[pstinard]

Originally Posted by mimimomo

@ the bolded part, I understand now. I didn't comprehend it that way, that the author was justifying adding starches...told u I'm not smart loll! I feed my guys a grain free diet bc they don't do well w/certain grains like oatmeal & incorporate fresh protein like boiled chicken breast & salmon sometimes. But don't the food companies already add a lot of starches in some of the kibbles already...

To be fair, the reviewer took a cautious, balanced approach and recommended starches only in moderation (30% or less of the food volume), but that wasn't part of the article that he was reviewing, that was his own conclusion:

Even though today’s dogs can digest grains and starches, I don’t recommend that such nutrients form the majority of a dog’s diet. Any grains or starches made to be consumed by our pets should be whole-food based, cooked, and included in a small to moderate quantity (30% or less of the volume of a particular meal), complementing the larger percentage of meat, vegetable, and fruit ingredients.

Although commercially available and home prepared diets that are 100 percent free of grains and starches are popular, there are nutritional benefits stemming from their inclusion. Whole grains like brown rice, barley, etc., are good sources of minerals (Selenium, Manganese, etc.) and can even serve as substrates (pre-biotics) on which beneficial bacteria (pro-biotics) grow. Starches like russet and sweet potatoes, banana, etc., are rich in vitamins (A, B6, E, etc.) and minerals (Potassium, Manganese, etc.).