Enzymes are important for weight loss and maintenance due to their starring role in digestion. The enzymes in food, and the ones produced naturally in your body, assist many chemical processes that keep you alive and healthy. Enzyme production stays steady throughout our 20s and 30s, but may be reduced by up to 25% by our 40s.
Enzymes do a lot more than help you lose weight. They balance mood, preventing anxiety and depression. Eating a healthy diet and taking a supplement with enzymes will keep you regular, control your weight and combat depression at the same time.
What are Enzymes?
Enzymes are proteins produced by our cells and by all animals, plants and living organisms. There are specialized proteins to perform different functions. An enzyme can synthesize chemicals, rearrange molecules or add substances to compounds. An enzyme needs a specific substance to work on – if the substance isn’t available, the enzyme can’t do its job. The digestive enzymes that are important for weight loss help break down the food we eat and keep our metabolism burning fat. The enzymes important for weight loss include lipase, protease and amylase.
What Do Enzymes Do?
Enzymes function as catalysts, and increase the rate at which a reaction occurs. All the chemical reactions in the human body need enzymes to accelerate their movement. An enzyme molecule works on chemical reactions without changing or being damaged, and could alter a countless number of substrates if given the time. Increasing the amount of enzyme molecules involved in a process decreases the reaction time.
Getting Enzymes from Food
All uncooked foods have enzyme activity, even red meat. When cooked or processed for canning, the enzymes are destroyed. This is one of the reasons raw foods are so much better for you than cooked foods – they still have the power of enzymes.
When you buy bananas from the store or farmer’s market, they contain the enzyme amylase. After a few days, amylase converts the starch in the banana to sugar, making it ripe and sweet to taste. The act of canning vegetables or fruits preserves the food, but destroys enzymes. (Always choose fresh produce over canned fruits and veggies to experience the nutritious power of enzymes). Your body produces fewer digestive enzymes when you eat lots of raw foods. The enzymes in food do the work, and enzymes are important for weight loss.
The enzymes in food can last in your stomach’s 4.5 to 5.5 pH for awhile and aid digestion. Your body recycles digestive enzymes until they wear down. When the enzymes can’t be used anymore, other enzymes break them up and the existing amino acids are used for other functions or excreted.
Enzymes are Important for Weight Loss Because They Keep You Regular
If your diet contains few raw foods and lots of processed or frozen foods, you may not receive the amount of enzymes, vitamins and minerals your body needs. Diets deficient in fiber, minerals and enzymes may cause you to become constipated. If you suffer from constipation on a regular basis for months or years, it will impair your digestive system. The enzymes in your digestive tract will be depleted, and you’ll feel bloated and heavy.
Regular constipation causes fecal matter to build up in your digestive tract. This causes you to weigh more – you may be carrying up to five pounds of fecal matter in your colon. Poor digestion does more than cause you temporary discomfort. It makes you overweight and may lead to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), acid reflux (GERD), fatigue, anemia, or dysbiosis (an imbalance in natural gut bacteria).
Enzymes are important for weight loss and for proper digestion. If your digestive system can’t break down food, you won’t absorb nutrients (causing fatigue or anemia) or detoxify your body. You’ll develop a sluggish metabolism and gain weight. When your digestion is poor, the food you consume won’t supply your body with sufficient energy or help build healthy muscles and tissues.
Enzymes are Important for Weight Loss, and Lipase Leads the Way
According to a 2012 article posted on Forbes.com, Danish scientists have discovered a way to “switch on” the fat-burning enzyme Lipase, increasing its metabolism-boosting power to 45% of the time, up from 15%. This increased fat-burning from Lipase will help people who have a hard time losing weight from diet and exercise.
Scientists also determined that the “on, off switch” works for all enzymes, not just Lipase. There’s even a company in Denmark called Novozymes producing enzymes for commercial and industrial use!
Other Facts about Enzymes
While enzymes are important for weight loss and digestion, they are hard at work performing other biochemical processes in your body. Enzymes also have an effect on mood and anxiety, so it’s a good idea to eat raw food for enzymes or take a wheatgrass supplement for its high concentration of enzymes, amino acids and other nutrients,.
