Grain-Free Pet Food Trend a Hoax?

By Donna Soloman, DVM

Today I started thinking about the grain-free pet food trend that is currently in vogue. First, I wondered how this craze evolved. I know it definitely did not originate in the professional veterinary community. I speculate that this movement was triggered in part by a pet food company’s advertising campaign to generate a buzz around their unique pet food. I also suspect this pet food fad may be tied to the 2007 pet food contamination of wheat gluten with melamine, an industrial chemical used to make plastic. This tragic situation caused thousands of pets to become ill and many died of kidney failure. I believe pet food buyers felt betrayed by the big food companies and were actively looking for alternative diets.

What are grains? Grains are seeds of grasses cultivated for food, called cereals. The most common grains are wheat, rice, oats, corn, barley, millet, oatmeal, and quinoa. All grains are a good source of carbohydrates, which provide the body with energy. A grain seed is composed of a hard outer layer, called the bran, which is a good source of fiber. The inner portion, called the endosperm, provides a rich source of starch. The reproductive part of the seed is called the germ which has the potential to germinate into a new plant. The germ is a good source of micronutrients, like vitamin E, folic acid, magnesium and phosphorous. If the entire grain seed is used in food it is called whole grain. If it is processed, some of the nutritious elements may be lost and it will be labeled refined grain food.

Are all grains nutritionally created equal? No, grains vary in their nutritional composition and their health benefit is dependent on whether they have been processed or not. Some grains are higher in protein, like quinoa. Some grains are higher in fiber, like bulgur. Some grains have a higher content of anti-oxidizing agents, like yellow corn.

Continue reading this Huffington Post article here.

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Posted by chesliepickett on Jun 9 2014. Filed under The Buzz. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.