Your digestive health has a lot to do with your overall health. There are various steps involved in digestion – one of them is the breakdown of food. Digestive enzymes are pivotal for this breakdown and this is why they are there in your saliva. Apart from saliva, digestive enzymes are also present in organs like gallbladder, pancreas, and liver.
Your body usually produces the required digestive enzymes but sometimes if you lack them, enzymes in food might help. Some certain fruits and vegetables have natural digestive enzymes. To get a better idea of the role of digestive enzymes, let’s first understand the significance of having a healthy digestive system.
Importance of a Good Digestive System
The digestive system is the first line of defense against bacteria and viruses, therefore, it must be taken care of. It should be maintained at a constant state of health to ensure normal functioning of the body. A healthy digestive system means having a proper balance between food intake, absorption, and elimination of waste products from the body.
Digestive problems can occur due to several reasons like eating too much or too little, taking certain medications, stress, etc. Additionally, in our modern society, we are surrounded by so many toxins that it is hard for our bodies to function properly without proper nutrition. This leads to problems such as gastritis or constipation due to poor digestion of food. We need proper nutrition for our bodies to work well and be healthy.
Important Digestive Enzymes
The digestive system is quite an important part of the body. It helps in breaking down food and converting it into energy that can be used by our body to perform all its functions. Digestion is an active process, which means that it requires a certain amount of effort from the individual to carry out the process. You cannot digest your food without having some digestive enzymes in your stomach and intestines. Listed below are the crucial digestive enzymes and their roles:
1. Amylase
Amylase is a starch-digesting enzyme produced by the pancreas. It breaks down complex carbohydrates into simple sugars (glucose and maltose) which are absorbed into the bloodstream to be used as energy.
2. Lipase
This enzyme breaks down fat. It provides digestive help to all living things. Lipase has been used for centuries as a food additive to help break down fats into smaller molecules so they can be absorbed by the human body.
3. Protease
It is a protein that breaks down proteins. Proteins are the building blocks of all living organisms. Your body makes proteins from amino acids, which are found in food and made by your body. The process of making proteins is called proteolysis.
4. Lactase
Lactase is an enzyme that digests fat by breaking down lactose in the gut. Lactase deficiency is a common disorder and it affects about 10% of the world’s population.
Foods That Contain Digestive Enzymes
If you have a lack of digestive enzymes in your body, your doctor might prescribe some medications and also tell you to add to your diet foods with digestive enzymes. Natural digestive enzymes in fruits and vegetables will make your body stronger and fulfill the lack of enzymes in your body.
1. Honey
Honey has various digestive enzymes like invertase, protease, and amylase. Although honey is considered to be a digestive food, when you choose to add honey to your diet, make sure that you use it in its raw form.
2. Ginger
Ginger has multiple health benefits. It contains protease which is a digestive enzyme that breaks down protein into simple elements. This natural digestive enzyme is found in the root of Ginger.
3. Pineapple
Pineapple has bromelain – it is a protease. Adding pineapple along with protein-rich foods will help in their digestion.
4. Mango
The natural digestive enzyme amylase is found in mangoes. It helps in converting carbohydrates into glucose and maltose. With time, the activity of amylase in the mangoes increases which breaks down the starters in mango into sugars and makes the fruit sweet as it ripens.
5. Papaya
Papaya is also rich in protease, which acts on proteins and converts them into amino acids. Consuming the papaya raw is the best way to get benefits from it.
6. Bananas
If you eat bananas every day, you will notice that your digestive system is healthy. This is because bananas are one of the foods that help digestion. It also contains amylase and glucosidases. Both of these enzymes break carbohydrates into simpler compounds.
7. Avocado
Avocados contain lipase, an enzyme that digests fat. It helps break down the fats so that they can be easily absorbed. Usually, people do not need supplements for lipase but if you feel uneasy after eating fatty foods, foods rich in lipase might help.
Conclusion
The digestive system is an important organ system in our body. All the food we eat is broken down into simple forms absorbed and then utilized with the help of our digestive system. The digestion of food starts in our mouth when the salivary amylase starts converting simple carbohydrates into sugars.
Multiple enzymes are present in our body for digestion. Usually, all these enzymes are produced in our body by different organs but sometimes because of a disease or due to lack of proper nutrition, people might face a deficiency of digestive enzymes.
In such cases, foods with digestive enzymes can be of great help.
