Enzymes are the most important substances which are present in human beings as well as in animals and plants. These are complex protein molecules in all living cells and catalyse and regulate almost all biochemical reactions that occur within the human body.
Our digestion, our energy, the functions of our body, our immune system and much more depends upon the presence of enzymes and their capacity to function.
Enzymes are catalysts. The reactions which need high temperatures such as 50 or 100 or 150 degrees C can be performed in our body at 37 degree C with the help of the enzymes as catalysts. This is the wonder of our creation.
There are two groups - digestive and metabolic - enzymes. They are stored in organs, such as, liver and be used wherever they are needed.
Some important biochemical reactions that occur inside our 100 trillion cells are the energy production, detoxification and oxygen free radical scavenging. It is aptly said that our cells can survive only with the help of the metabolic enzymes.
The important duties of the digestive enzymes are the digestion and absorption of all nutrients from our food. The major work is to digest carbohydrates, protein and fat. The digestive enzymes include pepsin, trypsin, lipase, protease, ptyalin and amylase. Our body cannot produce cellulase, an enzyme necessary for the digestion of certain fibre and here the raw foods are the best source.
Our body accepts the enzymes from our raw food thankfully which are saved till the body needs. Therefore, the foods containing enzymes are very healthier to us.
Fresh raw vegetables and fruits are very good source of enzymes. Cooking makes different degrees of degradation. The production of these enzymes is a very complicated process in our organs utilising different, important nutrients including many metals like zinc, magnesium, copper, manganese and others.
Enzymes are also organizing the necessary functions or synthesize new bio-chemicals in the body which are necessary to build and repair the bones, cells, other organs and the tissues.
Enzymes are responsible for synthesizing, delivering, distributing, constructing, repairing and also eliminating wastes from our 100 trillion cells by giving the substances and chemicals to our body to live. Without enzymes there is no life.
Enzymes play a vital role in many diseases, such as, high blood pressure, diabetes, liver diseases, respiratory infections, cold, flu, heartburn, indigestion, weakened immune system, depression, burn out syndrome, migraines, pre-menstruation-syndrome, candida, fibromyalgia, arthritis, hyperactivity, anxiety, lack of concentration, constipation, fatigue, allergies, obesity and many others.
There are substances or metals which can inhibit the action of the enzymes and they are as follows:
• Almost all chemicals in excessive amount are poisonous to enzymes
• Heavy metals such as mercury present in amalgam, aluminium in antacid, deodorants, tea and cucumber, cadmium from seafood and tobacco smoke and lead can take the place of essential elements in the enzymes thus preventing the action of the enzymes.
• Over-the-counter, prescription and illegal drugs such as novalgin, aspirin, cannabis, cocaine and other designer drugs can be inhibitors.
• Pesticides and all the other chemicals used in the agriculture
• Solvents from household, industries and car exhausts, such as benzene, chlorinated solvents, ethylene glycol
• Alcohol, such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol etc.
• Caffeine from coffee, tea and chocolates
• Tobacco smoking and passive smoking
• Oxygen free radical and other free radicals
All the chemicals used in the food processing are not good for the enzymes, I have examined the blood sample of people who ate only processed food for months together without taking fresh raw vegetables and their enzyme status is mostly bad compared to an average person. Women are worse than men.
Grilled meat is worse than cigarettes. But smoking is worse than one time of eating grilled meat, since cigarettes are being smoked everyday.
Stress in the family or in the office or extreme worries and financial problems can affect the amount of enzymes produced and it is same with diseases also.
Aging causes the body to produce fewer enzymes and the whole metabolism and digestion can become slow.
Why is raw food in our diet important?
Depending upon your cooking process, an average of 50% of the enzymes gets destroyed. Fresh, raw foods contain the highest amount of enzymes which catalyse thousands of chemical reactions in our body. Dried and denatured foods have no enzymes which in course of time do not promote health and longevity.
