Quote:
Originally Posted by capt_noonie
(Post 3634949)
So then I shouldn't think Beneful is a bad dog food? They use artificial colors, corn and by-products. There was another company, I think it was Science Diet (?) that explained (or was it their spin) that by-products are not necessarily bad, just a matter that forms when processing or rendering a product. Now who should I believe? |
I don't want to tell you what to think, lol, not that I could if I wanted! :D I'm just saying that nutrition is not as clear as some would have you believe. I don't like foods with artificial colors; I believe that they are totally unnecessary. Are they really harmful? I don't know, but they can stain your carpet. :p I think corn is a good food, so that ingredient wouldn't sway me. I still don't think it should be considered the primary source of protein, a meat should be the first ingredient, but I've got to say, I'm not thoroughly convinced as to the "whys" yet, just slightly more convinced. Are you talking about a corn by product or a meat by product?
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Here's more about corn:
Corn is an excellent source of energy because it contains approximately 80% carbohydrate. When comparing corn to other ingredients, few supply as much energy. The carbohydrate portion of corn can be over 95% digestible. In addition to the high digestibility of the carbohydrate portion, corn contains a moderate amount of fat. Fat produces 2.25 times the metabolizable energy per unit weight as carbohydrate. How is this helpful in pet foods? By incorporating corn, we can augment the energy of the diet. Within the fat content, corn is specifically high in linoleic acid which contributes to a healthy coat and skin. Corn gluten is the protein portion of corn. Corn gluten meal (the dried form) provides a source of protein that is complimentary to many meat meal sources of protein. Its digestibility is as high as many meat and fish meals. Corn gluten meal's amino acid profile is quite different from meat-based protein sources. It is particularly high in the amino acid cystine. Again, it's worth re-stating that no one is suggesting that corn gluten be the sole source of protein, but that is makes a good addition to other protein sources. Another benefit is that as protein sources are concerned, corn has relatively low levels of ash.Another key nutrient that corn supplies is a blend of carotenoids. Carotenoids are nutrients that are converted to vitamin A. Biologic functions that involve carotenoids are vision, skin health, reproduction, and bone and muscle growth. They also have a role as antioxidants.
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I do think some companies are looking to put out an inexpensive "good" food that is suitable for most dogs and there are grocery store brands that fill this need. I do prefer a food that has a meat as the primary source of protein, but there may be reasons why sometimes you don't want to do this. Also, I prefer a meat that doesn't use "by products".
Here's what the Dog Food Project says about By products.
•Byproducts of any type are
less desirable and
only acceptable if they do not make up the main source of animal protein and if the name of the species used is also defined in some manner (e.g. "chicken byproducts" or "beef byproducts" but not "meat byproducts" or "poultry byproducts"). Byproducts consist of anything but the quality cuts of meat and highest quality edible offal used for human consumption. What this means (on a market with high demand for human snacks like "buffalo wings" and cheaper pet foods requiring flavoring agents like beef or chicken liver digest to make otherwise uninteresting food more attractive), I leave to your imagination.
The Dog Food Project - Identifying better products
When you call something a bad food, I think that means it's really unhealthy, will eating Beneful make a dog unhealthy, I'm quite sure it won't. People seem to like to compare dog foods with McDonnell’s, and call certain foods "junk' food. Maybe because they've read it so much they believe it to be true, but it's not true. It's very difficult to get a balanced meal at McDonnell’s. Humans need complex carbohydrates, as in whole grains and green vegetables, and protein, in the right proportion with the right amount of calories for our daily needs. All dog foods even the ones at the grocery store have this. I really believe that Beneful is much more healthy for the dog, that what the average American eats. After reading Yorkietalk for about 5 years, I don’t' think I can find any correlations between what people call bad food and health problems, in fact, sometimes it seems like just the opposite.