The Dog Food Diet - The Truth about Modern Food

If someone asked you to eat a bowl of dog food you would probably either look at them like they were crazy or wonder how much they were going to pay you. Even more, if someone tried to convince you that eating dog food was healthy and would somehow benefit you, you would probably try to avoid that person from that point forward. What if I told you that you already have? What if I told you that the average American’s diet consists primarily of just that, dog food. Would you believe me?

When I was just a young lad, my cousins, my brother, and I thought it would be funny to consume an entire bag of dog treats. You know, the little multi-colored cookies cut out like bone-shaped animal crackers? It wasn’t even a dare, it was just one of those stupid things boys do to prove it could be done. And we did, we ate the entire bag. Our aunt was pretty upset that her cute little Yorkie would have to go without treats for the next few days, but we didn’t care, we reveled in our triumph of accomplishing our goal. We all fully expected to get deathly ill and regret our decision, but the most bizarre thing happened, nothing. Absolutely nothing. We just went on about our lives and nothing changed. Looking back on that day, knowing what I know now, I am convinced that those dog treats were, and had been, a part of our diet for years, which is likely the reason we all felt totally fine after consuming all those multi-colored little bones.

To validate my suspicions, I recently did a little digging. Now, I wish I could tell you the brand name of the treats we ate that day, but that was a long time ago. Since then, I’ve done some research and found some that are likely comparable. Based on looks and size, these Wholesomes Rewards Medium Variety Biscuit Dog Treats fit the bill.

This particular brand contains the following ingredients: Wheat, Chicken Meal, Oatmeal, Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Dried Eggs, Oat Fiber, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Natural Flavors, Added Color (FD&C Red 40, FD&C Yellow 5, FD&C Yellow 6, FD&C Blue 1), Rosemary Extract.

Now, let’s look at the human equivalent of these trendy little treats, which I believe would be Animal Crackers, with the major difference being that these treats aren’t multi-colored. These were a staple snack growing up and are for many families across the U.S.

These family favorites contain the following ingredients: Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}, Riboflavin {Vitamin B2}, Folic Acid), Sugar, Soybean And/Or Canola Oil, Yellow Corn Flour, Dextrose, Fructose, Calcium Carbonate (Source Of Calcium), Baking Soda, Soy Lecithin, Salt, Natural Flavor, Artificial Flavor.

At a glance, the dog treats actually appear to be the healthier option, containing more real ingredients, less processed ingredients, and less sugar. Without any additional context, if someone were to give you only these lists of ingredients and ask you to pick which food you would be more likely to consume, I’d bet a buffalo nickel most would unknowingly choose the dog treats.

To be sure, let's break these ingredients down further to determine the pro’s and con’s of each. Ingredients in red are immediately harmful and should be avoided, yellow are moderately harmful or not ideal, and green are considered safe overall.

Biscuit Dog Treats

Chicken Meal - Ground up & dried chicken by-products. Not ideal, but it’s meat.

Dried Eggs - Eggs are nutrient dense superfood, good to go. As a note eggs also contain avidin, found in egg whites. Avidin can be a problem for some and can also lead to biotin malabsorption.

Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols) - Chicken fat is good to go, however it is being ruined by what is likely synthetic or rancid preservatives made in a lab or made from seed oils.

Wheat - Gut irritant, spikes blood sugar, & pro-inflammatory. Contains gluten, & high concentration of anti-nutrients/lectins, phytic acid. Inhibits nutrient absorption.

Oatmeal - Gut irritant, spikes blood sugar, & pro-inflammatory. Contains anti-nutrients/lectins, phytic acid, & avenin. Inhibits nutrient absorption.

Pumpkin - Contains oxalate, tannins, cyanide, phytic acid. Gut/GI irritant. Inhibits nutrient absorption.

Sweet Potato - Starchy carb, contains fructose & mannitol. Raises blood sugar. Can cause GI distress & bloating. Contains sporamin, a trypsin inhibitor which can interfere with protein digestion/absorption.

Oat Fiber - Non-digestible & provides no nutritional benefit. Gut irritant. Contains anti-nutrients and blocks absorption of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.

