Freeze Dried Compared to Fresh Raw Food
Freeze-dried raw food goes a long way towards providing the best of both worlds! That is, it offers the nutritional and health benefits of raw food, while at the same time providing the convenience, of easy handling, minimal preparation time and a long shelf life.
Is there any benefit to whole, unprocessed raw food, that your dog would not get from a freeze dried raw treat? The short answer is no. Nutrition wise, a good freeze dried raw treat is perfect and comes without the mess. A ready-made freeze dried treat provides enormous enjoyment.
Nutritional Value of Freeze Dried Foods
An important key to insuring that the maximum nutritional value of food remains, is to avoid the application of heat. Hence, if you eat a raw carrot, you’ll be better nourished than with a cooked one; and a lightly cooked carrot will give more value than an over-cooked one. Herein lies one of the great attractions of the freeze-drying process!
In World War II, the military began using freeze-dried food for rations, and subsequently it became the standard food for astronauts. Its light weight made for easy packaging and shipping, plus it gained a long-extended shelf-life while retaining all of its nutritional properties.
All vitamins and minerals are retained to keep their raw fresh nutritional value when freeze-dried. Contrast this with cooked foods, where nutrient losses can amount to between 25% to 75% and more!
The Cost of Feeding Your Dog Freeze-Dried Raw Food
Freeze Dried dog treats are made from 4 times their dried weight making for terrific value.
Given the relatively high cost of freeze dried raw dog food, it’s worth keeping in mind that compared to every non-raw dog food available the freeze dried product offers much more nutritional value per gram. Serving portions therefore are smaller, using fewer grams per meal to feed a dog.
Keeping Within a Budget
In the event that feeding your dog his or her full meal portion using a freeze dried product exceeds your current budget, simply provide the portion of freeze dried food you are comfortable with in a smaller size.