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Juicing for

Health

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EnzymesThe Spark of Life -

& the Minerals

They Depend on

an acetyltransferase

What are enzymes?

• Enzymes are complex energized protein molecules that do the work involved with all the processes of life – the Spark of Life

• They catalyze and regulate reactions in the body

• Enzymes are delicate molecules that are easily damaged by toxins and excess heat

• Each enzyme is activated by a particular mineral

• Living enzymes have vital principle or life energy that we don’t understand

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An amylase

molecule

• The yellow ball is

calcium

• The green ball is a

chloride ion

Notice the ‘-ase’ ending

“Enzymes are a true yardstick of vitality.

Enzymes offer an important means of

calculating the vital energy of an organism. That which we call energy, vital force, nerve energy, and strength, may be synonymous with

enzymes activity.”

Dr. Edward Howell

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How do

enzymes

work?

Types of Enzymes

• Metabolic enzymes

• Digestive enzymes

• Food enzymes

Lots of overlap…

acid β-Glucosidase

& glucosylceramidase

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Metabolic Enzymes

• Metabolism, the sum of the processes by which the body’s fuel is converted to energy, relies heavily on enzymes, one of the basic keys of life.

• There are thousands of enzymes in the body that carry on all the activities of building, maintaining, cleansing (detoxing), healing the body.

• Building & activating these enzymes requires a full complement of nutrients from natural foods

• Many trace minerals are needed in very small amounts

Carbonic

anhydrase, with

zinc ion at center

Some other metabolic

enzymes

• Transferases

• Hydrolases (add water)

• Lyases (separates)

• Isomerases (changes)

• Ligases (links)

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Digestive Enzymes

There are three main types of digestive enzymes

• Lipases – which serve to break down fats (lipids)

• Amylases – which breaks down starch (amylose)

• Disaccharidases – break down double sugars

• Proteases (proteolytic enzymes) – which work to

break down proteins – examples trypsin & pepsin

• Stomach hydrochloric acid - essential for good

digestion of proteins

Some Enzyme Activities

• Amylases – digest carbs (salivary & pancreatic) along with

dead white blood cells, & are involved in anti-inflammatory

reactions. Deficiency associated with asthma, diabetes,

allergies

• Invertase, lactase, maltase – disaccharidases in the brush

border that digest disaccharides – double sugars

• Proteases – dissolve most proteins that are not part of living

cells (which are protected from lysis with inhibitors), such as

protein in food, cellular debris, toxins in blood.

• Lipases – Poor fat digestion is associated with heart disease,

obesity. Fat “blockers” interfere with digestion

• Polymorphic – adapting to digestive or metabolic needs

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Enzymes & the Immune System

• Leukocytes (WBC) contain amylases, proteases, lipases, so enzymes are an integral part of the immune system

• Much of the immune system is located in the gut

• Enzymes enable more efficient use of vitamins & minerals

• WBC’s increase after eating a cooked meal

• Enzyme activity in the body increases during a fever, acute illness

• Enzyme levels are decreased (depleted) in chronic illness

Food Enzymes

• Living (Raw) foods also contain amylases,

proteases and lipases, plus

• Cellulases – which assist to break down cellulose

• Cellulose provides structure to plants, but we can’t

digest it – called “fiber.” Microbes in the gut feast

on the fiber – providing the enzymes to digest it.

• Fermenting foods increases their enzyme content

• Cooking foods destroys enzymes

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Why are food enzymes

important?

• Help digest our food – making more nutrients available for building

• Reduce our need to make digestive enzymes

• Conserve our digestive enzyme systems which gradually wear out with use

• Conserve our capacity to make the metabolic enzymes needed for health, detoxification, and healing

Enzyme Myths

• Enzymes, being proteins, are digested –broken down into amino acids – Wrong!

• Enzyme supplementation leads to deterioration of endogenous enzymes –Wrong!

• Enzyme molecules are too big to be absorbed into bloodstream – Wrong!

These have all been proven false!

