Overindulged? Try Udo's Choice Enzyme Blend

Throughout my life I’ve had bouts of indigestion and heartburn. Most of the time it was from overeating, but there were times that it just seemed my body wasn’t working right. I would be able to eat much because I felt full. Whether it was stress or anxiety that brought on this “wrench in the works” I needed something to get me back to normal.

Papaya enzymes are OK but I had a tendency to burp them up. Straight capsules of hydrochloric acid worked but seemed to exacerbate the heartburn feeling temporarily. Then a couple of years ago on a business trip my husband and brother found an enzyme blend that helped them conquer a trip to Fogo de Chao. If you aren’t familiar with Fogo it is a restaurant dedicated to the Argentinian tradition of cooking meat over open flames and lots of it. For a set price you can eat to your hearts content and your waistband’s limits. When they got home they raved about how much they ate and how wonderful it was and how they were able to sleep like babies that night, too. I was a little confused. Usually, after a gorging like the one they described my DH would be up all night with heartburn and essentially feeling like crap. Then the truth came out. On my mother’s advice my brother directed them to a VitaminShoppe nearby and get a digestive enzyme. The one they found was Udo’s Choice Ultimate Digestive Enzyme Blend.

It has a proprietary blend of 10 plant derived enzymes which are slighted to “enhance proper digestion and absorption of nutrients”. The instructions recommend taking one capsule at the beginning of a meal and for particularly heavy meals to take another one in the middle of the meal. It has even worked for DH and I to take it at the end of a meal with plenty of water if we happen to forget before or during.

The enzymes it contains:

• Amylase
• Lipase
• Protease
• Cellulase
• Invertase
• Malt Diatase
• Lactase
• Pectinase
• Brommelain

For my DH and I it has definitely worked to prevent the over-stuffed feeling from a heavy meal, the heartburn from eating rich foods and help for digestion when we are stressed. We try to keep a bottle on hand at all times and take some with us if we are going out to eat.

Last night for instance, we had patty melts for supper and I ate a good portion of vegetables. Typically this is enough to make sure everything “works out” ok. Before I went to bed I was feeling overstuffed and supper was coming back to haunt me. I remembered that we had some Enzyme Blend in the fridge (yes, I keep it in the refrigerator to maintain freshness). I took one capsule with a 12 ounce glass of water then finished getting ready for bed. By the time I got in bed, probably 20 minutes later, the full feeling was gone and I was able to relax. I didn’t have any late night heartburn problems and slept like a baby.

This is the time of year when family gets together and eats, really eats. There are so many good things at the table that we want to try it’s hard to not feel like a stuffed turkey ourselves by the end of the meal. Though I am not a registered dietitian, nutritionist or other medical professional, my experiences with Udo’s Choice Enzyme Blend lead me to believe that it would help almost anyone fend off that “stuffed turkey” feeling and the heartburn that comes with it. Do yourself a favor this year and have some enzyme supplements on hand along with your special family meals. You’ll be more able to enjoy the food and your friends and family.

From the label:

This full spectrum of digestion enhancing plant enzymes guarantees the highest standard of enzyme activity. Formulated by renowned author and nutritionist Udo Erasmus, PhD, Udo’s Choice Enzyme Blend is twice as high in protease that most other enzyme formulas and also contains all the enzymes required to break down and metabolize fat, carbohydrate, soluble fiber, starch, milk sugar and complex sugars.*

And the disclaimer:

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

My disclaimer:
This review is based on my personal experiences with this product. I purchase it and use it. Udo’s Choice neither provided the product nor is compensating me for this review. The opinions and recommendations are my own. I am not a medical professional.