Humanity has come a long way since the stone age, but we’ve gotten some help along the way; namely, from our canine and feline friends!

June 4th is international Hug Your Cat day, and June 1-7th is international pet appreciation week - so here at Caveman Foods, we thought that we would share some ways that we can show appreciation for our pets, and how we can maybe learn from their eating habits and apply it to our own diet (don’t worry, we won’t be telling you about the health benefits of eating grass or cat food).

Cats, our feline friends, are true carnivores; which means that unlike humans, meat is an essential component of their diet that they cannot live healthily without. This is because the amino acid structure and vitamin/mineral composition that animal protein provides is essential for the cat’s body processes. Because of how cats evolved, they typically did not eat very many carbs, and of that, very little of it was grain. What’s more, cats often have allergies to grain - much like humans do! While carbs make up very little of a cat’s diet, they should still have a small amount of carbs from sources like potatoes, peas, or lentils.

So what can we learn from this? Well, for starters, cats seem to have a minimal need for carbs. While cats are carnivores and we humans are omnivores, our need for carbs is minimal as well. While most of us definitely enjoy grain products like bread and cereal, a lot of us have minor (or even major) allergic reactions to it, and at best most grains don’t provide much nutritional benefit aside from small amounts of fiber and a big serving of carbs.

What’s more is that we can often use a lack of carbs in our diet to an advantage. Lots of dietary plans utilize ketosis to this end, wherein the body isn’t receiving enough carbs to make glucose so it starts to use fat cells to generate it’s own energy. In other words, ingesting around 30 to 40 grams of carbs a day or less will cause your body to use it’s own fat as a carb source, making for rapid weight loss, making you a lean, mean, carnivorous machine - just like your kitty-cat.

Eating a more protein-rich, carb-limited diet has other benefits as well. Eating like your little tiger and increasing your protein intake can yield a more balanced appetite, more energy throughout the day (and in the gym), stronger bones and muscles, and faster recovery from physical exertion. There’s a reason why cats eat this way - it’s because they’re tiny predators, and eating like one will keep you sharp, focused, and energetic. We can’t guarantee it’ll give you nine lives, however.  

While we can’t recommend what grain-free foods your cat should be eating, we can certainly recommend grain-free foods to give a try for yourself. Here at Caveman Foods, everything we make is completely grain-free. If you’re looking for a grain-free replacement for your cereal (or just a delicious and healthy snack), give some of our Grain-Free Granola a try; with three flavors, 9 grams of carbs per serving, and made with all-natural ingredients, it’s an excellent start to the day if you’re going grain free. And for something a bit quicker, give our Grain-Free Granola Bars a try as well - they’re all natural and perfect for a quick, healthy snack on the go.