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In my ongoing search for disease prevention for my dogs as well as myself, I have concentrated my efforts in the area of anti-oxidant enzymes. In my previous articles on nutritionally caused diseases, I address the importance of enzymes and how to re-introduce whole food nutrients back into the diet.

The focus of this article is to introduce you to phyto-chemicals, a variety of chemicals found in plants (flavonoids, carotenoids, ascorbates, pectins, isoterpenes, tocopherols and indoles ). These "phyto-chemicals" have amazing anti-oxidant properties and are critical in the prevention of disease.

The latest frontier in disease prevention is the use of whole foods, plants and the healing plant extracts they contain called phyto-chemicals. (Phyto means "plant" in Greek) and sometimes you will hear them refereed to as "phyto-foods". As Newsweek (April 25, 1994) reported in its cover story, "it is whole foods-especially fruits and vegetables-that pack the disease-preventing wallop" this is because they harbor a whole mixture of compounds that we did not know existed until recently.

The research I have seen suggests "a diet of wholesome foods rich in phyto-chemicals may prevent disease." Science has identified hundreds of phyto-chemicals in fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes which have been associated with lowering blood cholesterol levels and lower incidence of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Phyto-chemicals in cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage) called "indoles" have the potential, based on research, to prevent breast and uterine cancer and phyto-chemicals in legumes (soy, peas, lentils, seeds) are rich in isoflavones. In animal cancer studies isoflavones provided significant protection from tumors.

Q. As a dog owner or breeder, how can I incorporate phyto-chemicals into my animals diet

A. By incorporating "sprouted materials"back into the diet.

Although we steer clear from "cereal based" foods as a primary protein source, grains, legumes and nuts have important properties such as the phyto-chemicals.

For example wheat and soy sprouts, I am not referring to the soybean or wheat berry, but the sprouts of such foods, are an extremely beneficial whole food with superior phyto-chemical anti-oxidant properties! The soy sprouts in particular combine higher levels of naturally occurring phyto-chemicals to provide overall superior health benefits. The sprouting process activates the "life force" of the seed while the enzyme activity is greatly enhanced and the overall "energy of the seed" is dramatically increased.

I see great benefits from incorporating the phyto-chemicals into my animals diet as well as my own, through the use of "sprouts". I have found two super sprout product that provide chemicals to the body so the body can make the chemicals it needs to detoxify.

The following is a list of the benefits of phyto-chemicals:

~ Antioxidant enzyme compounds protect cells from free radical damage which is believed to be responsible for initiating many forms of cancer as well as premature aging.

~ Breast cancer studies in laboratory animals have shown compounds can inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells.

~ Cholesterol lowering studies show cholesterol lowering properties.

~ Colon cancer studies show a lower rate of colon cancer.

~ Hip fracture preliminary studies suggest they may help retain bone mass.

~ Hot flash special compounds called phytoestrogens may help with reduction of hot flashes.

~ Immunity studies show antioxidants boost the immune system.

~ Lung cancer studies linked phyto-chemical consumption to lower rates of lung cancer.

~ Prostate cancer studies show compounds can inhibit growth of prostate cancer cells in lab cultures

I have found two products of this type that are very beneficial to your animals diet and replaces what is lost due to the processing and cooking of commercial dog foods.

Nzymes Dietary Enzyme - www.nzymes.com - 877-816-6500

Phyto-Sprouts - Healthy Tek. Inc. - 800-937-1104

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ANTIOXIDANTS - WHY DO I NEED THEM?

First some background on anti-oxidants and their counter parts called oxygen "free radicals". What do oxygen "free-radicals" and car exhaust have in common? They are both toxic by-products produced by the production of energy. Energy is necessary to make both the car and the human/animal body function.

The fuel may be different, one is oxygen the other is gasoline, but the end result is the same. Both produce energy and both have a toxic waste by-products from that energy production. "Oxygen free radicals" (toxic by-products) are the bad guys and anti-oxidants are the good guys because they move around the cells of the body and gobble up all the free radicals. Think of these toxins as "body rust" and anti-oxidants are the rust inhibitors. Free radicals are what make us age and eventually die. Anti-oxidant enzyme supplementation can help considerably by:

~ Aiding the prevention of aging and diseases such as cancer prevention and other debilitating illnesses

~ Reduces the negative effects of cancer therapies

~ Reduces the negative effects of anesthetics after surgery

~ Speeds repair of tissues and bone due to surgery/trauma

~ Boosts the immune system

~ Retards paradentia disease and the prevention of heart disease

~ Works on soft tissues and is great for reducing allergy problems. Note: I no longer have hay fever because of this enzyme.

~ Flushing toxins (chemicals, pesticides, etc.) from the system.

~ Aids in reproductive problems, regulating cycles and problems with infertility and sterility (humans and animals).

