THE STARCH QUESTION

Although farmed starches (grains and tubers) represent a predominant part of modern processed pet foods, they are not really a natural food, nor the best pet food. That's because they are indigestible and toxic in their raw state. As a steady part of the diet, starches, which are really polysugars, predispose pets to a variety of diseases including diabetes, dental disease, obesity, arthritis, and more. So why are they present in pet foods at all?

There is a widely held belief that starches are merely used as cheap fillers. Although this may be true in some cases, there is another reason. To create a shelf stable dry kibble, starch creates cohesion, shaping, and efficient drying. So, starch has been used in all dry kibble pet foods since their beginning decades ago. (EpigenTM, a kibble product released in 2010, is the only exception to this rule.)

The "grain free," "no corn," "no wheat," and the like marketing slogans are examples of such deception. When scrutinized closely, such foods are found to have starch just like all others, but in the form of potato, rice, tapioca, peas, or the like.

Some starch here and there in the diet is fine. But don't fall for the "no..." gimmicks that attempt to trap you into feeding such foods meal after meal. Be sure there are meals offered where no starch is present and at least some raw foods are fed as well.

Most dry pet foods are created by a process known as extrusion. In order for the end product to form and hold its shape, starch must be used along with the other ingredients, such as meat. High temperature, short time extrusion is one of the least damaging of heat processing methods. It also sterilizes the product.

Deceptive Grain Free Advertising

Some companies try to hide the fact that their products contain starch in the hope that consumers will think their foods are predominantly meat. They do this with slogans such as "no grain," and "no corn." But if examined closely, such foods contain starch just like foods that do contain grains and corn.

Thought for the day: "When a man has pity on all living creatures then only is he noble." – Buddha Siddhartha Gautama

Word for the day: herbivore - noun: an organism which feeds predominantly on autotrophs such as plants, algae, and photosynthesizing bacteria. They have specially adapted digestive tracts (e.g. the rumen in cattle, the cecum in horses and rabbits) to accommodate microorganisms that break down foodstuffs and synthesize nutrients the herbivore can absorb. An herbivore, like a carnivore, is not capable, by itself, of surviving on plant material, but requires these small microorganisms.