Tag Archives: Food

What Type of Dog Food Should I Feed My Dog?

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Choosing what to feed your much-loved pooch can be tricky. Not only do you need to tailor the food to the size and breed of dog, but it needs to be a complete and balanced dog food that is easy to digest and delicious to eat. Many supermarket brands, which appear to be just as healthy as more expensive premium dog food brands, can contain artificial colourings, preservatives or appetite enhancers, which can cause digestive disorders and skin complaints.

How do I choose between premium dog food brands?

Many owners are bewildered by the amount of choice available in premium dog food brands, and often confused as to which food will be suitable for their dog or new puppy. The simple approach to comparing foods like Arden Grange, Burns and Wafcol is simply to find out what’s actually in the bag! Visiting the brand’s website is a good place to start, but it’s also good to take time in the supermarket looking at the ingredients section.

Look out for:

  • Is the food meat or fish based?
  • Is it naturally preserved?
  • Does it contain prebiotics or nucleotides for digestion?
  • Compare the mineral levels

Most importantly… Does the food offer good value for money when compared with other premium brands? For example – Hills, Eukanuba and Royal Canin are traditionally more expensive than other brands.

Arden Grange is an excellent example of a complete and balanced dog food with natural, wholesome ingredients. It is hypo allergenic and free from wheat, gluten, dairy products, beef and soya. Perhaps more importantly, it is a cost-effective alternative to expensive prescription diets. This brand contains NO artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives, and so reduces the risk of dietary intolerances and allergies.

Like all premium brands, Arden Grange is suitable for all breeds – not just those with specific dietary problems. Each Arden Grange recipe has been carefully developed to cater for the life-stage and breed size of all dogs, and is available in a range of flavours, sure to appeal to your dog’s taste buds. They also specialise in Arden Grange Puppy and Arden Grange Sensitive varieties.

Main benefits of Arden Grange Dog Food:

  • Gentle on your dog’s digestion
  • No genetically modified ingredients
  • No dairy, beef, soya, wheat or gluten
  • Contains nucleotides to aid digestion
  • No added artificial colours, flavours or preservatives
  • Controlled levels of protein and fat in each Arden Grange recipe
  • Contains organic citrus extract to enhance dental and oral health
  • Crunchy texture helps maintain healthy teeth & gums
  • Contains antioxidants and essential vitamins to enhance the immune system
  • Contains balanced minerals & cranberry extract to help maintain urinary tract health
  • Contains omega 6 & 3 fatty acids in correct ratios for good skin and coat condition

Lastly, due to new labelling laws introduced recently, brands like Arden Grange must not make unsubstantiated claims. This means that their complete dog food does exactly what it says on the tin! Furthermore, Arden Grange is an ethical pet food company that is committed to the welfare of animals. So this has to be good news, right?

The Importance of Food Development

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Food development could be the saving grace of the food production sector. In modern society, we are becoming increasingly dependent on pre-packed meals and fast food and if any food production company is to survive then they must meet these growing demands and develop better and more convenient food products.

Convenience is the Key

A few years back, individuals frequented restaurants once in a while, they catered their own parties, and packed home made snacks for picnics and school lunches, these days the situation is much different. There are numerous young couples who, on the commute back from the workplace would rather pick up a pre-packed meal or takeout and come home than have to cook a meal. For a picnic, or parties and functions, meals are no longer organized in the home. Instead we turn to professionals who can cater to our every need and will deliver it right to the venue.

Food development in a major industry and it involves understanding what sort of food the market needs. Often the developers will seek out panels of test customers to offer advice and opinions on new products in order to establish what is missing from our lives. The key is finding the gap in the market and filling it which is why the field of food development is so fast moving and in a constant state of evolution.

Meeting The Demands of the Market

Of course it is not only about creating convenience food for busy people! There are an increasing number of people who have intolerances to certain foods such as gluten or dairy. There are also a growing number of people suffering from health conditions such as heart trouble, diabetes and elevated levels of cholesterol. Certain foods can trigger or exacerbate these conditions and so experts in the field of food development are constantly working to develop foods which can help alleviate these problems. In any food development panel there is sure to be a nutritionist on staff who will balance the nutritional levels of the food. This is a very important part of the development process. So too is taste!

Food developers need to produce foods which will suit every taste. It is highly important to manufacturers to be able to design new flavour combinations in order to stay ahead of the market. The design is also important as this can also attract customers. One example is chips! It is proven that ruffled chips in fancy packaging sell far better than straight cut chips in a plain packet.

There is More to Thai Food Than Meets the Eye

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Thais love food! It is everywhere. No matter where you are in Thailand, you are almost always within walking distance of food. In many western countries you have to drive for miles to find something edible, but here it is everywhere. Restaurants, food vendors with carts on wheels, mini restaurants set up on motorbikes with sidecars, food markets, food stalls, floating food vendors, grocery stores, supermarkets… You can always find something to eat regardless of the time of day or night.

Food in Thailand is so important that a common way of greeting someone is “did you eat already?” You see people eat in public at all times and in all places. Eating is not considered a private affair.

  • Westerners go to a park to be in nature, Thais go to a park to have a picnic.
  • Westerners go to the beach to swim and get a tan, Thais go to the beach to eat and drink.
  • When Thais go to any outing in nature, they always take a basket with food and drink.

Have you ever been asked in the US if you like American food? Most likely not, because nobody really cares what food you like. Have you ever been asked in England if you like English food? Probably not because nobody is interested in your culinary taste.

However in Thailand you will be asked countless times if you like Thai food. If you meet a Thai, chances are that in the first few minutes of conversation you will have to answer this question. If you say that you do, you become a little more acceptable. If you indicate that you like spicy food, you move up the acceptance ladder even more. But if you say that you really don’t care so much about Thai food, people will be perplexed and wonder and even ask you why you have come to Thailand then.

We just had the 22nd annual food festival here in Chiang Mai. It is a huge, week-long event with hundreds of food stalls and thousands of visitors crowding the area every night. There is a gigantic stage with all kinds of entertainment, speeches, bands playing, and dance performances. Thais love a good party. The food is incredibly colorful and there seems to be an unending variety of different dishes, most of it prepared in front of your eyes.

Thais don’t eat like westerners. They don’t have drawn-out sit down meals with starter, salad, main course, dessert and coffee. Meals mostly consist of one plate of food which is not only eaten quickly but also prepared in no time.

Unlike western restaurants where your meal order can take 20 or 30 minutes, in Thailand most dishes can be prepared literally within minutes. Thais don’t eat big meals, but rather small meals frequently throughout the day.

Thais are very attached to their food, and they don’t take easily to international cuisine. When they travel outside of Thailand, many times their biggest challenge is not being able to eat Thai food.

Eating in Thailand is inexpensive, convenient and fun. Imagine strolling around, picking up a fresh squeezed orange juice, having a quick “pad thai” noodle dish for US$ 0.50, sampling a local sweet, drinking some fresh coconut juice, eating a steamed sweet potato or a black bean dumpling, all available right on the street or in a market — within walking distance. No wonder food is so important here!