Importance of Enzymes for Protein Absorption with Wade Lightheart at BiOptimizers
In this episode of Midlife Conversations, I sit down with Wade Lightheart, co-founder of BiOptimizers. In our conversation we dive deeply into the transformative power of digestive enzymes, particularly for midlife health. We discuss the role of enzymes in digestion, the impact of diet on enzyme production, and the importance of supplementing with high-quality enzymes, probiotics, and hydrochloric acid. Wade shares his personal journey and insights on how these supplements can improve digestion, reduce fatigue, and enhance overall health. We also touch on the science behind enzyme functionality and their classifications, offering practical tips for optimal digestive health.
We all know by now the importance of “eating protein”…but what most people don’t think about, is that it’s not just the protein you EAT that matters…it’s the protein you DIGEST that matters! Just because you eat it, doesn’t mean you’re digesting it for your body to use. What if I told you that taking digestive enzymes could transform your health in midlife? Well, they can! This is something that has become really really important to me and is the one thing I make SURE that I am taking at every meal (I take enzymes, HCL, and probiotics at each one). They have completely changed my life. But not all enzymes are created equal.
I LOVE BiOptimizers and they are the ones I take with every meal, every day. I wanted to have Wade, one of the founders on, to dive deep on this topic today!
👉 Get the stack of Enzymes, HCL, and Probiotics I recommend HERE.
There Are Different Categories of Enzymes
Enzymes are classified into several different categories and can get confusing. Every single food you can think of, has enzymes – whether you’re eating berries, animal protein, or ice cream. In addition to things like plant and protein enzymes (that aid in digestion), you also have systemic enzymes (that do not deal with digestion, but deal with systemic functions in your body). There are also cultured enzymes – which are like the olympics of enzymes – because of how much stronger they are than the other enzymes. Each enzyme serves its own purpose in terms of metabolic benefits.
Enzymes and Digestion
When it comes to digestion you have basically 4 main types of enzyme categories:
- Amylase – breaks down carbs
- Cellulase – breaks down plants
- Lipase – breaks down fats
- Protease – breaks down proteins
When you consume food in a raw state, you get the enzymes. However, at 114 degrees, all of the natural enzymes inside an item become cooked. When your body doesn’t have the appropriate enzymes, you not only don’t digest your food, but you’re causing a whole host of other underlying “problems” beneath the hood in your body – like in your pancreas, liver, and gut.
In theory, our body’s natural digestion process would look like: you salivate when you are getting ready to eat, you then get into the rest and relax phase, you then chew your food at which point your body is deciphering which enzymes are going to be needed to break it down, you swallow and it’s here that the enzymes present in the food are supposed to start breaking the food down. Then at 30-60 minutes, hydrochloric acid starts to get produced to change the pH of your body, causing some of the enzymes to become activated and others to become deactivated. If you don’t have this first stage of digestion, when the food comes out of your stomach and enters your intestines, you can create real issues inside your gut microbiome. 98% of people have digestive issues because they don’t have enough digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid, and probiotics.
What Happens to Our Enzymes in Midlife?
Enzymes are involved in over 25,000 biochemical processes and are catalysts (they accelerate) a variety of chemical activities in the body – “from thinking to blinking”.
I started to realize just how important enzymes are for us in midlife because I eat super duper healthy, I eat natural, real, unprocessed foods, no gluten, no dairy unless it’s raw, and I STILL was bloated and tired after meals. It didn’t make ANY sense until I learned about enzymes AND the fact that as we age, we tend to stop producing as much HCL. This can contribute to not only digestive issues but also an overgrowth of H. pylori.
What Does Hydrochloric Acid (HCL) Do for Us?
HCL serves two purposes:
- Disinfects your food from bugs and viruses
- Changes the pH to activate/deactivate some enzymes
There is a super simple test you can do at home to test your HCL levels. Take ½ tsp baking soda into 4oz of water. Drink it. If you burp in 5 minutes, you have enough HCL. If you don’t, you don’t have enough. If you don’t have enough, you can take an HCL pill with each meal for about 90 days and then taper down to help your body rebalance it’s HCL levels.
What is the Ideal Way to Take Enzymes, HCL, and Probiotics?
In a perfect world, you would take the enzymes about 20-30 minutes before you eat, the HCL right after you eat, and then the probiotics either in the AM and PM.
A good starting point if you have digestive issues is:
- 3 Enzymes
- 1 HCL
- 2 P3OM (probiotics)
- With every meal.
If you are eating more, you can add in more enzymes. If you are having a snack, you can eat just one enzyme. However, there ARE ways you can biohack using these.
To get your digestion to next level, you can do for 90 days:
- 5 enzymes with each meal and 5 enzymes 2x/day on an empty stomach (5 pills 5 times per day)
- P3OM at 4am and 4pm
- And then IF you need the HCL based on the HCL baking soda test, take 1 HCL 30 minutes after you take the enzymes before a meal
👉 Get the stack of Enzymes, HCL, and Probiotics I recommend HERE.
There is SO MUCH MORE valuable information in this episode!
Learn more about BiOptimizers at:
BiOptimizers on IG: www.instagram.com/bioptimizers
BiOptimizers Website: www.bioptimizers.com
Wade on IG: www.instagram.com/wadelightheart
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