supplements

While we’re on the topic of digestion, let’s chat about our 4^th pillar of health and gut health companion, enzymes!  This is going to be a longer post, but it’s worth the read!

Enzymes are crucial to the digestion and assimilation of food and play a primary role in promoting gut health. Undigested food wreaks havoc on the body causing overgrowth of yeast, fungi, parasites, bacteria and microorganisms, which are the beginning of disease and inflammation in the body. Enzymes are biological catalysts, which are made of proteins, that speed up chemical reactions and unlock the vitamins, minerals and amino acids in food. 

Enzymes are very specific, and each type of enzyme will only “break down” one type of “food.”  Fats are broken down by enzymes called lipase and this process happens in the mouth. Lipase are in your saliva.  Proteins are broken down by enzymes called protease (aka pepsin) and this process happens in the stomach. Carbohydrates (aka starches) are broken down by enzymes called amylase and this process happens in the small intestine.

Enzymes cannot work, however, without co-factors, and each enzyme is designed to work with a particular co-factor. You’ve heard of these co-factors – they’re called “minerals.” Unless an enzyme is accompanied by its co-factor/mineral, or a substitute co-factor/mineral, it will simply sit around doing nothing. There are eighteen co-factor/minerals in human nutrition. 

Unfortunately, today’s modern diet often creates dietary imbalance with both minerals and enzymes. This is why supplements are important: they can help us maintain dietary balance, so we can get the most nutrients from our foods. Young Living has 4 enzyme support options, Essentialzymes-4, Essentialzyme, Allerzyme, and Detoxzyme, plus one specific to kids, Mightyzyme. 

We’re going to focus specifically on Essentialzymes-4 and Essentialzyme in this post.  Choosing one of either of these two will comprise your 4^th pillar of health. You can learn more about each enzyme supplement in the graphics. 

 Here’s a breakdown on Essentialzymes-4 and Essentialzymes:

Essentialzymes-4 is a multi-spectrum enzyme complex specially formulated to aid the critically needed digestion of dietary fats, proteins, fiber, and carbohydrates commonly found in the modern processed diet. The dual time-release technology releases the animal- and plant-based enzymes at separate times within the digestive tract, allowing for optimal nutrient absorption. Essentialzymes-4 contains Fennel, Rosemary, Tarragon, Ginger, and Lemongrass essential oils, as well as Anise fruit. Each of these play a part in healthy digestion, among many other things. It’s worth doing some research to learn more about their benefits!

Essentialzyme is an advanced, multienzyme complex that promotes digestion and assists in the assimilation of nutrients. Enzyme supplementation is particularly important for people who need extra support for their pancreas and bile duct so that enzymes are not prevented from reaching the intestines.  Essentialzyme contains tarragon, peppermint, anise, fennel, and clove essential oils to improve overall enzyme activity, and support healthy pancreatic function. If you’re looking for that type of support and/or enzyme support that’s gluten-free, Essentialzyme is your preferred option.
 
You can learn more from YL’s founder, D. Gary Young, regarding the importance of enzymes in his blog post, “Commitment to Enzymes and Good Health:” http://www.dgaryyoung.com/blog/tag/essentialzymes-4/.

 

 If you’d like to know even more about Allerzyme, you can check out a blog post I did on it last month.

Most of us don’t know how absolutely critical our gut health is to the overall health and functioning of our entire body. Did you know that the same tissue that comprises your gut comprises your BRAIN? If your gut health is off, your brain health is off. Your brain plays a pretty critical role in the overall functioning of your entire body, so wouldn’t it make sense to make gut health a high priority? Probiotics are an important player in promoting gut health.

What are probiotics and why are they important?

 Probiotics are bacteria that line your digestive tract and support your body's ability to absorb nutrients and fight infection. You have 10 times more probiotics in your gut than cells in your body! Probiotics support immune function and healthy digestion. Did you know that 80% of your immune system is located in your gut? Also, our digestive system is the second largest part of our neurological system. That’s why the gut is called our second brain. Your digestive system affects every physiological system in your body, even your mental and emotional health. If your gut is “off,” then your thought processes and emotions will be, too.

 
When a child is born, they already have probiotics in their system, because they are exposed to their mother's bacteria during the time of delivery. This starts a chain of events that causes the infant's GI tract to begin producing good bacteria. Unfortunately, as time goes on, the balance of good bacteria to bad bacteria can be thrown off by things such as using prescription meds, especially antibiotics, as well as high carbohydrate diets, drinking chlorinated or fluoridated water and consuming non-organic meats and dairy products that contain antibiotic residues. High sugar intake, eating GMO foods and grains, emotional stress and exposure to chemicals can also throw the gut flora balance off. The way to fix this is to consume probiotic-rich foods and supplements. 