Natural Flavors - Too vague to know exactly what this means.

Rosemary Extract - Contains polyphenols. Thought to act as an antioxidant but high consumption has been known to cause GI distress, kidney damage, seizures, toxicity, vomiting, coma, fluid retention, excess bleeding (anti-clotting), & miscarriages.

Added Color (FD&C Red 40, FD&C Yellow 5, FD&C Yellow 6, FD&C Blue 1) - All added food colorings are major contributors to a whole host of chronic diseases and metabolic/health issues. Avoid at all costs.

Animal Crackers

Baking Soda - Typically safe in small/moderate amounts. Can be dangerous if large amounts are ingested or used long term.

Yellow Corn Flour - High glycemic, spikes blood sugar very quickly, promoting insulin response. Highly processed. Delays the absorption of sugar in the bloodstream. Contributor to metabolic dysfunction and should be avoided.

Salt - Most certainly is sodium chloride. Processed and void of all minerals.

Natural Flavor - Too vague to know exactly what this means.

Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}, Riboflavin {Vitamin B2}, Folic Acid) - Highly processed. Spikes blood sugar very quickly, promoting insulin response. Refortified with cheap synthetic vitamins which have low bioavailability and can be problematic. Inflammatory and can lead to metabolic dysfunction.

Sugar - Spikes blood sugar, promotes insulin response. Inflammatory. Contributes to a large list of metabolic diseases and negative health outcomes. Should be avoided at all costs.

Soybean And/Or Canola Oil - Oxidized & rancid, highly inflammatory. Linked to a vast array of metabolic dysfunctions and modern diseases. Should be avoided at all costs.

Dextrose - Another name for glucose. Readily bioavailable sugar that immediately spikes blood sugar levels, promoting insulin response. Highly inflammatory and can lead to metabolic dysfunction and disease. Should be avoided at all costs.

Fructose - spikes blood sugar levels, promoting insulin response. Highly inflammatory and can lead to metabolic dysfunction and disease. Should be avoided at all costs.

Calcium Carbonate (Source Of Calcium) - Irritant to mucous membranes and can lead to upset stomach, vomiting, increased urination, loss of appetite, stomach pain, constipation, hypercalcemia, rapid weight gain, and dry mouth. Should be avoided at all costs.

Soy Lecithin - Phytoestrogen. GMO. Likely contains hexane (a solvent used for glues and varnishes) which is used during processing. Contains lectins. Should be avoided.

Artificial Flavor - Similar to artificial coloring, can cause a vast array of negative side effects and should be avoided at all costs.

Suddenly I don’t feel so bad about eating that bag of dog treats and if I had to do it over again, I’d choose the dog treats every time, but preferably ones without artificial coloring. I am not suggesting we all start snacking on dog treats, but this begs the question. Why do we feel repulsed at the thought of eating dog food yet are supportive and okay with feeding our children the human equivalent of it, and an arguably worse equivalent at that? While the dog treats are less than ideal, the ingredients are far better than that of the Animal Crackers, however it is important to note that both of these are bad in their own way.

Dogs are direct descendants of wolves, and as such, their diet should consist primarily of animal products. Dogs, even more so than humans, have no nutritional requirement for plants, fruits, or vegetables, so feeding them foods that contain these things is counterproductive and can be harmful to the animal. Just like humans have not evolved to consume excessive amounts of sugars, lab made chemicals, and processed ingredients, dogs have not evolved to consume excess amounts of fiber, carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables. The continual deviation away from our species-appropriate diet, a diet consisting primarily of prey animals, coupled with human’s obsession with engineering and creating their own food is a major contributor to metabolic disease, obesity, and negative health outcomes in both humans and canines. It’s far past time for people to recognize these foods for what they are, pet food. Whether for dogs or humans, these commercialized, highly processed frankenfoods are nothing more than cheap kibble and should be avoided at all costs.

So the next time you’re venturing through the grocery store and you pass the little bone shaped biscuits and animal shaped crackers, realize that these shapes attempt to emulate the very thing that we should be eating and opt for the real thing, your pack and your tribe will thank you.