Vitamins and Minerals Are Useless Without Enzymes

Lita Lee, a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Colorado in Boulder is a well-known author, lecturer, nutritionist and enzyme therapist. She teaches about body chemistry, hormonal balance, the makings of a healthy diet and how to protect yourself from environmental toxins.“People think that if they simply take vitamins and minerals they will be healthy, but every vitamin and mineral requires an enzyme,” says Lee. “You can eat pounds and pounds of vitamins and minerals, but if you don’t have the proper enzymes, they don’t work.” Metabolic enzymes run the body’s chemistry and are directly involved with physiologic processes such as breathing, thinking, talking, behaving and immunity. Pancreatic enzymes continue the work of digesting food in the small intestine after plant enzymes have begun the digestive process in the stomach. Eating raw foods and supplementing with plant enzymes can spare the pancreas from having to do 100% of digestion, according to Lee. Interestingly, Lee also points out that if you take enzymes on an empty stomach, they enter into the bloodstream and go to work there. “Like little PAC men,” says Lee, “these enzymes support a healthy immune system by digesting and disposing of toxins and eating the coating of certain viruses, enabling immune system workers to then destroy them. Each type of enzyme has a positive effect on inflammation and can help support healthy inflammation.” “Your life, vitality and your health depend upon an adequate supply of enzymes,” Lee concludes.

By Jordan Rubin