Glycemic index
No matter how gently your cat purrs, and no matter how fervently your dog wagged its tail, meeting you after a working day, they remain predators, which means that they have certain needs and behavioral patterns at the genetic level. Accustomed to self-sufficient food, the wild ancestors of your four-legged wards have an excellent sense of smell and know better than any veterinary nutritionist what is good for their body and what can be harmful. Therefore, when choosing a diet for your pet, it is worth exploring the habits of their distant relatives – tigers and wolves: most of their menu consists of meat, that is, protein foods, but some carbohydrates are purposefully avoided.
Why dogs and cats are shown protein diet
The fact is that the metabolism of cats and dogs is arranged so that they receive the necessary nutrients and energy from the ingredients of protein origin, while fast carbohydrates cause only short-term saturation due to an increase in blood sugar levels. Then this indicator rapidly decreases under the action of insulin produced by the pancreas, and the feeling of hunger returns. Such sharp jumps provoke the development of serious pathologizes, such as diabetes and obesity. Therefore, when you feed your four-legged friend with a delicious sweet cookie, do him a disservice.
Why do we need glycemic index
However, it cannot be argued that all carbohydrates are equally harmful. The glycemic index (GI) helps to understand how various sources of organic compounds affect the body. In essence, the GI reflects the speed with which a particular product is broken down and converted into glucose. This means that the ingredients can be divided into low glycemic and high glycemic. For example, the latter category includes wheat, rice and corn.
The glycemic index is subdivided into low (from 10 to 40), medium (from 40 to 70) and high (above 70).
GI of pure glucose is 100.
Unfortunately, at the moment there are a large number of formulas for pets with a high carbohydrate content on the market, so when choosing food you should carefully read the composition. It should contain only vegetable carbohydrates – foods with a low glycemic index – apples, pears, spinach, lentils, chickpeas, which enter the blood gradually, without provoking the deposition of excess fat. This product fits the category of biologically appropriate nutrition, and therefore, meets the natural needs of your four-legged friend.
So that your furry miracle will delight you with its society, beautiful appearance and excellent health for as long as possible, make sure that he has in the bowl only those products to which his body has adapted in the process of evolution, it’s not for nothing that they say: “You are what you eat”.
Picture Credit: jagdprinzessin