Carbohydrates, Sugars and How They Relate to Enzymes
Carbohydrates in foods provide energy. Carbohydrates are found most foods, including grains, sugars, fruits and vegetables. The carbohydrates found in grains are referred to as starch, and are present in rice, potatoes, bread and baked goods. Sugars, including simple and double sugars, are carbohydrates. Classified as simple sugars, fruit sugar and fructose are found in fruit and some processed foods and beverages. Double sugars are found in milk sugar, malt sugar, lactose and sugar cane. Honey, maple sugar, granulated sugar and molasses are other chief sources of carbohydrates through sugar.
Carbohydrates are converted to glycogen and sometimes stored in the body for later use. When you eat too many baked goods, breads and sugars, the body turns carbohydrates into fats and stores them.
Enzymes are Important for Weight Loss- And They Control Mood Swings, Too!
Mood swings may be a sign of the body’s inability to digest certain foods. Some people may be unable to digest nitrates (found in hot dogs), brewer’s yeast, caffeine, sugar, aspartic acid (soy, egg whites, tuna, halibut, asparagus, etc.), glutamates (broccoli, mushrooms, peas, walnuts, cured meats) tyrosine (turkey, pork, beef) and citrus fruit. If you have digestion issues after consuming these foods, you should adjust your diet by eating more raw foods and drinking more water. Check with your doctor or nutritionist to rule out allergies or other serious health problems. You may need to stop eating certain foods (at least temporarily) until your digestion returns to normal.
Enzymes, Serotonin and Depression
It’s no surprise that enzymes can control your mood, since they control many other biochemical processes necessary for your survival.
Antidepressants replicate the chemical processes of enzymes in the body to control mood, ADHD and anxiety. Some individuals may not feel comfortable taking antidepressant medications, or have occasional mild mood swings not requiring prescription medication.
Prescription antidepressants are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). They work by affecting neurotransmitters and how they communicate with brain cells. Antidepressants with SSRIs stop the reabsorption of serotonin in the brain. This changes the serotonin balance and enables brain cells to transmit messages, which leads to a better mood. Antidepressant medications have many side effects. There may be minor concerns like nausea, dizziness, insomnia, headaches, weight gain and vomiting, or dangerous side effects, including hostility, suicide, abnormal bleeding, tremors and rapid heart rate.
To avoid these side effects, people with milder forms of depression can benefit from natural home treatments including a change in diet, exercise, more sleep and nutritional supplements. Enzymes are important for weight loss, but they are equally important to maintain a good mood and clear mental function.
Enzymes are Important for Weight Loss and Overall Health
Here’s some information about amylase,( http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/functions-amylase-protease-lipase-digestive-enzymes-3325.html) protease, superoxide dismutase, a few of the other enzymes that work on biochemical functions in the body.
Superoxide Dismutase
This enzyme treats arthritis, burns and inflammatory bowl disease (IBS), protects skin against UV rays, helps heal wounds and burns and reduces the severity of facial wrinkles
Amylase
Enzymes which hydrolyze, or breakdown, sugars and starches are referred to as Amylase. These enzymes help you digest carbohydrates and convert them into glucose for energy. People who can’t digest fats eat excessive amounts of carbohydrates and sugars. If over consumption of sugars, grains and baked goods goes on for too long, the individual may develop an amylase deficiency.
If you are lacking in amylase, you may lose the ability to digest white blood cells. If you don’t have enough amylase in your system, you may develop abscesses (pus without bacteria). Inflammatory reactions caused by histamines (a type of amino acid) or other substances require amylase enzymes to get worse. Asthma, emphysema and skin problems including insect bites, herpes and psoriasis need amylase to thrive, but may need other enzymes depending on the health problem.
Protease
The enzyme group Protease breaks down or hydrolyzes proteins. Proteases may also be called systemic or proteolytic enzymes. These enzymes detoxify your system, increase circulation and strengthen immunity.
