Four Tips to Boost Your Digestive Enzymes
by Ashleigh Feltham, Accredited Practising Dietitian and Accredited Nutritionist.

Did you know that you can influence how many digestive enzymes your body produces through your diet choices? It can be beneficial to take specific enzymes for certain conditions, such as exocrine pancreatic insufficiency or lactose intolerance. However, there is little evidence to support taking a general digestive enzyme supplement to help manage gut symptoms.

The best way to optimise the variety and number of digestive enzymes in your system is as simple as making smart diet choices. Here are four top tips to optimise your digestive enzymes.

1. Aim for 30 Different Plant-Based Whole Foods Each Week

Gut microbes have the important job of producing digestive enzymes. Your health-promoting microbes feed off the plant-based foods in your diet. Each type of microbe has a unique fuel requirement. Including a variety of plant-based foods in your diet supports these different types of microbes. Research suggests that including 30 different types of plant-based foods is optimal for supporting a variety and volume of health-promoting microbes.

Plant-based whole foods include wholegrains like wholegrain pasta, couscous, bread and crackers, brown, red or black rice, oats and quinoa. They also include nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruit, legumes and beans. Aim for half of your snacks and half to three-quarters of your meals to consist of plant-based foods.

2. Include a Variety of Fermented Foods Each Day

Fermented foods, such as kefir, yoghurt, sauerkraut and kimchi, are rich in probiotics. The number of enzymes produced in your body will naturally increase when you add a good amount of different kinds of probiotics to your gut.

3. Take Time to Chew Your Food Properly

Chewing stimulates saliva production. There is a digestive enzyme in saliva called amylase, which helps to digest carbohydrates. So it pays to take the time to chew your food properly.

4. Consume Foods That Help Digestion

Including foods that contain enzymes, or that help to stimulate enzymes, such as banana, avocado, honey, papaya and pineapple, may help increase digestive enzymes in your system. Further research is still needed in this area, but current findings look promising.

Take-home message:

Simple lifestyle choices can help to optimise your digestive function, and therefore your health. Try these four diet and lifestyle tips to help optimise the volume and variety of digestive enzymes in your system.

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