Written by: Laura Flanagan, Senior Level Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Many organs work together to make up your digestive system and the health of your digestive system is key to the health of all of your body systems. Healthy Gut = Healthy Human.
The digestive organs take the food and liquids you eat and break them down into simpler forms - proteins, carbs, fats, and vitamins. The nutrients are then transported across the small intestine and into the bloodstream, where they provide energy for growth and repair.
Digestive enzymes are necessary for this process. They are responsible for breaking down molecules like fats, proteins, and carbs into even smaller molecules that can be easily absorbed.
There are three main types of digestive enzymes:
Proteases: These guys break down protein into small peptides and amino acids
Lipases: These guys break down fat into three fatty acids plus a glycerol molecule
Amylases: These guys break down carbs like starch into simple sugars
There are some digestive enzymes that are also produced in the small intestine. These include lactase, maltase, and sucrase. As we age, we are exposed to many environmental toxins. Combined with a ‘not so mindful’ diet, stress, lack of exercise, and sleep we find that our bodies are not manufacturing these enzymes in sufficient quantity to support proper digestion. This leads many adults to become malnourished. Even those who are overweight are often malnourished. When the body is unable to manufacture enough digestive enzymes, food molecules cannot be digested properly. This can ultimately lead to digestive problems like lactose intolerance.
Let’s take a closer look at what digestive enzymes are and what they do. They are proteins that break down larger molecules (macromolecules) like fats, proteins, and carbs into smaller molecules that are easier to absorb the membranes of the small intestine. Without sufficient digestive enzymes, the body is unable to digest food particles properly. This may lead to food intolerances.
Digestive enzymes can be obtained from supplements or as I always recommend, naturally through certain food sources.
Before I mention the 10 foods that you can easily consume to assist in increasing your digestive enzymes, let me introduce one of my new favorite best friends. Meet Dr. Fennel! Fennel is an aromatic spice that promotes digestive health. It stimulates the secretion of digestive juices and enzymes that help in digestion. It also has strong antispasmodic and carminative effects that help in treating flatulence, heartburn, bloating and conditions like IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). It is high in dietary fiber which helps regulate bowel movements and works well to prevent and treat constipation. As if those are not enough reasons to fall in love with fennel, it is also a natural antacid!
Now on to 10 wonderful and all-natural foods that contain digestive enzymes.
1. Papaya contains a different class of proteases that help to digest proteins. This is a unique group of proteases is called papain. You can also get papain to tenderize meat. Just be sure to eat your papaya ripe and uncooked so that you do not destroy the heat sensitive enzymes. Pregnant women be careful of unripe or semi-ripe papaya. It may stimulate contractions.
2. Pineapples contain a group of digestive enzymes called bromelain. These protease enzymes break down protein into its building blocks which are the amino acids, thus aiding in the absorption of proteins. Like papain, bromelain can be purchased in powder form to help tenderize tough meats. It can also be found in supplement and health stores for those who have trouble digesting proteins or getting enough of these enzymes in their diet.
3. Mangoes are one of my favorite friends here in Costa Rica! They are popular everywhere in the summer months. They contain digestive enzymes known as amylases. These enzymes break down carbs from starch which is a complex carb into sugars like glucose and maltose. Amylase enzymes in mangoes become more active as the fruit ripens – one reason they become so sweet as they begin to ripen. Your salivary glands and pancreas also make amylase. So, digestion begins in the mouth as you salivate when thinking about your favorite food! This is one reason that my Functional Nutrition teacher tells us to think about our food or even bless our food before every meal to stimulate those salivary enzymes thereby improving digestion.
4. Honey is a delicious, thick, liquid that is rich in many beneficial nutrients including digestive enzymes. You’ll find all of these amazing enzymes contained in this sweet treat (particularly raw honey):
a. Diastases: Break down starch into maltose
b. Amylases: Break down starch into sugars like glucose and maltose
c. Invertases: Break down sucrose, a type of sugar, into glucose and fructose
d. Proteases: Break down proteins into amino acids
Note: Processed honey is often heated. Heat destroys enzymes. So be sure to buy raw!
