Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets Tuna & Pumpkin Formula In Broth (Flaked) Review
Orange: controversial ingredients
$35.57 First Auto-Ship Order
Then 5% Off Future Orders
Disclosure: PawDiet may have an affiliate relationship with retailers featured (or linked-to) in this article. We are compensated for referring customers. Thank you for shopping with our retail partners!
Review of Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets
Tuna & Pumpkin Formula In Broth (Flaked)
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 Tuna & Pumpkin Formula In Broth (Flaked) 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 Tuna & Pumpkin Formula In Broth (Flaked) with a detailed discussion of the ingredients.
The first ingredient is tuna. Although tuna is an excellent protein source, raw tuna contains more than 60% moisture. After cooking, the relative meat contribution of tuna 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 tuna broth. Tuna broth provides both flavor and moisture; however, as with other broths, tuna broth does not provide any notable nutritional contribution.
The third ingredient is pumpkin. Pumpkin is an excellent carbohydrate source, rich in dietary fiber and various minerals. It's also rich in beta-carotene, an antioxidant which is a precursor to vitamin A.
The fourth ingredient is canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols). Canola oil is a plant-derived oil from the seeds of canola plants. Although fat is an essential component of any diet, canola oil is controversial in pet food. Proponents claim that canola oil provides a better fat profile in comparison to other plant based oils. However, opponents claim that canola oil is typically produced with genetically modified rapeseed and that rapeseed oil has multiple adverse health affects.
The fifth ingredient is guar gum. Guar gum (or guaran) is obtained from guar beans which have been dehusked, milled and screened. It's commonly used in wet food products as a thickening agent and provides a notable amount of dietary fiber.
Because ingredients are listed in order of pre-cooked weight, the remaining ingredients in Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diets Tuna & Pumpkin Formula In Broth (Flaked) 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 tricalcium phosphate. Tricalcium phosphate is typically used for its mineral contents. However, it can also be used to evenly disperse fat in wet food products.
The next ingredient 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.
Then we have calcium sulfate. Calcium sulfate is a food additive that helps control acidity levels and functions as a firming agent. It's not a desirable ingredient, but it is considered safe by the FDA in small quantities.
Moving on, we have natural flavor, which is used to enhance the flavor of the food.
Moving on with this review, we have potassium chloride. Potassium chloride is a potassium supplement.
The next ingredient in this review is choline chloride. Choline chloride is member of the B-vitamin complex (vitamin B4).
Our next ingredient is ferrous sulfate, which is an iron supplement.
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 Tuna & Pumpkin Formula In Broth (Flaked) is 2.5 out of 5.
