1. Salmon
Salmon contains nutrients specific to promoting brain health. These nutrients include vitamin D and the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA which help to regulate the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin which are both considered to have calming, regulating and relaxing effects on mood.

2. Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate flavonols, including epicatechin and catechin, are plant compounds that act as antioxidants in the body. The flavonols found in dark chocolate benefit brain function and have neuroprotective effects. These effects allow one to adjust better to stress that can lead to anxiety and other mood disorders.

3. Greek Yogurt
The healthy bacteria, found in greek yogurt may improve mental clarity. An intricate system between the gastrointestinal tract and the brain exists. Yogurt may promote mental clarity and brain function by reducing inflammation and increasing the production of mood-boosting neurotransmitters, such as serotonin.

4. Green Tea
Green tea contains L-theanine, an amino acid that’s been studied for the positive effects it may have on brain health and anxiety. L-theanine may increase GABA, dopamine, and serotonin, the neurotransmitters that have anti-anxiety effects.

5. Blueberries
Blueberries are high in vitamin C and antioxidants, like flavonoids, have the ability to improve brain health and relieve anxiety. Some compounds found in blueberries may reduce oxidative stress and ease symptoms of depression and anxiety.

1. Artificial Dyes
2. Preservatives
3. Refined Sugar

In order to decrease the risk of hyperactivity in children I recommend providing a whole food diet comprised of whole grains, nuts, seeds, lean meats, wild-caught fish and fruits and vegetables. To learn more about foods to decrease hyperactivity in kids, check out my post on that topic.

Best Foods to Reduce Hyperactivity in Kids

1. Salmon
The omega-3 fatty acids found in cold-water fish and fatty fish like salmon can reduce ADHD symptoms by fifty percent.
2. Blueberries
Blueberries provide the best long-term cognitive benefits specifically on hyperactivity symptoms.
3. Avocados
Avocados contain monounsaturated fats, a type of fat that boosts the body’s synthesis of dopamine, the neurotransmitter that ADHD medications target and increase.

Hyperactivity can often be benefited by consuming a whole food diet. Especially when the diet includes nutritionally beneficial foods like the ones in this post. Limiting or omitting processed foods, including dyes, artificial sweetners and preservatives can all be beneficial for kids with hyperactivity.

The reason for the association between constipation and CKD is likely multifactorial and potentially stems from changes in hydration status, electrolyte disturbances (specifically hypokalemia), gastrointestinal and physiologic alterations that occur with this disease.

Constipation can occur for many reasons, the main one being not enough moisture in your cats diet.

Your cat’s digestive tract was designed to process whole animals that are up to 75% water – it is important that when feed a PMR (prey model raw) diet that we do our best to replicate this by adding high moisture additions. High moisture additions include blood, goat milk, bone broth, full fat organic cottage cheese and full fat organic bone broth.

Additionally, whole food sources of fiber maybe helpful. These include pumpkin, flaxseeds, shredded carrots, spinach, and green beans.

The Takeaway:
Phosphorus is important when its given naturally (not in a synthetic form) and when its provided in the proper amount.

High levels of phosphorus can be quite harmful to the kidneys and worsen kidney disease.

The kidneys normally filter extra phosphorus from the blood, but when the kidneys are damaged and not functioning properly, phosphorus levels can increase. High phosphorus levels can increase kidney function loss, which increases the severity of your cat’s kidney disease.

Now that I’ve explained the harm in too much phosphorus I need to explained why cats need some phosphorus to begin with.

Phosphorus is needed for the growth, maintenance, and repair of all tissues and cells within your cats body. Phosphorus is also needed to help balance and use other vitamins and minerals like vitamin D, iodine, magnesium, and zinc. So without it the body can’t utilize or metabolize vitamin D well.

This is why pet food manufacturers add in synthetic phosphorus to their food along with other nutrients due to their original ingredients having lost vitality during heat processing. Or in some cases the ingredients started out deficient as well. Either way its added back into the food synthetically in a premix of different vitamins and minerals.

Some of these premixes have had lethal levels of vitamin D. Generally speaking dogs and cats do not metabolize many pharmaceuticals and more important synthetic vitamins as well. This is a fact and we know that our dogs and cats cannot take all of the herbs, pharmaceuticals and even eat the same foods we can. Some are actually toxic to them.

More doesn’t always mean better, especially with fat soluble vitamins these are the vitamins that dont flush out and stay stored in your body for longer periods.

Phosphorus is important when its given naturally (not in a synthetic form) and when its provided in the proper amount.

When we feed a raw diet containing bone for example and the bone is less than 10% of the overal volume of the recipe, it is generally considered safe for cats with ckd. The issue occurs when we feed a processed food with synthetic phosphorus added or add in 15%-25% bone which is higher than a dog or a cat without a medical issue require.

Nutrition is the foundation of our cats’ health and wellness. What you feed your cat can directly impact its organs and overall health. Diet can improve your cat’s health or destroy it. In this short post, I will explain what cats should eat based on their anatomy and how what they eat can support their kidney health.

Kibble and processed commercial diets are not species-appropriate for cats. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they REQUIRE large amounts of meat and amino acids to survive and thrive. Anatomically, cats are designed for a high water and moisture diet, rich in animal-based proteins with tiny amounts of predigested fruits and vegetables. When cats are fed a low-quality, drying, processed diet like kibble, their kidneys can experience dysfunction over time as they are chronically dehydrated. Down the line, kidney disease can occur. Moisture is essential for a cat’s kidneys to stay healthy and avoid disease.

Raw diets are species-appropriate and contain enough animal-based protein and moisture to support the kidneys. Cats have extremely fast digestive tracts as they were designed to take in a lot of possibly contaminated or bacteria-ridden meat and pass it quickly so that it doesn’t cause any digestive or health issues. This is opposed to herbivores that can ferment foods within their gut and often have multiple stomachs as they are slow digesters. They do not produce much of the digestive enzymes necessary to break down or digest fruit, vegetables, or carbohydrates, and they don’t have a need or requirement for these types of foods either, as they are carnivores. Cats’ jaws move up and down to crush bones and rip meat; in comparison, herbivores can move the side of their jaw to side, called lateral mandibular swing used to grind grain.

The Takeaway: Cats can safely consume raw food; they are meant to be based on their anatomy, and, most importantly, raw food contains plenty of moisture to keep their kidneys strong and healthy.

I know a lot of pet parents wonder about fish oil and omega-3 supplements for their kittens and pups! We certainly get that question a lot in this group.

The truth is while omega fatty acids are essential for the skin, coat, heart and overall health fish oils oxidize quite quickly and we definitely DON’T want our four legged companions eating rancid fats!

Whole fish are much healthier for our dogs and cats, they dont contain rancid fat and they have much more nutrients and health benefits as well.

Small oily fish are best for our pets! Larger fish like salmon are higher in mercury, metals and are often more inflammatory. Most fish can be fed whole just as nature intended!

I recommend feeding fish at least 3 days of the week! Remember that wild-caught is preferred to farmed! To keep things as natural as possible.

Safe Fish:

• Sardines
• Smelt
• Herring
• Mackerel
• Anchovies