"I'll Have That With a Side of Enzymes!" Nutrition to Order!

Most people do not realize that the true corner stone of proper nutrition and health is the consumption of enzymes. Hell, most people do not even know what an enzyme really is! Well Answers.com defines enzymes as the following: Any of numerous proteins or conjugated proteins produced by living organisms and functioning as biochemical catalysts. What this means to a gastronomic adventurer like myself though is a lot simpler. Eat raw fruits and veggies with every meal. Raw dairy, meat and eggs count too, however most people find these hard to obtain or not very palatable. Our bodies make enzymes but it is difficult to do and very taxing on our energy stores. Enzymes are necessary for food digestion and although all foods come with enzymes to aid in the digestion of that foods specific nutrients, when foods are heated to above 114 to 118 degrees celsius, the enzymes are destroyed. For instance, milk comes with its own enzyme lactase. Lactase is necessary for the digestion of the protein lactose. However, when the milk is heated as it is with pasteurization, the enzyme lactase is destroyed and the lactose left intact. Therefor, when pasteurized milk is consumed most people have a difficult time digesting it due to the loss of the enzyme that was naturally in place (thank you, mother nature) to aid in its digestion. Thus causing lactose intolerance (thank you, Louis Pasteur).

The easiest way to get enzymes are to eat some of your food in its raw state. A salad is great to start your meal off with (hold the hydrogenated oil dressing though - that is another topic) but since few people like salad without the horribly bad for you dressing, you would be better off having a handful of grapes on your way to the restaurant. Or eat a fruit salad before your cooked meal comes to the table. Salsa, pickles, sauerkraut, kim chee or any fermented pickle type dish usually has loads of enzymes. Just be sure to know what the source of it is. Lots of prepackaged foods are sterilized and/or pasteurized, which, as we have just discussed, kills the enzymes. A drink of fresh juice will have plenty of enzymes. However, you will have to juice that orange yourself. Boxed juices are pasteurized!!!! I find that a half a lemon squeezed in about 4oz of water is very refreshing before a cooked meal and has enough enzymes to put my mind at ease. There are enzyme supplements that you can take before your meal and at the least you can take them, but I think it is more fun eating your enzymes!

In short, enzymes are vital for the proper digestion and utilization of the nutrients present in your food. The more enzymes you consume with your meal, the less your body has to make and the more efficiently your body can use those nutrients. So next time you order that hamburger, don't skimp on that slice of tomato and limp piece of lettuce, it may be the only enzymes you will get! (unless you were rude and it got spit on, spit has enzymes too)