Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets Indoor Salmon & Chickpea Formula Review
Orange: controversial ingredients
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Review of Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets
Indoor Salmon & Chickpea 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 Indoor Salmon & Chickpea 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 Indoor Salmon & Chickpea Formula with a detailed discussion of the ingredients.
The first ingredient is salmon. Although salmon is an excellent protein and omega-3 fatty acid source, raw salmon contains more than 60% moisture. After cooking, the relative meat contribution of salmon is dramatically reduced. Therefore, it's important to ensure that other meat sources are included within the first few ingredients to ensure the product derives most of its protein from meat.
The second ingredient is chickpea. Chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) are an excellent carbohydrate source, naturally rich in dietary fiber and protein.
The third ingredient is pea. Peas are starchy members of the legume family. Other than carbohydrates, peas are notably high in plant based protein and various vitamins and minerals.
The fourth ingredient is salmon meal. Salmon meal is produced by cooking salmon using a process called rendering. The rendering process dramatically reduces the natural moisture of salmon and thereby results in a highly condensed protein source.
The fifth 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.
Because ingredients are listed in order of pre-cooked weight, the remaining ingredients in Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets Indoor Salmon & Chickpea 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 dried beet pulp. Dried beet pulp is the by-product which remains once sugar has been extracted from sugar beets. The primary contribution of beet pulp is dietary fiber.
We'd also like to note that beet pulp is fairly controversial in pet food. Proponents claim that beet pulp can promote intestinal health and regulate blood sugar. However, opponents claim that beet pulp is an inexpensive filler.
The next ingredient is potato. Potatoes provide a notable amount of dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. In addition, potatoes are gluten free and therefore commonly found in grain free and gluten free products.
Then we have dried brewers yeast. Dried brewers yeast is a by-product of the brewing industry. Brewers yeast is rich in various minerals and contains a notable amount of protein.
Moving on, we have canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols). Because canola oil is actually an improved rapeseed oil, many people are wary of its nutritional impacts.
Moving on with this review, we have dehydrated alfalfa meal. Dehydrated alfalfa meal is produced from the alfalfa flowering plant. it's rich in plant based protein, dietary fiber, and various vitamins and minerals.
The next ingredient in this review is natural flavor, which is likely included to improve palatability.
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 Indoor Salmon & Chickpea Formula is 2.5 out of 5.
