Can Our Pets Eat to Live?
Man, I don’t think I can answer that. I’m not sure Dr. Fuhrman can either. After all he’s Joel Fuhrman, MD and not Joel Fuhrman, DVM. But it’s still a good question. Especially if you consider reports like these:
And if you think about it for a minute, one of Dr. Fuhrman’s biggest gripes is the amount of refined foods shoveled down American throats. He explains better than I can. From Eat to Live:
Okay, a couple weeks ago I was at a local radio station and it just so happened that one of the DJs had a pet nutritionist as his guest. Yes I was intrigued, and no I didn’t plan this! Now, as I sat their listening I kept thinking, this sounds very Fuhrman-like. So after the segment I decided to introduce myself.
As it turns out pet nutritionist Diona Beam is a self-proclaimed “Fuhrman-ite.” Pretty cool, right? We chatted briefly about her talk and in the end I asked her to email me some information. Well she did, and it’s very interesting. Not to mention eerily familiar sounding. It definitely makes you think our pets’ diets could use a serious overhaul too. Check out what she sent me and let me know what you think:
And if you think about it for a minute, one of Dr. Fuhrman’s biggest gripes is the amount of refined foods shoveled down American throats. He explains better than I can. From Eat to Live:
These starchy (white flour) foods, removed from nature’s packaging, are no longer real food. The fiber and the majority of minerals have been removed, so such foods are absorbed too rapidly, resulting in sharp glucose surge into the bloodstream. The pancreas is then forced to pump out insulin faster to keep up. Excess body fat also causes us to require more insulin from the pancreas. Over time, it is the excessive demand for insulin placed on the pancreas from both carbohydrates, white flour, sweets, and even fruit juices, because they enter the bloodstream so quickly, can also raise triglycerides, increasing the risk of heart attack in susceptible individuals.
Refined Foods Are Linked ToAnother major issue on Dr. Fuhrman’s agenda is the presence of harmful substances and toxic chemicals in our food. Heck, we blog about it on DiseaseProof all the time. Here’s a few post of note:
- Oral cavity cancer
- Stomach cancer
- Colorectal cancer
- Intestinal cancer
- Breast Cancer
- Thyroid cancer
- Respiratory tract cancer
- Diabetes
- Gallbladder disease
- Heart disease1
- Secret Chemicals in Our Food
- Chemicals and Young Children
- Seattle Schools: Lead in the Water
- Living Near Landfills
- Is Organic Food Safer?
- Fishing for the Truth
Okay, a couple weeks ago I was at a local radio station and it just so happened that one of the DJs had a pet nutritionist as his guest. Yes I was intrigued, and no I didn’t plan this! Now, as I sat their listening I kept thinking, this sounds very Fuhrman-like. So after the segment I decided to introduce myself.
As it turns out pet nutritionist Diona Beam is a self-proclaimed “Fuhrman-ite.” Pretty cool, right? We chatted briefly about her talk and in the end I asked her to email me some information. Well she did, and it’s very interesting. Not to mention eerily familiar sounding. It definitely makes you think our pets’ diets could use a serious overhaul too. Check out what she sent me and let me know what you think:
Animal Protection Institute: What’s Really in Pet Food1. Hebert, J.R., J. Landon, and D. R. Miller. 1993. Consumption of meat and fruit in relation to oral and esophageal cancer: a cross-national study. Nutr. Cancer. 19 (2): 169-79; Fraser, G.E. 1999. Association between diet and cancer, ischemic heart disease, and all-cause mortality in non-Hispanic white California Seventh-Day Adventists. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 70 (3): 532-38S; Block, G., B. Patterson, and A. Subar. 1992. Fruit, vegetable, and cancer prevention: a review of the epidemiological evidence. Nutr. Cancer 18 (1): 1-29.
"The amount of grain products used in pet food has risen over the last decade. Once considered filler by the pet food industry, cereal and grain products now replace a considerable proportion of the meat that was used in the first commercial pet foods. The availability of nutrients in these products is dependent upon the digestibility of the grain. The amount and type of carbohydrate in pet food determines the amount of nutrient value the animal actually gets. Dogs and cats can almost completely absorb carbohydrates from some grains, such as white rice. Up to 20% of the nutritional value of other grains can escape digestion. The availability of nutrients for wheat, beans, and oats is poor. The nutrients in potatoes and corn are far less available than those in rice. Some ingredients, such as peanut hulls, are used for filler or fiber, and have no significant nutritional value."
Earth Island Institute: Food not Fit for a Pet
"Lead frequently shows up in pet foods, even those made from livestock meat and bone meal. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology study titled "Lead in Animal Foods" found that a nine-pound cat fed commercial pet food ingests more lead than the amount considered potentially toxic for children."
Earth Island Institute: Book Excerpt: Food Pets Die For
"Almost 50 percent of the antibiotics manufactured in the US are dumped into animal feed, according to the 1996 Consumer Alert brochure, "The Dangers of Factory Farming." Pigs, cows, veal calves, turkeys and chickens are continually fed antibiotics (primarily penicillin and tetracycline) in an attempt to eradicate the many ills that befall factory-farmed animals - pneumonia, intestinal disease, stress, rhinitis, e-coli infections and mastitis."
SiriusDog.com: The Dark Side of Rendering Plants
"Because animals are frequently shoved into the pit with flea collars still attached, organophosphate-containing insecticides get into the mix as well. The insecticide Dursban arrives in the form of cattle insecticide patches. Pharmaceuticals leak from antibiotics in livestock, and euthanasia drugs given to pets are also included. Heavy metals accumulate from a variety of sources: pet ID tags, surgical pins and needles."
