| ENZYMES & LIVING FOOD The Vital Force for Radiant Health and the Elixir of Life by Paulette Suzanne, NC |
| If you are a health enthusiast like myself, perhaps you've wondered about the "keys" to vibrant life energy and longevity. And maybe you've also pondered just how you might go about preventing the illnesses so many people seem to have in our culture. Maybe you've also contemplated ways in which you could live radiantly amidst a southern California lifestyle which includes pollution and stress. I have been concerned about these and many such matters for years now. It was almost 15 years ago while I was living in Santa Cruz, nestled in the Redwood trees, that I found some answers as I started learning about "enzymes and living foods." |
| Being a vegetarian for about 5 years by that time, I was well on my way to becoming healthier than I had ever been. Yet, one special day on an adventure at Mt. Shasta, I was "shown" that humans could create "bodies of light" and live much longer, healthier lives than we were witnessing in our world. In order to do this, we would need to "eat light" - foods full of life, full of enzymes, full of electrical potential - and this "light" would then radiate throughout our cells and bring us to a state of aliveness we were not familiar with so far. Wow! Now this got my attention. And I was guided to teach this information to others who found themselves on a path to increased vibration, personal and spiritual growth. For the past 15 years, I have included information on "eating light and live foods" to all I meet in my Nutrition counseling service, plus my own health has benefited greatly. I wish to offer you here a sampling of this education. |
| ENZYMES ARE NECESSARY FOR LIFE |
| We live because of enzymes. We need enzymes every day of our lives. No vitamin, mineral or hormone can do any work without enzymes. We usually think of enzymes as involved only in the digesting of food. Out immune system, bloodstream, liver, kidneys, spleen, pancreas and our ability to see, think, and breathe, depend upon enzymes. In fact, enzymes are involved in every process of the body. They digest, build, store, form, dissolve, and even attack . . .each enzyme having specific functions. Each body cell has in excess of 100,000 enzyme particles necessary for metabolic processes. Enzymes rule and far outweigh the importance of every other nutrient, yet they cannot function properly without the presence of coenzymes: Minerals, vitamins and proteins. For life to continue, you must have a constant enzyme supply which requires continual replacement of enzymes. |
| WHAT ARE ENZYMES? |
| Enzymes are the dynamic factors that break down protein, fat, and carbohydrates into their basic building blocks to that the body can digest and use them. Protein molecules are the carriers of enzymes. The are the life force, the electrical energy factor, the invisible activity that takes place in all aspects of our being alive, |
| There are three basic types of enzymes: Metabolic enzymes (made by the body and responsible for its bio-chemical processes, available as needed); Digestive enzymes (made by the body and active in digestive juices and chemical breakdown of food); and Plant enzymes (occurring naturally in raw unprocessed food, helping digest food and serving many other purposes). |
| According to Dr. Edward Howell, who has done more than 50 years of research on enzymes, we are born with only a certain amount of enzymes and the body will not waste its own precious enzymes for digestion unless it is forced. When food is cooked, processed, or heated over 115 degrees, enzymes are destroyed. Enzyme deficient food puts a tremendous strain on the body as it tends to deplete the body's enzyme potential and greatly overworks the digestive system to the detriment of the entire body. |
| A DIET HIGH IN PROCESSED FOOD WEAKENS THE IMMUNE SYSTEM |
| Enzymes are stored in our white blood cells, lymphatic tissue, and spleen to come to our defense in the case of "foreign invaders" (bacteria, etc) coming into our body. When the body receives foods deficient in enzymes, it increases its number of white blood cells as a defense mechanism so that enzymes can be released to help digest toxins resulting from eating processed foods. Studies have also shown that eating raw food does not cause an increase in white blood cells. If we continually stress our immune systems by eating processed foods which elevate out white blood cell count, this weakens our immune systems because enzymes normally held in reserve to fight infections are instead pulled out of storage from white blood cells and other storage sites to digest the processed food. This means that fewer enzymes are available to fight bacteria, Candida yeast, viruses, and many other immune system disorders. Other conditions related to enzyme deficiency include chronic degenerative diseases such as arthritis, hardening of the arteries, high cholesterol, hypoglycemia, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, food allergies, constipation, and a host of other problems. |
| GENERATIONS OF ENZYME DEFICIENCY |
