Amazoniac
Member
From 'Nutrition for all the Women':
"Enzymes are continually being destroyed and synthesized in active tissues. When a vitamin binds to its enzyme, it helps to stabilize the enzyme against degradation, leading to a higher concentration of the enzyme. In the same way, the "substrate" of an enzyme (the material it changes chemically) can stabilize the enzyme."
"When we eat a diet that is very low in a particular nutrient, such as protein, we lose many of the enzymes involved in handling that nutrient. Without those enzymes, a meal rich in protein, for example, can liberate more ammonia than the body can dispose of, and the person can be poisoned. Many vegetarians have experienced this "toxic" effect of meat or cheese or milk, and so believe that "animals foods" can cause mental dullness. headaches, dizziness, etc. But for a meat eater, the same process can cause vegetables to produce gas, as slow carbohydrate digestion lets bacteria break them down. Changing to any new diet, or ending a fast, should be done gradually, allowing at least several days for enzyme adaptation. The same rule would probably apply to nutritional supplements. If gas is a problem even when change of diet isn't responsible, a thyroid deficiency should be considered. Lack of stomach acid is typical in hypothyroidism, but is only one aspect of a generalized digestive depression."
"A few years ago, most of the nutritional problems that I saw were caused by physicians, by refined convenience foods, and by poverty. Recently, most of the problems seem to be caused by badly designed vegetarian diets, or by acceptance of the idea that 40 grams of protein per day is sufficient. The liver and other organs deteriorate rapidly on low-protein diets. Observe the faces of the wheat-grass promoters, the millet-eaters, the "anti-mucus" dieters, and other low-protein people. Do they look old for their age?"
"When we eat a diet that is very low in a particular nutrient, such as protein, we lose many of the enzymes involved in handling that nutrient. Without those enzymes, a meal rich in protein, for example, can liberate more ammonia than the body can dispose of, and the person can be poisoned. Many vegetarians have experienced this "toxic" effect of meat or cheese or milk, and so believe that "animals foods" can cause mental dullness. headaches, dizziness, etc. But for a meat eater, the same process can cause vegetables to produce gas, as slow carbohydrate digestion lets bacteria break them down. Changing to any new diet, or ending a fast, should be done gradually, allowing at least several days for enzyme adaptation. The same rule would probably apply to nutritional supplements. If gas is a problem even when change of diet isn't responsible, a thyroid deficiency should be considered. Lack of stomach acid is typical in hypothyroidism, but is only one aspect of a generalized digestive depression."
"A few years ago, most of the nutritional problems that I saw were caused by physicians, by refined convenience foods, and by poverty. Recently, most of the problems seem to be caused by badly designed vegetarian diets, or by acceptance of the idea that 40 grams of protein per day is sufficient. The liver and other organs deteriorate rapidly on low-protein diets. Observe the faces of the wheat-grass promoters, the millet-eaters, the "anti-mucus" dieters, and other low-protein people. Do they look old for their age?"