How to better digest and lose weight thanks to digestive enzymes?

Digestion is an essential process for the proper functioning of the body. But it is also of paramount importance when following a diet, as poor digestion is often synonymous with intestinal disorders, bloating, and weight gain.

To quickly eliminate small unsightly bulges and maintain a flat stomach, good digestion is essential. 

In this article, we share with you 100% natural tips that you absolutely need to know!

Also read: how to boost your metabolism?

Digestion allows for transforming the ingested food into small molecules that can be absorbed by the cells of the digestive tract. By entering the blood, these molecules can be used by the body and will serve the proper functioning of the cells of the various organs.

Digestion itself is the combination of two processes:

• Mechanical digestion takes place in the mouth and the stomach. It reduces food to a pulp. The teeth grind the food into small pieces, and in the stomach, the mixing and contractions continue this process of fragmentation.

• Chemical digestion takes place throughout the digestive tract thanks to enzymes and digestive juices secreted by the stomach or the liver. Chemical digestion dissolves nutrients and breaks them down into absorbable elements.

Digestion is comparable to an industrial disassembly line. It consists of a succession of organs, each with a specific role, from the fragmentation of food to the assimilation of nutrients. 

The digestive system includes the mouth, the stomach, the small intestine, the colon, but also the gallbladder, the pancreas, and the liver.

From the very first bite, salivary enzymes immediately begin the work of digesting carbohydrates in the mouth, then the process of breaking down food continues in the stomach thanks to digestive enzymes, and then in the intestine. 

Thus, nutrients are absorbed throughout the digestion process, all the way to the colon. 

In the colon, certain fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals are absorbed or produced, under the influence of the bacterial flora.

After their absorption, nutrients enter the blood which carries them to the liver, whose role is to filter the contents of the food bolus to extract toxins and eliminate them. 

Once filtered, the nutrients are then distributed and used by the rest of the body or, when the body's energy needs are met, stored to form reserves.

Thus, digestion is a complex system that involves several organs, enzymes, and bacteria that must function in a coordinated manner and in synergy. The slightest failure can impact the entire digestion process and reduce the absorption of certain nutrients.

Digestive enzymes are involved in the digestion of food. They are molecules that are responsible for breaking down food into smaller fractions to allow the body to absorb the nutrients it needs.

"They act as 'scissors' as soon as food is present in our stomach, cutting the food into smaller molecules and transforming it from a solid state to a liquid state for the most perfect possible predigestion."

The nutrients absorbed into the blood will then serve as fuel for the functioning of our muscles, our heart, or our brain.

Digestive enzymes are therefore the small specialist workers responsible for our good digestion. They are very important because they help prevent undigested food particles from entering our digestive system. Without them, large molecules could remain, stagnate, putrefy, and turn into toxins.

At 20, hearty meals are not a problem... But over time, it's not the same: some meals are hard to digest, you have to be careful with certain foods, and after meals you feel significantly less fit...

Starting around the age of 30, the levels of digestive enzymes naturally secreted in the body decrease and make digestion difficult.

Thus, poorly degraded foods end up in the colon, where they ferment and can trigger disorders that may impact the entire upper chain of the digestive system, in addition to reducing the absorption of essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals.

A deficit in digestive enzymes leads to a incomplete breakdown of food, resulting in a malabsorption of nutrients responsible for digestive discomfort: bloating, gas, abdominal pain, diarrhea, presence of fats in the stools…

"On the other hand, poor eating habits can worsen digestive disorders. For example, it has been found that the level of salivary amylase in Westerners decreases by about 30 times between the ages of 30 and 80."

This decrease in enzymes would be related to our modern diet as it is not found in populations that primarily consume raw foods.

According to scientists, the consumption of processed foods, overcooked and high in saturated fats would lead to a saturation of the enzymatic system. Our organs become exhausted from producing more enzymes, particularly our pancreas.

There are many foods that naturally contain digestive enzymes:

• Raw fruits and vegetables are good sources of enzymes, particularly: ginger, mango, kiwi, fig, aloe vera… Pineapple and papaya are rich in proteolytic enzymes and thus facilitate the digestion of proteins. Sprouted seeds also provide a lot of enzymes.

• Fermented foods are also full of enzymes and promote digestion.

For example, add olives, pickles, capers, or apple cider vinegar to your preparations.

To preserve the digestive enzymes naturally present in food and in your body:

• Favor very gentle cooking (below 50°) and long cooking times as they help preserve the enzymes naturally present in food.

• Avoid as much as possible fatty or spicy foods, carbonated drinks.

• Drink plenty of water and eat while sitting, at regular times, chewing your food well.

To supply your body with digestive enzymes and thus facilitate digestion, you can turn to nutritional supplements.

At D-LAB, we have specially developed the Enzymatic Slimming Complex, a formula rich in 100% natural and plant-based digestive enzymes. This innovative complex combines papain, bromelain, and an extract of Kola, standardized in caffeine.

Its assets improve the digestion of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins, and promote fat burning and weight loss.

• The lipase is the enzyme responsible for the breakdown of lipids. It will break down triglycerides into simpler molecules, which can be assimilated by the body and used as a source of energy.

• Papain is a powerful and natural enzyme derived from papaya. Papain positively influences waist size by targeting localized fat deposits. It thus allows for draining, decongesting, and eliminating excess fat accumulations.

• Bromelain is an enzyme extracted from pineapple. It has benefits similar to those of papain. This plant enzyme helps eliminate fats and reduce water retention. These two combined actions provide valuable assistance in combating cellulite.

• The white bean extract contains specific proteins that help reduce the absorption of sugars in the intestine. They thus help lower blood sugar levels, and consequently triglyceride levels.

• The kola extract helps control the feeling of hunger. It also acts as a true metabolism booster by accelerating calorie expenditure and activating fat burning. Its high caffeine content (10%), theobromine, and tannins make it an excellent stimulant for weight loss.

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