Enzymes are protein-like substances that act as catalysts for all chemical reactions in the body. Enzymes help maintain the body’s tissues, orchestrate its functions and digest food. There are three kinds of enzymes:
Metabolic Enzymes — spark many of the reactions inside cells, enabling our organs, tissues, and cells to work properly.
Food Enzymes — supplied by what we eat, they help break down food before our digestive enzymes are called upon. The majority of food enzymes are destroyed at temperatures above 118ºF, so nearly all cooked and processed foods are devoid of them.
Indigenous Digestive Enzymes — secreted by the pancreas into the small intestine, they break down the nutrients in the foods we eat that have not already been broken down by food enzymes.
Garden of Life believes that enzymes are perhaps our most important and overlooked dietary component. Before the advent of modern food processing, we ate a diet that was rich in “live” raw and fermented foods. These foods contained many of the food enzymes that our diet lacks today. Food enzymes aid in the digestion of food. Without them, the body must produce more digestive enzymes to break down the nutrients in the food we consume.
A great way to get the enzymes you need is to consume a diet high in “live” raw and fermented foods, and/or to supplement your diet with digestive enzymes such as those found in Ω-Zyme™.
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