Embracing Fall Foods in a Balanced and Nutritious Way

Dr. Jennifer Adolphe, PhD, RD, Senior Nutritionist, Petcurean

With fall weather in the air, many of us are enjoying pumpkin spice lattes and fresh seasonal produce, like squash, apples, pears, sweet potatoes and cauliflower – you name it.

One of the things I love about Fall is how hearty and delicious the harvest food can be. From Sunday roasts with vegetables from the Farmers Market to delicious stews in the crockpot, Fall is a season of feasting.

But as we indulge, it’s important to be thoughtful about including nutritious ingredients whenever possible. By incorporating foods rich in healthy fats, fibre, vitamins and minerals, we can keep ourselves well this season.

Caring for our pets is no different – it’s important to give them foods that have the right ingredients to keep them healthy. That’s why I’m pleased to be a part of a team that creates new foods for pets, like NOW FRESH stews and pâtés.

As the senior nutritionist at Petcurean, a Canadian pet food company located in Chilliwack, BC, I take pride in developing recipes that are made with fresh, human-grade ingredients like wild salmon, turkey and pork, and nutrient-rich fruits and veggies like potatoes, carrots, peas, and cranberries. In addition to being excellent sources of antioxidants, essential vitamins and minerals, they also provide much-needed dietary fibre to support digestive health.

I love what I do because I get to focus on keeping pets healthy. Some additional highlights of the ingredients used inNOW FRESH stews and pâtés include:

• Omega 3 & 6 oils from coconuts and canola to promote skin and coat health
• Flaxseed, an excellent source of dietary fibre and essential omega 3 & 6 fatty acids
• Dried kelp, a natural source of iodine, dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals
• Zero grains, gluten, wheat, beef, chicken, corn or soy
• Zero rendered meats, by-products, added growth hormones or artificial preservatives
• Turkey bone broth, a source of collagen and a meaty flavor that both dogs and cats love.

While nutrition and taste matter when it comes to choosing food for our pets, we also need to think about how the food is prepared, shipped and stored. That’s why our team decided to use Tetra Pak cartons for the new NOW FRESH recipes. Each recipe is cooked directly in the Tetra Pak carton, at the lowest temperature for the shortest time possible. This helps prevent cross contamination, improve digestibility and increase protein functionality. It also destroys naturally occurring pathogens and eliminates the need to add preservatives before shipping.

The additional benefits of Tetra Pak cartons are that they are re-sealable, take up less shelf space and are made from 65% renewable materials. They’re also 100% recyclable – and you can’t argue with that.

With Fall upon us, and as we head into the holiday season, let’s remain focused on healthy, hearty and balanced meals, especially for our pets. Let’s feed them delicious meals made with fresh ingredients to keep them happy and healthy for many years to come.

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Dr. Jennifer Adolphe graduated with her PhD in companion animal nutrition from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. She has a Master of Science degree in human nutrition and is a registered dietitian. She is currently the Senior Nutritionist at Petcurean Pet Nutrition, a Canadian, family-owned company committed to offering superior quality pet foods. The NOW FRESH stews and pâtés come in six delicious recipes: turkey stew for dogs and cats, pork stew for dogs, wild salmon stew for cats, pork pâté for cats and wild salmon pâté for cats. For more information, visit www.petcurean.com.