Enzymes
Enzymes are tangible physical substances that contain life itself. They are the keys to life and health. Every breath, even every thought, requires enzymes.
In the last chapter, we stressed the importance of enzymes, which control every function of the body at the cellular level. Here’s an analogy: To build a house, we need raw materials like lumber, nails, cement, etc. But we also need the workers. Enzymes are the body’s workers. They put the building blocks of proteins, carbohydrates and fats together to form the “building” of your body — your cells and organs.
Enzymes are alive. They promote life. When you plant a seed, it will germinate and grow because enzymes in the seed promote life and growth. If you take that same seed and dry-roast it in the oven, then plant it, it will not grow — because the cooking process destroyed its enzymes. Without the workers, the building will never get built.
You can see the importance of eating raw food. (I am not talking about raw meat, chicken, or fish; those things should always be thoroughly cooked to kill parasites and bacteria, but raw and living plant based food.)
Why raw food? Because raw food — seeds, nuts, vegetables and fruits — is alive, full of living enzymes. If planted, raw food will propagate, because not only does it include the raw materials (proteins, carbohydrates, fats), but it also includes the workmen (enzymes) who can build the building and keep it running in good repair.
One theory says we are born with a certain number of enzymes, and that once we make too many withdrawals without making enough deposits, we are enzyme-bankrupt — and life no longer exists. So clearly the more cooked food (with no enzymes) and the more over eating we do, the more our enzyme supply declines. The only way to slow this decline is to eat much more living and raw food. And when we are not eating living and raw food, we should add vegetable-source digestive enzymes to our diets.
Just think of your enzyme health as a bank account. You start your life with a tremendous inheritance of enzyme health. As life goes on, you are spending more and more enzymes in digestion, in over eating, in metabolic function. So you need to implement an “investment program” to keep your inheritance, to keep your account healthy. Otherwise, the price will one day have to be paid in the form of ill health and sickness.
The best way to make deposits on this account is by eating as much living and raw food as you can. Don’t over eat at any one meal, but eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day.
Raw vegetables include their own enzymes which help digest your food, saving your body’s own enzymes for other metabolic functions.
Your body includes three classes of enzymes: 1) enzymes from raw and living food, 2) metabolic enzymes made by your body, and 3) digestive enzymes your body makes.