Kale has consistently been crowned the holy grail of vegetables. This leafy green, cruciferous veggie is nutrient dense and may be beneficial for preventing and protecting against diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Kale is not only a healthy addition to any salad or meal, but it’s good for dogs, too!
Why kale is good for dogs
There are many reasons to add kale to your dog’s diet, the overarching reason being that kale provides a rich variety of nutrients. Kale is an especially rich source of vitamin K and vitamin C!
Kale also contains antioxidants. These help to remove toxic compounds known as free radicals from the body. Because of kale’s high antioxidant content, kale is thought to help prevent diseases such as cancer.
Photo by Adolfo Félix
At Tom&Sawyer, we are also OBSESSED with fibre and its many benefits, which means we are also obsessed with kale due to its high levels of fibre! You can read more about the many benefits of fibre HERE.
How do we use kale in our gently cooked dog food?
We aim to use the highest quality ingredients in our meals at Tom&Sawyer. Sometimes this means we have to adjust based on seasonal variability.
When it comes to kale, this means sometimes we will use fresh kale and sometimes, to ensure we are getting the best quality and nutrient value, we will use frozen kale.
You may notice some slight differences in the appearance of our meals that contain kale based on whether we are using our fresh or frozen kale throughout the seasons.
For example, fresh kale has a stronger smell than frozen, and you may notice this when you open a package when we use fresh. It will also have a greater tendency to affect the colour of other ingredients; essentially, the green pigments in kale bleed out with the moisture, and this can tint other ingredients to look greenish-blue.
If that means we have to deal with a little extra smell and some mixing of colours, we’ll take it!
If you notice these changes in our meal packages, do not fear! We do this to ensure that our kale is always at its best quality, and so we will choose to use frozen, less aromatic, kale when fresh kale is out of its prime growing season.
Where can you find kale in our pet food?
We have a variety of meals for your pets, all loaded with nutritious ingredients. If you are looking to get the benefits of kale from our meals, consider trying our Classic Pork Stew or Buddha Bowl.
Classic Pork Stew Recipe
For pups requiring a low-fat or novel protein option, don’t fret! We have two delicious and kale-inclusive recipes for you too! Look for our Fisherman’s Best Friend and Rosemary Venison meals.
Fisherman’s Best Friend Recipe
By:
Hannah Godfrey
Animal Nutritionist
BSc.H. | MSc. Animal Nutrition
www.tomandsawyer.com