Digestive Enzymes: Helping Your Body Thrive on Cooked & Processed Foods

Many of us enjoy hearty cooked meals – a bowl of creamy pasta, a juicy steak, warm bread, or convenient canned foods. But afterwards, we might pay the price with bloating, discomfort, or fatigue. What if you could savor those modern comforts and feel great? This is where digestive enzymes come in. These tiny protein molecules are the unsung heroes that help our bodies break down food and unlock nutrients for energy and health. In this post, we’ll explore how digestive enzyme supplements (like Bellyé by BERRONG) support the breakdown of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, especially in cooked and processed meals that lack natural enzymes. You’ll learn why many everyday foods are enzyme-poor, how supplementation can restore digestive balance, enhance nutrient absorption, and reduce post-meal discomfort, and how to know if you might be enzyme-deficient. Let’s empower your gut with some accessible nutritional science and a dose of inspiration for your wellness journey!

What Are Digestive Enzymes and Why Are They Important?

Digestive enzymes are proteins produced by our bodies to break down the foods we eat into smaller, absorbable nutrients (Harvard Health). Digestion begins even before the first bite: the smell or sight of food can trigger the production of saliva, which contains enzymes that start breaking down starches right in the mouth.
From there, several organs play their part:


• The stomach adds acid and protease enzymes to begin protein digestion.
• The pancreas releases a powerful mix of enzymes into the small intestine to finish breaking down carbohydrates, proteins, and fats (Johns Hopkins Medicine).

Amylase: Carbohydrates
Amylase breaks down complex carbohydrates (starches) from foods like pasta, bread, oats, and other grains into simple sugars your body can use for energy. This enzyme starts acting in saliva (ever notice how a cracker begins to taste sweet if you chew it for a long time?) and continues in the small intestine to ensure starchy foods become digestible fuel.

Proteases/Peptidases: Proteins
Proteases and peptidases break down proteins from foods like meat, legumes, nuts, and seeds into their building blocks—amino acids. Proteases target large protein molecules, while peptidases handle smaller peptide fragments. Together, they produce amino acids that the body absorbs and uses to build and repair tissues (muscles, skin, enzymes, and countless other components are made from amino acids!).

Lipase: Fats
Lipase breaks down fats and oils found in foods such as meats, dairy, dressings, and nuts into fatty acids and glycerol. Fatty acids are essential for energy, cell membranes, and hormone production. Produced mainly by the pancreas, lipase ensures rich, creamy foods are digested properly so their fats can be absorbed instead of simply passing through the body or causing discomfort.
In other words, enzymes make nutrition possible by transforming large food molecules into micronutrients that the bloodstream can absorb and deliver to your cells.

Factors That Affect Natural Enzyme Production

Most people’s bodies produce plenty of enzymes under normal conditions. However, several factors can interfere with optimal digestion:


• Very heavy meals.
• Stress on the digestive system.
• A diet based on enzyme-poor foods (a topic we’ll explore further in the next article).

Enzymes are the invisible key that makes nutrition possible. Without them, even the best meal doesn’t turn into energy.

👉 In Article 2, we’ll explore why modern foods (cooked and processed) lack enzymes—and how this impacts your digestion.