| As people age, they are generally more deficient in enzymes because the enzyme "bank" is gradually used up over time. Stored plant enzymes are like having a deposit in the bank account. An adequate supply of enzymes helps to reduce the aging process and promote optimal health! Using up your enzyme supply and not replenishing it leads to degenerative disease and premature death. A 1939 study with cats, by Dr. Francis Pottenger, J., revealed that cats fed totally cooked food diets (most domesticated cats and dogs live this way) were so severely malnourished that by the third generation, they began to show signs of problems with reproduction; by the fifth generation, they were very high-strung and vicious and had to be handled with protective equipment; and after that they began to show signs of skeletal malformations and finally the inability to reproduce. Those cats fed a raw diet flourished with good health. This study demonstrated many things including how the quality of nutrition in even one generation has powerful effects on the following generations. And consider how many people are experiencing problems with reproduction, infertility on the rise, and increased crime and violence in our society. Perhaps there is a connection to how our bodies have been enzyme deficient for several generations now since the advent of processed, devitalized, denatured, and fast foods. |
| LIVING FOODS ARE THE ELIXIR OF LIFE |
| "If experiments on animals held true for humans, it might mean that people could extend their lifespan 20 or more years - just by maintaining proper enzyme levers," says Dr. Edward Howell. Many people think it is easier to digest and assimilate cooked foods, but by cooking, microwaving, broiling, baking, barbequing, frying, etc., we are losing up to 85% of the original nutrients in the foods besides destroying the enzymes needed for optimal health! |
| Our bodies are designed to accept about 75% raw foods or more! If you are inspired by what you are reading here, I encourage you to add more living foods to your diet, day by day. Begin by eliminating cooked fats and oils (one of the most harmful things you could put in your body). Then begin to eliminate processed foods and fast foods (boxed, canned, preserved, foods loaded with sugar and salt). Consider eliminating animal proteins from your diet, as well-cooked proteins such as these are extremely difficult to digest and utilize by our bodies. |
| Next, look for ways in which you can add more live foods to your meals. Do you eat fresh organic fruits on a daily basis? (By the way, eat fruits by themselves for enhanced utilization of the nutrients, and less gas in the stomach and intestines.) How many fresh vegetables are you eating? Try making sure you eat at least one fresh vegetable salad (organic veggies) each day. Put lots of your favorite vegetables and dark greens in this salad and change the vegetables you choose regularly for variety. Put a variety of delicious sprouts on your salads too (see and bean). It is fun to grow your own sprouts if you feel inclined. Get a juicer and make yourself some delicious vegetable juices and fresh fruit juices. I really enjoy carrot, beet, celery, parsley, and cucumber combination. Be creative! Also, raw, unsalted, nuts and seeds are very nutritious and a little go a long way. But you must remember to "germinate" them before eating by soaking them in a bowl of water for at least 8-10 hours to release the "enzyme inhibitors" which protect the enzyme activity for growth and digestion. (Soak your grains and beans as well before preparing.) |
| You will also find additions to your diet at health food stores such as "cultured raw sauerkraut and veggies," "Raw nut better," "dehydrated grain snacks and crackers," and the "sprouted grain breads such as Essene or Manna" that have been low=temperature baked to retain many enzymes. |
| There are many ways in which you can be creative to bring living foods into your diet. And make the rest of your daily intake of food be wholesome, fresh, lightly steamed, organic, and as healthy as possible to support your aliveness! |
| Raw, living foods, contain health-giving enzymes; are easily digested; are cheaper since you avoid buying packaged food and expensive animal products; are easy to prepare and easy to clean up after; help the body achieve ideal weight; do not cause or support degenerative diseases; eliminate body odor; keep you calm and emotionally stable; and boost your immunity; besides they taste delicious! |
| SUPPLEMENTING PLANT ENZYMES |
| In addition to changing your diet to include more living foods, I highly recommend you add supplements of plant enzymes to your diet as well; especially when you are eating cooked foods. Research over the past many years has allowed living enzymes from plants to be cultivated and encapsulated for use in our digestive systems. There are no known cases of people having allergic reactions to the enzymes and many cases of food allergies have been helped by plant enzymes because allergic reactions will not occur when food is fully digested. When taken at the beginning of your meal, they help to re-digest food, thus reducing the body's need to produce more enzymes, giving you the health benefits we have been talking about in this article. |
| After about 12 years of experimenting with different plant enzyme supplements, I am very happy to recommend the best enzyme product I have found, made by the Best Health Company called "Total Enzyme Balance." There are no fillers in these enzyme veggie-capsules and they are highly concentrated so using one capsule per meal is often enough. |
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