whole foods rule

Hello pet peeps!  It's been a while.  I've been getting my Canadian bearings after my little journey to China and catching up on some reading.  Check this out!

The American Institute for Cancer Research released a comprehensive report on cancer prevention back in February.  This report is focused on humans, but as we all know (and they even mention it), animals models are also used, so we know this research is applicable to our furry friends as well.

One big finding from the report revealed that WHOLE FOODS, and not supplements, play a role in preventing cancer.  Whole foods like the tomatoes, sweet potatoes, berries and oats that we use in Lucky Dog Biscuits, instead of vitamin mixes and colourings that may be used in OTHER dog biscuits.

The press release found here states that the data from trials using supplements was "too inconsistent to justify using supplements to protect against cancer."  The press release goes on to say that "The data on prevention are considerably more consistent, however, when it comes to foods that contain many of the same vitamins, minerals and other substances that are often sold in supplement form." 

Whole foods rule. (my words, not theirs)

Here's a summary of some of the vitamins and minerals, along with some applicable Lucky Dog ingredients, that are protective against various forms of cancer:

Foods containing folate (such as peanuts, oats, eggs) are probably protective against pancreatic cancer

Foods containing carotenoids (sweet potato, tomato) are probably protective against cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx and lung.

Foods containing beta-carotene (sweet potato,tomato) are probably protective against esophageal cancer.

Foods containing lycopene (tomato) are probably protective against prostate cancer.

Foods containing vitamin C (tomato, saskatoon berries, apple sauce) are probably protective against esophageal cancer.

Foods containing selenium (oats, eggs) are probably protective against prostate cancer.

As you can see, tomatoes come out on top of the heap as a nutritional powerhouse.  Good thing we added lots of the concentrated good stuff in the form of Tomato Paste to our Two Cheese Pizza and BBQ Chicken and Sweet Potato biscuits (note: the tomato paste is in our secret homemade Lucky Dog BBQ Sauce).  And the biscuits taste so good, your dog won't even know how healthy they are because we all know that sometimes what is healthy isn't always tasty.  No need to have a doggy nose turned up at our healthy snacks so we made sure they taste and smell delicious.

The researchers are not sure why whole foods provide better cancer prevention but suspect that the interaction of the different food components in the complete food has a role.  Or maybe they just haven't discovered the magic ingredient.  Whatever the reason is, feeding whole foods, and especially plant based foods, are important for humans and animals in the life long battle to prevent cancer.  Supplements may be required in certain medical cases so don't ignore your doctor's or vet's advice.  And don't rule out taking your daily vitamins (because we don't always eat what we are supposed to) to protect against other issues lsuch as brittle bones or heart health, or in the case of home made dog food, don't skip the supplements.  But of you want that added cancer shield, it should come from nutrient rich, whole foods.

We knew we were doing the right thing and now we have the research to back it. Check out our nutrition page on our website for more information on good WHOLE FOOD nutrition. 

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