Re: Sources of Foods

[HELFTER 77 <HELFTER77@aol.com>]

Sources of Foods

For those who did not read past "sugar is bad for horses" I am re-posting the
remains of that paragraph and the following paragraph for reiteration.
Please keep in mind that poor quality grains are hidden in sweet feeds. This
is a fact. The feed industry has a bad habit of using our animals as garbage
disposals. Sweet and pelleted feeds are great for covering up that garbage.

>>Sugar is as bad for horses as it is for any other species, and horses may
exhibit mood swings similarly seen in humans. Time and time again horses calm
rapidly after molasses-sweetened feeds are removed from the diet. Molasses
also contains chemical preservatives or surfactants. Preservatives to reduce
spoilage in the heat of the summer and surfactants such as propylene glycol to
reduce congelation in the chill of the winter. Molasses and its baggage bring
inconsistencies that we like to avoid.  
Pelleted feeds are used as alternatives to sweet feeds and do not cause the
increase in blood sugar that is associated with feeding molasses coated
grains. However, pelleted feeds bring forth other concerns. One, poor-quality
grains are easily disguised in pellet form and two, many pellet binders are
chemically based. The major concern lies in the quality of the grains. Grain
sources are where a number of amino acids and natural occurring trace minerals
are retrieved. With the methods of pelleting, even if the quality of the
grains are good to begin with, many of the nutrients are lost in processing.
The philosophy behind a good quality feed is to make sure you see what you are
getting. <<

Kendra Helfter Lax
Advanced Biological Concepts