THE BEST PET FOOD RESPECTS GOOD GUT BUGS

Bacteria and other microorganisms are usually thought of negatively. We are told that disease is caused by germs and that vaccines, antibiotics, and disinfectants are all that stand between us and great plagues. That is mostly untrue.

In fact, the life of all big creatures, like us and our pets, is critically dependent upon microorganisms we are in harmony with that exist everywhere in our environment, even within and on us.

As surprising as this may seem, about one-half the dry weight of feces consists of microorganisms. In the digestive system, non-pathogenic organisms are called probiotics. They can be bacteria, yeast, and even protozoa. They compete against and even kill pathogens, help us digest, and exert a host of beneficial effects such as immune stimulation, growth enhancement, and detoxification.

These organisms are naturally present in raw foods but are destroyed with cooking. Fermented foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, and some soy products contain them and they are also available as supplements. Their concentration is identified on products by colony forming units (cfus).

The preferential growth of probiotics may also be stimulated by oligosaccharides, which are short chain polysaccharides naturally found in many plant materials such as beet pulp, chicory root, soy, yeast cell walls, grain fibers, garlic, and more. Examples are fructo-oligosaccharides and mannan-oligosaccharides. These natural compounds, called prebiotics, help inhibit pathogens and feed and provide a nurturing environment for probiotics.

These are yet more reasons why raw foods are wise, and the best pet foods contain prebiotic and probiotic technology.

Video: Kitten vs. Tennis Ball

Hilarious video of a kitten stalking a tennis ball, set to appropriately dramatic music...

Thought for the day: A trick to being happy is to imagine you lost everything and everyone you loved and then suddenly got it all back.

Word for the day: kilocalorie (kcal): - noun: a measure of the energy value in foods. Kilocalorie is most commonly used and abbreviated as "Calorie." 1 kilocalorie (kcal) = 1 Calorie (Cal) = 1000 calories (cal). Although calories may be important in starvation situations, they are of little concern if food is abundant and health is the objective. It is not the calories in food that are the solution or the problem. Counting them only misleads one to believe they are achieving control. Whole natural nutrition is the objective. Achieve that and let the calories fall where they may.