An ingredient list that starts with three
specific meat protein sources is always a good sign.
Not exact matches
When considering the
protein source, for example, one must not only consider whether an animal - or plant - based
protein will be used, but the
specific organism from which it is derived (e.g., animal: chicken, beef, lamb, pork, etc.; fish: salmon, menhaden, etc.; plant: corn gluten meal, soybean meal, etc.), what part (s) of that organism will be included (e.g., plant: whole wheat vs. wheat germ vs. wheat bran; animal: entire animal vs. skeletal muscle vs. organ
meats), and the form in which it will be added (animals: frozen, fresh, meal), all of which affect the diet in terms of cost, nutrient composition and stability, manufacturing requirements, and ingredient handling, transport, and storage.
I would like to see these studies followed up with addition of
specific nutrients to study
protein - nutrient interactions and then with whole food
sources of
protein such as
meat.
No
specific group of
protein sources was accountable for the positive association between animal
protein and type 2 diabetes; excluding
protein from dairy, fish, or
meat from total animal
protein did not alter the association.
Nevertheless, vegetarian and vegan commercial foods can be useful where an allergic dog can not tolerate common
sources of animal
protein or fat, since the owner can add
specific canned or fresh
meat types and has control over the amount added.
I'm sure it applies to cat food as well: How to grade your dog's food: Start with a grade of 100: 1) For every listing of «by - product», subtract 10 points 2) For every non-
specific animal
source -LRB-»
meat» or «poultry»,
meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points 3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points 4) For every grain «mill run» or non-
specific grain
source, subtract 5 points 5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. «ground brown rice», «brewerâ $ ™ s rice», «rice flour» are all the same grain), subtract 5 points 6) If the
protein sources are not
meat meal and there are less than 2
meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points 7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points 8) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points 9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points 10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points 11) If lamb is the only animal
protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other
protein sources), subtract 2 points 12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points 13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog is not allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points 14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog is not allergic to beef), subtract 1 point 15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point Extra Credit: 1) If any of the
meat sources are organic, add 5 points 2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points 3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points 4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points 5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points 6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points 7) If the animal
sources are hormone - free and antibiotic - free, add 2 points 8) If the food contains barley, add 2 points 9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points 10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point 11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point 12) For every different
specific animal
protein source (other than the first one; count «chicken» and «chicken meal» as only one
protein source, but «chicken» and «'' as 2 different
sources), add 1 point 13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point 14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide - free, add 1 point
Extra Credit: 1) If any of the
meat sources are organic, add 5 points 2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points 3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points 4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points 5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points 6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points 7) If the animal
sources are hormone - free and antibiotic - free, add 2 points 8) If the food contains barley, add 2 points 9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points 10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point 11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point 12) For every different
specific animal
protein source (other than the first one; count â $ œchickenâ $ and â $ œchicken mealâ $ as only one
protein source, but â $ œchickenâ $ and â $ œâ $ as 2 different
sources), add 1 point 13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point 14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide - free, add 1 point
And, we chucked any formula that uses cheap
protein sources like generic, non species
specific «
meat», or «fish», unspecified fish meal or
meat meal, blood and bone meal, and any by - product meal.
And, we chucked any brand that uses cheap
protein sources like generic, non species
specific «
meat», or «fish», unspecified fish meal or
meat meal, blood and bone meal, and any by - product meal.
Although it's a good
source of
protein, being a
meat concentrate, it does not specify from what species of fish it has been obtained and from what
specific parts of the fish.