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Law of Adaptive Secretion

of Digestive Enzymes

• Organisms value their enzymes highly and

will make no more than is needed for the job.

• Consume food enzymes and body will

produce fewer digestive enzymes

• Food enzymes do pass thru stomach undigested

• Research shows animals denied food enzymes have

larger pancreas, poor growth & die sooner

• Nature heals using metabolic enzyme activity

Digestion of protein & carbs

• Digestion begins in the mouth,

with chewing, activation of

ptyalin, and enzymes in raw food

• Continues in cardiac & fundic

regions of stomach (no

peristalsis)

• Proceeds to pyloric region when

HCl is sufficient & food is

liquified

• Pepsin digests protein in this acid

environmentFood Enzyme Concept

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Digestion of fats

• Digestion of fats begins in

the mouth, with chewing,

activation of the enzymes

in raw fats – raw butter,

avocado, cold pressed

olive oil – very helpful for

proper fat digestion!

• Continues in cardiac &

fundic regions of stomach

(before peristalsis starts)Food Enzyme Concept

Digestion in small intestine

• Fat digestion continues in the

small intestine with emulsifying

of fat by bile (cholesterol) from

liver/gall bladder

• and with action of lipases from

the pancreas

• Pancreatic amylase breaks down

carbs

• Pancreatic proteases continue

the digestion of proteins.

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Digestion at the Brush Border• Completed by enzymes secreted by

healthy enterocytes on the villi of the duodenum

• Healthy enterocytes depend on a healthy mix of beneficial gut flora that line the small intestine

• Bad fats (processed vegetable oils) interfere with gut flora & bile production

• Low fats diets also interfere with fat digestion – Don’t be afraid of good fats – butter, olive oil, coconut oil

Saturated Fat is not bad for you!!!

Priming your Gall Bladder

• Gall bladder disease & related digestive problems are very common these days

• To aid digestion of fats:

– Eat whole foods

– Slow down, relax, and chew thoroughly – juice your veggies

– Eat enzyme-rich foods:

• Raw foods – pineapple, banana, raw milk, raw honey

• Lacto-fermented foods - sauerkraut, kefir, beet kvass

• Take a teaspoon of raw apple cider vinegar in 2-4 ounces of water with meals

• Or a teaspoon of Swedish bitters in water after meals

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Enzymes & Healing• Food enzymes can be absorbed & are active in the body

• Examples– High dose amylase to calm down hives, spider bites, allergic reactions

– Lipase in raw butter, avocados and other raw fats associated with healthy arteries – starts proper digestion in food enzyme stomach

– Donna Gates’ Body Ecology Diet uses raw cultured vegetables in treating candidiasis & autism – “friendly bacteria are little enzyme powerhouses”

– Raw butter cures psoriasis –“Enzyme Deficiency Disease”

– Patrick Quillan – enzymes taken between meals enter bloodstream and help fight cancer.

– 1908 – Raw Milk Cure

– Aajonus Vonderplanitz has remarkable stories of healing using raw animal foods

Enzyme Reserves

• Young people have a large reserve of

enzymes in their tissues which help with

digestion of cooked & junk foods

• ↑ enzyme production → ↓ reserves

• Older folks have smaller reserves,

so cooked foods are digested less

efficiently

• Depleted enzyme reserves → incomplete

digestion → variety of health problems

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Why are low digestive enzymes

such a problem?

