How to Sniff Out Healthier Products

It took me a while to realise that higher priced dog food & food products do not guarantee a superior product. The price tag is very rarely a reflection of the actual nutritional value or quality of ingredients within. 

Our family has learnt to be wary of descriptors like 'natural', 'organic', 'holistic', 'made with real...' and 'grain-free' due to very loose interpretation of these words and a lack of strict regulation. 

Look for the ingredient list. That's where the truth is ~ often buried in small print.

The trend we've noticed over the years is prettier the packaging, the more disappointed we get once we take a look at the ingredients.

Here are 7 things we do that help us pick up foods that are more real & whole for our dogs and ourselves:

1. the less ingredients the better 
2. the more ingredients you recognise the better
3. ingredients you recognise should be the first few on the list (ingredients with most volume appear first)
4. avoid broad descriptors as these are open for interpretation 
5. definitely avoid ingredients with numbers ~ flavour E621, yellow 5
6. it is getting close to impossible to find products without strange ingredients so the less ingredients that sound like chemicals the better (if possible, 2 - 3 max)
7. for dog food - also stay clear of
   • ingredients with "meal"
   • synthetic proteins ~ DL-Methionine, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, L-Tryptophan
   • if possible, any ingredient preserved with mixed tocopherols