The Controversy about Calcium-Phosphorous

The difference, and what becomes the advantage to feeding an evolutionary diet, lies in the very low level of soluble carbohydrates and with the main energy source supplied by protein and lipids. When the major source of calcium and phosphorus comes from raw bones, muscle meat, organ meat, raw cartilage, and other key proprietary ingredients, the bone growth which is also driven by energy from protein and fat proceeds in a fundamentally more integral fashion. Thus, the normal skeleton is more than capable of supporting the rest of the body without either the bones or the joints becoming deformed or damaged in the process.

It is a major tenet of the evolutionary diet, that by supplying nutrients in the form and proportion in which they were supplied during the evolution of the species in question, that we will be supplying the correct absolute levels and the correct ratios of nutrients found in a properly formulated BARF® diet and should in fact be accepted as normal.

On the contrary, modern highly processed pet food starts from an entirely different theoretical basis compared to the BARF® diet. They contend that the energy source has no bearing on health and therefore the major energy source can be mostly carbohydrate (starch and sugar) with no harm done to the animal. Modern processed pet foods are regarded as complete and balanced. As long as they can be shown to contain the currently known to be essential nutrients at the currently accepted levels and are therefore deemed legal and acceptable. In addition, there is little importance as to where these nutrients were sourced, as long as they are present in the diet. An important point to consider in this controversy is that the AAFCO limits have been determined ONLY on the basis of feeding commercial pet foods.

On that basis, it is further hypothesized that the normals for the BARF® diet differ from the currently accepted normals for heat processed dry food. The differences simply reflect fundamental differences in dietary formulation. Converted “BARFERS” have learned to appreciate the difference between the two philosophies. The choice is yours to make. As Pioneers in the Raw Pet Food Industry, we are confident that the diets are superior.