Brazil Nuts Can Help Your Dog Live Longer
By Steve Brown and Beth Taylor
Human nutrition and lifestyle studies prove there are ways to improve the odds that we will live long, healthy lives. It's simple: Eat a variety of fresh, minimally-processed foods, especially fruits and vegetables; stay lean; exercise often; and avoid toxins. Good nutrition is key. Dietary habits may be instrumental in about 60% of cancers in women and about 40% in men.
Good diets are just as important for dogs. Unfortunately, many of our dogs are eating diets composed exclusively of highly processed, grain-based foods with synthetic vitamins and minerals. Even the best of the "healthy" dry foods fall into this category. No wonder one in three dogs will die of cancer!
In our book, See Spot Live Longer, we discuss many easy things you can do to help your dog live longer. One easy step we can take is to add crushed Brazil nuts, a source of natural forms of selenium, to our dogs' food.
Selenium is an essential trace mineral of fundamental importance to human and canine health. Adequate selenium is necessary for the normal functioning of the immune system and thyroid gland. Selenium is receiving considerable attention for its possible role as an effective naturally occurring anti-carcinogenic agent. Insufficient selenium intake can cause serious health problems, including Kashin-Beck disease, which is characterized by the degeneration of the articular cartilage between joints, thyroid disease and a variety of cancers. We've read unpublished, yet well researched, reports linking selenium deficiency with hip dysplasia. There is a wealth of data about farm animals which shows organic forms of selenium outperform sodium selenite. One of the reasons for this is that natural forms of selenium can be stored in the body for later use, while selenite cannot.
Perhaps some dogs are unable to sufficiently use the inorganic forms of selenium found in most dry dog foods. Therefore if a bitch were unable to fully utilize sodium selenite, her puppies would be more likely to have joint problems. Pottenger's classic study with cats shows that problems due to nutrient deficiency get worse with each generation. Is the source of the selenium used in most dry dog foods one of the reasons many dogs, purebred and mixed-breed, have hip problems? It may be one of the nutritional causes.
It's easy to correct this situation. Whether you're feeding dry, canned, or the best frozen raw diets, you can easily ensure that your dog is getting enough selenium by adding Brazil nuts. The selenium in broccoli and other vegetables will vary according to the amount of selenium in the soils. Brazil nuts, on the other hand, are a reliable source of selenium. Of course, the fresher the nut, the better. In home tests with our dogs, freshly shelled Brazil nuts won over shelled nuts bought at natural food markets, in both flavour and fragrance.
We recommend that people add one-half of a crushed Brazil nut per day for every 50 pounds your dog weighs.
Please remember, feed all foods in moderation. A meal of just Brazil nuts is not healthy for any dog or any human.
May your Spot live a long, healthy life.
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Diet
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By Steve Brown and Beth Taylor
Human nutrition and lifestyle studies prove there are ways to improve the odds that we will live long, healthy lives. It's simple: Eat a variety of fresh, minimally-processed foods, especially fruits and vegetables; stay lean; exercise often; and avoid toxins. Good nutrition is key. Dietary habits may be instrumental in about 60% of cancers in women and about 40% in men.
Good diets are just as important for dogs. Unfortunately, many of our dogs are eating diets composed exclusively of highly processed, grain-based foods with synthetic vitamins and minerals. Even the best of the "healthy" dry foods fall into this category. No wonder one in three dogs will die of cancer!
In our book, See Spot Live Longer, we discuss many easy things you can do to help your dog live longer. One easy step we can take is to add crushed Brazil nuts, a source of natural forms of selenium, to our dogs' food.
Selenium is an essential trace mineral of fundamental importance to human and canine health. Adequate selenium is necessary for the normal functioning of the immune system and thyroid gland. Selenium is receiving considerable attention for its possible role as an effective naturally occurring anti-carcinogenic agent. Insufficient selenium intake can cause serious health problems, including Kashin-Beck disease, which is characterized by the degeneration of the articular cartilage between joints, thyroid disease and a variety of cancers. We've read unpublished, yet well researched, reports linking selenium deficiency with hip dysplasia. There is a wealth of data about farm animals which shows organic forms of selenium outperform sodium selenite. One of the reasons for this is that natural forms of selenium can be stored in the body for later use, while selenite cannot.
Perhaps some dogs are unable to sufficiently use the inorganic forms of selenium found in most dry dog foods. Therefore if a bitch were unable to fully utilize sodium selenite, her puppies would be more likely to have joint problems. Pottenger's classic study with cats shows that problems due to nutrient deficiency get worse with each generation. Is the source of the selenium used in most dry dog foods one of the reasons many dogs, purebred and mixed-breed, have hip problems? It may be one of the nutritional causes.
It's easy to correct this situation. Whether you're feeding dry, canned, or the best frozen raw diets, you can easily ensure that your dog is getting enough selenium by adding Brazil nuts. The selenium in broccoli and other vegetables will vary according to the amount of selenium in the soils. Brazil nuts, on the other hand, are a reliable source of selenium. Of course, the fresher the nut, the better. In home tests with our dogs, freshly shelled Brazil nuts won over shelled nuts bought at natural food markets, in both flavour and fragrance.
We recommend that people add one-half of a crushed Brazil nut per day for every 50 pounds your dog weighs.
Please remember, feed all foods in moderation. A meal of just Brazil nuts is not healthy for any dog or any human.
May your Spot live a long, healthy life.
Back to:
Diet
A to Z