- Have you ever wondered why some individuals seem to have “fast metabolism” and can eat anything, and not get bloated or gain weight?
- Do you have any digestive challenges in the form of slow digestion, gas, bloating, heartburn or anything else?
- Would you like to optimize the protein absorption from shakes, meals and everything you eat?
- Do you know the “master nutrient” that makes every other nutrient you consume usable?
If you’ve answered “YES” to any of these questions, you’re going to love this article.
There’s a nutrient that you (and nearly everyone on the planet) is NOT getting enough of…no matter how many supplements or superfoods you consume.
That nutrient is enzymes… and it’s lacking, because when you cook food past 114 degrees fahrenheit, all the enzymes get destroyed.
Enzymes are arguably your body’s single most important nutrient, because they break down your food into digestible parts and ensure you’re able to assimilate nutrients.
Without enzymes, nothing would happen and you’d quickly die.
That is no exaggeration, enzymes are required for EVERYTHING.
The real question is: can you get enough enzymes by changing your diet?
Should you be supplementing with enzymes?
This article will explore these questions in depth.
Before we dive in, let me tell you a little about myself.
My name is Wade Lightheart, and I’m a 3-time national all-natural bodybuilding champion, and Mr. Universe competitor.
I actually competed at the Natural Mr. Olympia on a raw food diet.
I’m also an advisor to the American Anti-Cancer Institute, Certified Sports Nutrition Advisor, and author of two best-selling books in health and fitness.
I’ve been a vegetarian for 14 years.
“Quitting meat” and reducing my protein intake simply wasn’t possible until I began supplementing with enzymes, for reasons I’ll explain shortly.
Now that I’ve fixed my enzyme deficiency, I feel great, look 10 years younger than most guys my age, and have more energy than ever before.
The Two “Missing Links” That TransformAny Decent Diet Into A Super Health Solution.
The majority of nutrition advice out there focuses on macros, micronutrients and superfoods.
“Eat this… avoid that… cut down on these…”
But this only covers half the story.
Because taking care of your body is a lot like furnishing a nice home.
In the process of furnishing your home or apartment, you need two things:
- 1. The furniture.
- 2. Helpers to move the furniture
Helpers put the the furnishing in the right place. Without helpers, you’d just have a bunch of stuff sitting at a warehouse.
Enzymes and probiotics are your body’s helpers.
According to the world’s leading gastroenterologist, Dr. Hiromi Shinya, they’re responsible for up to 25,000 biological functions — everything from thinking to blinking.
They help with virtually every metabolic, digestive, and immune system process.
10 Years Ago I Learned The Truth About Enzymes.
A good friend of mine told me about an “amazing doctor” who was going to be speaking at a special health event.
I attended and was shocked.
A vibrant 85 year old doctor dropped a few capsules of enzymes in a glass of oatmeal and I witnessed it go from cement to liquid in less than 2 minutes.
He then revealed the protocol for how he used ultra-potent enzymes to support his patients’ health regimens.
The most mind-blowing story was how world-renowned health expert Bernard Jensen healed himself with his enzyme protocol.
You can read the story for yourself inside the book, Come Alive.
I began consuming medical-grade cultured enzymes myself, and the results were astounding.
I got back into top shape in less than 4 months — while my energy, brain function, and strength soared to new heights.
Muscle soreness from training dropped radically and joint pain disappeared.
People would comment to me — “You’re glowing! How do you have so much energy?”
My body needed less sleep… and my digestion, elimination, and vitality was stronger than ever.
I Realized Enzymes Are Especially Important IfYou’re on a High Nutrient Diet
A cooked food diet drains the body’s precious enzymes — which are important for healing the body, recovery, building muscle and looking/feeling younger than your biological age.
That’s why it’s so good that you’re already mindful about your diet and nutrition intake. Your body is already getting more nutrients than most people.
The next level for you isn’t consuming even more nutrition, or the latest and greatest wonder nutrient, it’s DIGESTING and ASSIMILATING the nutrients you’re already taking in.
Because if you’re like most people, you have already drained your “Enzyme Bank Account”.
This enzyme potential or bank account is the reason why babies, grow, heal and learn so quickly.
According to Dr. Edward Howell, in his book “Enzyme Nutrition — the lifespan of an organism is inversely related to the enzyme potential of the organism.
Because enzymes are required for every single biochemical function in your body. From digestion to walking.
The more enzymes you have coursing through your veins, the more efficient and effective your body is at virtually every metabolic function.
Around That Time, I Also Discovered How Probiotics CanBoost The Benefits Of ANY Health Diet.
You probably already have some knowledge about probiotics.
You know they replenish the “good” bacteria in your gut to help with digestive problems. Especially after a course of antibiotics.
And you probably know they can have positive effects on your immune system in fighting off infection.
But did you know they can also help you DIGEST PROTEIN?
There are special strains out that have “proteolytic activity” — which means they break down protein into amino acids.
And even better, there’s strains that have “transient activity”. These strains travel throughout the entire body to provide benefits — instead of staying put in the gut like others.
Why is this important?
Because this can increase the amount of bioactive amino acids in your body… which will help with A LOT of processes your body requires amino acids for, which I talk more about below.
I Already Eat Organic, Nutrient-Rich Diet…Isn’t That Good Enough?
Even if you shop at Whole Foods, a very high percentage of the food there is NOT organic and is genetically modified (GMO).
