How you digest your food is as important if not more important than what you eat. It takes enzymes to digest and extract important nutrients from the food we ingest. Enzymes, made up of proteins play an essential part in all bodily activity. Enzymes are what help us to digest our food. In fact life could not exist without enzyme.
The body manufactures a supply of enzyme and we also get them from the foods we eat. Unfortunately they get destroyed through coking and processing. This is one of the reasons why it is good to eat whole, raw foods. This will both ease the body’s need to manufacture enzyme, and raw foods and their enzymes will also inhibit the release of enzyme the body uses to digest cooked foods, enabling the body’s enzymes to work at a higher and more efficient capacity.
There are three types of enzymes the body uses to digest food; amylase for carbohydrates, protease for proteins and lipase for fat. Plant enzymes differ from animals enzymes.
Pineapple, unripe papaya and aspergillus plant are excellent sources of plant enzymes. These foods contain the enzymes papain and bromelin which work to break down proteins. Health benefits from these enzymes have been shown to assist the body with; anti-inflammation, sports injuries, respiratory disease, viral diseases and cancer.
In addition to being a great digestive aid pineapples are high in Vitamin C ( an antioxidant) and manganese and B1 which are both necessary for energy production. Pineapple has also been shown to be good for eye health and the prevention of macular degeneration.
The pineapple which is native to Central and South America as well as the parts of Asia was first discovered and brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus. It soon became a delightful sweet, nicknamed the pine cone of the Indians and a favorite of European royalty. In America it was customary to place a pineapple on the tale when folks came to visit. It was a symbol of welcoming and of sharing, as in colonial days the only form of exchange was through visits and friendly chats. To this day the pineapple represents a sign of welcome and good health.
Today when we think of pineapples we think of Hawaii. Pineapples were first cultivated and processed in Hawaii by Mr. Dole; hence canned Dole Pineapples. Although canned pineapples have some nutritional benefits it is the fresh pineapple that gives us the enzymatic assistance and the greyest degree of antioxidants.
Packed with vitamins and mineral and at only about 52 calories per 100gm far and away that makes pineapple a great recipe for health.
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