Tag Archives: Carbs

Amylase Enzymes for Carbohydrate Digestion

Carbohydrates are one of the basic food groups which include sugars, fibers and starches – found in grains, vegetables, fruits, milk and other dairy products. The digestion of carbohydrates begins the moment food enters your mouth. The saliva secreted from the salivary glands adds moisture to food as it is chewed and releases an enzyme called amylase.

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Among the digestive enzymes, amylase is unique in that its effects are observed faster than the other enzymes such as lipase for fat digestion and protease for protein digestion. This is because amylase comes from two distinct parts of your body: the salivary glands in the mouth and the pancreas. As amylase is released it begins the breakdown of carbohydrates into simple sugars that the body can use for energy.

When carbohydrates reach the stomach, no chemical breakdown occurs because the amylase enzyme does not function in the acidic conditions of the stomach. As the partially broken-down carbohydrates enter the small intestine it is broken down further by the next set of amylase enzymes, this time released by the pancreas. The final result is glucose, which moves on into the bloodstream to be used for energy. Glucose is the preferred type of fuel for the brain and nervous system.

An inability to effectively break down carbohydrates may cause heightened feelings of fatigue and constant cravings for sweet foods due to large spikes and decreases in blood sugars because the body cannot efficiently get the energy that it normally would from carbohydrates. Amylase levels can be naturally increased by adding enzyme-rich foods like sauerkraut, raw honey, mango, papaya and avocado.

Which Diet Works Best?

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There are many different weight loss plans and products available today. Most will give you some results while others are strictly a temporary fad created by someone’s imagination. Most restrictions

of high fat, high carbs and high sugar will temporarily work and could give you the desired results if you could only stick to it long enough and modify your overall eating habits.

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Diets like the Atkin’s Diet, South Beach Diet, Dukan, Paleo and many others are based on restricting carbohydrate intake or at least eliminating processed carbs such as white flour and sugar. However the reality is that most diets will not eliminate the cravings for your favorite foods and do not allow you to fully enjoy social activities centered on entertainment and food.

The biggest problem is the psychological aspect of changing our habits from indulging in foods we love and the comfort we derive from them to a more disciplined approach of making choices and to plan for healthy meals in advance.

So – what is the best diet? … THE ONE THAT WORKS FOR YOU!

The search continues for a miracle pill to cure obesity which would allow you to have your cake and lose weight at the same time. And that is the reason we keep on searching for the newest and latest weight loss program with the hope to find an easy solution to one of the most widespread health hazards of modern times. In most cases restricting the foods we love would also take care of extra weight gain.

There is lots of information available on how to change your eating habits. A diet is a great way to start eliminating some unwanted pounds, but it is a change in lifestyle that will permanently keep you at a desired weight.