The shifting nutrition landscape
Have you been bitten by the nutrition bug?
There’s a good chance that you have, to one degree or another. After all, nutrition is a hot topic: the whole nutrition landscape is changing and as we realise the effect of diet and gut health on everything from our immune system to our mood, we’re becoming more interested than ever before in the functionality of food, as well as its taste.
Food to survive or food to thrive
This drive towards functional food and shift in consumer preferences is gradually spilling over to our pets’ diets. It’s perhaps a natural progression that we start to enquire about what they are eating too. Canine nutrition may not (yet) have gained as much traction as human nutrition, but the pet food industry is already adapting to our new interests and preferences.
As we turn away from artificial flavours in favour of natural products for our dogs, including more plant-based protein, we see the humanisation – and ‘premiumisation’, if that’s a word – of pet foods.
There’s a lot we can do ourselves to improve our pets’ gut health. We know that the canine gut microbiota bears many similarities to that of the human gut, and dietary factors affect both[1]. So much of what we do for ourselves – with some exceptions – can also be applied easily and effectively to our dogs. Things like sustainable and natural proteins, prebiotics and probiotics; not to mention sprouted and fermented food.
One recent industry report noted that GenZ consumers in particular “have made it their mission to be so well-informed, they understand that different ingredients promote different health needs essential to a diet.” This leads them to consider more carefully how, and what, they feed their dogs. From food to survive to food to thrive.
But it’s not just GenZ. Pet owners of all ages are increasingly interested in holistic health, learning to read and interpret notoriously vague and sometimes misleading labels and even rejecting ultra-processed food (UPF) altogether. Did you know, for example, about ingredient splitting – or the salt divide?
Dry and boring
Even if we don’t go the whole hog and prepare all of our dogs’ food, we can add nutritional value, for example, in the form of healthy training treats, fish and meat bone broths and a range of home-made toppings.
On the dog menu now is a variety of food, including more plant-based protein. It’s not by any means meat-free. But foods like sweet potatoes, beetroot, pumpkin, quinoa and leafy greens are rich sources of fibre, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that support long-term health and vitality. And since variety is the spice of life, we ensure it by a constant rotation of proteins, recipes and textures.
This is a fascinating area for me: where a dog’s dinner becomes part of a wider lifestyle of care and wellbeing. It’s not about fads or feeding extremes, it’s about health. Admittedly, there’s some work involved. I cook for my dogs. But it doesn’t need to be expensive – much of the food I give them would be considered waste in other homes.
Cheap, easy and flavourful
These “care and share” touches don’t require a complete dietary overhaul – they work as enhancements to what most of us are already doing. Even the smallest additions can make a difference. A spoonful of kefir for probiotics. A handful of steamed broccoli for its immune-supporting compounds. A splash of home-made fish broth for joint health and hydration.
One of the most meaningful shifts you can make is to see your kitchen leftovers not as scraps, but as resources. Things like pumpkin guts, marked-down vegetables and the stalks and ends of leafy greens are not only safe for dogs but an underappreciated source of nutrients.
Vegetables and high-quality protein can be used in toppings. Toppings can be frozen or reused in other recipes like training treats and hydrating summer ices. It makes them happy and is a fun and satisfying way to utilise what would otherwise be thrown away. Even those eggshells that go in the bin are 95% calcium!
Food safety becomes simpler. Nutrition becomes more transparent. Quality becomes something you can see and smell, not just assume.
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about health from the inside out: making small, mindful decisions that improve your dog’s gut health, reduce unnecessary waste and turn mealtimes into an act of care. Care that I can assure you is appreciated!
This post has also been published on Doggy Delly at Substack.
References:
[1] Huang Z, Pan Z, Yang R, Bi Y, Xiong X. The canine gastrointestinal microbiota: early studies and research frontiers. Gut Microbes. 2020 Jul 3;11(4):635-654. doi: 10.1080/19490976.2019.1704142. Epub 2020 Jan 28. PMID: 31992112; PMCID: PMC7524387.