Why are commercial diets so poor? Part II

Why are commercial diets so poor?

Here are some of the reasons:

1.                Cost

• Even premium diets cost about 2 dollars a pound. When we factor in manufacturing, marketing, shipping, packaging, and markup costs for the manufacturer, the wholesaler, and the retailer, the true cost of the basic ingredients is more likely 10-50 cents per pound.
• Reflect on what type of raw ingredients can be purchased for this price.
• Commercial diets are primarily conceived and developed to minimize costs, not maximize nutrition.
• To keep the cost so low, commercial diets have foods in them that have been rejected for human consumption. Even those that refrain from using condemned foods must resort to including foods that are far worse than what people would demand for themselves.

2.                Diets are made to meet minimal standards, not optimal standards.

• Again, due to cost considerations, essential fats, complex carbohydrates, and high-quality digestible proteins are kept to a minimum in the diet.
• Healthy animals can survive on these diets, but over time, there is a price to be paid in deteriorating health and a more rapid aging process for your canine companion.
• Sick animals, and those with a more fragile constitution, require high quality, optimal diets.

3.                Over-processing (i.e., high temperature cooking under pressure) is used to make indigestible foods digestible.

• Food processing plants have known for a very long time that if one wants to feed a food item that is essentially indigestible, the way to do this is to cook the product so excessively that it turns into a soup. Then, by adding grains (again, after extreme cooking methods), one can cook the product once more and turn it into a hard biscuit or kibble.
• Unfortunately, all of the complex compounds we already mentioned as being so essential have disappeared.
• Vitamins are also gone, so the commercial food industry will then spray vitamins mixed with oils (which have likewise been destroyed) onto the resulting hard kibble at the end of the processing. The vitamins are often synthetic, and the minerals are often poorly digestible at best. An example is zinc oxide and ferrous oxide, forms of zinc and iron supplementation that are often preferred by the food industry because they are so cheap (they are, in reality, rust). But they are very poorly absorbed, making them almost useless to the body.

4.                "Garbage in garbage out," a long-standing truism in the computer world, is just as true in diets: poor quality foods can't become good quality foods, no matter what one tries to do with them.

• To the degree possible, diets should start with the highest quality, most digestible and wholesome food possible, instead of starting with the worst foods and trying to improve them with synthetic vitamins and false claims of being "nutritionally complete".
• This is called the food's "Biological Value".

 Labels and Labeling Requirements

All regulations that control the labels on dog foods are created by AAFCO. AAFCO, as has already been stated, is a group controlled by commercial animal food manufacturers.  It is not surprising to find that there are enough loopholes in labeling requirements to make it completely impossible to know what is in a diet, let alone the quality of the diet. Any manufacturer who wishes can create the marketing image that their product is a "premium diet".

In fact, most of these premium diets are, at best, only marginally better than the average diet, and many of them are conceived entirely as a marketing ploy to sell an average diet with a higher markup, creating higher profit margins.

One example of how easy it is to use subterfuge to create an image of wholesomeness, or using a term popular in the industry, "natural", is in the use of preservatives. Many companies will use standard preservatives such as ethoxyquin; yet not mention this in the ingredient list. This is possible if the company adds the preservatives themselves instead of buying a product that already includes them as a preservative. Making the situation even worse is that it is common to then say on the package, "preserved naturally with Vitamin E". This statement naturally implies that no other chemical preservative is in the product, when in fact the company can make this claim by simply adding a little extra Vitamin E than is required by AAFCO to meet minimal needs. The ethoxyquin can then be purchased in a product such as chicken fat that contains ethoxyquin, and thus that information never needs to be placed on the label!

Why are commercial dog foods a problem?

Let's look at some of the most recent research on human nutrition:

"Consuming a diet rich in plant foods will provide a milieu of phytochemicals - nonnutritive substances in plants that possess health-protective benefits."

"Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, herbs, nuts and seeds contain an abundance of phenolic compounds, terpenoids, sulfur compounds, pigments, and other natural antioxidants that have been associated with protection from and/or treatment of conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cancer."

        Craig W, Beck L. Phytochemicals: Health Protective Effects. Can J Diet Pract Res. 1999 Summer;60(2):78-84.

Many of these phytonutrients are not heat stable, especially when cooked extensively, as with commercial dog foods.

Considering the high temperature, high pressure, and processing that commercial dog foods receive, we can expect that these dog foods are totally devoid of the beneficial nutrients mentioned by Dr. Craig in this well-respected study.

In recent years, the practice of recommending commercial diets as the only source of food for dogs has come under increasing scrutiny, often by trained animal nutritionists. 

It has been stated by one veterinarian with a Ph.D. in nutrition that we "are killing our pets with commercial diets".    Most dog and human holistic doctors agree that the best diets are those with home-prepared foods that are at least part of the diet. 

Many conventional veterinarians will at least agree that diets will improve when we offer some fresh foods and use variety.

