Obesity is a common problem with our pets - but it doesn’t have to be. Obesity is not only a health concern on its own; it also intensifies inflammation and contributes to the progression of disease. We often think of obesity as a result of overeating—just like many of us might do on Thanksgiving! While it’s true that overeating contributes to obesity, what we’re overeating plays a significant role as well.
Processed diets, like kibble, have high amounts of carbohydrates with variable amounts of protein, and typically low levels of fats. Processed pet foods are often made with carbohydrate sources for multiple reasons. Cost reduction is one of the most commonly marketed reasons, however, carbohydrates are also necessary to help form the kibble to its dry, extruded shape. For our pets to eat enough quantity to meet their bodies requirements for all the other nutrients, minerals, and vitamins, they eat more calories (from carbohydrates) than their bodies need. When pet’s eat more carbohydrates than their bodies need to use in a day, the body converts the carbohydrates to fat to store in the body. We often see a “kibble body type” as a result of carbohydrate heavy diets, where pets store a bit of extra fat on the sides of their hips. This may also lead to lipomas, which are benign lumps consisting of fat deposits. Over time, these carbohydrate rich diets can lead to obesity.
In addition to having excessive amounts of carbohydrates, processed food diets (most diets, actually!) are missing enough of a vital nutrient - healthy saturated fats. Fat is more than twice as calorie dense as carbohydrates, so it helps satiate hunger without leading to excess fat storage. Fat is essential to the body, especially for the nervous system and hormone production. Processed foods often contain unhealthy, inflammatory fats (vegetable oil, canola oil, etc.), and never in enough quantity to help keep pets full. A lack of healthy, saturated fats leads to excessive hunger– even when our pets are fed the quantities they need. This perpetuates the cycle that leads to obesity - constant hunger from not enough fats and carbohydrate rich diets that lead to excess fat storage.
In our culture, we’re advised to avoid fats because they are unhealthy - we are told they lead to weight gain, cause heart disease, and contain accumulated chemicals and toxins.* It is not true! Pet food companies recognize this and take full advantage by advertising “with ‘healthy carbohydrates’ added!” In most cultures, however, fat is a coveted food item and not wasted. A plethora of new scientific research is proving what these cultures have known for centuries: fats are incredibly important to a healthy diet, and it is actually carbohydrates that are completely unnecessary.
This is especially true for our obligate carnivore cats and facultative carnivore dogs. Think about a species appropriate diet; a mouse for a cat, or a rabbit for a dog. Half of the abdomen of these prey species is an accumulation of healthy, saturated fat and stored for the winter when food supplies are limited. These saturated fats actually contain incredible nutrition, unavailable from plants, and create the feeling of being full. What part of this animal contains rice, potatoes, or legumes? If the animal were lucky, they were eating off an agricultural field to their hearts content, and their gut may then be filled with grains, however, not without being chewed, partially digested, and fermented. These prey animals are designed to eat vegetation rich in carbohydrates (sugars), and our pets are designed to eat these little - or big - vegetarian prey species. By maximizing bioavailable nutrients in our pets’ diet and satisfying hunger with healthy saturated fats, obesity would be largely prevented.
We all love to spoil our dogs and enjoy watching them eat, so let’s focus on providing high-quality foods and treats. Vegetable sticks and bone broth ice cubes are virtually calorie-less, and can be fed freely; small amounts of butter or fermented raw goat milk are delicious alternatives to biscuits made from oat bran or chews made with vegetable glycerin, for our happy - and healthiest - pets!
Diet plays a key role in the obesity epidemic our pets are facing, but it’s not the only factor. Exercise is also essential—stay tuned for upcoming newsletters to learn more about keeping your pets optimally well!