Humans must have a certain amount of proteins to maintain life and health. Proteins create amino acids are the basis of every cell in the body. Certain proteins act as the main element in hormones, enzymes and specialized cells.
Proteins are complex substances. They’re made of amino acids, compounds containing nitrogen. When proteins are digested, proteolytic enzymes, along with hydrochloric acid, break up the protein into amino acids. These amino acids are then absorbed into the wall of the intestines. If proteins are absorbed without being broken down, it may lead to many diseases. The proteolytic enzymes are essential for good digestion since they breakdown peptides in proteins so amino acids can nourish the body.
Take a Wheatgrass Supplement to Improve Digestion and Lose Weight
Change your diet if you want to lose weight. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, fatty fish, whole grains, seeds, nuts and beans. Replace soda, energy drinks and coffee with unsweetened tea, water, juice and low fat or soy milk. Exercise more-even taking a daily walk in the neighborhood will help you lose weight and get your digestion system working efficiently.
Enzymes are important for weight loss, and taking a wheatgrass supplement that includes digestive enzymes can improve digestive system function and help you shed pounds.
Wheatgrass supplement tablets offer all the nutritional value you need to keep your body healthy, plus metabolism-boosting benefits to burn fat. Chlorophyll, the green pigment in plants, is the primary nutrient in wheatgrass. Chlorophyll contains magnesium to improve digestive function. It speeds up the breakdown and processing of food through the gastrointestinal tract, keeping your regular and eliminating excess weight due to undigested food. It offers dozens of other health benefits, including:
- Increasing your red blood cell count
- Preventing anemia and boosting energy
- Detoxifying your blood and flushing out poisons
- Breaking down fats and proteins to improve your immune system
- Breaking carbohydrates into glucose to give you energy
- Stopping your system from reabsorbing more toxins
And wheatgrass is rich in Vitamins A,C, E, calcium, zinc, potassium, B-complex vitamins (important for energy and mood) and dozens of other vitamins and minerals.
Enzymes Are Important for Weight Loss – and You Can Find Them in the Zeal O2, Happy Girl and REVV from WheatgrassLove
Changing your diet helps get more enzymes for better digestion and weight loss. But you can speed up your digestive system and your metabolism even more by taking wheatgrass supplement tablets from Wheatgrass Love. We offer natural formulas containing high-grade wheatgrass and health-enhancing herbs including cayenne pepper, periwinkle, gingko biloba and ginger.
The wheatgrass in Zeal O2 Natural Weight Loss Supplement provides many enzymes not available in other foods for a total of over a hundred enzymes. These enzymes accelerate biochemical processes in the body, giving you more energy and improving sluggish digestion. The weight-curbing effects of wheatgrass, along with Citrus Auranthium (Bitter Orange) make Zeal O2 a safe and effective natural supplement. Ginger, cayenne pepper and other herbs in Zeal O2’s proprietary blend offer protection against inflammation, depression and colds. Enzymes are important for weight loss, and the wheatgrass in Zeal O2 has them. Read more about Zeal O2.
REVV Natural Energy Supplement gives you all the minerals, vitamins and enzymes in wheatgrass in a tasty chocolate wafer. You can take a REVV wafer whenever you need extra energy for work, school, sports or errands. This energy booster contains cocoa, caffeine, L-Taurine and periwinkle herb (for better blood flow to the brain) to give you as much energy (or more) than any energy drink. Read more about REVV.
Happy Girl Natural Mood Enhancing Supplement neutralizes mood swings and increases energy to help you feel more vibrant and alive. Happy Girl combines the benefits of wheatgrass with a blend of gingko biloba, cayenne pepper, white willow, fo-ti, green tea extract and other herbs to lift your mood and sharpen mental clarity. Happy Girl isn’t just for women- men and seniors can use it, too! It’s a great natural way to relieve mild or moderate, non-clinical depression. Read more about Happy Girl.
Call WheatgrassLove at 877-303-1717 to order! We’ll be glad to answer any questions you may have about our products. Consult your doctor before using any dietary supplement.
WheatgrassLove Blog 