I’ve seen the idea thrown around that they may help with bloat/bloaty feeling from whey and other protein shakes.
Anyone have some direct experience with this and have some recommendations on types/brands, etc?
Thanks!
I started the digestive enzyme therapy this week and do notice a few things. For one, I feel more satisfied from the food I eat. Food seems to agree with me more, MUCH more.
Also I don’t feel the bloat from a typical high protein meal. I can easily kill of a 1 lb steak without much effort, but now I notice that I get fuller faster. I seem to eat slower too. I have always had a bad habit of shoveling down my food, where now I don’t feel as if I am in a rush.
Things “move” better too, that’s enough said on that. Skin looks better and just have an all around better feeling overall. Stomach looks a bit smaller, but nothing to get too excited over. I am going into this with the idea that I will be healthier in the long run, so if I don’t see serious body comp changes I won’t be upset, but that would be nice if it happened.
Note: Consider the burn effect if you eat something spicy, I had a chili sauce on some chicken and it felt much more intense than normal because of this spice. Just something to consider.
bromelain, acidophilus, and ginger root do the trick
papaya chewables are my choice. They taste like candy and help out with the amount of food I take in.
Maximus-- what are you doing for ‘digestive enzyme therapy’? Are you taking something over-the-counter? Are you doing something besides taking an enzyme?
E99_Curt: Thanks for that PM-- I’ll check that out.
The digestive enzyme PROTEASE
Responsible for digesting proteins in your food, which is probably one of the most difficult substances to metabolize. Because of this, protease is considered to be one of the most important enzymes that we have.
If the digestive process is incomplete, undigested protein can wind up in your circulatory system, as well as in other parts of your body.
When you take protease in higher quantities, it can help to clean up your body by removing the unwanted protein from your circulatory system. This will help to clean up your blood stream, and restore your energy and balance.
One of the tricks of an invading organism is to wrap itself in a large protein shell that the body would view as being “normal”. Large amounts of protease can help to remove this protein shell, and allow the body’s defense mechanisms can go into action. With the protective barrier down, your immune system can step in and destroy the invading organism.
Additional amounts of protease are also helpful in fighting such things as colds, flu’s, and cancerous tumor growths. Protease helps in the healing and recovery from cancer by dissolving the fibrin coating on cancer cells, and thereby giving your immune system a chance to do its job.
It can effectively shrink these tumors by helping to remove the dead and abnormal tissues, and by stimulating healthy tissue growth.
The digestive enzyme AMYLASE
The second most important enzyme that we have, amylase is responsible for digesting carbohydrates in food. Because of this, it could be considered a natural antihistamine. Incomplete
digestion of carbohydrates has been linked to blood sugar imbalances, allergies, and asthma.
Amylase is also very effective in helping to relieve the symptoms of allergic reactions to such things as insect bites, pollen irritation, or contact with poison oak, poison ivy, or sumac.
A possible reason why some people appear to be more immune to these poisons is because of a higher amount of amylase within their bodies.
The digestive enzyme LIPASE
Responsible for digesting fats in food. When taken in higher quantities it will also find its way into the blood stream and help to remove excess fatty deposits from the inside of your veins and arteries. When this occurs, the arteries and veins are more open and allow the blood to flow more smoothly throughout your body.
It is well understood that clogged arteries cause a rise in blood pressure, and that this in turn leads to heart problems. Using extra lipase during the pre-digestive phase can help with overall fat control both in the stomach and in the arteries of your body.
Additional lipase can also be helpful in a weight management program, because it converts fat to energy instead of allowing it to be stored in your body.
The digestive enzyme CELLULASE
Responsible for breaking down fiber. It is also an excellent antioxidant because it binds to heavy metals and other toxins and carries them out of your body.
We generally consume a combination of soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber is effective in binding to excess cholesterol and toxic material and removing them from the body. Cellulase helps with this process because it breaks down the soluble fiber and allows it to be more efficient.
Insoluble fiber provides the necessary bulk to keep the intestinal tract properly inflated, and acts as a “push broom” to keep the walls of both the small and large intestines clean.
The digestive enzyme MALTASE
Responsible for taking the complex sugar found in malt and grain products and changing it into
glucose.
The digestive enzyme LACTASE
Responsible for digesting the milk sugar found in dairy products.
The digestive enzyme PHYTASE
Helps with digestion in general, and is especially effective in producing vital nutrients of the B-Complex.
The digestive enzyme SUCRASE
Responsible for digesting the sugars that are found in most foods.
Suggestions:
You may not always get enough enzymes from the food that you eat, and because of that you may sometimes have problems with your digestion. To help you with that I have included a few suggestions that you may wish to consider.
a) Chew your food well. This will help to break down your food so that your enzymes can do their job more effectively.
b) Eat your meals slowly. This will allow your food to proceed along your digestive tract in an orderly and continuous fashion.
c) Take time to relax after you eat so that your body will have the energy to start the digestive process.
d) Eat smaller more frequent meals during the day to help your digestion, and to promote better metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates and fat.
e) Do not eat a heavy meal within three hours of bedtime.
f) Drink plenty of water or herbal tea with and between your meals to promote better digestion and system regularity.
g) Eat plenty of fresh raw fruits and vegetables to maximize your enzyme intake.
