Picking the Right Pet Food

My Opinion on a Biased Article About By Products in Pet Foods 

Just read this article and found it very frustrating that this information is being spread on the internet when so much has been done in the past decade to improve the quality of pet foods that are available.

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/dog-food-label-ingredients/#comment-205592

 As a person with many past and present beloved family pets I do quite a bit of reading on pet foods and want the best for them. One of our family pets did die a painful death from cancer before I started learning about pet foods, and I think it is possible that cheap pet food was a factor in the development of that cancer. Pets live short lives but we all want them to be healthy and spend as much time as possible with us. Playing the odds and giving them the best diet possible is a step in the right direction. I want to share what I have learned in the hopes your pet can live a healthier life.

The important thing to remember is that the main source of material for this opinionated article is Pedigree dog foods. This company manufactures a food with  By-Products in the ingredient list. Hardly unbiased.


Now lets take a closer look at Pedigree Dog Food. They do a lot of advertising {unlike the really good super premium brands interestingly) and their commercials show leaping happy dogs. But how good are their ingredients?

Here are the ingredients for their original formula food.

 http://www.mypedigree.ca/en/our-food/foodproductlist/dryvitalityib/

There are a number of things wrong with this food. First of all the first ingredient which is the largest by weight is corn. Think about it. We make syrup out of corn so that's not going to be good for their blood sugar, and probably bad for their teeth as well. It's a simple carb with little nutritional value. The next ingredients are meat and bone meal, and animal fat. Meat and animal fat? From what animal? I don't know where this company gets their meat meal. When you buy a food with meat and animal ingredients what  assurances in general are there  there that it isn't from a very bad source. Are those sources  euthanized or diseased  animals, expired grocery store meat,  road kill, or even restaurant grease? These questions need to be more clearly answered by the government and pet food makers. http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-industry-exposed/dogs-meat-meal/

Try finding a pet food containing By Products with OVERALL ingredients as good as a food with HUMAN GRADE chicken. You will have a hard time doing that. Really good quality brands that I would feed to family pets like Orijen, Fromm, and Go Natural have meat that is specially inspected to be fit for human consumption. That of course means that the ingredients are not from euthanized animals etc. Secondly the really good quality foods do not have filler like simple carb wheat and corn. Instead they contain antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables that support the overall health with natural sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. These fruits and vegetables may also have valuable cancer and disease preventing properties for your pet just as they will for you. In the long run spending money on better pet food may save you money on vet bills. Any trip to the vet will likely cost you enough money to  buy  a lot of dog food. At an average cost of about $70/bag good quality dog food winds up costing you about $2.50 a day. Not so bad when you look at it that way right?

They also will not have any artificial colors or preservatives like many cheaper byproduct pet foods. Those chemicals will build up in your pet and be a risk factor for cancers. On top of all this really good quality foods contain probiotics that can help with digestion. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria in your pet's stomach that can help break down food and promote good health.

These days people consider their pet a member of the family and want them to eat as good quality food as the humans. Would you eat a diet of byproducts, corn/wheat, and synthetic vitamins? How healthy do you think you would be? Still think a food with byproducts is better? Look up that brand on dogfoodavisor.com and see what they say….

This pup is going to eat the best food possible.

Benefits of Blackstrap Molasses For Your Hair and Skin

 The Many Beneficial Compounds in Molasses

I find hair an interesting subject. How much can it be protected by nutrients in food? Sometimes I see someone in the grocery store and wonder if they had picked different foods or a more organic shampoo their hair quality might be improved. What if they gave up smoking or had less stress? Does it make a difference? There are quite a few things that seem to be beneficial including zinc, copper, vitamin B12, Omega 3s, antioxidant Superoxide Dimutase and Catalase. Pretty hard to fit so many supplements in your diet. I have tried a few things like the Chinese Herb He Shou Wu (The Man With Black Hair), and copper tablets. Certain things do contain a combination of these substances and one such is Blackstrap Molasses. Blackstrap molasses is what is left over when sugar is refined from sugar cane. While it may be the leftover, in this case the leftover contains most of the nutrients including zinc and copper. The little paint factories that make the colours in your hair need many nutrients to function effectively. One theory about damage to hair as you age is that mounting levels of free radical hydrogen peroxide eventually bleaches your hair and damages the follicles, while you produce declining amounts of antioxidants. Pretty interesting stuff. I buy my molasses in bulk containers at a local supermarket. I tried it out for a while and while it does not seem to sweeten tea much, the main problem is that it's so messy! Check this link for more detailed information.

 http://www.naturalnews.com/046100_blackstrap_molasses_hair_growth_nutrition.html