Note: Anti-oxidants are a critical part of the after care from bloat/torsion or spleen surgery because it helps to:

~ Minimize the side effects and after effects of anesthetics

~ Speeds healing of soft tissue

~ Reduces the inflammation and soreness of soft tissue

~ Prevents "reperfusion injury" after any surgery

"Reperfusion injury" is a condition where by toxins, free radicals or oxygen by-products, are released into the system of the animal after surgery trauma and anesthetics, often causing death. According to a study done at Purdue University, the majority of dogs lost after torsion surgery die from reperfusion injury due to this release of toxins in the body causing heart arrhythmia. Anti-oxidant enzymes such as those contained in "Nzymes" is one way to help support the system in hopes of preventing "reperfusion injury". Even though torsion is an emergency surgery, start the animal on this product as soon as possible right after surgery. This is not a drug but a food concentrate and will not conflict with any medication the animal is on at the time. If you have an emergency surgery of any kind the sooner you can start the animal on it the better. Also, for elective surgery such as ear cropping and potential vaccine reactions, we start puppies from weaning and leave them on "Nzymes" until all inoculations are given to minimize our chances of vaccine reactions.

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The Reintroduction of Whole Living Foods to the Diet

These past few years I have worked to incorporate whole living foods back into my animals diets without disrupting the commercial foods. My lifestyle is such that I am unwilling to feed my dogs as if they were living in the wild. This means incorporating other things into the commercial diets in order to put back whole living food without significantly changing the protein/calorie content or disrupting the balance of the food by adding more synthetic vitamins and crude forms of minerals.

Heat and processing of "food stuffs" can kill or alter the effectiveness of valuable nutrients, probiotic cultures (friendly bacteria) and DIETARY enzymes normally found intact in fresh whole raw foods. Therefore, dog food companies spray vitamins and minerals back onto the dog foods before bagging. Most of the vitamins are synthetic and the minerals are in such crude forms the animals cannot use them. Then there is the greater issue of getting each of these nutrients from separate sources mixing them together and thinking they will work together like they do when found in a natural state -- wrong! This is why nutrients found in whole raw foods are better for all of us. They work in concert with each other. Probiotic (friendly bacteria cultures), digestive enzymes, other enzymes and antioxidant enzymes have been virtually ignored by a majority of physicians, veterinarians and health experts. We are now just starting to hear about the importance of these nutrients. These are not just important to your animals' diets. These components are very important to our diets too.

I have found ways to reintroduce whole living foods into the diet in the form of:

~ Vitamin C (non acid type)

~ Fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts

~ Cereal grasses (barley and wheat)

~ Enzymes (facilitators of body chemistry and digestion)

~ Digestive enzymes and dietary enzymes

~ Probiotics (friendly yogurt type culture)

~ Herbs

In previous articles I have discussed the fact that heat and processing kills the "living" elements normally found in foods such as enzymes, vitamins and minerals. Therefore, to replace what has been destroyed, the companies "add back" vitamins and minerals of a cheaper synthetic quality. These are not normally derived from a whole food source but from a form of vitamins made in the laboratory which are chemically supposed to be the same except, in my opinion, they are not! When we extract the part from the whole it is not the same. Likewise, the same is true for vitamins which are not derived from whole food sources or minerals that are in crude forms and unusable by the animal or human digestive tract.

This is how an animal would normally get these whole living foods if it hunted and scavenged. Let's say our dog hunts and kills an animal. He would then set about to gut it and consume the innards where nutrients and minerals are concentrated in the organs (pancreas+digestive enzymes, liver stores vitamin C). He would consume the predigested vegetable matter from the stomach (fruits and veggies) and intestines (tripe), home of intestinal flora and other enzymes. This is all followed by consuming larger muscle mass and then the bones. Naturally some hide, fur or feathers (fiber) would be consumed in the process. This chart helps to show you how we can incorporate whole living food back into the diet in a suitable compromise using commercial dog foods.

Each of the whole living foods listed above can be added back to the commercial diets in an effort to "fill in the holes" from what is missing in the processed foods. Yes, I know the manufacturer tells us these diets are 100% nutritionally complete. But the fact is, nutrition is a relatively new science and no one knows 100% about nutrition, let alone what is a 100% nutritionally complete diet.

What we have in the commercial dog food diets are subsistence levels of nutrients. Since I am looking for optimum health, quality of life and longevity for my dogs, I am interested in whole food concentrates that can be added to the diets and not disrupt the balance or increase the calories or protein significantly. Whole food concentrates are natural substances and what the body does not need it expels in the stool and urine.

There is now a terrific product available on the market called Daily Greens Plus (1-800-937-1104), a simple way to combine all of these nutrients into one package. The combination of these items will not alter the caloric or protein properties nor will they disrupt the balance of the dog foods. Remember when you introduce anything new to a diet go slowly and if a loose stool occurs, back off and reintroduce gradually.