Enzymes, the spark of life

The missing link in nutrition

Enzymes are proteins found in all plant and animal cells. Scientists describe enzymes as catalysts that initiate chemical reactions or speed processes. This process can be seen when fruit ripens or milk is turned into cheese and yogurt. In the body, millions of enzymes are involved in all of the anabolic (building) and catabolic (breaking down) processes that we call metabolism. We are born with an enzyme potential and as long as we are eating fresh raw fruits and vegetables, sprouted grains, seeds, and nuts we are not using up our reserves. Enzymes are essential to life, and one's body has thousands, vital to everything from moving muscles, to the beating of your heart, to digesting foods. The stress of daily life, aging, lifestyle and environmental factors deplete one's supply of enzymes. Enzymes necessary for life are either produced by the body or ingested. As the late Dr. Edward Howell renown pioneer and authority on enzymes notes, "The refining of food and cooking methods have rendered the modern diet enzyme deficient.