Of all known fruits, pineapple contains a large amount of digestive or metabolic or both enzymes. Eat pineapple regularly if you have no allergy.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
It is very simple to explain you; normal people know lot about food which they like and enjoy.
But the relationship among food, environmental poisons, detoxification, free radical scavenging and metabolism are not understood by all. If you have all the information about a person, you make an individual food plan which belongs to him only. The other person has a different combination of these factors and so what is good for you is not good for him and vice versa. That is the reason why the recommendations are contradictory and you should not compare two diet plans.
Eat this, do not eat that is easy to tell, but you must be always in a position to explain what you do and what you mean and why. Then there will be no understanding problems.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Organic mercury compounds are very toxic. Inorganic mercury is mixed with other metals together to form an alloy. This is normally used in teeth fillings.
The other metals used with Mercury are silver, copper, indium, tin and zinc. But mercury is always the major component here.
Mercury will be free if the quality of the fillings is not good and swallowed with the saliva. The amount liberated in the mouth could be estimated with the so called “chewing gum” test.
Many people have no problems and others have lot of health problems. A part is excreted in the urine and a major part is accumulated in the tissues. During the process of removing the amalgam fillings, lot enters inside our body. This could be removed only with the help of the chelating agents. If you are allergic to mercury, these fillings must be removed and with other metals such as gold or platinum replaced. But these are very costly compared to amalgam, but very good.
The amalgam fillings must be removed by an experienced dentist. The doctor who removes the mercury deposited in your tissues must be very careful because during this process many of the essential minerals are also eliminated from the body. Necessary minerals supplements must be given before the beginning of the detoxification. The kidneys must be 100% healthy. The clinical toxicologist plays an important role. He supervises the analysis of mercury in blood, urine and in the hair before and after the detoxification. Essential minerals like copper and zinc are also controlled in the blood after the detoxification.
For the removal of toxic metals from our body we need selenium from our food. Food always plays an important role in removing the poisons from our body.
Today there are many alternatives to amalgam. Ceramic is one of the best.
Many think taking many supplements, using anti aging creams and eating some fruits and vegetables are enough for anti aging. No, we need more for anti aging.
The following are the important tips for anti aging:
• Enough physical activity
• Do not eat too much
• Eat food which contains lot of anti-oxidants
• Drink lot of water
• Select your food in such a way to get enough vitamins and minerals
• Enough sleep
• Be slim always
• Do not smoke
• Do not drink too much alcohol
• Eat less animal fat
• Reduce the amount of milk and diary products
• Take care of your skin and hair
• Train your brain always
• Avoid direct sunlight, if possible
• Take care of your eyes
• Drink tea, green is better than black, but both are good
• Have regular contact with your friends
• You must have hobbies
• Use the power of your sex hormones
• Enjoy your sex with your partner
• Reduce personal and office stress
• Do not believe in some wonder drugs or methods
• Your genes are also important here
• Support your detoxification system
• Eat proper food for free radical scavenging and these two are deciding factors
For anti aging you must start when you are young to achieve the best results. But it is never too late to start with.
Come for an online counselling and I give you a tailor-made proposal.
The toxins get inside our body through the lungs, skin or from the food, environment etc. and most of them is not water soluble. These are very dangerous because our kidneys are not in a position to excrete them and must be made water soluble.
The first set of enzymes, the phase-1 enzymes, react with them and produce an intermediate product which is more poisonous than the original toxin. Moreover, these produce many free radicals which are also dangerous to our health. So in the phase-2 reaction, in a very rapid way the reduced glutathione present in our cells react with this to form a water soluble substance which could be excreted through the kidneys.
In this process the glutathione is got oxidised and in less than in a fraction of nano second time this should be reduced to the original state to bind the toxins from the next breath. Here comes the vital role of antioxidants which reduce the oxidised glutathione to the effective reduced glutathione and this is happening countless times in our body throughout our lives without a break. A break means certain death.
