Chew Your Food Well
Enzymes are at work in your body, even before eating. As soon as you think of food, amylase begins to be secreted by the mucous membranes in your mouth. As you smell and see the food, the secretion increases. When you take your first bite, amylase secretion is at maximum production. This is why chewing your food is so important. The longer you chew your food, the more amylase is mixed with it and and the more digested it will be before it enters the stomach. The more it is broken down, the easier the rest of the digestion process will be.
Amylase
Amylase catalyzes complex carbohydrates by separating the long chains of glucose molecules that make up the starches into glycogen. The process of breaking down carbohydrates into smaller parts is called glycolosis. Glycogen is the animal-source starch contained in muscle and the liver. It can easily be broken down into glucose for energy needs. Amylase is present and active in the mouth, stomach, and small intestines.
Protease
Protease breaks down dietary proteins such as meat, fish, poultry, and plant sources including vegetables, legumes, and grains. Proteins are broken down into smaller units called amino acids in a process called hydrolysis. Amino acids are the building blocks of all protein structures in the body and are are used in millions of different combinations and configurations within the body.
Lipase
This enzyme is necessary for breaking down fats into their smaller usable components, called fatty acids. This enzymatic process is called lipolysis. Three essential fatty acids are needed by our bodies and are available to us only from our diet: linoleic acid (LA), arachidonic acid, and linolenic acid (LNA).