The Three Fairies of Good Health


We are not what we eat, but rather what we digest, assimilate and eliminate.
– Tom Anstett, expert in Naturopathy

photo by kamphora

Image by kamphora

When we are healthy kids, we have an amazing ability to digest everything. It is very rare to hear a young child complain of being bloated, having heartburn or constipation. Our bodies produce digestive enzymes naturally, and we also get them from fresh live fruits and vegetables.

But as we grow older, sometime in our 30’s, our natural production of digestive enzymes begins to decline. This is further complicated by the poor quality of the food we consume. Even when we eat a lot of vegetables and fruit, the quality is not what it used to be. Produce nowadays is picked before ripe, stays in warehouses sometimes for weeks, then travels long distances in trucks until it gets to the supermarket. We then keep it for several days in the refrigerator until we consume it. These vegetables and fruits are far from being “alive” and have lost a great deal of their enzymes.

So, unless we eat fresh locally organic or naturally grown food, most of us are lacking enzymes and thus have a poor digestion, assimilation and elimination, the three fairies of good health. Sure, we may be taking supplements and vitamins, but what good does that do if it goes out as it came in?

If you suffer from any symptom of poor digestion, assimilation or elimination like feeling bloated or heavy after meals, constipation, heartburn, coated tongue, bad breath, or mild headaches after eating fats, you may benefit from digestive enzymes.  Just make sure to take only enzymes made from plants.

Plant enzymes mimic the natural enzymes found in fresh vegetables and fruits. It is pretty much what we would get when eating better quality food. Enzymes made from animal sources like ox bile and others might contain toxins stored by those animals, and also may interfere with our own production of enzymes, making the situation worse in the long run. And we want to run long, don’t we?


March 27, 2009 11:13 am