Fruits and vegetables have enough anti-oxidants. Right food is our health.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
What is food processing?
Food processing is the method or technique of converting raw ingredients of food into food ready for consumption for human beings. Today this happens for animals also. Processed food with less additives and fresh raw ingredients are not bad but it is always important to know what is happening exactly because it is a multi billion business in the world and there are many people who want to make quick money at the cost of the consumers.
Everything seems wonderful, what is our problem with food processing?
I too thought like that 30 years before, the kitchen has one big refrigerator and big deep freezer full with all kinds of food. But when I come into contact with the patients who have problems with these foods I started to look very cautiously about these foods. There are advantages as well as disadvantages and you are in the positive side when you consume processed food now and then.
If not, what will happen?
My experience is if you are young your body adjusts all the food including junk food, processed food but the problem starts when you become above 35 years and when your body cannot make any compromise.
Are you against processed food?
No I am not against processed food, it has lot of advantages for many group of people who have really no time. But whenever we get time we must cook fresh food. We must educate our children how important freshly cooked food from the house is for their later life. It is easy throughout the world to prepare or buy quickly a salad with fresh vegetables. Fruits are also available everywhere. Eating only processed food is very unhealthy.
Why are you so careful?
I am careful because for me not only the taste is decisive but also there are so many other important factors. Imagine you never correct your foot to your shoe. There are more than 3000 chemicals used to support the processing, colour, taste etc. and the chemicals also help the food to adjust the different process. The machines are few but the foods are many and very different.
What do you want to say more about chemical additives?
What I want to say is simple, I want to know what I eat and it is not very easy to find out from the industrially processed food. Many of the fresh food ingredients are at first not available in enough quantities but you get them throughout the year. How is it possible? The chemicals make this. Strawberries and mangos are good example for this and the list is very long, that means we can produce almost everything with the chemicals and these may affect individuals in different ways according to their health. That is why, if we do not want to avoid, use the processed food rarely.
Could you give me few examples?
Almost all the fruit flavours in curds or in ice creams and soft drinks are not free from chemicals. I could give you an interesting tip that most of the pizzas have only synthetic cheese. These three thousand chemicals are in a position to mimic many natural food ingredients.
Could you tell me more about these chemicals or food additives?
Shopping fresh food items in the open market is the best possibility. In big super markets run by international companies, we must be careful. The factory made food contains several additives which may be harmful to our health. The most questionable additives are sodium nitrite, saccharin, caffeine, artificial colouring, etc. These we find mostly in low nutritional food.
What do you say about sugar and salt?
Sugar and salt are the most familiar additives and we must use them in right proportion. After eating enough rice in our meals it is not advisable to eat sweets or bananas which I have seen in many families in India. It may be good to show their financial position but they do only harm to their health. Nothing is prohibited but one must know when and how much to take. We master the software programs in this world but not in a position to understand these simple things. Here the women and dieticians may take the things in their hands and educate the society.
What are additives?
Additives are normally natural, nature identical or artificial substances which are of little or no nutritional value, but are used in the processing or storage of foods as well as animal feeds. Additives are used for different purposes including keeping the food wholesome until it is eaten, make the food look or taste better, make that the food is easy to store or use and keep the price of the food competitive. In an emerging country like India, it is the other way. Though it is costlier than other countries people are ready to pay since these are considered as fashion food. Regarding the food additives I write a separate article.
Are all from the 3000 chemicals safe?
Most of them are used to synthesise various ingredients to food. Many are good, about some there are no data available and there are also chemicals which may not be healthy to all. It also depends upon one’s health. Use processed food only rarely and that is the best way to be healthy. It may be cheap because of mass production but do not forget that you work hard to earn your money. It is better to spend your money to buy only healthy food. Fresh food prepared in your home is the best.
What is your personal opinion about this?