• Incomplete digestion →

• Poor nutrient absorption, toxic particles →

• Impaired gut tissue health –

‘Leaky Gut Syndrome’ →

• Absorption of toxins &

undigested particles →

• Chronic health problems

Common Symptoms of

Low Digestive Enzymes

• Bloating or belching after meals

• Burning in stomach after eating

• Fullness or heaviness after eating

• Nausea after eating or taking supplements

• Intestinal gas

• Indigestion

• Bad breath

• Diarrhea or constipation

• Itching around rectum

• Weak or cracked

fingernails

• Skin break-outs or acne

• Iron deficiency

• Undigested food in stool

• Chronic candida infection

• Dysbiosis (overgrowth of

unhealthy intestinal

bacteria

• Food allergies

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Diseases Associated with Low Digestive Enzymes

• Asthma

• Diabetes

• Osteoporosis

• Arthritis

• Hepatitis

• Eczema

• Acne rosacea

• Psoriasis

• Gallbladder disease

• Herpes

• Hives

• Hyperthyroid

• Hypothyroid

• Thyrotoxicosis

• Autoimmune disorders

• Lupus erythematosus

• Myasthenia gravis

• Pernicious anemia

• Celiac disease

• Sjogren’s syndrome

What causes low digestive enzymes?

• Cooked foods increase enzymes

needs

• Processed foods

– lack the minerals needed to activate

enzymes

– tend to interfere with the activity of

enzymes due to damaged fats -

toxins

– require more detox enzymes.

• Enzyme inhibitors in some foods

• Poor gut microflora – antibiotics

& other meds

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What happens when foods are cooked?

• Food enzyme action is destroyed

• Cooked proteins may be harder to digest → incomplete digestion → absorption of protein fragments, allergies

• Cooked fats may not function as well

• Some vitamins are damaged or destroyed

• Some minerals are less available for use by the body

• The body struggles to make all the enzymes needed

• Body function suffers – ill health

Some benefits of cooking

• Some plant foods are easier to digest when cooked - beans, grains, high fiber foods

• Some plant foods contain toxins that are degraded by cooking

• Bone broths enhance digestion

• Most healthy traditional cultures used some cooked, some raw foods, &some cultured foods

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What happens in the kitchen?

• The cook in the kitchen is busy destroying these enzymes!

• The eco-chef learns to nurture and enhance these enzymes

• The smart housewife learns to value and conserve these enzymes

• The diligent housewife increases the enzyme value of foods & inactivates inhibitors

• The wise consumer learns to tend the gut microflora that produce yet more enzymes

Be a smart housewife

• Serve lots of raw foods

• Juice veggies to release enzymes & other nutrients

• Make cultured & lacto-fermented foods

• Include these probiotic foods in meals

• Consider using enzyme supplements

– Enteric coated enzymes will miss stomach digestion, so may enter blood stream

– Timing is key – between meals to supplement metabolic enzymes

– Non-enteric coated enzymes best help for digestion as they work in Food Enzyme Stomach

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Minerals & Enzymes

• Minerals are absolutely

necessary for enzyme function

• Some minerals are needed in

only trace amounts

• Mineral absorption relies on fat

soluble activators – A, D, K2

• Be sure to include good fats in

the meal along with juices

• Animals are God’s gift who

turn grasses and herbs into

wonderful food

• Vitamin D - sunshine, high quality cod liver oil, lard from pastured pigs

• Vitamin A - butter, egg yolk, liver & cod liver oil - true vitamin A found is only in animal foods

• Vitamin K2 - found in egg yolks, spring butter, animal fats, fermented foods, natto

• Iodine - seafood, kelp,lugols solution

More mineral problems

• Chemical farming methods interfere with the uptake of minerals (GMOs) & have depleted the minerals in our soils & our foods

• Because of soil mineral depletion even organic foods are usually lower in nutrients that 50 years ago - unless the soil is remineralized and soil microbes are nourished

• High quality foods raised on fertile, remineralized soils don’t attract pests, are higher in minerals & other nutrients, are tastier, keep longer!

• BUT – they are hard to find!

