You can eat the healthiest diet in the world, but if your body isn’t breaking food down properly, you won’t absorb the macronutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates) or micronutrients (vitamins, minerals) you need. Poor absorption often shows up as fatigue, bloating, cravings, or even nutrient deficiencies on lab work.
Your digestive system does more than just process food…it fuels every function in your body. Unfortunately, stress, poor diet, medications, or simply aging can slow digestion. This is where digestive enzymes and bitters come in. Both support nutrient absorption, but in very different ways.
Digestive Enzymes vs. Bitters: What’s the Difference?
- Digestive enzymes: give your body a direct supply of enzymes to break down food.
- Bitters: stimulate your body to produce its own digestive juices and enzymes.
Think of enzymes as outsourcing the work, while bitters are like supporting your body to do the work itself.
What Are Digestive Enzymes?
Digestive enzymes are proteins your body makes to break food into smaller pieces that can pass through the intestinal wall and be absorbed.
- Protease → breaks proteins into amino acids (for muscle, hormones, neurotransmitters).
- Low levels: bloating after protein, brittle hair/nails, muscle weakness.
- Lipase → breaks fats into fatty acids + glycerol (for brain health, hormones, vitamins A, D, E, K).
- Low levels: greasy stools, dry skin, hormone imbalance, vitamin deficiencies.
- Amylase → breaks carbs into sugars (fuel for energy + gut balance).
- Low levels: gas, bloating, diarrhea, fatigue.
- Lactase → breaks down milk sugar (lactose).
- Low levels: classic dairy intolerance (gas, cramping, bloating).
Best time to take: 15-20 mins before meals, especially protein-, fat-, or carb-heavy ones.
When useful: bloating after meals, undigested food in stool, lactose intolerance, pancreatic insufficiency, or age-related digestive decline.
Natural Food Sources of Enzymes:
Some foods contain enzymes that support digestion, though in smaller amounts than supplements:
- Pineapple (bromelain)
- Papaya (papain)
- Kiwi (actinidin)
- Mango & banana (amylases)
- Avocado (lipase)
- Fermented foods (sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, miso, yogurt)
- Raw honey (amylase, diastase)
Include these fresh foods with meals for a gentle boost. For STRONGER support, enzyme capsules are usually more effective.
Make sure to purchase supplements through a reputable and reliable source with high quality assurance standards, such as our Fullscript dispensary. Always consult your physician before starting new therapies such as digestive enzyme supplementation.
What Are Bitters?
Bitters are herbs or foods with a naturally bitter flavor that trigger your digestive reflexes. When bitter receptors on your tongue are activated, your body responds by releasing:
- Stomach acid (HCl) → needed to ionize minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and B12. Low stomach acid = poor mineral absorption.
- Bile flow (from liver + gallbladder) → emulsifies fats so lipase can work → without bile, you can’t absorb fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, or K.
- Pancreatic enzyme release → bitters trigger the pancreas to release amylase, lipase, and protease.
Bitters are like flipping the “on switch” for your digestion. They don’t replace enzymes but help your body produce them naturally.
Common bitters: gentian root, dandelion, artichoke leaf, milk thistle, orange peel, burdock root, chamomile, and bitter greens like arugula, chicory, and radicchio.
Best time to take them: 15-20 minutes before meals.
When they might be useful:
- If you experience indigestion, bloating, or slow stomach emptying, sluggish fat digestion, or to prime your digestive system before meals.
- To naturally stimulate your own digestive enzyme production
Practical Natural Bitters to Use Before Meals
These are herbs, roots, and foods with naturally bitter compounds that can be used in tincture, tea, or even as whole foods:
- Dandelion root or leaf – stimulates bile and liver function.
- Gentian root – one of the strongest traditional digestive bitters.
- Artichoke leaf – supports fat digestion and liver health.
- Milk thistle – gentle liver support, mild bitter effect.
- Orange peel – promotes digestive juices and adds aromatic support.
- Burdock root – mild bitter, also helps with detox support.
- Chamomile – bitter-sweet, calms the digestive tract.
- Endive, arugula, radicchio, or chicory greens – bitter greens you can easily add to a salad before meals.
How to use practically:
- A few drops of a bitters tincture in water 15-20 minutes before meals.
- A small salad of bitter greens (like arugula or radicchio) as an appetizer before your entree.
- Herbal teas made with dandelion, chamomile, or orange peel.
Putting it all together:
- If your body can’t make enough enzymes, supplementation helps directly break down food → better absorption of macronutrients + micronutrients.
- If your body needs stimulation to digest properly, bitters prime the whole cascade → improving protein, fat, carb breakdown and the absorption of key vitamins and minerals.
- Some people need both: bitters (to signal digestion) + enzymes with meals (to supply what’s missing) before meals.
Enzymes = direct aid → they do the work of breaking down food.
Bitters = stimulation → they tell your body to make the acid, bile, and enzymes needed for nutrient absorption.
Both are powerful tools if you’re showing signs of digestive weakness.
Signs You May Need Digestive Support
- Bloating or heaviness after meals
- Fatigue after eating
- Cravings despite eating enough
- Undigested food in stool
- Food intolerances (especially dairy or fatty foods)
- Dry skin, brittle nails, or hair loss
- Nutrient deficiencies despite a healthy diet
In good health,
Coach Meg Ochipinti RDN
References:
Martinsen, T. C., Bergh, K., & Waldum, H. L. (2005). Gastric juice: a barrier against infectious diseases. Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology, 96(2), 94–102. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-7843.2005.pto960202.x
Martinsen, T. C., & Waldum, H. L. (2014). The role of pepsin and other proteolytic enzymes in gastroesophageal reflux disease. Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, 49(4), 353–363. https://doi.org/10.3109/00365521.2014.891012
Wachtel-Galor, S., & Benzie, I. F. (2011). Herbal medicine: An introduction to its history, usage, regulation, current trends, and research needs. In Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects (2nd ed.). CRC Press/Taylor & Francis.
Hellström, P. M., Näslund, E., & Edholm, T. (2004). Gastrointestinal regulation of food intake. Journal of Internal Medicine, 255(4), 502–511. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2796.2004.01314.x