Do your very best to obtain all the enzymes that you can. The more enzymes you consume, the better your digestion will be, and the more value you will obtain from your food. And you do not have to worry about ever getting too many enzymes, they are not something that you can overdose on. Eat well, and be healthy.
If I were going to suggest an enzyme supplement I would suggest Poliquin’s Optizyme.
[quote]laroyal wrote:
The digestive enzyme PROTEASE
Responsible for digesting proteins in your food, which is probably one of the most difficult substances to metabolize. Because of this, protease is considered to be one of the most important enzymes that we have.
If the digestive process is incomplete, undigested protein can wind up in your circulatory system, as well as in other parts of your body.
When you take protease in higher quantities, it can help to clean up your body by removing the unwanted protein from your circulatory system. This will help to clean up your blood stream, and restore your energy and balance.
One of the tricks of an invading organism is to wrap itself in a large protein shell that the body would view as being “normal”. Large amounts of protease can help to remove this protein shell, and allow the body’s defense mechanisms can go into action. With the protective barrier down, your immune system can step in and destroy the invading organism.
Additional amounts of protease are also helpful in fighting such things as colds, flu’s, and cancerous tumor growths. Protease helps in the healing and recovery from cancer by dissolving the fibrin coating on cancer cells, and thereby giving your immune system a chance to do its job.
It can effectively shrink these tumors by helping to remove the dead and abnormal tissues, and by stimulating healthy tissue growth.
The digestive enzyme AMYLASE
The second most important enzyme that we have, amylase is responsible for digesting carbohydrates in food. Because of this, it could be considered a natural antihistamine. Incomplete
digestion of carbohydrates has been linked to blood sugar imbalances, allergies, and asthma.
Amylase is also very effective in helping to relieve the symptoms of allergic reactions to such things as insect bites, pollen irritation, or contact with poison oak, poison ivy, or sumac.
A possible reason why some people appear to be more immune to these poisons is because of a higher amount of amylase within their bodies.
The digestive enzyme LIPASE
Responsible for digesting fats in food. When taken in higher quantities it will also find its way into the blood stream and help to remove excess fatty deposits from the inside of your veins and arteries. When this occurs, the arteries and veins are more open and allow the blood to flow more smoothly throughout your body.
It is well understood that clogged arteries cause a rise in blood pressure, and that this in turn leads to heart problems. Using extra lipase during the pre-digestive phase can help with overall fat control both in the stomach and in the arteries of your body.
Additional lipase can also be helpful in a weight management program, because it converts fat to energy instead of allowing it to be stored in your body.
The digestive enzyme CELLULASE
Responsible for breaking down fiber. It is also an excellent antioxidant because it binds to heavy metals and other toxins and carries them out of your body.
We generally consume a combination of soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber is effective in binding to excess cholesterol and toxic material and removing them from the body. Cellulase helps with this process because it breaks down the soluble fiber and allows it to be more efficient.
Insoluble fiber provides the necessary bulk to keep the intestinal tract properly inflated, and acts as a “push broom” to keep the walls of both the small and large intestines clean.
The digestive enzyme MALTASE
Responsible for taking the complex sugar found in malt and grain products and changing it into
glucose.
The digestive enzyme LACTASE
Responsible for digesting the milk sugar found in dairy products.
The digestive enzyme PHYTASE
Helps with digestion in general, and is especially effective in producing vital nutrients of the B-Complex.
The digestive enzyme SUCRASE
Responsible for digesting the sugars that are found in most foods.
Suggestions:
You may not always get enough enzymes from the food that you eat, and because of that you may sometimes have problems with your digestion. To help you with that I have included a few suggestions that you may wish to consider.
a) Chew your food well. This will help to break down your food so that your enzymes can do their job more effectively.
b) Eat your meals slowly. This will allow your food to proceed along your digestive tract in an orderly and continuous fashion.
c) Take time to relax after you eat so that your body will have the energy to start the digestive process.
d) Eat smaller more frequent meals during the day to help your digestion, and to promote better metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates and fat.
e) Do not eat a heavy meal within three hours of bedtime.
f) Drink plenty of water or herbal tea with and between your meals to promote better digestion and system regularity.
g) Eat plenty of fresh raw fruits and vegetables to maximize your enzyme intake.
Do your very best to obtain all the enzymes that you can. The more enzymes you consume, the better your digestion will be, and the more value you will obtain from your food. And you do not have to worry about ever getting too many enzymes, they are not something that you can overdose on. Eat well, and be healthy.
If I were going to suggest an enzyme supplement I would suggest Poliquin’s Optizyme.[/quote]
how do you feel about bromelain and papaya?
Both of those are great. Anything you can do to improve your digestion will help you on a variety of levels the least of which is physique improvement and strength gains. Some health experts believe that disease (no matter which one) can be traced back to your gut and digestive wellness.
