Gravy

[kestria]

A lot of cat foods with gravy will have either wheat gluten, potato starch or tapioca starch. Are any one of the 3 slightly better than the others? In what order would you rank them if you had to feed it to your cat?

 

[lisahe]

I think they're all bad because of the pointless carbs they add but I do occasionally feed a little food with tapioca. I think wheat gluten is the worst, particularly since it's used as a protein source, too. Potato starch is the second worst (though it's barely in second: one of our cats vomits if she eats potato), and tapioca is third. I only feed a little tapioca, in an occasional pouch of Weruva or Soulistic chicken/pumpkin food and I drain a fair bit of the gravy from that.

What really bugs me about these thickeners -- as well as "gelling agents" like carrageenan and various gums -- is that cats can be perfectly happy eating more natural foods if they're good and meaty.

 

[duckpond]

Honestly i don't think it matters that much where the carbs come from. I know some starch raises blood sugars worse than others. I dont know if it works the same exact way for cats. Several diabetics i know do not have a problem with whole wheat products eaten in moderation. Potatoes seem to cause more problems. Not sure about the tapioca starch, but im betting it is more like potato.

I feed some foods with all of these ingredients in one or the other, i just try to make sure the carbs are low overall in the food, and not worry too much about the source of the carbs.

 

[kestria]

What’s the difference between tapioca starch and modified tapioca starch?

 

[duckpond]

this was the best explanation i found.

Modified food starch is made by physically, enzymatically, or chemically altering starch to change its inherent properties. In this instance, modified does not necessarily mean genetically modified, however some modified starches are likely made from genetically modified ingredients. Modified starches are typically used in foods for the same reasons as conventional starches—thickening, stabilizing, or emulsifying. Some of the properties gained by changing the original starch can include the ability to stand different temperatures (excessive heat, freezing, etc.), increased shelf life of the desired property (for example, it will keep thickening the sauce for a longer time than its conventional counterpart), and an altered thickening ability and shortened thickening time (for example a modified starch may thicken a sauce much faster than its conventional counterpart).

 

[Furballsmom]

In what order would you rank them if you had to feed it to your cat?

Depending on if your cat has an intolerance to one or two of these, --my Big Guy does not to any of the three. To try and keep it that way, I rotate foods with the idea of decreasing his exposure, along with the various other bad additives.

 

[lalagimp]

I've never looked up what the gravy is made out of. The girls have been on Dr Elsey's cleanprotein kibble for over six months so that really took their starch consumption down. They haven't shown any sensitivities, and have lost a half a pound. I give them pates, gravy and chunks or shreds, shreds in broth... Just a rotation lately. Amalie's blood work came back just fine in February.

 

[Lalka]

I know Tapioca contain more sugar than wheat and potato. They are still all bad

 

[lisahe]

I know Tapioca contain more sugar than wheat and potato. They are still all bad

And there's the thing: none of them are really any good so it's hard ranking them!