• Use refractometer totest ‘brix’ levels

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Mineral Sources

Each enzyme has a mineral (or 2) attached to it

– that’s why trace minerals are so important

– Celtic sea salt

– Concentrace in purified water

– Superfoods

– High quality fruits and vegetables –

organic and high brix

Superfoods

• Fresh wheat grass

• Cinnamon - helps normalize blood sugar

• Ginger, fresh - aids digestion

• Nutrient-dense sea vegetables

• Kelp - iodine

• Spirulina - easier to digest

• Chlorella - binds with heavy metals

• Lemon, including the skin - potent detoxifier

• Mushrooms - help boost the

immune system

• Parsley, cilantro - detoxifiers, aid

digestion

• Tomatoes, esp. cherry toms -

important part of antioxidant

defense in skin to protect from sun

• Nutritional yeast - high quality,

minimal processing - source of B

vitamins (not B12) and many

minerals, such as chromium

(diabetes) and silicon (strong bones

and healthy joints)

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Medicinal Properties of Foods

• Basil: Antispasmodic, antiseptic, fight insomnia, migraines, and digestive problems

• Beets: Benefits the liver, strengthens the heart, improves circulation

• Cabbage: Improves the digestion; beautifies the skin; treats

constipation

• Carrot: Benefits the lungs, strengthens the spleen-pancreas, improves liver functions, helps regulate all hormones, increases milk supply of nursing mothers,

high in carotenes

• Celery: Benefits the stomach,

improves digestion, purifies the

blood, lowers high blood

pressure by reducing hormone

associated with stress

• Cilantro: Lessens joint pain,

colds, diarrhea

Medicinal Properties, cont’d

• Daikon: Stimulates the appetite,

antiseptic

• Ginger: Aides in digestion

• Garlic: Promotes growth of

healthy intestinal flora,

eliminates toxins from the

body, antifungal and

antimicrobial effects

• Onions: Antifungal and

antimicrobial

• Sweet Red Pepper: High in

vitamins C & carotenes

• Sweet Potato: Removes toxins

from the body

• Green Apples: Benefit digestion

and liver

• Raisins: Source of vitamin C

and food for microflora

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Beware of Enzyme Inhibitors

• Nuts, seeds & beans are richly endowed with enzymes, but they must be inhibited until planted

• Enzyme inhibitors in seeds tie up nutrients to preserve the seed until planting time

• These inhibitors interfere with digestion & shorten the lives of test animals

• Germination (soaking, sprouting) inactivates the inhibitors – few enzymes in sprouts, but most enzymes at ¼ inch sprout

• ‘Starch blockers’ are enzyme inhibitors – increase (waste) enzyme production! (Wheat germ is loaded with inhibitors)

Healthy Traditional Diets

• Included many raw foods

• Included raw animal products –meat, milk, eggs

• Often included fermented foods, rich in beneficial microbes and enzymes

• Often soaked or sprouted grains to activate enzymes and increase digestibility

• The smart kitchen-chef does the same.

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Something to keep in mind

Individual Variability

• People vary greatly in their response to foods and their nutrient requirements

• Some folks do better with cooked foods than others – better enzyme mix

• Some folks do better with vegetarian diet, esp. with eggs & dairy, some need more meat

• Pay attention to how your body responds

Enzymes from raw & cultured

animal foods

• Raw milk

• Yogurt

• Kefir

• Crème Fraiche, Piima cream

• Raw eggs – raw egg whites

are fine when consumed with

raw egg yolk (biotin in yolk

more than balances biotin

binders in egg white)

• Raw meat –

• Kibbeh* (lamb)

• Steak Tartare* (French)

• Carpaccio* (Italian)

• Raw Salmon Salad*

*Recipes in Nourishing Traditions

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Enzymes from raw plant foods• Tropical fruits high in enzymes –

papaya, pineapple, banana, avocado, mango, dates, figs

• Also truly raw honey & germinated, inhibitor-free raw grains, seeds & nuts

• Salad greens are low in enzymes

• Juicing raw greens allows higher enzyme consumption

• Lacto-fermentation of shredded veggies (sauerkraut, kimchi) increases enzymes, as well as other nutrients

Enzyme-rich Salads

• Chop, dice or shred a variety of tender veggies. Apple is nice, too.

