Sprouted & Fermented foods – why enzymes are so important for both gut health and immunity

A healthy, varied, natural, mostly plant based diet rich in enzymes is key when it comes to providing your body strong, nutrient dense fuel. But imagine eating the perfect diet but still not receiving all its benefits? As you age, or due to the use of medications such as antacids or H2 agonists (medications that reduce your production of acid in the stomach), digestive acid and enzyme production in your body can fall to levels that reduce your ability properly digest food. This means your diet can be balanced but your body is not able to make use of the nutrients it should be absorbing via digestion.

What are enzymes and what do they do?

Enzymes are catalysts to chemical reactions in your body, and when it comes to digestive enzymes, their work is to trigger the breakdown of key nutrients. Your body produces many of these enzymes to support the breakdown of larger, macro molecules (like carbohydrates, for example) into micro molecules so you can absorb and use these micro molecules in their cellular processes. Carbohydrates (found mostly in pasta, bread, rice and grains) for example, are broken down by a specific group of enzymes called amylases. These amylases are produced by your salivary glands (this enzyme is called salivary amylase) and pancreas, and work together to break carbohydrates down into simple sugars, so they can be absorbed by your body. Whilst your body produces a myriad of enzymes for different purposes, plants also produce their own enzymes during sprouting and fermentation processes.

Plant Energy

Plants rely on carbon dioxide and water in order to produce chlorophyll, their major energy source. In fact, without this important green pigment, plants die. When you sprout seeds and grains, you effectively begin their germination. During this time, enzymes are produced by germinating seedlings so the plant is able to access their stored energy to grow. Once shoots and leaves appear, the plant then relies on the rays of the sun, the nutrients in the soil and the carbon dioxide in the air to cause photosynthesis and produce all important chlorophyll.

Why eat sprouted and fermented foods?

When a grain is fermented with yeast or probiotic bacteria, enzymes similar to those that develop during germination, are produced by the plant, making the nutrients in plant foods easier to absorb. This means if you eat plant food following controlled fermentation, your body is able to more easily digest the nutrients found, especially if your digestion is impaired.

Mr Vitamins recommends Nutra-Life WHOLE+ fermented Superfoods

Formulated with superfoods and fermented wholefoods, this healthy, powdered combination of botanical extracts, contains over 23 key ingredients combined with the knowledge from Palaeolithic and Mediterranean diet traditions. The fermentation of 75% of ingredients in this product, allows for the creation of enzymes and new nutrients not present in the raw food. Taken daily, this product supercharges your nutrition whilst supporting your total health and vitality. Find out more about Nutra-Life WHOLE+ fermented Superfoods here