Is it better to take digestive enzymes...

[Queen Bean]

...before or after food? :confused:

[Marin Mom]

I was told to take them about 10 or 15 minutes before eating. Also read the label- some are meant for breaking down cruciferous veggies (ie: broccoli, cabbage,cauliflower,etc.) and beans while others are meant for meat, dairy, wheat, etc.

[ferg]

I didn't think it would be necessary to have digestive enzymes on a raw food diet... correct me if I'm wrong but I thought they would only be required on a cooked food diet as all enzymes are intact in a raw food diet.

Never take them myself, don't see the need. My foods are always combined properly, even on the rare occassion that I eat cooked (steamed veggies or baked potato). But, to answer your question, I believe you eat them BEFORE your meal.

Cheers,

[tanishamarshall]

I believe it's beneficial for both Raw Fooders and non- raw fooders. I say raw fooders because some of us have come from a background where we ate a lot of SAD foods and the enzymes will help detox faster and will help clean out all of the years of SAD foods we put in our body, but this is just my opinion.

[GoingtoRAW]

I take enzymes before eating and I find they help - especially if I am eating a lot of nuts.:o

[RawHeaven]

I first became hip to probiotics when I started researching fasting. You have to take them after you're done fasting, particularly the master cleanse, as you flush out both the negative and positive flora in the process. So it's a must to reintroduce healthy flora in your intestines.

After my last 30 day cleanse, I finished the bottle (60 pills - I use a vegetarian based brand). Well after I finished the bottle, I stopped taking them as I figured I was eating raw foods now and they digest themselves. Well, I noticed slight differences in how I was digesting food even while eating raw foods, so I started taking them again just to experiment. I discovered when I take the digestive enzymes with food, it drastically increases my eliminations and wow, it really makes a huge difference literally. I mean I really feel cleaned out if you get the picture. I'm not taking them now and I'm doing fine, but I know when I do use them there is a significant difference in how I'm digesting my food and how my individual body responds to probiotics.

Edit: I take them a few minutes before I eat and sometimes with the food. Once or twice day.

[veganman]

Hello everyone ~

I have read that it is best to take those in a tablet or veggie cap about 20 minutes before eating because it takes time for the body to break down the cap/tablet. If doing the powder, you can take it at the beginning of the meal.

[mel_s12]

Enzymes definitely need to be taken before eating. They need to be in your body before the food comes in so the food can be digested ASAP.

And I agree that raw fooders should only be taking enzymes if their bodies are still adjusting and cleansing from a long time of eating SAD.

If you are healthy raw fooders, then your body may become used to supplemental enzymes and be out of balance. You are, after all, eating as nature intended.. and nature definitely did not intend for supplements.

[Eva]

I know they're supposed to be taken before ideally, but I have taken them after a meal that made my stomach feel less than great (but not awful by any means), and the enzymes zapped the feeling right away!