• Dress with raw apple cider vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and really raw honey

• Add something nutty – pine nuts, walnuts, sesame or pumpkin seeds

• Season as desired with good salt, pepper, and herbs

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Lacto-fermented Foods

• Sauerkraut

• Kimchi

• Pickles – cucumbers and other veggies

• Relish – corn, tomato

• Ketchup

• Salsa

• Chutneys

Good to include when juicing

Some cultured veggie combos

• Magenta Blend: Organic Red

Cabbage, Beets, Carrots, Daikon,

Onion, Ginger, and Garlic

• Orange Blend: Organic Carrots,

Raisins, and Ginger

• Green Blend: Organic Green

Cabbage, Green Onion, Green Apple,

Celery, Basil, and Garlic

• Yellow Blend: Organic Green

Cabbage, Sweet Potato, Celery,

Sweet Red Pepper, Leeks, Carrots,

Cilantro, Lemon and Lime

Source: Paradise LivingParadise LivingParadise LivingParadise Living Food for Health

• Use your imagination.

• Beets will color anything pink

• Kale can be included, but with

beets the color is not good

• Green beans should be cooked

first

• Cruciferous veggies (cabbage,

kale) may depress thyroid –

limit serving size

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The benefits of juicing/blending

• Easy way of consuming fresh fruits and vegetables

• Easy to digest

• Rich source of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants

• Health boosting properties - increased energy, clearer skin

• Cleansing and detoxification

• Speed recovery from illness

• Anti-aging

• Helps body resist cancer

• Fun to experiment

• Great to share with friends

Adding Probiotics (Microflora)• A healthy gut is loaded with microbes –

nourished by fiber & ‘resistant starch’

• They help with digestion

• They keep pathogens controlled

• Help to maintain health gut lining –helping to maintain healthy immune system

• Natural sources: yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, kim-chi, & other fermented veggies

• Raw apple cider vinegar, raw whey

Add to your juices to increase digestibility

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Enzymes in Raw Milk

• Lipase – assist with proper digestion of fats

• Lactoperoxidase - Uses small amounts of H2O2 and free radicals to seek out and destroy bad bacteria

• Lactoferrin - Steals iron away from pathogens and carries it through the gut wall into the blood stream; stimulates the immune system

• Lysosyme – Kills bacteria by digesting their cell walls.

• White Blood Cells – Produce antibodies against specific bacteria and many other functions

• Other enzymes – Disrupt bacterial cell walls

• All destroyed by pasteurization

The importance of good fats and

protein foods• Omega-3 fats - as in high quality fish oils/cod

liver oil, flax seed, chia seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts

• Raw fats - butter, cream, extra virgin olive oil, coconut & palm oils, sesame oil (cold pressed).

• Avocado (even the seed used in the powerful blender)

• Evening primrose oil, borage oil - sources of GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) Omega-6 to balance with omega-3 fats. May protect against cancer, inflammation

• Meats are excellent source of important nutrients - highly available - tenderize with long slow cooking, or cook very rare to preserve all nutrients

• Meat should be pasture-raised - source of CLA (conjugatedlinoleic acid) protective against cancer, better balance of EFA

• Wheat germ oil - vitamin E

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Cautions in juicing

• Don't go overboard - use common sense

• Limit high carb fruits & veggies - balance with quality fats (see below)

• An all raw diet may suit some, but certainly not all

• Raw animal foods are valuable (see books byAajonus Vonderplanitz - www.wewant2live.com)

• Vegan diets are deficient in B12, and often in protein & other nutrients - can take a long time for problems to develop

• Cleansing may produce detox reactions

• Maintain balance of cooked and raw

• Modern soy foods are not health foods

Juicing vs. blending

• Juicing separates out the fiber

• Centrifuge type juicing gives poor yield of juice compared to masticating type, such as the Omega juicer.

• Blending incorporates the whole food - a high powered blender will produce finer particles.

