Shine OnWashington woman eating only pet food for an entire month
Some of us look forward to our annual summer diet of fresh fruit, burgers, potato salad and frozen desserts.
Dorothy Hunter, however, is saying no to those barbecues and picnics — and yes to pet food. An entire month's worth.
Hunter believes so strongly in the nutritional quality of the dog and cat food at her store — Paw's Natural Pet Emporium in Kennewick, Washington, only carries pet food that is free of corn, wheat, soy, all byproducts, fillers, corn gluten, BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin and propylene glycol — that's she's eating the pet food for 30 days, no "human food" (except coffee) allowed.
"You really are what you eat," Hunter says, "and it's the same for your pets."
"You would be surprised how tasty dog and cat food can be when it's made right," she tells the Tri-City Herald. "You really are what you eat and it's the same for your pets. I decided to eat this food for a month just to prove how good it tastes, as well as showcase its nutrition."
She started her "diet" on June 19.
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Hunter tells the Tri-City Herald that her favourites so far include dehydrated green beans and the Tiki canned cat food, made with chicken.
"In the dry kibble, I really like the Italian brand and the Natural Balance," she says. "I know people think this is crazy, but I can't stress enough how important it is to read labels and see what's in the food you eat — whether it's pet food or human food. If this month of eating pet food enlightens people to the importance of that, then I'll be happy."
Nutritionists would agree on the importance of reading food labels — but is eating food designed for pets good for humans?
In a statement to TODAY, the Food and Drug Administration says that pet food is not intended for humans, as animals and people have different dietary needs.
John Tegzes, a consultant for Just Food For Dogs, agrees:
"We're not sure of the ingredients," he says. "We're not sure of potential contamination. And then, nutritionally, it's not necessarily balanced for human nutrition."
Also see: Six human foods your pets should avoid
In 2009, Popular Science answered the question: Can people safely eat cat food?
Its answer: Yes. But that doesn't mean it's necessarily good for us to do so.
"Those are better," Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietitian with the American Dietetic Association, says of organic pet foods, "but they too are developed with cat nutrition in mind and aren't formulated to keep humans healthy. It's OK to satisfy the occasional craving, but you shouldn't make it a staple of your regular diet. It's cat food for a reason."
According to LiveScience, "Although most dog food contains the same basic components that are in people food — protein, carbohydrates and fats — the proportions of these ingredients are different than in human food and can be harmful if ingested in significant quantities or for prolonged periods of time. The same is true if you feed a dog the wrong proportion of these nutrients by giving it an unbalanced human diet."
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In 2011, Las Vegas nutritional consultant Michael Konowalski undertook a similar challenge as Hunter, eating only organic dog food for a month. While one doctor said his new diet would give him his recommended daily dose of vitamins, she also warned of potential intestinal issues. Konowalski's final blog post for the challenge was not a pleasant read: along with weight loss, he battled constipation, the question of hemorrhoids, and low energy.
For Hunter, it's been so far, so good. Other than needing to up her liquid intake, she has experienced no adverse side effects:
"My feet aren't swelling as much as they usually do after I've been on a 10 hour day," Hunter says. "I have lost 2.5 pounds, which I'm not going to complain about that, but I'm not doing this to promote dog food, or to lose weight...but at the same token I want to show that I believe in our products."
Have you ever tried your pet's food? Could you eat it for an entire month?
