01/09/2026
Maybe it is time to change what you feed your dog?
Recent updates in human nutrition guidelines are beginning to reflect what metabolic research has shown for years: diets built around whole, minimally processed foods — particularly quality proteins, healthy fats, and fresh vegetables — support better metabolic health than diets high in refined carbohydrates and ultra-processed ingredients.
Dr. Karen Becker, author of Forever Dog, recently shared a post highlighting how the USDA food pyramid has effectively been flipped. Lean meats, fish, vegetables, and fruit are now emphasized, while grains and refined carbohydrates sit at the bottom. This shift acknowledges the role excess carbohydrates and highly processed foods play in inflammation, insulin dysregulation, and chronic disease.
These same biological principles apply to our dogs. While dogs can digest carbohydrates, they have no biological requirement for them, and many commercial kibble diets rely heavily on refined carbs due to processing and manufacturing constraints. Over time, this can contribute to metabolic stress, inflammation, weight gain, and reduced vitality.
Raw, fresh, and gently cooked diets aim to more closely mirror a dog’s evolutionary and physiological needs by prioritizing:
Animal-based proteins
Natural fats
Moisture-rich, minimally processed ingredients
Thoughtfully selected vegetables for phytonutrients and fiber
As nutrition science continues to evolve, it’s important that pet nutrition evolves with it. Diets that reduce ultra-processing and unnecessary fillers can play a meaningful role in supporting digestion, immune health, stable energy, and longevity.
I’ve recently completed a course in Naturopathy for Pets, which has further deepened my understanding of canine nutrition and whole-food feeding approaches. If you’re considering transitioning your dog to a raw, fresh, or gently cooked diet and would like guidance on doing so safely and appropriately, please feel free to reach out — I’m happy to help.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EakvqatSZ/
Well, this is new. And long overdue. And a bipartisan post; this post is about the US government recommending Americans eat more real food 🙌🏼. And why some doctors still diagree 🙀.
The USDA just flipped the food pyramid upside down. Literally. Lean meats, fresh vegetables, and fruits are now at the top. Grains and refined carbohydrates are at the very bottom. After decades of telling people to base their diets on high-glycemic, highly refined carbs, our government is officially prioritizing protein, roughage and antioxidants over starch. Real, minimally processed, nutrient dense food. And yes, this is an actual government meme.
It matters because the old guidance helped fuel an epidemic of obesity, diabetes, and cancer in humans. This mirrors what we see in dogs and cats fed ultra-processed diets every day, which raises an uncomfortable question:
When are veterinary organizations going to acknowledge this?
Veterinary medicine is now the last medical field still aggressively promoting ultra-processed diets as the foundation of health. The average bag of kibble contains roughly 30–60 percent refined carbohydrates. Dogs and cats do not require any starch, dyes, emulsifiers, flavorings, additives or preservatives, yet vets continue to defend these rendered, feed-grade industrialized food pellets as the holy grail of optimal nutrition 🤯.
Meanwhile, the human grade, fresh pet food segment is one of the fastest-growing categories in the pet food industry because modern pet parents are connecting dots; they are making healthier food choices for themselves and their families. They are recognizing that extreme heat processing of ultraprocessed fast food does not create health, it damages tissues, metabolism and immune resilience over time.
Human nutrition policy has finally started to admit what biology has always told us; eat fresher, lower glycemic, less refined foods. Reduce the amount of highly refined, high carb foods going into your body, and into your pet’s body.
Medical doctors, for the two and four legged, should be leading this conversation, not lagging behind it. At least human doctors aren’t recommending consuming only ultra processed foods (which still happens routinely in vet med).
The longer the animal medical community resists acknowledging the role of real, fresh, minimally processed food in the long-term health equation for all of us, the more out of step it becomes with emerging science, with pet parents and patient outcomes, and with common sense. At this point, it’s not just frustrating, it’s starting to feel embarrassing.😶
#2.0PetParenwh
