4 Ways to Increase Your Natural Digestive Enzymes

Digestive enzymes need to be in great quantities in order for the digestive system to work properly. Specifically, the enzymes work to facilitate the absorption and breakdown of fats, carbohydrates and proteins so the digestive system stays clean, boost immunity, and raise energy levels.

The body normally produces digestive enzymes, but ageing and eating cooked and processed foods deplete the body of these essential enzymes. When that happens you are going to feel some discomfort in your stomach, bloated and without energy, and because your digestive system is impaired, you may also experience either diarrhea or constipation.

There are several ways you can increase your digestive enzymes and improve your digestive health in the process:

1. Eat raw vegetables. Raw vegetables (assuming they are organic) contain live enzymes at a 40/60 ratio. Now what does this figure indicate? Well it means that the live enzymes in a particular food can digest 40 up to 60% of that food. This means to say that digestive system will take care of only the 60% or 40% of the food. Cooked foods do not have live enzymes and this leaves it all up to the digestive system to do all the work. The pancreas has to work extra hard to double the production of enzymes to digest the food. This stresses the pancreas, and the digestive system.

2. Chew your food carefully. Chewing actually sets off the digestive process. It breaks down food so it becomes easier to digest when it reaches the stomach. Chewing also produces more saliva which is a rich source of enzymes. But chewing food does not have the same effect as chewing a gum. The latter sends the wrong signals to your brain which tells the pancreas to double the production of enzymes when there is in fact nothing to digest. This only overworks the pancreas unnecessarily.

3. Drink water first thing in the morning. You may have been doing this for a time, but probably you are not doing it right. As it is, the right way of drinking water so as to get as many enzymes in your body is to subtly work the water in your mouth (as if you are cleansing your mouth with mouthwash) before swallowing it down.

4. Take a digestive enzyme supplement. Digestive supplements are loaded with hundreds of enzymes necessary to keep you healthy. How many supplements you need to take each day depends on the formulation and on your condition. Accordingly, there was someone undergoing chemotherapy who took 65 capsules of digestive enzyme supplement in one day and who didn't experience any negative effects from the chemotherapy. But in mild cases or for maintenance purposes, a capsule or two may be enough. Digestive enzyme supplements come in different brands, but regardless of the brand they are recommended to be taken immediately after meals, and not on an empty stomach.

Digestive enzymes, as you can see, are so important to human life existence that they should never be taken for granted.

Let me share with you the best digestive enzyme supplement I found which is from New Zealand.