What if you only buy organic food?
Even that might not be enough.
Let me explain:
When a food is grown in mineral deficient soil, it will convert protein into enzymes in order to grow.
This reduces both the protein content of the food and the enzyme potential of the food.
In fact, in the 1900s, the United States Congress reported a deep level of concern for the loss of protein in wheat.
At the time wheat contained almost 90% protein by weight.
Yet today it contains less than 7%.
This is why a few hundred years ago people could live on bread. While today most health food enthusiasts avoid bread like the plague.
Also… on a healthy diet, that includes lots of living and superfoods, you may be more susceptible to infection because the foods you’re eating may contain more living bacteria — because they’re not cooked.
Enzymes And Probiotics Solve The Amino AcidAbsorption Problem Of The Modern Diet.
Eating more plant foods is one of the best things anyone can do for their health.
Unfortunately, plant based foods contain amino acids (and other nutrients) that are harder to access.
This is due to the fibrous nature of many plants.
Because of this, your body has to work harder to access essential amino acids for healthy function.
This “extra work” often results initial positive benefits for those who consume more plant foods, because metabolic activity ramps up.
Your waistline shrinks, energy improves, and you feel great all-around.
But this initial benefit becomes a liability.
Eventually your body can begin sacrificing muscle in order to to produce enzymes to keep up with digestion and metabolism.
In other words, your body breaks down its own tissue to provide the enzymes required for your body to process food.
This is why some women can add more protein-rich foods to their diets, but see their weight go up on the scale. The “skinny, but soft look” that most men hate (aka “skinny-fat”) creeps up on you.
The real solution to this problem is: replenishing your enzyme stores. And use proteolytic probiotics to aid in breaking down protein.
Enzymes Are Even More Important IfYou’re An Athlete or Work Out Hard.
Years ago I was working with high performance female athletes who were all on raw food diets.
I found that many of them weren’t able to achieve the same levels of performance after giving birth.
This percentage climbed to almost 50% after they had 2 children. And went to over 90% after they gave birth to 3 or more children.
Despite having perfect diets, tons of self discipline, and a supportive financial environment that gave them the time, energy, and resources to train and eat at peak levels…
They weren’t able to hit their previous healthy high performance highs.
No matter what they tried, they couldn’t get their muscle tone and body fat back to pre-pregnancy levels.
After analyzing piles of research papers, it finally dawned on me… as to why these women weren’t able to hit their highest peak condition, despite incredible efforts.
These Women Emptied Out Their”Enzyme Bank Accounts” By Giving Birth.
Their enzyme bank accounts dropped below critical levels after giving birth.
And their bodies began slowing down and aging faster than they could replenish their enzyme reserves.
These woman couldn’t eat enough raw food to rebuild their enzyme bank account, or absorb enough protein to rebuild lost muscle tissue.
I realized there was an “invisible factor” that was affecting these women.
It was the enzyme factor.
When I looked even deeper at Dr. Howell’s research, he reported that animals would lose their ability to procreate when fed enzyme deficient diets.
He then began supplementing the diets of these animals with enzymes and the results were astounding.
They returned to normal function and regained the ability to procreate.
This breakthrough got me thinking.
What would happen if I began giving my female clients a healthy dosage of potent enzymes?
I took a few of my motivated clients and put them on 25 enzymes per day both with meals and in between for 90 days.
No More Bloated Bellies.
In the first weeks, all of the women reported significant improvements in digestion and elimination.
No more bloated bellies after enjoying a meal.
In the second month, half the women noticed a shift in body tone.
Their body fat levels dropped while they experienced happier moods, glowing skin tone, and overall sense of well being.
In the third month, virtually all of the women reported an increase in muscle tone and better energy levels (reduced need for sleep). And a third of them achieved their previous athletic highs.
About 75% percent of the women I worked with continued using the high dose enzyme protocol after my 3 month experiment.
When I checked in with them a year later, ALL of the women who continued using enzymes were able to achieve their pre-pregnancy performance highs.
In fact, several of the women had exceeded their previous bests.
Here’s Why Enzymes AreSo Important For Everyone.
By being on a high-nutrient diet, you’re already ahead of most others.
Most women are draining their enzyme bank accounts at a rapid pace by eating cooked meals day after day.
However, as great as raw food diets are, having an adequate supply of enzymes in your body from supplement sources is even better…because enzymes from raw foods are not enough.
Some CRITICAL functions of enzymes include…
- Breaking down food to a useable form: digestive enzymes such as amylase, protease, and lipase break down carbohydrates, proteins, and fats respectively. They turn the food you consume into “bioactive” substances that the body can absorb and use, such as: amino acids, sugars, and lipids.
- Hormone building-blocks: Important chemicals in your body that are used for the digestive, sexual, and immune systems are built of protein. In order for protein to be available, enzymes break down the protein in your food to supply amino acids as building blocks for making hormones.
- Muscle tone and metabolism: Enzymes improve your metabolism by supplying the resources your body needs to build lean muscle tissue. Having more muscle improves your “metabolic rate”, which keeps you burning calories even while at rest.
- Maintaining healthy glow: Enzymes provide more active amino acids for building proteins that are crucial for keeping your complexion radiant and glowing.
- Stabilizing mood: Enzymes play a crucial role in the creation of brain chemicals that affect your mood, such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. They help your body create more building blocks for these brain chemicals.
- And more…