Optimal digestion will allow your body to extract all the great nutrients you are feeding it. I am a big believer in making sure you are producing enough HCL and that you have an abundance of enzymes. I still would lean towards Poliquin’s Optizyme as far as a supplement goes though.
Steely, I am taking some over the counter Betaine HCL, but I am concerned because I am taking around 1800 mg now and still no burn. Not sure if its healthy for me to continue with more HCL.
I tried contacting the Poliquin Performance Center for their suggestions, and they recommended Poliquin’s Gut Repair Protocol (which they didn’t elaborate on.) But my question to them was which should I start with first, either the HCL therapy or Enzyme therapy?
Because if I am not able to digest and assimilate the enzyme therapy, why bother taking it until I can digest it? They told me they are waiting to hear back from Charles on the matter but I haven’t heard anything yet.
Loroyal, I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Which would be best to do first, the HCL therapy or Omnizyme Therapy?
MaximusB, Why not do both the enzyme and hcl therapy together? Also realize that a lot of enzyme products have betaine hcl included. You might find it helpful to also take a probiotic blend with acidolphus in it.
[quote]cowpaddi wrote:
MaximusB, Why not do both the enzyme and hcl therapy together? Also realize that a lot of enzyme products have betaine hcl included. You might find it helpful to also take a probiotic blend with acidolphus in it.[/quote]
Thats a great idea, I had been debating which to do first, almost like the chicken and egg argument. But when I went to Poliquin’s website, there is no Optizyme product. Not sure if Poliquin discontinued it or what. Any suggestions for other products?
Personally I use the Vitamin Shoppe brand Multi-Enzyme Ultimate 10 Probiotic. I find that I better tolerate foods that I am allergic to and it has also reduced my acid reflux related to the food allergies. Also as someone else pointed out you can not really overdose on the enzymes so play with the dose to see what works best for you. You may need different amounts depending on what you eat.
Personally I use the Vitamin Shoppe brand Multi-Enzyme Ultimate 10 Probiotic. I find that I better tolerate foods that I am allergic to and it has also reduced my acid reflux related to the food allergies. Also as someone else pointed out you can not really overdose on the enzymes so play with the dose to see what works best for you. You may need different amounts depending on what you eat.
[quote]MaximusB wrote:
Steely, I am taking some over the counter Betaine HCL, but I am concerned because I am taking around 1800 mg now and still no burn. Not sure if its healthy for me to continue with more HCL.
I tried contacting the Poliquin Performance Center for their suggestions, and they recommended Poliquin’s Gut Repair Protocol (which they didn’t elaborate on.) But my question to them was which should I start with first, either the HCL therapy or Enzyme therapy?
Because if I am not able to digest and assimilate the enzyme therapy, why bother taking it until I can digest it? They told me they are waiting to hear back from Charles on the matter but I haven’t heard anything yet.
Loroyal, I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Which would be best to do first, the HCL therapy or Omnizyme Therapy?[/quote]
If you burn on a low dose of HCL then a lot of times it is an indication that you have a problem with the mucosal lining of the gut, requiring a higher dose of HCL would indicate you need to replace that as well. I generally recommend not replacing more than (2) HCL 4.0. If you replace too much HCL your body will become reliant on it and forget that it needs to start producing its own.
An interesting note I would also like to add is, that my cravings have changed. The desire for foods which normally have plagued me are pretty much completely gone. Sweet and/or fried junk sounds gross to me, and almost makes me cringe. I don’t know why this happened, but I am wanting veggies and savoring lean meats more now. I am not one to question why, but to just say thanx its happening.
I broke out with a staph infection a year ago. The antibiotics I was on, for some reason made me fart nasty as hell. I did some research & decided to take some enzyme blends.I used udo’s brand & it did help a lot & very cheap.
I use Bromelain and Papain. Works well for me.
LR
Before I ever started training I had a really shitty diet, all processed foods, probably very little protein aside from a pizza or cheeseburger every day.
Now I have cleaned up my diet but I bloat all the time when I eat carbs/protein powders/dairy. I am in highschool and my parents refuse to buy any kind of digestive enzyme because they claim that It is not natural or something and I should just improve my diet on my own (they eat all the crap I used to)
Are there any cheap digestive aids I can buy at a local supermarket? I really need something but there are so many things out there that I have no clue what is right.
[quote]tengen10 wrote:
I am in highschool and my parents refuse to buy any kind of digestive enzyme because they claim that It is not natural or something and I should just improve my diet on my own (they eat all the crap I used to)
Are there any cheap digestive aids I can buy at a local supermarket? I really need something but there are so many things out there that I have no clue what is right.[/quote]
The digestive aids I use, Bromelain and Papain are extracted from Pineapple and Papaya, so you shouldn’t have a problem convincing the parents that its all natural.
As for what’s available locally for you, hopefully some of the US members can help you out.
LR
GNC should have some Super Digestive Enzymes for around $14.