"I have seen the health of almost all dogs deteriorate, in general, when fed commercial diets. Conversely, when my canine patients are placed on wholesome diets, fully a third of the dogs that arrive in our practice diagnosed with a chronic, incurable disease return to complete health just by the change in diet!" He said.

What things can I add to my dogs food to make it healthier

 Since grains and other carbohydrates are not necessary or helpful to a obligate carnivore, we recommend they be fed sparingly. Especially avoid almost all grains. But some things are healthy to give to a dog with cancer that might help when added to their kibble dry or canned foods.

 Vegetables should be routinely added. We recommend:

                                                                  Carrots

                                                                 Broccoli
                                                          
                                                                Spinach

 Sweet potatoes, pumpkin, yams, and squashes are all excellent additions to the diet. Sweet potato is especially good, inexpensive, easy to prepare, and readily accepted. Sweet potato should be cooked, and can then be used a portion at a time over a few days. They can be mashed and mixed so well into the diet that all animals will accept them. Carrots, broccoli, and spinach often need to be cooked lightly or shredded/chopped finely, or they may not be accepted or completely digested. I just buy canned for Lucy. Not optimal but she gets it then. A few baby carrots can be given raw per day to help clean teeth.

  Dairy products can be included. Our favorites are:

                                                               Yogurt

                                                              Cottage Cheese

  Eggs are great to feed, and can be fed cooked. I give Lucy 1 sometimes 2 per day.

Fish Oils and Olive Oils.

Lucy Dog Nasal Cancer 1 year 3 months still in remission

Nasal Cancer still in remission 1 year 3 months after diagnosis.Proof of Life photo given to show current TIME Magazine. Please help your dog and review my blog. I am not selling anything. I am just sharing everything I found researching and used it on her. No rad or chemo used.

 

Are Dogs Carnivores or Omnivores and How does this effect Cancer Treatment

While it is true that wolves are predominantly carnivorous, they are omnivorous, opportunistic feeders. They eat what they can get, be it plant, bug, or animal. They are an ancient species that has developed a wide range of survival skills, this includes a variable diet.  Which would include hoofed animals, beaver, squirrel, rat, fish, bird, bugs, and yes berries and other fruits can all be found on the wolves dinner plate. So it is in their genes to be able to eat some of this non meat stuff ok. And maybe they find it nutritionally useful. And tasty...

Coyotes will eat voles, prairie dogs, eastern cottontails, ground squirrels and mice. They also eat small birds, snakes, lizards, deer, javelina(A kind of hog), cattle and small insects. Coyotes also eat some fruits, nuts, and vegetables during autumn and winter months.

Wolves and coyotes do enjoy berries, fruit drops, nuts, and other plants and all carnivores apparently eat grass at times (possibly for medicinal value, though scientists aren't sure). This doesn't mean that wolves or coyotes are "optimally" designed to eat plants as "healthy" staple foods. But they are eating them regardless for some reason.

What does this mean. Hmmm. Well, animals know what they want to eat or should eat at any given time. Unless starving and will eat just about anything. Since they do appear to eat a little fruit, berries, or grass, they must want it and can use it for nutrition. So, fresh real foods of mostly meat protein/fat and some veggies or a little fruit is probably what they do need optimally. And have done so for millenia, so they must be adapted genetically to that diet. So since these fruits, grasses, vegetables, and berries have high nutrition and health potential, it would be, well, healthy to give it to them. Seems like.  Kewl video huh.

More Dog Cancer Diet Stuff

Recent research showed some promising developments for specific diets for dogs with cancer. It was found that diets that appeared to work best were those low in carbohydrates, high in protein and with good levels of quality fats (hey people heard this before? this is what we should be eating too). Carbohydrates are made up of chains of saccharides, which are sugars. Sugars in turn offer good fuel for cancer cells.


Current commercial dog foods are too high in grains and starches to be the best defense for a dog with cancer. 


To prepare the diet, we need to look at carbohydrates, fats and proteins. It is important to know what to avoid and what to incorporate into the diet.


Carbohydrates
 Foods included in this category are fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains (oatmeal, wheat, rice, barley, millet, amaranth, corn). For a dog with cancer, some carbohydrates are more ‘friendly’ than others, especially those that contain less sugar, or have a lower glycemic value.
In other words, carbohydrates that you can eat when on the Atkins diet. These would include summer squashes such as zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, and patty pan squash, along with dark leafy greens, broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower and bok choy. Use sparingly, the starchy types of vegetables, such as potatoes, yams, carrots, green peas, sweet potatoes and winter squash (hard rind squashes). I would avoid all grains if possible.


Protein
 It is important to use proteins from animal sources. Avoid plant protein sources such as tofu or other soy products, grain proteins or plant based protein powders. Proteins from plants are incomplete for dogs. They need the additional amino acids found in animal sources. Soy products are also high in phytates, which can block absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron, iodine and zinc.
Good sources of animal protein include beef, chicken, turkey, pork, lamb, canned fish such as mackerel, salmon and sardines, eggs and dairy products such as whole fat yogurt and cottage cheese.