Life 9 contains 17 billion live cultures from 9 beneficial bacteria strains that promotes healthy digestion, provides full-spectrum gut health support, and helps maintain normal intestinal function for overall support of a healthy immune system. Life 9 is also specially designed with unique, delayed-release capsules, a dual-sorbent desiccant, and a special bottle and cap that ensure your Life 9 stays fresh and effective. Each bottle contains 30 capsules, making it easy to use this helpful supplement daily and one you’ll want to put in your monthly order so you always have it on hand.

Since more than 40 diseases have been linked to bacterial imbalance, we can choose to be proactive and supplement our diets with Life 9 probiotics to keep our gut healthy every day!

OmegaGize3 is a blend of omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA with CoQ10, a vitamin-like substance that powers energy to every cell in the body and performs as an antioxidant. Our fish oil complex is derived from some of the cleanest water on the earth and is enhanced with essential oils, vitamin D and vitamin E. 

Omega-3 essential fatty acids are good fats and help strengthen the body. OmegaGize3 supports cardiovascular and skeletal health; joint, skin, and eye health; normal, healthy brain function;  normal immune response and antioxidant levels; promotes emotional well-being; and supports general wellness.

Google all these amazing ingredients to learn more!

 Omega3 Fish Oil
 Vitamin D3
 Vitamin A
 Vitamin E
 CoQ10

Essential Oils:
 Clove
 Roman Chamomile
 Spearmint

Vitamin D3 is crucial to good health and very few people get enough of it daily. While OmegaGize3 has Vitamin D3 in it, we actually need some additional. Carla Green recommends that adults take in 5,000 units/day.  Additional Vit. D3 would be considered to be part of your table top.

NingXia Red is one of Young Living’s most popular wellness supplements. It’s a nutrient-rich drink infused with antioxidant-providing superfruits, powerful essential oils, and contains vital nutrients that may be missing or low in many modern diets. 

So, what are antioxidants and why are they important? Antioxidants are nutrients that help fight the damaging effects that free radicals can cause in our bodies. Free radicals have been linked to things like aging and illness. Every day our bodies go through a process called oxidation where unfortunately, free radicals can be produced. Have you ever seen a diced apple turn brown? This is a great example of the oxidation process. Free radicals can cause damage and can be accelerated by pollution, stress, toxins, smoking, and alcohol. Antioxidants are SO important, because they can help neutralize these damaging molecules.

 NingXia Red wolfberry juice contains the puree from the Ningxia wolfberry, a berry harvested in Northern China that’s high in fiber and protein. The Wolfberry also contains all the essential amino acids, is high in antioxidants, and is the HIGHEST whole food source of potassium, as well as being high in protein. Young Living is unique in that we use the ENTIRE berry—the seeds, juice, peel, and fruit—to ensure that we offer a product that contains an optimal blend of ALL of it’s amazing nutrients. The NingXia and Chinese wolfberry have been used for thousands of years to support the immune system, cardiovascular health, a healthy pancreas and liver, eye health, promote longevity and naturally detox the body. 

Ningxia Red also contains yuzu juice, aronia berry and these therapeutic essential oils - yuzu, lemon, tangerine and orange, bringing together a myriad of amazing health benefits into a powerful antioxidant and nutritionally balanced drink. This balanced approach to antioxidant supplementation is why so many people experience energy, vitality, and vigor when they start using Ningxia Red.

There are SO many great ways to drink Ningxia Red, including adding your favorite YL Vitality Oils. Here are a few recipes:

Want to know the most economical way to get your daily dose of Ningxia Red? The Ningxia Red Essential Rewards Kit! As a wholesale member, you can only order this through your Essential Rewards order - yet another great benefit of ER! If you haven't signed up for ER yet, this is a great reason to start!

Not a Young Living Member yet? Guess what! You can become a  YL wholesale member with a Ningxia Red Premium Starter Kit! 

This is a concept shared by Canadian, YL Diamond Leader, Carla Green, who was introduced to Young Living 18 years ago. Carla is a physical therapist, a registered acupuncturist and a wealth of information when it comes to Young Living’s supplements. 

Carla likens supporting our bodies’ health and wellness to the four pillars (or legs) of a table, along with the tabletop. She believes that if you give your body the right tools, it will function perfectly and with the right tools, it also knows how to heal and repair itself.

You may not know it, but 10-20 billion cells die in your body every day. In the same 24 hours, your body builds 10-20 billion new cells. It would make sense then that it’s incredibly important that we have good building blocks for our cellular heath!

So, where do we begin when we have so many supplement options? Carla recommends that you first build your table of health and support your body with 4 basic supplements and when you do, your overall health and wellness will dramatically improve as your cells are supported and regenerate. From there, you can add some additional supplements to your table top that will also help support your body.

So, what are these 4 Pillars and Table Top? The pillars consist of Ningxia Red, OmegaGize, Life 9, and Essentialzymes-4, while the table top is comprised of additional Vitamin D3, MultiGreens, Master Formula, Mindwise, and AgilEase. You may decide on a slightly different table top, but this suggested combination will support every system in your body, giving your cells the healthy building blocks they need.

Over the next several blog posts, we’re going to learn why each of these foundational supplements are so beneficial to our health.