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The Truth about Fiber

• Food for gut microbes

• Too much can be irritating to the gut

• Gut microbes are the secret to a healthy elimination -magnesium (prunes) as adjunct

• Don’t rely on bran & psyllium seed

Juicers/Blenders

• Blenders

– BlendTec www.blendtec.com - Interesting information

here about foods to blenderize, but beware - it has a

vegetarian bias

– Vita-Mix www.vita-mix.com

– Bullet blenders – probably not good for tough veggies

• Juicers - masticating type - the Omega

www.omegajuicers.com

www.householdtraditions.com

usa.hurom.com - Horum Slow Juicer

• Google “best juicers” for ideas

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Juicing Books

• The Big Book of Juices and Smoothies - 365 Natural Blends For Health And Vitality Every Day, by NatalieSavona. This useful reference cookbook includes a list of nutrients, their functions in the body, and food sources, and also a list of ailments and the foods to eat to fight them. One caution, soy foods, such as soy milk, are suggested for some smoothies, but we do not recommend most soy foods because of the health problems they can cause.

• Juices & Smoothies - Over 160 Healthy, Refreshing and Irresistible Drinks and Blends, by Suzannah Oliver and Joanna Farrow. A large, colorful, glamorous book with good information on equipment and ingredients, including nuts, herbs and other super foods. Beware of the sugars used in some recipes. Again, avoid the soy milk and tofu, which are not the health foods they are made out to be.

For further study on juicing

These are vegan sites, so beware. You do need your

fat-soluble activators (vitamins A, D, & K) and

protein – from eggs and milk, preferably raw.

– The juice cure – Gerson Institute: www.gerson.org

– Creative Health Institute - the wheat grass place:

www.creativehealthinstitute.com

– The Raw Food World -

www.therawfoodworld.com

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Supplemental Enzymes• Swedish bitters – www.swedishbitters.com

• Quantum Digest “world class plant enzymes”

• Vitalzym™ “whole body therapy”

• Wobenzym® - www.wobenzym.comrecommended for:– Healthy Joints

– Improved Mobility

– Robust circulation

– Healthy Aging

– Normalized Inflammation

– Sports Injury Recuperation

Pancreatic enzymes usually unnecessary as production is high – need food enzymes in stomach

References

• Enzyme Nutrition, The Food Enzyme Concept, by Dr. Edward Howell

• Food Enzymes, The Missing Link to Radiant Health, by Humbart Santillo, MH, N.D.

• The Complete Book of Enzyme Therapy, by Dr. Anthony J Cichoke

• Nourishing Traditions, & Eat Fat, Lose Fat, by Sally Fallon

• We Want to Live, & Recipe for Living Without Disease, by Aajonus Vanderplanitz

• Digestive Health with Real Food, by Aglaée Jacob, RD - http://radicatanutrition.com/

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Additional information and links

• www.MercyViewMeadow.org - go to sitemap, find ‘Enzymes’ and follow links

• Wild Fermentation, The Flavor, Nutrition, And Craft Of Live-Cultured Foods, by Sandor Katz

• The Body Ecology Diet, by Donna Gates

• Digestive Wellness, by Elizabeth Lipski (not much on enzymes)

• Beating Cancer with Nutrition by Patrick Quillan (includes short chapter on enzymes)

• Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Natasha Campbell-McBride, M.D.

Happy Juicing!

Weston A Price Foundation, Toledo ChapterLeader - Kris Johnson, retired dietitian,

www.MercyViewMeadow.org kris.johnson@ecunet.org, 419-320-2309

www.WAPFToledo.org

www.WestonAPrice.org

Co-leader, Lisa Bowe, CHP, Health Counselor 419-262-1023, lisabowe00@gmail.com

Linda Ott, ND, naturopath

419-517-8810, lindaott.nd@gmail.com

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Weston A Price Foundation

www.WestonAPrice.org

PowerPoint by

Kris Johnson, MS, retired dietitian,

www.MercyViewMeadow.org

419-836-7637, kris.johnson@ecunet.org

Lisa Bowe, C.H.P., Health Counselor,

419-262-1023, lisabowe00@gmail.com