Just as humans require life-giving nutrients from whole foods, so do our pets. Pet nutrition shouldn't be ignored!

Unfortunately, many commercial dog and cat foods are full of harmful ingredients, regardless of having the word "natural" on the label. Plenty of pet food ingredients such as GMO corn, wheat and soy don't support and improve health and wellness. Instead they may promote weight gain, raise blood sugar levels and stress the kidneys. ^[1]

To avoid such detrimental health risks and give your pet top quality nutrition, it's important to know which ingredients are present in your pet's food, the possible implications of the ingredients and the better alternatives.

Blacklisting harmful ingredients from the foods and snacks you give your fur baby can make a huge difference in their health and wellness and call for fewer trips to the vet. While the list of undesirable ingredients is simply too long to cover in this blog post, here are a few of the most commonly used ingredients to avoid when striving for optimal pet nutrition:

- Fillers such as soy, corn and wheat are most often genetically modified and studies on rats suggest GMO corn may be linked to kidney stress, metabolic damage and weight gain. ^[2] Finding a non-GMO and grain-free pet food is one of the best ways to avoid the exposure of these ingredients.
- Animal by-products are another less than nutritious ingredient to be on the lookout for. They are often comprised of the unhealthy remains of another diseased animal. ^[3] To avoid animal by-products, it's best to give your pet the real deal and feed him freshly prepared chicken breast or turkey.

- Carcinogenic preservatives are also found in pet foods and treats. The most common chemical preservatives are BHT and BHA, which are manufactured from petroleum and create toxicity in the body. Both of these ingredients have been banned as unsafe for use in Europe ^[4], but are still showing up in products throughout the U.S.

Propylene glycol is another chemical preservative used to absorb the moisture in pet food and kill off bad bacteria. While this may seem like a good thing, propylene glycol is a component of petroleum products. When ingested, it also kills off the friendly bacteria in your pet's digestive system. Without this friendly bacteria, your pet is at risk for intestinal inflammation, digestive disorders and bowel disease.

With such long lists of carcinogenic additives, preservatives and fillers found in processed pet foods, there's only one place to turn to when thinking about pet nutrition: real, whole foods that are jam packed with nutrients.

Most whole foods are safe for dogs, with the exception of onions, grapes, raisins and avocados. And one of the best foods you can give your furry friend for a shinier coat, proper protein digestion, muscle repair and energy is none other than the superfood Sun Chlorella.