5. Bananas contain natural digestive enzymes like amylases and glucosidases. These are two groups of enzymes that break down complex carbs like starch into smaller, thus easier to absorb sugars. In addition to being a great source of digestive enzymes, bananas are a great dietary fiber. Bananas can also help reduce bloating.
6. Kiwifruit is a wonderful berry that is often recommended to help ease digestion. Actinidain is a particular protease (digestive enzyme) that Kiwis are replete with. Once again, we see this enzyme used commercially to tenderize tough meats. Kiwis also contain many other enzymes that help the fruit to ripen. Kiwifruit can improve digestion of beef, gluten, and soy protein isolates in the stomach. What’s more? Kiwifruit reduces bloating and helps relieve constipation.
7. Ginger has been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years. Ginger contains a unique protease called Zingibain – helping to digest proteins into their constituent building blocks, the amino acids. Zingibain is used to make ginger milk curd which is a popular Chinese dessert. Ginger helps food move faster through the stomach by promoting contractions (also known as peristalsis). Incidentally, ginger also helps increase the body’s own production of other digestive enzymes like amylases and lipases.
8. Miso is most known for its use in Japanese cuisine. It is made by fermenting soybeans with salt and koji – don’t get scared! Koji is a type of beneficial fungus. Koji is comprised of many digestive enzymes including lactases, lipases, proteases, and amylases. It is no wonder miso helps improve the ability to digest and absorb foods! In addition, fermenting soybeans helps improve their nutritional quality by reducing their anti-nutrient content. Anti-nutrients are compounds found naturally in foods and are thought to hinder the absorption of nutrients by binding to them.
9. Sauerkraut is a type of fermented cabbage that is known for its sour taste. Eating sauerkraut is a great way to increase your intake of digestive enzymes due to the process of fermentation which naturally adds digestive enzymes. Sauerkraut is also considered a probiotic food. It contains healthy gut bacteria which helps to boost your digestive system as well as your immune system. Probiotics can help to ease digestive issues such as bloating, gas, constipation, and diarrhea. They can be particularly beneficial for those with IBS, Ulcerative Colitis, and Crohn’s disease.
10. Kimchi is a spicy Korean dish that is made from different fermented vegetables. The fermentation process (just like with sauerkraut) adds healthy bacteria that provide nutrients and enzymes among other benefits. Kimchi contains a bacteria known as Bacillus – a particular species that produce proteases, lipases, and amylases. Proteases digest proteins. Lipases digest fats. Amylases digest carbs. Triple whammy with this food source! Kimchi is also thought to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Hopefully, this article sheds some light on the role and importance of enzymes in your digestive health. If you would like to learn more about how to keep your digestive system in peak health and how this ultimately leads to your overall health join me for my free one-hour webinar ‘Illuminating the Power of Your Digestive System’ on Thursday, November 4th at 5 pm CST. Click here to learn more and register.
Laura Flanagan MS, RYT, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Laura Flanagan is a Molecular Biologist by education and career, but she recently left her corporate job and moved to Costa Rica with her horse to open an Equine Therapy Center. Concurrently with her career as a scientist, she has been teaching Yoga and Meditation for over 18 years. Laura is a Yoga Instructor, Yamuna Body Rolling Instructor: https://www.yamunausa.com/pages/about-us, Meditation Teacher, and Functional Nutrition Counselor - trained through the Functional Nutrition Alliance: https://fxnutrition.com/ She directs the Socrates Center in Perez Zeledon, Costa Rica. She has helped thousands of clients with physical pain through her certification with Yamuna who uses a form of small ball therapy. She has used her Yoga, Body Rolling, Meditation, and Functional Nutrition practices to assist in her own recovery from breast cancer.
