Enzymes, among other things, help us digest the foods we eat in our stomachs and intestines. The more enzymes we have, the smoother the digestion. Where do these enzymes come from? Raw foods. We overcook our foods to death! Literally. By cooking food and exposing food to high heat, we destroy so much of the enzymes, nutrients, vitamins, etc. As such, we often face indigestion because the stomach is stressed out and working extra hard to digest the "dead" food we just ate. It's pretty simple. The more raw foods we eat, the easier digestibility we have. The more cooked foods we eat, our digestibility gets harder!
Digestibility is a big issue. Many people gain weight because of poor/weak digestibility. Poor digestibility means fats aren't properly digested and absorbed, so the body starts to collect and store fats in places where they shouldn't be! Imagine all the processed foods, which are mostly cooked, we blindly and unknowingly eat - we don't know how they were processed, where the food comes from, what oils were used, etc. Even restaurant salads can't be trusted. And once these processed, overcooked foods enter our system, imagine the stress and workload we cause for our stomachs and intestines! And you wonder why people get indigestion, heartburn, stomach aches, etc.
Now people often cringe at the sight or thought of eating raw food. But back in the days when mankind had not discovered fire yet, food was eaten raw! And many indigenous people were vegetarians. Don't get me wrong. I love meat. It's one of the richest sources of protein. But you have to eat organic, grassfed, uncaged, no hormones, no antibiotics, no pesticides treated meat. Hard to find? Perhaps. But stores like Whole Foods carry them - for a steep price. But I think it's well worth it. I read somewhere that Japan is like #1 in health. Maybe the culture of eating raw foods such as fish has something to do with it.
Raw sprouts (any kind) are rich in enzymes. So are raw vegetables and raw fruits. Trader Joes carries a bottle of enzyme supplements made from pineapple and papayas (come in purple bottle). No harm in giving your stomach a boost of enzymes this way! If you don't like raw fish (nothing wrong with that) take the raw vegetable and fruit route - and the enzyme supplements. We can never get enough of enzymes. Your stomach will love you for it.
