Natural Balance Original Ultra Ocean Fish Formula Review
Orange: controversial ingredients
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Review of Natural Balance Original Ultra
Ocean Fish 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 all life stages. In other words, this formula is AAFCO approved.
Natural Balance Original Ultra Ocean Fish Formula is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages.
Ingredient Review
We'll begin this review of Natural Balance Original Ultra Ocean Fish Formula with a detailed discussion of the ingredients.
The first ingredient is ocean fish. Ocean fish can refer to multiple species of fish, since the particular type of fish is not specified, it's difficult to discuss this ingredient. The nutritional contribution of ocean fish depends on the species included; however, fish generally provides high quality protein and fat.
The second ingredient is turkey. Although turkey is an excellent protein source, raw turkey contains more than 60% moisture. After cooking, the relative meat contribution of turkey 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 third ingredient is chicken liver. Chicken liver is an excellent organ meat which provides high quality protein and fat. In addition, chicken liver provides many essential vitamins and minerals.
The fourth ingredient is fish broth. Fish broth provides both flavor and moisture; however, as with other broths, fish broth does not provide any notable nutritional contribution.
The fifth ingredient is tuna. Tuna is another excellent protein source. As with other raw meats, tuna contains a substantial amount of moisture and therefore the relative meat contribution of tuna is dramatically reduced after cooking.
Because ingredients are listed in order of pre-cooked weight, the remaining ingredients in Natural Balance Original Ultra Ocean Fish 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 carrot. Carrots are naturally rich in many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Carrots are also an excellent source of dietary fiber.
The next ingredient is ground brown rice. Ground brown rice is naturally rich in fiber and various minerals including manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium. Relative to other grains, ground brown rice is easy to digest.
Then we have natural flavor. Natural flavor is used to modify the foods flavor and increase palatability.
Moving on, we have choline chloride. Choline chloride is member of the B-vitamin complex (vitamin B4).
Moving on with this review, we have 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.
The next ingredient in this review is vitamin E supplement. Vitamin E is an essential vitamin required by cats.
The remaining ingredients in this Natural Balance Original Ultra 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 Original Ultra Ocean Fish Formula is 5.0 out of 5.
