Boosting Your Enzyme Reserves

Enzymes are some of the most important structures in the body. They are long-chain proteins that take on specific shapes and act like a key to unique locks throughout the body. Their job is to carry out very specific functions throughout the body.

When the amino acid bonds within an enzyme are damaged, the enzyme collapses and can no longer do its particular job. This denaturing process may be caused by any of the following:

    Fluoride
    Drugs
    Alcohol
    Free radical damage
    Irradiation
    Canning
    Food processing
    Heating above 118 F (cooking)

When enzymes are damaged, they are no longer able to carry out their unique processes and they become another foreign protein in the body. These foreign proteins are recognized by the immune system as a possible hazardous invader. The body may then trigger an immune response and create inflammation.

All processed and heavily cooked foods contain an abundance of denatured enzymes. These are highly allergenic in the body and create a massive assault on the body. These processed and irritated foods also depend upon good enzymes from the body for digestion. So these foods, in essence, steal enzymes from our system.

Create an enzyme surplus in your body
To create an enzyme surplus in your body, you will want to incorporate a diet high in raw and living foods. The optimal nutrition plan should be at least 75-80 percent raw and living foods with 20-25 percent high quality cooked foods.

Healthy, cooked foods would include brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes and cruciferous vegetables. Cruciferous veggies are great to steam as boiling will steal valuable water-soluble nutrients. Steaming these veggies breaks down the outer cellulose wall that is challenging for the digestive system to metabolize. This actually makes the food more bioavailable.

Organic and grass-fed animal products are to be cooked in a medium-rare fashion. This will break down the thicker proteins but keep much of the powerful nutrition still intact. Fresh squeezed lemon and apple cider vinegar should be added to any cooked food and especially to meat in either a pre/post cooked marinade or just before serving. Lemon and apple cider vinegar provide organic acids, enzymes, probiotics and anti-oxidants that help to pre-digest the cooked meal and neutralize any free radical formation.

To boost enzymatic potential, it is essential to soak and sprout all grains, seeds, nuts and legumes. The practice of soaking, fermenting and sprouting breaks down challenging proteins and activates key enzymes that improve the bioavailability of the nutrients. Sprouted legumes, seeds and nuts are basically a pre-digested food that has unlocked its full potential of enzymes and nutrients.

The fermentation process unlocks huge nutrient potential within the seed. Sprouted foods have five to ten times higher B vitamins, double the vitamin A, vitamin C, zinc, calcium and iron content of its pre-soaked and sprouted counterpart. The enzymes will also make the protein much more bioavailable for consumption.

Incorporating fermented foods and drinks is another great way to boost enzyme load. Great fermented drinks include coconut kefir, raw whey, fermented berry and grape drinks, kombucha, amasai, goat milk kefir, etc. Sauerkraut, kimchi, and fermented veggies are also great resources for enzymes.

Intermittent fasting and incorporating fermented drinks are especially important parts to creating an enzyme surplus. Fasting for periods of 16-48 hours each week or month allows the body to catch up in its enzyme processing.