the MISSING PIECE of the EQUATION - enzymes in well-being and proper function of digestive organs

Vegetarian Times, Oct, 2000 by Robin Westen, Janet Webb

Enzymes come from two sources: the food we eat and those the body naturally produces, primarily in the pancreas (and, to a lesser extent, in the mouth, stomach and small intestine). Raw foods contain enzymes. Fermented foods, such as yogurt and soy sauce, are also a rich source. Processing food in any way, whether by boiling, baking, microwaving or steaming, kills enzymes. Pasteurization, the process in which dairy products and fruit juices are heated to kill bacteria, also destroys enzymes. When we eat, our pancreas produces 22 different types of digestive enzymes that do most of their work in the small intestine, not the stomach. Without raw food, the body must depend on the enzymes it produces itself. Enzymes from raw foods that do their work in the stomach lessen the pancreas' workload. Your body doesn't produce all the enzymes needed to break down fiber, which explains why many people have trouble digesting beans.

Eating a diet of mostly cooked or processed foods devoid of enzymes can lead to the enzyme deficiencies that cause digestive problems. Enzyme therapists are trained to diagnose and treat deficiencies with dietary suggestions and supplements. But it's also possible to learn enough on your own to make lifestyle changes that help prevent digestive discomforts.

Most health educators don't include enzymes in the blackboard diagrams that introduce students to their internal plumbing systems. But enzymes are present at every stage of the process, one that Cichoke compares to a freight train moving along the tracks. In the first "box car," food enters your mouth and encounters enzymes secreted by the salivary glands. These enzymes initiate the digestive process and work best if you chew food thoroughly. In the stomach, food is broken down into even smaller particles and mixed with hydrochloric acid and pepsin, the main enzyme produced by the stomach. It's in the small intestine that the greatest amount of digestion and absorption takes place, with the help of pancreatic enzymes. Few nutrients remain by the time partially processed food reaches the large intestine, where unusable bulk or fiber is processed, water absorbed and waste excreted.

Vegetarian diets are typically more enzyme-rich than the average American's because they're likely to include salads and raw foods. But vegetarians are not immune to digestive problems. For one thing, not all raw foods are good sources of enzymes. Seeds, nuts, grains and beans must be soaked, cooked or sprouted to deactivate natural enzyme inhibitors, says Lira Lee, Ph.D., a chemist who practices enzyme therapy in Lowell, Ore., and Sunnyvale, Calif. Compounds in cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower) can also inhibit thyroid function if eaten raw.

Besides eating the right raw foods, you can enhance your diet with other enzyme-rich sources. Fermented dairy products like yogurt and particularly kefir, a drink made with milk-fermenting enzymes and yeasts, are enzyme storehouses. So are miso, tempeh and soy sauce. Enzyme therapists suggest including some raw food with each meal to enhance digestion. Snacking on yogurt or unpasteurized fruit juice in between meals also helps.