Will my pet eat less Ketogenic Pet Foods?
Due to the high grade ingredients, hands-on manufacturing processes, and unique formulations, Ketogenic Pet Foods are necessarily costly. But will your pet eat less to help offset the cost?
While we can make no guarantees or assurances – after all, our foods are delightfully tasty… – it is not unlikely that your pet will require less Ketogenic Pet Foods than other commercial pet foods.
Why?
It comes down to the quality and content of the calories. Contrary to modern dietary think, not all calories are created equal. 100 calories derived from sugar/starch have a fundamentally different metabolic effect than 100 calories derived from protein- and fat-rich meats.
This metabolic difference translates directly to appetite, and senses of satiation vs. hunger. If you’re familiar with, or practice a Ketogenic Diet yourself, then you know the sense of satiety, and the sustained energy that follows from a properly ketogenic meal. This is in contrast to the empty and insulin-stimulating calories in conventional sugar/starch/carbohydrate-based meals. The latter causes blood sugar and insulin spikes, a variety of metabolic stresses, and body fat deposition. Appetite may be sated, but that quickly wears off, at which point the body and metabolism requires another influx of these calories to stay energized and keep feeling good.
(If you’d like to test this yourself, just see how you feel a couple of hours after starting your day with donuts vs. avocado smothered eggs.)
Unfortunately, junk calories are the predominant calories in the world of commercial pet foods. Just behind the veneer of carnivorous food imagery (human grade meats, etc.) are pet foods low in protein and fat, and majority starches/carbohydrates. When a pet is fed these foods exclusively, then the food “high” is quick to wear off just as it is with humans. Pets will be more apt to revisit the food bowl due to a sense of hunger, and looking for that starch/carbohydrate-based boost of energy.
So, while we cannot guarantee that your pet will want or require less Ketogenic Pet Foods, the metabolic basis for them to consume less is there. The high quality, meat-based, fat and protein calories are in line with your pet’s natural diet and carnivorous roots, which didn’t involve constant trips to the food bowl.