寵物健康

Glycemic Index (GI) is a human measure of how quickly blood sugar levels rise after eating a type of food. The same effect happens in pets. Carbohydrates break down quickly and release glucose (a type of sugar) rapidly into the bloodstream. A low GI score is healthier.

升糖指數(GI)是一種人類攝取食物後血糖升高速度快慢的一種指標，此指數同樣可以套用在寵物中。碳水化合物消化並分解，會快速釋放葡萄糖到血液中，因此低升糖指數(GI)是比較健康的。

（ 升糖指數圖 ）

• Glucose / Sugar has a GI of 100.
• High GI (greater than 70) foods: white bread, most white rice, corn flakes, breakfast cereals, pretzels, French fries.
• Medium GI (between 56-69) foods: potatoes, pita bread, white enriched bread.
• Low GI (less than 55) foods: beans, most vegetables, most fruits.
• Meat has a GI of virtually 0.

• 葡萄糖 / 血糖的值為GI，最高值為100
• 高升糖指數(GI) (大於70)的食物：白麵包、大多數白米、玉米片、早餐麥片、椒鹽脆餅、炸薯條。
• 中升糖指數(GI) (介於56-69之間)的食物：馬鈴薯、皮塔餅、富含白麵粉麵包。
• 低升糖指數(GI) (低於55)的食物：豆類、大多數蔬菜、大多數水果。
• 肉類所含的升糖指數(GI)幾乎趨近於0。

In addition to questions about the Glycemic Index, many pet owners have asked about protein numbers and carbohydrate percentages. What are carbs? What are good carbs versus bad carbs? What is a protein?

除了關於升糖指數(GI)的問題，許多飼主也同樣關切蛋白質和碳水化合物百分比的問題。什麼是碳水化合物？什麼是好的碳水化合物？什麼是壞的碳水化合物？什麼是蛋白質？

碳水化合物

Carbohydrates are nutrients, and the major source of energy for all animals.

Carbohydrates range in structure from a simple small glucose molecule to a large complex molecule such as a starch. Think about “carbs” as building blocks, with simple sugars such as glucose being small blocks that can be put together in different ways to form longer complex chains. When your pet eats a complex carbohydrate, their digestive system breaks the large chain back into smaller blocks and simple sugars. These simple sugars are then absorbed into the blood stream.

Foods full of simple sugars - or simple “carbs” - (think white bread, French fries and pasta) are easily absorbed and can quickly get turned into fat. Foods full of complex “carbs” (think salad, beans or celery) require more time for the body to break them down to simple sugars.

So simple “carbs” are bad and complex “carbs” are good.

Generally we try to reduce the percent of “carbs” in most of our diets, both for pets and people. Boreal dry pet foods typically have Carbohydrate levels in 27-32% range.

碳水化合物為一營養物質，更是所有動物能量的主要來源。

碳水化合物的結構形式從簡單的小葡萄糖分子到大的複合分子如澱粉。想像“碳水化合物”為積木的意象圖，其中簡單的糖像是葡萄糖可比喻成小積木，可以以不同的方式組合在一起形成更長的複合鏈。當你的寵物吃複雜的碳水化合物時，他們的消化系統將大複合鏈打破成更多的小積木塊和簡單的糖。然後將這些簡單的糖吸收到血液中。

含有簡單的糖或是簡單的“碳水化合物”食物（如：白麵包，炸薯條和麵食）是容易被吸收，並迅速轉變成脂肪囤積。而含複雜分子的“碳水化合物”（如：沙拉，豆類或芹菜）需要更多的時間讓身體將其分解成小分子糖類。

因此原理說明簡單的“碳水化合物”是壞的，複雜的“碳水化合物”是好的。

一般來說，不論是寵物還是人，我們皆嘗試減少大多數飲食中“碳水化合物”的百分比。Boreal寵物乾糧食品通常含有27-32％範圍的碳水化合物含量。

蛋白質

Proteins are similar to carbohydrates in that they are complex molecules, but where “carbs” are built out of sugars, proteins are built from smaller amino acids.

Protein cannot be stored in your pet’s body like fat, so you must provide protein daily to maintain healthy bodily functions.

蛋白質和碳水化合物類似，皆為由複雜的分子所組成，但碳水化合物是由糖類所建構，而蛋白質則為氨基酸所建構而成的分子。
蛋白質無法像脂肪一樣儲存在您寵物的體內，因此必須每天提供蛋白質的攝取以保有身體的健康機能。

Proteins are important for your pet’s:

• coat
  
• muscle, skin, blood, bone and cartilage
• ability to repair and build tissue
• ability to speed up enzymes reactions
• Hormone levels
  
  

  蛋白質對寵物而言是重要:

  • 毛皮
    
  • 肌肉、皮膚、血液、骨骼和軟骨
  • 修復和建立組織的能力
  • 加速體內酵素反應的能力
  • 荷爾蒙機能

  In pet foods, protein can come from meat sources or from plants. In the past, pet owners used to feed cornmeal based dog foods that lead to weight gain. Today, cornmeal is found only in the cheaper pet food diets. Pet foods with a large percent of meat protein are considered a higher quality product.

  Boreal Original dog foods contain between 65-80% protein from meat, with a total protein level in 25-28% range.

  If your dog is more of a house pet versus a working dog then watch the total percent protein number. We think total protein for house dogs should run in 25-28% range. Higher percent protein can cause stomach issues.
  
  在寵物食品當中，蛋白質來源可以是由肉或是植物取得。在過去，寵物飼主習慣給予穀類餵食寵物，導致體重增加。今天，只有在廉價的寵物食品中發現玉米或麵粉的成分，而具有大量肉類蛋白來源的寵物食品被認為是高品質質量的寵物食品。
  
  Boreal Original 系列狗配方中內含有來自65-80%的肉類蛋白，總成分蛋白質含量百分比介於25-28%。
  
  如果您的狗比起工作犬更像寵物犬，我們認為對於寵物犬所需要的蛋白質含量百分比應該介於25-28%，因為過高的蛋白質含量攝取容易引起愛犬胃部的問題。