For many of us, the holidays represent a season of festive gatherings with friends and family, and more often than not, food is at the center of all these celebrations. There is truly no better way to bid goodbye to a long year than with a large Thanksgiving feast or sweet Christmas treats.
With Thanksgiving already here and Christmas just around the corner, there is a lot of preparation to be done. And no, we are not talking about party planning and shopping for the perfect turkey. We mean preparations focused on keeping your body healthy so that you can enjoy a few of your favorite treats guilt-free.Â
When it comes to preparing to enjoy holiday feasts, you may want to make your gut health and functionality your top priority. Why? One word: overindulgence.Â
Whether you prefer turkey or ham, mashed potatoes or stuffing, pumpkin pie or apple pie, there is no doubt that it is easy to overindulge this time of year, and that overindulgence can often have unpleasant repercussions. Even if your gut is in tip-top shape, it may need a little assistance digesting those delicious holiday meals. That’s where digestive enzymes come in.Â
What are Enzymes?
Enzymes are a class of functional proteins whose main function is to catalyze biochemical reactions in the body. They are found everywhere from the nucleus of the cell where they facilitate DNA replication to the liver where they are used to regulate metabolic functions for energy production.Â
Enzymes don’t act only on a cellular level though. They can also have extracellular functions, which is the case for digestive enzymes. This particular type of enzyme is found throughout your whole digestive tract, from your mouth to your intestines, and their main responsibility is to assist in digesting the food you eat. They do this by helping to speed up the chemical reactions that break down nutrients so that your body can absorb them.
Digestive Enzymes and Gut Health
At its core, gut health is about caring for the gut you were given. It’s a general term that encompasses functions like peristalsis (how your body moves contents through the digestive tract) as well as things like the size and variety of bacteria in your gut microbiome. Natural compounds like digestive enzymes play an important role in helping balance all the different aspects of gut health.Â
Digestive enzymes are divided into 3 main groups based on the foods that they break down. This includes Lipase, which breaks down fats, Protease, which breaks down proteins, and Amylase, which breaks down carbs.Â
When your body is lacking in any of these three enzymes, it will have a difficult time digesting food. This can lead to a variety of repercussions that range from mildly uncomfortable to downright painful. Â
Perhaps the most commonly experienced consequence of not having enough digestive enzymes is indigestion. This can happen when you either consume too much food or eat too fast. Essentially, when this happens your body isn’t able to produce more digestive enzymes quickly enough to adequately and efficiently break down food.Â
It’s not uncommon for people to experience the discomforts of indigestion during holiday festivities. After all, how are you supposed to say no to a second helping of delicious turkey or another slice of your aunt’s famous pumpkin pie? Thankfully, there are ways to give your digestive system a helping hand when you know it’ll need it. Â
Supporting Your Gut With Digestive EnzymesÂ
As you prepare to indulge in turkey, mashed potatoes, and pie at the upcoming holiday celebrations, you may be wondering how you can ensure your body will have enough digestive enzymes to keep up. The answer: Eat them!
That’s right. You can supplement your body’s natural production of digestive enzymes by consuming them in other forms. The two most common and effective ways to go about this are with whole foods and all-natural supplements.Â
Let’s start with food. There are many different foods that are naturally rich in digestive enzymes. While the enzymes in these foods are, technically speaking, not exactly the same as the ones your body produces, they still get the job done. Here are just a few examples of foods that are rich in digestive enzymes:Â
- Papayas
- Kiwi
- Raw Honey
- Kimchi
- SauerkrautÂ
- Kefir
- Pineapples
- Ginger
- Mangoes
Incorporating these fruits and vegetables into your diet is a great way to support your gut throughout the holiday season. The best part is that most of these are already in season during this time of year and can easily be included in your classic holiday recipes.Â
Whether you decide to incorporate any of the above foods into your holiday recipes or not, you may want to consider taking a digestive enzyme supplement. These supplements offer a convenient and simple way to boost your body’s natural supply of digestive enzymes.Â
For the most part, digestive enzyme supplements are made from all-natural, plant-based extracts. However, be wary when shopping for supplements, as there are some out there that include artificially created enzymes and filler ingredients. Trust us, your body will thank you for sticking to the natural options.Â
Enjoy the Holidays with Enzymes
There is no better way to support your gut during the holidays than with a supplement like Enzymes from New Earth. This all-natural supplement is specially formulated to support your digestion no matter what kind of diet you follow. Whether you are vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free or something else, this proprietary blend of fifteen plant-based enzymes combined with the near-perfect superfood known as organic Wild Microalgae™ is exactly what you need to support your gut throughout the holiday season and beyond.Â
What’s even better? You can put it to the test risk-free with our 60-day money-back guarantee.Â