The Whole Food Blog

Live enzymes are often mentioned in discussions about nutrition and whole foods, but what are they, why does anyone need them, and where do you get them?  Enzymes are not vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats or protein, but they are catalysts for the chemical reactions that get those nutrients from whole foods working in the body.  While there are 1,300 different kinds of enzymes that help your body function, the most familiar are digestive enzymes.  Equally important are metabolic enzymes that are critical to burning fat and generating energy.

To understand why live enzymes are an important component of whole foods,  you should understand the definition of enzymes from The Nutrition Almanac-4th Edition (1996 McGraw Hill, Gayla J. Kirschmann and John D. Kirschmann), “The active chemicals in the digestive juices which cause the chemical breakdown of whole foods are called enzymes, combinations of amino acids that are capable of inducing chemical changes in other substances”.

As you search for the best whole foods, keep in mind that live enzymes are not nutrients like vitamins and minerals. They are catalysts, which act as biochemical agents joining two compounds so they can react with each other, while the enzyme itself remains intact.

Their importance cannot be overstated, “In short, virtually nothing happens in the body without the help of enzymes”, says Ellen W. Cutler, co-author of Micro Miracles. To make sure your body is functioning at full potential, experts agree it is a good idea to load up on whole foods that contain live enzymes.

To be certain you are getting the right digestive juices to turn nutrients into energy, search for all natural foods, especially real fruits and vegetables.  Be careful that the foods have not been overly heated.  Raw, whole foods provide the surest way to consume live enzymes.   However, there are some amazing, all natural food concentrates available today that are processed at low temperatures to keep the live enzymes intact.

Feed your body the nutrients it is crying out for, including live enzymes to absorb those whole food nutrients more effectively, and it will perform better for you over the long haul.