Despite common fears, gently cooked foods are very healthy for a pet’s nutrition for a multitude of reasons. First and foremost, meats in gently cooked foods are baked to FDA recommended temperatures in order to destroy common pathogens such as Salmonella.
During the extrusion cooking process in foods such as kibbles, many vegetable proteins are lost, which lowers solubility, makes the food harder to digest, and removes much of the moisture it contains. With gently cooked foods, the protein levels remain high due to lower temperatures, resulting in pets maintaining a healthy, shiny coat, softer skin, and less odors.
Because digestion begins in the mouth, easier digestible foods mean less plaque and tartar in our pets’ mouths. Switching over to fresh, lightly cooked, whole foods can result in better breath and overall oral hygiene in our pets.
Lightly cooked foods, because the healthy proteins aren’t cooked out, are easier to break down and digest. A dog’s digestive tract is much shorter than a human’s, so it’s important that the nutrients in their food are easy to digest so that they are absorbed before completely passing through the body.
Gently cooked foods are more biologically appropriate for your pet, meaning that many synthetic proteins and amino acids that can cause a lot of allergies in pets, don’t exist. Many pet foods include an excessive amount of carbohydrates which are converted to sugars, and can lead to weight gain. Gently cooked foods don’t use added fillers and carbohydrates, which will keep your pet lean and healthy.
As always, don’t hesitate to reach out to your local pet store if you have questions on this or any pet related topic.