Fats
 Meat is a good source of fat, and the fattiest meats include lamb, pork and goat. When feeding poultry, leave the skin on, which is where most of the fat resides, and use dark meat, which is higher in fat, rather than light meat. Canned fish is also a good source of fat. Always use whole milk dairy products. Eggs also contain fats. Another kind of fat that is very beneficial is that found in salmon or fish body oils (not cod liver oil). Suggested dose is 1,000 mg (with 180 mg EPA and 120 mg DHA) per ten pounds of body weight daily.


For a cancer starving diet, I would suggest using a ratio of approximately 40% protein, 40% fat, with the rest being carbohydrates. Better a fat dog than the alternative. Besides once you limit out those carbs it doesn't really change that much. My dog Lucy didn't really gain any weight.


Cooked Diets
Cooked diets also need to offer variety, and large batches can be packaged into meal sized portions and frozen for later use. Feeding amounts are the same, approximately 2% to 3% of the dog’s body weight daily. For instance, a 100 pound dog would eat two to three pounds of food a day, a fifty pound dog would eat one to one and a half pounds of food daily, and a 25 pound dog would eat 1/2 pound to 3/4 pound daily. A cup is approximately 8 ounces or 1/2 pound, some dogs will do well on two meals a day, others may need three or four smaller meals a day.
More vegetables are used in the cooked diets, to use as fiber. Do not overcook the meat, but rather cook lightly which will retain more of the nutrients. Butter can be used for cooking (unsalted butter for those dogs with kidney or heart problems), for flavor and palatability.

I am uncomfortable going the "Raw Diets" route because of e-coli and salmonella in todays meats at such high levels to a dog with a comprimised immune system.


Sample Diet One
 (one meal for a 100 lb dog, or two meals for a 50 lb dog, or four meals for a 25 pound dog)
- One lb regular hamburger, 4 oz beef liver or kidney, cook with small amount of butter
 - 1 or 2 eggs, scrambled or soft boiled
 - 1/2 cup steamed or boiled broccoli
 - 1/2 cup cooked yellow crookneck squash
 - 4 oz whole milk yogurt
Cook meat, eggs and vegetables and mix. When cooled, add yogurt.
To this, add:
 - 1600 mg of calcium , or one teaspoon of dried, ground eggshell
 - Add 1,000 mg of EPA fish or salmon oil per ten pounds of body weight daily


Sample Diet Two
 - One lb ground chicken, four oz of chicken liver, cook with small amount of butter
 - 1 or 2 eggs, scrambled or soft boiled
 - 1/2 cup steamed or boiled Spinach
 - 1/2 cup cooked cabbage
 - 4 oz Cottage Cheese
Cook meat, eggs and vegetables and mix. When cooled, add cottage cheese.
To this, add:
 - 1600 mg of calcium, or one teaspoon of dried, ground eggshell
 - Add 1,000 mg of EPA fish or salmon oil per ten pounds of body weight daily


Sample Diet Three
 - One lb ground pork, 4 oz of pork or beef liver, cook with small amount of butter
 - 1 or 2 eggs, scrambled or soft boiled
 - 1/2 cup steamed or boiled Bok Choy or Chinese cabbage
 - 1/2 cup zucchini
 - 4 oz Whole Milk Yogurt
Cook meat, eggs and vegetables and mix. When cooled, add yogurt.
To this, add:
 - 1600 mg of calcium, or one teaspoon of dried, ground eggshell
 - Add 1,000 mg of EPA fish or salmon oil per ten pounds of body weight daily


Sample Diet Four
 - One can 16 oz Mackerel or Salmon
 - 1 or 2 eggs, scrambled or soft boiled
 - 1/2 cup broccoli
 - 1/2 cup Kale or other dark leafy green
 - 4 oz Cottage Cheese
Cook vegetables and eggs (no need to cook the canned fish, it is already cooked) and mix together. No calcium is needed as mackerel, salmon or sardines already contain soft, steamed bones for calcium content.
To this, add:
 - Add 1,000 mg of EPA fish or salmon oil per ten pounds of body weight daily




Snacks
 Snacks for these dogs are fairly easy. High protein, high fat treats without carbohydrates include cheese cubes, hard boiled eggs, beef jerky and liver squares.


To Make Liver Squares
 Boil liver for ten to fifteen minutes and drain. Cook at low heat on either side for ten minutes in the oven. Let cool and cut into squares or cubes.


In the event you may run out of home made diets, you can keep cans of mackerel, salmon or sardines in the cupboard, and have a supply of frozen vegetables in your freezer. The vegetables can be quickly cooked and added to the mackerel. 


Scrambled eggs made with butter and adding yogurt is also another quick meal.






If this is all too much to deal with, you can just use something like Taste of the Wild or Earthborne Primitive Naturals kibble and just add some cooked ground turkey (pan fry a cheap chub of it and it lasts a few days) or fried eggs, veggies, and some fish oil to the kibble.