in raw foods or foods that are dried at temperatures below 118°. Some enzymes survive the food-freezing process.
Enzymes continue to be alive even as they pass through the body, so they’re assimilated by the tissues of the body.
As you age, you require greater need for live food with enzymes, especially you’ve consumed cooked foods frequently. Lacking the proper enzymes to break food down, undigested foods accumulate. Accumulated foods create weight gain, aches and pains, inflammation, digestive problems, and fatigue. Living with such conditions makes it easier to attract even more debilitating illness.
The Practical Application
If you want to read scientific data about enzymes or you want to know which enzyme is needed for each type of food, I suggest a Google search or one of the three excellent books shown at the bottom of this article. I’ve read all these books and a lot of this type of information, which has been enormously educational.
However, I want to leave you with the bottom line of practicality: eat more raw and living plant foods. Adding seeds you’ve sprouted yourself, fresh cucumbers, young romaine lettuce, and other greens that you like will enhance your life
You’re at your own unique place with respect to eating raw foods. I think the most practical suggestion is to honor where you are right now (don’t make yourself wrong about anything). Add raw plant food to each meal. Make living plant food a regular part of your life. Limp carrots and wilted lettuce add little of value. Cooked foods have few nutrients (and no enzymes); many cooked foods and other popular substances drain the energy from you.
If you’re already eating many live plant foods, consider eating even more — in quantity, quality, and variety. You truly can get stronger with age.
If this is all new to you, be like a baby and take baby steps. Many people who make dramatic changes in their eating regime rarely stay with the new program for long. Gradual changes are easier to incorporate. Do what works for you. If you’re encouraging others to eat more raw foods, encourage gently and without judgment.
Clearly, there’s more involved in healthy living than food. The main reason that I wanted to write about enzymes is this: if you’re aging (and if you’re alive, you are), this is a good time to increase the enzyme intake through raw, living plant foods to moderate the decline with age.
It’s a beautiful thing to age;
it’s not such a beautiful thing to decline.
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I’m going to look for one of the books you’ve suggested on raw foods. Am feeling my age for the first time in my life. Don’t like it!
Can’t quite figure out how I can alter my diet a lot with raw foods, since I can’t imagine eating cold foods through our fall, winter, early spring seasons. But am sure I can do better than I am.
Hi Becky,
Yes, many people feel their age all of a sudden. You can truly reverse all those feelings. Raw foods can be a big part of this, and this article on enzymes explains why.
You can find out about all the books I’ve listed at this site by clicking the link. Let me know if you want a suggestion.
I’m studying with David Wolfe in his Longevity Now program, which you can find out more about in some of my earlier articles, in particular, Immunity Secrets Video. This link will get you to the article and access to all his free videos.
Tomorrow, I’ll post an article about a raw food recipe, “Raw Sprouted Pea Soup” and make a few suggestions about warming the soup. I’ll write more about this in a later article, also.
I’m not sure where you live, but if you’re in North America, you’re in the mild-weather season. So, this is the perfect time to experiment because cold weather is just not a reason to stop yourself.
You’ll be surprised … when you find the meals you really like, the food temperature is less and less of an issue. I travel a lot through the US in the winter months and I rarely care about warm foods. When I do, I simply have warm water or warm tea which warms up the digestive system (and my hands!).
Joyfully,
Joy
Hi Joy,
I’ve looked at some of the reviews for these books and see that there is quite a variety in pricing and opinions; I’ll try to find copies to look at, but if you have any suggestions in particular, I’d be happy to hear them.
Thank you!
becky
Hi Becky,
For sure there are many. From what you have said, I suggest that you start with either one of these (see links in the right navigation bar). Brigitte Mars’ “Rawsome” or David Wolfe’s “Eating for Beauty.” The first is, I think, the best all-round beginners book – clear, well-written, with great recipes. The second gives very important principles and includes some recipes — It’s the only book I can remember reading to the end and then starting to read again from the beginning.
Many others are excellent also, but you cannot go wrong with either of these.
Joyfully,
Joy
Thanks, Joy,
I would never have chosen David Wolfe’s book because of the title. Isn’t that funny how quickly we discriminate because of preconceptions? But I’ll definitely get them. Even my husband said “Sounds good” when I told him I was interested in getting more raw food into our diets. What little I know made sense to him – especially about the enzymes. He’s diabetic so I”ll be very interested to see what they have to say about working with that condition, if they do. And as you say, this is a great time of year to start experimenting – the access to fresh food is the best right now.
Hi Becky,
Once you read David Wolfe’s book, the title will probably make more sense. If you think of “beauty” as longevity or youthfulness, the title will make more sense. As I remember back to when I purchased it, I DID buy it because David wrote it, and recall questioning the title.
As to connecting adverse conditions to cures for those conditions, I’d suggest you not look for that in the majority of the raw food literature. Health is relatively simple: get the proper nutrients and you’re unlikely to get an adverse condition. Complications set in when trying to relate every condition or symptom to a single nutrient or even a set of nutrients. Legally, food experts can talk about functions but not conditions, and certainly not cures.
All that being said … many, many people who have been diagnosed with diabetes report wonderful improvements on a raw food program. And that doesn’t even need to be 100% raw. It’s so much easier to eat low glycemic foods when eating primarily raw plant foods and getting away from processed foods. With a greater sense of well-being, healthy choices are easier.
Joyfully,
Joy
Love your article. What a great way to explain enzymes to newbies to the vegan/raw living. I am retwitting this for sure.