Choose a healthier life with organic foods

It is often confusing when you go to buy dog food to try to identify what is important on the label and why some foods are priced so much higher or so much lower than the rest. It is important to buy a good quality food that meets your dog’s needs, but the quality of the food is not always guaranteed by the price. Many of the very high priced dog foods or “gourmet” foods are no more nutritionally balanced than the premium foods offered by large or small dog food companies. Typically the very low priced dog foods should be avoided as they are largely made up of filler type ingredients and little protein and very little nutritional value. What’s On The Label?The ingredient portion of the label must list all the food items and additives that are contained in the food. In most developed countries the items in dog food are controlled by a federal agency to ensure they are appropriate for consumption and are not a danger to the animals. The substances in dog food must by generally recognized as safe, or GRAS. No diseased meat, improperly processed meat or vegetable material or other items may be used in the food. The items listed on the ingredient portion are listed by natural weight at time of processing, starting with the heaviest item and working down. That means that the meat is weighed in its moist, natural state just like the soy meal or ground wheat will be listed in their natural dry state on the ingredient list. Since processing removes most of the water, especially in dry food, the first ingredient on the list may not be the predominant ingredient in the final dry kibble. In reality most dry foods will list beef, chicken or meat as the first ingredient but on full analysis of the final dry ingredient there will be far more of the wheat fillers in each kibble. Avoid dog foods that list animal or meat by-products as the main ingredients as these have almost no nutritional value for the dog. Since there is almost no way to know how much of the original ingredient is in the final result the information on the ingredient label is not as useful as it may seem. The better information that is provided on the label is the actual analysis of the feed, which is based on the final product and its actual breakdown. The analysis will list the crude protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins and minerals. Generally a dog should have between 21 and 26% protein in the diet depending on their age and level of activity. The more active a dog is the more protein they will need to sustain energy levels. Puppies and senior dogs should not be fed high protein diets as it can cause problems in puppies with bone growth and may cause excessive weight gain in older, more sedate dogs. How much to feed? If you are feeding a good quality premium dry dog food it is important to follow the feeding recommendations. Poor quality foods will have you feed more and will lead to increased mess to clean up. Premium dry foods usually are fed by current body weight of the dog as well as the growth stage of the dog. Be sure to feed the correct food for the correct growth stage to optimize the benefits to the dog. If you are in doubt about the correct feeding amounts or are concerned that your dog may be gaining or losing weight due to the food immediately seek the advice of your vet. Often rapid weight loss or gain has nothing to do with the food but may be a serious health concern or even a genetic condition.

You have probably heard a lot of people talking about the health benefits that come with eating raw organic foods. You may have wondered what implications come with a diet of organic foods. A table full of raw beef and oysters does not appeal to most people, but there is more to it than that. An organic foods diet means that you are required to eat the food in its natural unprocessed state. Organic foods may already be included in your diet, if you eat fresh fruits and vegetables.The processing and cooking of the foods strip them of a lot of vital nutrients. A lot of people say that cooking vegetables leaches out the vitamins and it can also destroy the important enzymes that they contain. Packaged foods available in every grocery store, that have been processed in some way to help you benefit from an easy package meal, have a very low nutritional value and they are not very good for your body because they are hard to metabolize.Earth gives us natural foods. If you consume them as such, in their raw state, it becomes a lot easier for the body to process them. Raw foods are packed with vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Everything you do costs energy. The energy levels of your body are given by enzymes. These things are not the most popular topics of discussion, but they are very important for your body. Think about how tired you feel after serving a big meal of cooked foods. This happens because you use your body enzymes to process these foods instead of using them for other activities of your daily life. By consuming raw organic foods that contain their own enzymes helpful for digestion, you preserve your energy for doing the things you like, instead of wasting that energy for digesting food you just ate. People that follow a raw food diet consume up to 75% of raw foods. This includes fruits, vegetables, nuts and other foods in their natural form. Preparing raw foods involves several processes. One of these is juicing. Many people turn the fruits and vegetables into juices. Just by drinking fresh juice in the morning you can benefit from a health boost. Another way of preparing raw foods is by using a dehydrator. The moisture is taken out of the fruits and vegetables so they are good for long time storage. The dehydrator uses hot air to remove the moisture from the foods, but the temperatures it operates under has to be below 1160 F, so that all the enzymes in the food are stored and not destroyed.Organic cheese can also be a part of a raw food diet. The process used for obtaining organic cheese does not involve temperatures higher than 1160 F, so it fits in the category of raw foods. The government keeps the organic farms under strict supervision, so you don’t have to worry about quality or scams if you purchase products from them. The cows from which the milk is harvested for the organic cheese cannot be treated with any antibiotics or other medicine in case of illnesses. In case they must be treated, they are removed from that farm. This guarantees that the organic cheese or other foods you purchase from that farm are 100% organic.The amount of raw foods included in your diet should be around 75% (ar at least 50%), but you should not start eating immediately this amount of raw foods. Instead you should increase the quantities gradually. As a precautionary note, if you plan to have any major changes in your diet, you should consult your doctor. Even though raw foods are the base for a healthier life, some of them may conflict with certain medication, so this is the best thing you should do in order to avoid unpleasant situations. Due to the detoxifying effect raw foods have, some people may experience mild headaches and nausea, but only temporary.