I too eat now and then some processed food but less. It is because in the processing of food, it must be so prepared that it is easily processable with machines. This is like cutting your foot to fit your shoes. The manipulated food is treated with different chemicals and finally it is optically good and so tasty that water is coming from your mouth. So I know the value of fresh foods in my home.
Do snacks and sweets contain any chemicals to stimulate mouth-watering?
Yes, it is applicable to chips, crackers and chocolates. Whether animals or human beings we react in the same way when we see a very tasty food, water comes from our mouth. We eat and when we have eaten enough, the saliva stops and we also stop to eat but there are very intelligent food chemists in the industry who thought that what will happen if the saliva comes further although that person has eaten enough. Then with chemicals they make these snacks in such a way that the saliva is produced after you are full. The result is you open the snacks pack and eat till you finish everything.
Suppose, I give you ten small chocolates and if you start eating you will see that you enjoy the first one very well. Keeping in the mouth for a long time, and enjoy it till the small piece melts. The second one also you will eat like the first one and from the third you chew half and then bite and eat. The 5th and 6th you bite and swallow it immediately. This is the effect with which you consume more and also worried about your health and weight. You must have the right information always about several things to react correctly.
What about the salted chips?
Chips and many other snacks are usually salty and after 100 or 200 g of chips you are so thirsty and drink one or two bottles of soft drinks. You consume the sugar from the soft drinks which also makes the industry very happy because they have made money out of everything. We must know all these, think about that and learn how to trick the industry. We need not sacrifice anything if we like it but everybody must find their own rules for themselves. The lobby of the food industry is so strong in several countries that there is no effective control even after many scandals.
Altogether so many chemicals, what about the adverse health effects?
The big problem to the body is the removal of these foreign chemicals including the heavy metals. Liver, the chemical factory in our body, is the place where the chemicals are treated for the excretion and liver has to do a lot of work always and this is an extra work. Heavy metals are deposited in kidney or excreted through our kidneys. Minimising these risks is good for our health. This is an extra work for our detoxification and free radical scavenging systems.
How could you summarise everything together?
It is very easy to do that and a friend of mine told me once that it seems the more we process our foods, the less nutrients remain in them. He is correct.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
She went for a routine blood check up and the doctor told her that she had elevated cholesterol. She was astonished as well as shocked to hear this because according to her she had been leading a careful and healthy life. The reason of the high cholesterol level could not be diagnosed by her doctor. She went from one specialist to another and everywhere she had different opinions from the doctors, but without any result. Finally she came to me and we had an analysis of her whole life, regarding her job, where she lived, family medical history and also her food habits. As a single and successful young woman she never cooked, she bought only processed food, now and then fruits and salads and drank much coffee and coca cola. From this analysis we came to know that her body was deficient of vitamins, minerals and above all the so called anti-oxidants.
We need anti-oxidants for detoxification (the removal of toxins or poisons from the body) and to remove dangerous free radicals which can make us sick and old. We should get this only from our fresh food; since she was not at all taking enough fresh food she had deficiency in anti-oxidants. The aim of our body is to live in all disadvantageous circumstances, so the natural substances from our body like cholesterol, uric acid and bilirubin are allotted to do this anti-oxidation work as their extra work. The brain orders the body to produce more of these substances and they are increased in our blood without any known cause. I recommended a suitable diet for this woman for three months, then I estimated her cholesterol value, it was high, but significantly lower than before. I changed her diet little and this was continued for another three months and after that she had her cholesterol level less than 200 mg/dl which is normal. Thus I have identifier the reason for the elevated value of cholesterol which the medicines could not control for several years. This was the knowledge 25 years ago about cholesterol.
The conclusion is that fresh food is important for our healthy life, without which sports and other physical activities will not help us always to become healthy. Eat less processed food, but everyday you must eat fresh vegetables and fruits, the standard amount for an adult is 300 to 400 g fresh vegetables and 400 g of fresh and ripe fruits.
You might also like...
Subscribe
Posts
All Comments
Dr.K.Padmanaban Ph.D
Click the image to see my profile