I am asked this question many time a week. There are an abundance of high quality dry pet foods that I prefer for Paleopet Stage 1 but my preferred brands may surprise you. As it turns out, the less expensive and more common brand pet foods such as Purina and Pedigree that have better nutrient values as a base for Paleopet Stage 1. Purina happens to be the most researched pet foods on the planet. The problem is that, due to cost, both Purina and Pedigree have begun adding wheat and rice to these previously well-researched diets…
The book Paleopet offers why dog foods made with corn and soy are best. Corn is slow cooked when used in pet food and as such it releases 800% more antioxodants, is less glycemic, and is 90% digestible for dogs. Corn is also NOT considered a filler NOR is it a common cause of skin allergies. This is completely contrary to what a pet food store clerk or a commercial advertisement will tell you.
For 50 years, corn and soy were the stand alone ingredient grains in all major pet foods. However, since corn and soy prices are now almost twice the price of wheat, rice, oats, and other common pet food grains – it is an expensive ingredient!
As of February 2013, maize (corn) is 574 cents a bushel, rice is 302 cents a bushel and wheat is 309 cents a bushel. If you formulate a commercial pet food diet using rice, sweet potatoes, barley or rice, you will have 50% more money to spend on false advertising (ahem, Blue Buffalo).
One of the more important concepts of Paleopet is to avoid postprandial glycemia. Extremely glycemic grains such as rice and wheat release an excessive amount of sugars upon digestion. A slice of whole wheat bread or a tablespoon of boiled white rice will increase blood sugar more than a tablespoon of granulated sugar. Read Wheat Belly by Dr.Davis if you doubt this fact.
Excessive dietary sugars are the result of the digestion of glycemic starches, especially rice and wheat. Long-term feeding of glycemic grains is the cause of what I refer to as “carbohydrate disease”. Carbohydrate disease will cause pain and itching due to inflammation, has been shown to increase cancer risks, obesity, liver disease, kidney disease and diabetes. Bottom line: carbohydrate disease is implicated with most all major diseases I see on a daily basis.
When an advertisement proudly proclaims that their diet has no corn in it, be wary. Negative publicity marketing against corn has accused it of being a filler or that is a cheap additive or even a cause of allergies. None of this is true.
So, try not to believe all you hear and know that corn and soy is a wonderful place to start a more healthy Paleopet Stage 1 diet. The Bil-Jac Company seems to have the the right idea.
The most important concept of Paleopet Stage 1 is that with the addition of vegetable fiber, fish oil and probiotic ingredients to a regular pet food, you improve upon it to be much healthier and much less of a cause of carbohydrate disease. It reduces bad lipids in the blood, it hydrates and acidifies the intestinal tract, it buffers glycemia, neutralizes toxins, discourages bad bacteria and yeasts from the gut, it provides an entire compliment of nutrients not otherwise found in regular pet food, encourages fatty acid absorption, etc…
Next Topic – The truly miraculous benefits of fiber and probiotic bacteria…
