Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets Green Pea & Chicken Formula Review
Orange: controversial ingredients
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Review of Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets
Green Pea & Chicken Formula
This product is manufactured by Natural Balance Pet Foods. Natural Balance Pet Foods is a subsidiary of Big Heart Pet Brands. In addition to Natural Balance, Big Heart Pet Brands also owns Nature's Recipe, Milk Bone, Meaty Bone, Meow Mix, PupPeroni, Ally Cat, and several other brands.
According to our data, this Natural Balance recipe provides complete & balanced nutrition for the maintenance of adult cats. In other words, this formula is AAFCO approved.
Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets Green Pea & Chicken Formula is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for the maintenance of adult cats.
Ingredient Review
We'll begin this review of Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets Green Pea & Chicken Formula with a detailed discussion of the ingredients.
The first ingredient is chicken, which provides animal-based protein and important omega-6 fatty acids.
The second ingredient is chicken meal. Chicken meal is produced by cooking chicken using a process called rendering. The rendering process dramatically reduces the natural moisture of chicken and thereby results in a highly condensed protein source.
The third ingredient is pea. Peas are high-protein legumes which supply a healthy dose of dietary fiber and several important vitamins and minerals.
The fourth ingredient is chickpea. Chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) are an excellent carbohydrate source, naturally rich in dietary fiber and protein.
The fifth ingredient is lentil. Lentils are rich in dietary fiber, B vitamins, and minerals. Lentils also provide a notable amount of plant based protein.
Because ingredients are listed in order of pre-cooked weight, the remaining ingredients in Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets Green Pea & Chicken Formula are not as important as the first five ingredients.
However, collectively they still have a significant impact on the overall quality of the product. Therefore, we'll continue discussing the remaining ingredients in this Natural Balance recipe.
Next we have chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), which is most likely used because of it's essential omega-6 fatty acid content.
The next ingredient is pea protein. Pea protein is produced by removing the starchy parts of peas. Pea protein is considered controversial because it provides a substantial plant based protein boost. This boost is undesirable because plant based protein is typically lower in biological value when compared to meat based proteins.
Then we have pea starch. Pea starch is a gluten free carbohydrate derived from peas. Typically, pea starch is used as a binder in kibble.
Moving on, we have natural flavor. Natural flavor is used to modify the foods flavor and increase palatability.
Moving on with this review, we have flaxseed. Flaxseeds are an outstanding source of omega-3 fatty acids and dietary fiber. They also provide a notable amount of protein, B vitamins, and various minerals.
The next ingredient in this review is menhaden fish oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols). Menhaden oil is naturally rich in healthy long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, namely EPA and DHA. These omega-3 fatty acids provide many positive health benefits including the support of vital organs and cognitive functions.
Our next ingredient is dicalcium phosphate. Dicalcium phosphate (misnomer for dibasic calcium phosphate) is commonly used in pet food and treats as a dietary calcium supplement. It can also be found in breakfast cereals, enriched flour, noodle products, pharmaceutical tablets, and toothpastes.
choline chloride is the next ingredient in this recipe. Choline chloride is member of the B-vitamin complex (vitamin B4).
Next on the list is salt. Salt is an important mineral for both humans and cats. Depending on the quantity of salt used (which we cannot determine), salt may or may not be a nutritious addition in the recipe.
The remaining ingredients in this Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets recipe are unlikely to affect the overall rating of the product.
Our analysis of the ingredients show that this product derives most of its protein from animal based sources. This is an excellent property because meat based protein contains all of the necessary amino acids required by cats. In our option, this is one of the most important properties to judge when reviewing pet food, therefore we believe this is an exceptional product in this regard.
Final Thoughts
In summary, we recognize that this product does not contain any artificial colors, artificial preservatives, or anonymous meat ingredients.
The official PawDiet rating for Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets Green Pea & Chicken Formula is 3.0 out of 5.