“Why are we okay with creating food animals loaded with toxins and chemicals that are relatively nutritionally deficient and contribute to climate change through greenhouse gas production? Sourcing from sustainable, local farms avoids these harmful practices. These farms improve the integrity and resilience of the environment, provide massive carbon stores and nutrient dense food!” - Dr. Teri Sue Wright
Interested in more information? Check out these resources -
https://mypetnutritionist.com/post/is-my-dog-a-carnivore-or-an-omnivore/
https://www.maryruddick.com/
Processed diets, like kibble, have high amounts of carbohydrates with variable amounts of protein, and typically low levels of fats. Processed pet foods are often made with carbohydrate sources for multiple reasons. Cost reduction is one of the most commonly marketed reasons, however, carbohydrates are also necessary to help form the kibble to its dry, extruded shape. For our pets to eat enough quantity to meet their bodies requirements for all the other nutrients, minerals, and vitamins, they eat more calories (from carbohydrates) than their bodies need. When pet’s eat more carbohydrates than their bodies need to use in a day, the body converts the carbohydrates to fat to store in the body. We often see a “kibble body type” as a result of carbohydrate heavy diets, where pets store a bit of extra fat on the sides of their hips. This may also lead to lipomas, which are benign lumps consisting of fat deposits. Over time, these carbohydrate rich diets can lead to obesity.
In addition to having excessive amounts of carbohydrates, processed food diets (most diets, actually!) are missing enough of a vital nutrient - healthy saturated fats. Fat is more than twice as calorie dense as carbohydrates, so it helps satiate hunger without leading to excess fat storage. Fat is essential to the body, especially for the nervous system and hormone production. Processed foods often contain unhealthy, inflammatory fats (vegetable oil, canola oil, etc.), and never in enough quantity to help keep pets full. A lack of healthy, saturated fats leads to excessive hunger– even when our pets are fed the quantities they need. This perpetuates the cycle that leads to obesity - constant hunger from not enough fats and carbohydrate rich diets that lead to excess fat storage.
In our culture, we’re advised to avoid fats because they are unhealthy - we are told they lead to weight gain, cause heart disease, and contain accumulated chemicals and toxins.* It is not true! Pet food companies recognize this and take full advantage by advertising “with ‘healthy carbohydrates’ added!” In most cultures, however, fat is a coveted food item and not wasted. A plethora of new scientific research is proving what these cultures have known for centuries: fats are incredibly important to a healthy diet, and it is actually carbohydrates that are completely unnecessary.
This is especially true for our obligate carnivore cats and facultative carnivore dogs. Think about a species appropriate diet; a mouse for a cat, or a rabbit for a dog. Half of the abdomen of these prey species is an accumulation of healthy, saturated fat and stored for the winter when food supplies are limited. These saturated fats actually contain incredible nutrition, unavailable from plants, and create the feeling of being full. What part of this animal contains rice, potatoes, or legumes? If the animal were lucky, they were eating off an agricultural field to their hearts content, and their gut may then be filled with grains, however, not without being chewed, partially digested, and fermented. These prey animals are designed to eat vegetation rich in carbohydrates (sugars), and our pets are designed to eat these little - or big - vegetarian prey species. By maximizing bioavailable nutrients in our pets’ diet and satisfying hunger with healthy saturated fats, obesity would be largely prevented.
We all love to spoil our dogs and enjoy watching them eat, so let’s focus on providing high-quality foods and treats. Vegetable sticks and bone broth ice cubes are virtually calorie-less, and can be fed freely; small amounts of butter or fermented raw goat milk are delicious alternatives to biscuits made from oat bran or chews made with vegetable glycerin, for our happy - and healthiest - pets!
Diet plays a key role in the obesity epidemic our pets are facing, but it’s not the only factor. Exercise is also essential—stay tuned for upcoming newsletters to learn more about keeping your pets optimally well!
“Why are we okay with creating food animals loaded with toxins and chemicals that are relatively nutritionally deficient and contribute to climate change through greenhouse gas production? Sourcing from sustainable, local farms avoids these harmful practices. These farms improve the integrity and resilience of the environment, provide massive carbon stores and nutrient dense food!” - Dr. Teri Sue Wright
Interested in more information? Check out these resources -
https://mypetnutritionist.com/post/is-my-dog-a-carnivore-or-an-omnivore/
https://www.maryruddick.com/
