The-Truth-About-Pet-Foods

than that different humans have different requirements and different
animals within a breed have different requirements. This concept of
biochemical individuality was first described by Dr. Roger Williams
(the discoverer of vitamin B 5
) decades ago, and used as a strong
argument against those who would insist on “standards” for determining
the “average” nutritional requirements for everyone.* It does not
provide the logical or empirical basis for attempting to specifically set
nutrient standards for any group within a population.
I disagree with the reductionistic approach to nutrition and health. It
is the approach taken by the majority of the food industry. Nutrition is
not reducible to milligrams, IU’s and micrograms, but rather is holistic.
Reductionism is the basis for the myth of the “100% complete”
manufactured diet and is the fundamental cause of today’s health woes
in humans and companion animals.
Nutrition is individual. Every organism is genetically unique. Further,
it is not within the capability of science to determine with exactness
what the requirements are for every single creature, much less whole
populations, species, breeds, etc. To suggest that anyone can do so
is misleading. The same can be said with regard to what is toxic for a
particular species, and at what levels.
For example, one could state that collies require 270 IU’s of vitamin
D per kilogram (are we sure it’s not 270.015375948). What specific
collie are we talking about How big, what age, and what precisely
is in the rest of its diet What is its metabolic rate What is its
specific digestive capacity How much sun and exercise does it get
What is the source of its water What is the quality of the air it breathes
What are its social interactions What specific genetic strengths and
weaknesses does it have Are its foods heated, exposed to oxygen,
and light What are the interactions between the food ingredients
when they are heated, etc.
These considerations are all important, just like “breed,” in determining
nutrient needs. This logic is just another version of the flawed
reasoning of the pet food industry – that nutritionists can create 100%
* Williams RJ, Biochemical Individuality: The Basis for the Genetotrophic
Concept, 1998. Williams RJ et al, The Biochemistry of B Vitamins, 1998.
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