When it comes to feeding your beloved furry 4 legged family member, its important choosing the right pet food. You can choose between commercial dry or canned food, home cooked or feed commercial raw, cooked or dehydrated.
This article will provide you with the basic information you need to consider when choosing the right pet food.
Biologically appropriate
Like Humans, pets need to eat food that best suites their biological characteristics; This in known as “Biologically appropriate food”. Experts claim that a balanced diet for dogs should contain between 70-80% protein sources, fats and bone and around 20-30% carbohydrates. The diet for cats needs to contain around 90-95% protein sources, fats and bone and only 5-10% vegetables.
Take a look at the labels of dry commercial foods; You can immediately see that they are too rich in carbohydrates. The macro nutrients analysis on the labels show that on average foods contain – 26% protein, 15% fat and 55% carbohydrates.
This means, that most dry foods don’t come even close to the recommended macro nutrients; Hence, they aren’t biologically appropriate.
In addition, dry foods contain less than 10% moisture, compared to raw or cooked foods which contain above 60%. This fact is especially important for cats. Research shows that feeding cats exclusively on dry foods may cause chronic light dehydration; Which in time put excess stress on the kidneys and eventually lead to decrease in kidney functioning.
Affects of heat on food
The two main commercial food manufacturing methods are extrusion and retort. Both methods use high temperatures (over 160 degrees Celsius) which cause tremendous affects on the ingredients quality.
Research conducted by the National Institute for Cancer, John Hopkins University and Queen Elizabeth hospital in London showed that cooking meat in high temperatures creates 17 Carcinogenic compounds. These are collectively called heterocyclic amines (HCA’s). These cancer causing ingredients interfere with the bodies genetic structure.
Another research showed that heat processing causes a combined reaction between the sugars and amino acids. This reaction is called the Maillard Reaction. The Maillard Reaction affects availability of amino acids, enzyme activity, and absorption and utilization of metals. Also, it is responsible for creating heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAA’s) which are cancer and mutating causing compounds.
In 2002, researchers in Sweden and the U.S had discovered that heating carbohydrate rich foods creates a compound called acrylamide. Research showed it causes genetic mutations, neuro toxic affects and cancer.
Artificial ingredients in pet food
Researchers found that the preservatives BHA and BHT cause breakage in the genetic code, mutations and deviations in chromosomes. Also, they increase the risk for tumors and cause cancer in lab animals. Although forbidden for use in some countries in Europe, they are still popular in the U.S. At times, these compounds may be hiding in the ingredients list; In places like different meals, such as chicken meal or by product meals.
Carrageenan is a compound produced from algae and is used as a stabilizer and thickener for canned foods. May cause ulcers in the digestive tract and cancer.
Ethoxyquin is another problematic preservative. It is linked to infertility, deformed offspring, ulcers in the liver, kidneys and bladder.
MSG is commonly used as a taste enhancer. It is a chemical transmitter which may cause damage to brain cells and also connected to obesity and allergies.
These are just a fragment of the artificial ingredients found in pet foods. Other include antimicrobial compounds, fortifiers, stabilizers and more. The most commonly used synthetic ingredients are the added nutrients. As a pet owner its important that you read and understand pet food labels.
Today, we can find more and more data linking these ingredients to different health issues; Such as hyperactivity, fearfulness, stomach ulcers, colitis, IBD, cancer and more.
Synthetic nutrients vs natural nutrients
Heat processing destroys the natural vitamins and minerals found in the food ingredients. So, pet food manufacturers need to add them back artificially in order to meet nutritional requirements.
Your pets body absorbs synthetic nutrients differently than natural ones. Simply because real food contains not just a single nutrient, rather a range of vitamins, minerals, supporting compounds and enzymes. All of them together enables optimal use by the pets body. Without this complex system, the body cannot use the synthetic nutrients as efficiently. Therefore, a micro dose of a whole food nutrient is much more functional and effective than a mega dose of the pure synthetic version. For example, a single carrot contains about 200 nutrients and phytonutrients, all working together in order to be absorbed best by the pets body.
Moreover, because the molecular structure of synthetic nutrients is different, your pets body regards them as drugs. So, they may interfere with the bodies metabolic activity in the long run. Fat soluble vitamins (K, E, D and A) may even be dangerous as they can accumulate in the liver and fat tissue and cause toxicity. This is because pet receive a concentrated mega dose of the vitamin instead of a micro amount from whole foods.
What about water soluble vitamin C and B? These vitamins are not stored by the body rather get secreted in the urine. But does this fact makes them safer?
Contrary to popular belief, research testing the affects of vitamin C on sporting dogs, showed that vitamin C actually increases oxidative stress on the muscles. This in turn, damages immune system activity and decreases its ability to resist infections and disease.
Longevity genes
My final point refers to consumption of mega doses of synthetic nutrients from an evolutionary point of view. Your pets bodies are equipped to receive maximum nourishment from minimum food. Researchers believe that this is due to “Longevity genes”. Longevity genes are meant to increase the animals ability to survive when food is absent; By upgrading the bodies ability to utilize energy from food, strengthen muscles and coping with stress and hunger.
This means that anything which causes excess or imbalance in the pet’s body, may be toxic or infectious to it. And, if we look at dry or canned foods, they have excess everything. Excess carbohydrates, preservatives, synthetic ingredients. They are overly dry, too processed. Dry and canned foods don’t provide a balanced nutrition as nature intended for our pets.
In my professional opinion, commercial dry and canned foods are simply not meant for pets consumption. They are wrong for them in every aspect. As a pet owners, its your obligation to be informed and make the right nutrition choices.
I’m always happy to answer any question
*this article was written for Wild at heart – Raw pet food delivery – https://www.wildatheartpets.com/ , http://www.facebook.com/WildAtHeartRaw/.
Refrences
Unlocking the canine ancestral diet: healthier dog food the ABC way
Gomez-Cabrera MC, Domenech E, Romagnoli M, Arduini A, Borras C, Pallardo FV, Sastre J, and Vina, J. Oral administration of vitamin C decreases muscle mitochondrial biogenesis and hampers training-induced adaptations in endurance performance. American Journal Clinical Nutrition. 2008 Jan; p. 87(1), p. 142-9.
Davies KJ, Packer L, Brooks GA. Biochemical adaptation of mitochondria, muscle, and whole-animal respiration to endurance training. Arch Biochem Biophys 1981; p. 209, p. 539-54.
Chi-Tang Ho. Maillard Reaction and Health Aspects. Mol. Nutr. Food Res. 2006, p. 50, p. 1099 – 1100.
Timothy A. Allen, David J. Polzin and Larry G. Adams, “Renal Disease”, small animal clinical nutrition, 4th edition, Walsworth publishing company, 2000, p. 582.
Facts about Vitamin A and Carotenoids, from the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements.
Schultze R. Kymythy, Natural Nutrition for Cats
Chassaing, B. et al. Nature http://www.dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature14232 (2015).
Gomez-Cabrera MC, Borras C, Pallardo FV, Sastre J, Ji LL, Vina J. Decreasing xanthine oxidase-mediated oxidative stress prevents useful cellular adaptations to exercise in rats. J Physiol 2005;567:113-20.
Chemicals in Meat Cooked at High Temperatures and Cancer Risk -https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/cooked-meats-fact-sheet
Marshall RJ, Scott KC, Hill RC, et al. Supplemental vitamin C appears to slow racing greyhounds. J Nutr 2002; p. 132.
Vitamin A Toxicity from http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/newsletter/2008-december.shtml