The Natural Ingredients Used in Our Pet Food

One of the core beliefs we hold at AATU is that our pets deserve the same kind of premium food we expect for ourselves. If we wouldn’t fill ourselves up with junk food, artificial products, or meat of a low quality, then why should we do this to our pets?

With this in mind, we’ve identified the best ingredients for keeping pets healthy. Working with pet owners, our own love of cats and dogs, as well as animal nutritionists, we’ve come up with a series of holistic, healthy recipes, packed full of natural ingredients for optimum health benefits. Keep reading and we’ll break down just what they are.

Meat and Fish

All AATU recipes contain a minimum of 80% natural meat and fish.

Whilst dogs are ancestrally classed as omnivores, they thrive on a protein-rich diet which is best obtained through a high meat content. Protein is essential for canines, providing them with energy and aiding their skin health and immune systems.

Cats, on the other hand, are carnivorous, and require an even higher amount of meat within their diets, which is why our cat food contains 85% meat and fish. Their ancestral diets have left them with nutritional requirements that can only be met through the consumption of meat, including its high protein content. For example, cats are unable to naturally produce taurine, an essential amino acid that is otherwise only found in animal-based protein. Aiding digestion and muscle function, as well as the heart and dental health, it’s an essential component to your cat’s diet.

When creating our recipes, we look to ensure that all of the meat products we use in our recipes are of the highest possible quality, sourced from trusted locations like free-run poultry farms and other sites which prioritise sustainability. We make sure that the meat is genuine and high quality; we don’t believe in the use of animal derivatives, or bulking our food out with fillers. We like to know exactly which parts of the animal are being used to feed our pets.

Similarly, we choose meats that further benefit the health of our pets. We use lamb because of its extra high protein content, whilst our beef is preservative free and packed with essential minerals like iron. We use fish products like salmon and shellfish because these are particularly rich in the fatty acid Omega-3, which is beneficial for your pet.

Fruit

Our Super-8 combination is a big part of our holistic approach to healthier pet food. We believe in using natural ingredients to draw out their health benefits, rather than bulking out our recipes with anything artificial.

Included within our Super-8 are eight carefully selected fruits, all chosen for their natural nutritional content. Including:

• Bilberries, for their high amount of natural antioxidants, as well as their use in tackling digestive problems and high blood sugar levels
• Mulberries, for their richness of multiple vitamins and improvement of metabolism of carbohydrates, protein and fats
• Oranges, blueberries, apples and cranberries for their richness in various essential vitamins

Vegetables

While we don’t often think of vegetables as being an essential aspect of our pets’ diets, there are several that contain some really useful nutritional benefits which we include in all of our recipes.

• Sweet potato contains a higher level of amylose, which subsequently causes blood sugar to rise at a slower rate
• Yucca is ideal for reducing inflammation, and is well known to assist with the symptoms of arthritis, which impacts many older cats and dogs
• Chickpeas have a high and densely packed nutritional content. As well as being rich in crucial amino acids, they also provide a high amount of protein, fibre, folate and important minerals
• Carrots are one of the richest sources of beta carotene, which is one of the most powerful natural antioxidants.

Herbs

The herbs that we pack into our premium pet food recipes have also been selected for their health benefits. Not only do these aid with the day-to-day bodily functions of your canines and cats, but they also have health benefits that will become more important as your pet becomes older and exposed to risks associated with old age.

For example:

• Parsley is one of the richest sources of Vitamin K, which is thought to increase osteopathic activity in the bones and thereby increase bone health
• Thyme contains components which are found to be disease-preventative, as well as containing Thymol which has scientific antiseptic and antifungal tendencies
• Similarly, sage contains antibacterial properties which can work as an anti-inflammatory compound, as well as providing acid relief and helping pets to digest fatty foods
• Peppermint contains several important oils, vitamins and fibres, which contribute to controlling cholesterol and blood pressure
• Oregano is thought to contain properties that will improve gut mobility and in turn, along with seaweed, aid digestion
• Like carrots, spirulina contains the highest concentration of beta carotene

Spices

Working hard with not only pet nutritionists, but also dog and cat owners, we’ve also identified a number of spices which when added to our recipes bring further health properties for animals - particularly those who are older.

• Fenugreek for example has been the focus of past studies interested in how its natural antioxidants slow ageing and prevent disease. It also helps balance blood sugar, and contains choline to aid thinking processes
• Aniseed is extremely high in many important minerals which are crucial to maintaining good cardiac, bone and blood health
• Nettle leaf is a botanical thought to be helpful in treating arthritic symptoms
• Chamomile has anti anxiety properties, particularly useful for pets that may experience stress
• Marigold reduces inflammation and, as an antiseptic, assists with wound healing and healthy blood flow

Cooking

The majority of our healthy pet food recipes are made up of various meats. We then enrich this recipe with the Super 8 combination, using all of the ingredients we have already mentioned and even more alongside that. Other benefits apart from health is that is makes AATU exceptionally pallet-able.

We do not bulk out our recipe with filler products, artificial colours, flavours and preservatives, GM products or junk products like white potato, grain or gluten. This means that our recipes are also hypoallergenic; we avoid common products that spark animal allergies and are generally hard to process, or cause stomach problems.

We also don’t mass produce our products. We handcraft our recipes and then slow cook them on a batch by batch basis to preserve as much of the nutritional content as possible. It also allows us to monitor the quality of our food much more carefully, to ensure your pet ultimately receives the tastiest - and healthiest - dinner possible at the other end.

If you ever have any questions about our holistic pet food, we’re always happy to help. You can contact us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with any enquiries - or, if you just want to show us a picture of your own pet enjoying their AATU dinner, we’re always keen to see them!

We love this picture of Holly checking out her latest delivery: