Category Archives: Food

Food, Tips

Natural vs. Artificial Dog Treat Flavors: What’s Safer?

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As a loving and responsible dog owner, you want to look after your pet in the best way possible. That means trying to give them the best options when it comes to how you feed them.

One of the best approaches to take is to consider feeding your dog in the same way as you would feed yourself and your family. If you can give them delicious and healthy food options it should help keep them healthy and happy.

When you look at the range of natural menu options available at somewhere like Open Farm dog food you can see that there are varied healthy menu options to consider for your pet’s diet.

When comparing natural vs. artificial dog treat ingredients and flavors, do you know which one is the safer option, and why?

Know where your dog food and treats are coming from

When you look at a list of ingredients on the back of a packet of human food you can often see a long list of items. Sometimes, you are not sure what some of the ingredients are. That can make you think twice about buying that product.

It is the same mindset that needs to be adopted when buying food for your dog if you want to protect them from potentially harmful ingredients.

Some dog treats actually contain toxic or harmful ingredients. These can even prove fatal to a puppy who is unable to digest the food properly or safely.

The use of preservatives and unnatural flavors is a widespread practice when it comes to dog treats, in particular.

Your top priority should always be to check the list of ingredients so that you have a better understanding of how your dog’s food has been created.

Making healthy choices for your dog

It stands to reason that if you want to enjoy good health you need to try and eat a healthy and balanced diet. The same rules of engagement apply to feeding your dog.

If you can choose products that contain natural and healthy ingredients you will be helping your pet to live as long and happy life as possible. When they get all of the wrong food it can lead to weight and general health problems.

If you take a look at the list of ingredients on the packaging you can soon see how healthy it is. If the main contents are things like meat and vegetables that means your dog will be getting the sort of proteins and carbs they need for energy and wellbeing.

Your aim should be to try and avoid products that have preservatives, hormones, antibiotics, and steroids in them. You might be surprised to even find that some products have these items amongst their list of ingredients. That’s why you need to check.

The answer as to whether natural flavors are better than artificial ones is an obvious one. If you can make the right choices for your dog you will be rewarded by having a pet who is happy and enjoys a healthy lifestyle.

Food, Going Healthy, Health, Lifestyle

Here’s How Your Diet Affects Your Oral Health

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Various studies reveal that a poor diet can increase the risk of developing oral diseases.  It’s worth noting that various food groups can trigger tooth decay, staining, gum infections, and other dental disorders. And these can affect your life’s quality. Therefore, knowing how your daily meals affect oral health can be beneficial. This way, you can determine what foods to remove from your menu. Here are a few things you can consider. 

  1. Sugary foods and tooth decay
sugary colored pancakes, breakfast, unhealthy, processed food

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 26% of adults in the United States have untreated tooth decay. Indeed, eating sugary snacks makes your teeth vulnerable to decay, as bacteria can combine with plaque to destroy your enamel with time. And if left untreated, cavities may form. Unfortunately, many people don’t monitor their sugar intake, which can hurt their oral health in the long run. Therefore, checking your food and snacks for sugar content is essential.  Processed foods and snacks may contain sugar labeled with different names. Therefore, consider stopping or reducing your intake of foods with sucrose and glucose.  Ensure you control sugar consumption to improve your dental well-being and overall health.

  1. Acidic foods can be bad for your oral health

Highly acidic foods cause similar decay problems as sugar; the only difference is that the effect is faster with acid. Lemons, oranges, and pickled foods may contain significant levels of acid, which can weaken your teeth’s enamel and cause erosion. Since acid-containing foods soften your enamel, brushing your teeth immediately after eating is not a good idea. Experts recommend you should rather swish your mouth and wait for at least 20 minutes before brushing. Alternatively, you can combine low-acid foods, including bananas, cheese, and nuts, to help neutralize the acid or balance your oral pH. Fish, meat, eggs, and oatmeal are good alternatives for this process, so feel free to leverage them.

  1. Fruits and veggies enhance your teeth’s brightness

Eat more fruits and vegetables to achieve a brighter smile, as they come with rich nutrients promoting teeth whitening. For instance, strawberries contain enzymes that help brighten your teeth. Eating apples, carrots, and celery will naturally enhance your saliva production and remove stains. It’s noteworthy that saliva is a natural balancing fluid with cavity-fighting properties, so feel free to consider this. Also, remember that teeth staining can happen when you repetitively eat pigmented foods like coffee, tea, and tomato sauce. Therefore, you may require professional dental cleaning to restore your teeth’s shine if they lose their brightness due to plaque or staining.

  1. A balanced diet is healthy for your teeth
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Eating a nutrient-rich diet is one habit you can prioritize for your teeth’ health. Dentists say your teeth love essential nutrients like calcium, antioxidants, proteins, and vitamins A, B, C, and D. Nutritious foods boost your body’s ability to fight gum disease and decay, so embrace a balanced diet. Fortunately, healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring. You can research nutritious and tasty meal recipes to spice up your daily menu.

Food, Going Healthy, Health

Are Burgers Really Bad for You?

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The age-old question of “Are burgers really bad for you?” can finally be answered. The reason is that burgers in themselves aren’t the enemy, but it’s pretty much the ingredients you will use.

You Don’t Have to Go Old School

For burger enthusiasts, there’s nothing like a classic American burger. A classic burger uses a brioche buns recipe found here, high-fat ground beef, with a dressing of onions, gherkins, and ketchup and mustard. This combination is amazing, as made popular by two brothers from a small California town. But you don’t have to do your burger like this. There’s no reason why you can’t use gluten-free bread, low-fat meat, and lower calories condiments to relish it with.

You Can Have Your Burger, Your Way

A classic burger is a great treat once in a while. But why stop there? You can have burgers whenever you like by changing up how you make them. There are tons of healthy breads you can use, such as whole grain buns, oat bread, and even sourdough makes a great burger. Then you can substitute your meat or reduce the thickness of a burger. Low-fat options are available everywhere. And there’s no reason why you need to use beef, so you can use chicken instead.

Are Burgers Really Bad?

No food is really bad for you. But eating an excess of certain things is. Even drinking too much water can kill you. But for unprocessed red meat like beef, every 50g excess per day increases the risk of coronary heart disease by 9%. And even higher for processed foods. So, of course, you should limit your intake of burgers and other things you know are bad in excess. Eating one burger a week won’t do you any harm, especially if you eat a well-balanced and healthy diet.

Eating them Once in a Blue Moon

Eating one fresh burger per week (not from fast food chains) isn’t likely to cause you any harm. But it can add to an excess of red meat intake that could increase your health risks. So if you are really concerned, perhaps consider eating a juicy burger every now and then, maybe as a monthly treat, at a BBQ only, or when you are out at events like a carnival. Of course, you can try vegan faux meat substitutes if you feel like including burgers on your weekly food menu.

If In Doubt, Make Your Own

Processed food increases your health risks. That is now an established fact. And it doesn’t come much more processed than meat. The good news is you can become healthier by learning to cook fresh and delicious food. And burgers are among the easiest things you can make. You can use the brioche bun recipe above. And you have complete control over the type of ground beef you use. Additionally, you can use fat-reducing dressings such as avocado.

Summary

So, are burgers really bad for you? Well, it depends. Buying your burger from a fast food chain probably is. So you can make your burger yourself, use lower-fat meat and try healthier bread.