Balanced fresh food is highly recommended due to their high quality ingredients and moisture, low levels of processing and high nutrient retention in their natural forms. It’s undeniable that fresh food is always better than processed foods! 

Ever wondered why astronauts eat freeze dried food?

Freeze-dried food is similar to fresh food in terms of quality ingredients and nutrient retention. As there is no heat involved in the production process, it is a great and more convenient alternative to fresh feeding. Simply rehydrate before feeding! 

Air-dried food goes through a process of drying with little to no heat, maintaining decent levels of nutrient retention, and uses high quality ingredients. Nutrients that are not retained during the drying process are supplemented in the food. 

Dehydrated food is similar to air-dried food. However some heat is involved in the drying process, retaining less heat sensitive nutrients in natural forms. Thus, similar to air-dried foods, supplementation is added to meet nutrient requirements.

Oven-baked food is very similar to kibbles, but it is made with relatively lower heat in smaller batches and a slower cooking process. This process makes oven baked kibbles more digestible than extruded kibbles. 

Dry kibbles go through a high heat process called extrusion. High heat can cause several undesirable effects such as protein denaturation. Heat sensitive vitamins and minerals are also destroyed in the process. Dry kibbles also require a high amount of carbohydrates to bind the food together. Some companies take this opportunity to use cheap fillers with low nutritional value to cut costs of production. If dry kibbles are your choice of dog food, make sure it’s made with quality ingredients!