Tag Archives: Food

Why Hypoallergenic Dog Food Could Be Right For Your Dog

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If your dog suffers from a dull coat and struggles with frequent bouts of sickness, diarrhoea, constipation or excessive wind then it is possible he is suffering from a food intolerance. Just like humans, a dog’s digestive system can become intolerant to certain food types over time and to combat this you should try switching to a hypoallergenic product suitable for sensitive tummies.

Mass market, commercial dog food products often contain the key intolerance triggers, including beef, chicken, wheat maize and egg (and often it is a complex combination of these ingredients). Your dog may start off well on these foods but over time may build up a resistance to one or all of the ingredients. Hypoallergenic dog foods contain much fewer ingredients and should not include any of the common triggers. You should also look to avoid foods packed full of additives, preservatives and colorants. Instead, look for ingredients such as:

British Lamb (low ash)
Beet Pulp (aids good digestion)
Rice (a simple, single carbohydrate)

When trying hypoallergenic dog food for the first time you should introduce it slowly in order to avoid upsetting the dog’s tummy even further. Eventually, you should phase out the old food completely. You should also pay close attention to your dog’s snacks and treats. Commercial dog chews can be really unhealthy and there is no point paying a premium for a hypoallergenic food only to ruin the benefits with poor quality snacks. You can now easily find premium quality hypoallergenic dog snacks that will complement your dog’s new diet. Again, look for high quality, single source meats like Lamb or Venison.

Good quality dog food is available from many independent pet food retailers or from your vet. So if your dog is showing the common signs of food intolerance why not give it a try today?

Food Processor Reviews – Buying Guide For Food Processors

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How to choose a suitable food processor

The ideal food processor should provide value for the money, be durable and equipped with many kinds of accessories such as the blades and cutting discs. Being a full-time homemaker, I read food processor reviews to find a machine that suits my needs from blending food for my toddler to preparing for my dinners. Many reviews cover these few critical factors for considerations.

Quality of Product

Reviews written by existing users can give you insider information on any brands of food processors. They can tell you how many extra blades and discs are given together with your purchase and other details. Checking the warranty given by the manufacturer is a good sign on how good and confident it is.

Dimension

9 pounds to 16 pounds is ideal for an 11-cup food processor and check the dimensions too. It should comfortably sit at any normal counter-tops without taking too much space or store in the cabinets up there without having to worry about the weight.

Most of the food processors in the market have their work bowl capacity of fluid half of the given cup-size. For instance, a 9-cup processor is suitable for a family of four. It prevents any spillage during blending the solids with the fluid.

Mini (4-cups or smaller)

In most reviews, we called these mini food processors. It’s mainly for small-scale preparations such as mincing garlic to dicing onion. To speed up your usual chopping and mincing time, this mini-sized machine is an ideal choice for considerations.

Compact (5 to 8-cups)

It is most suitable for a small-sized family between 2-4 to prepare simple dinners. This range of processors can do almost everything a full-sized one, but at a smaller scale.

Full-sized (9-cups and above)

You can easily whip up a dinner for a table of 10 from scratch with the full-sized one. Many reviews tend to recommend this size as you can almost use a bigger size machine for smaller jobs but not the other way round.

Appearance

Appearance is what catches out attention first. Nowadays most of the consumers prefer a sleek and shiny metallic, or a clean white or black body. It is important for a food processor to look presentable though it may sit in the kitchen most of the time. You can check out the color selections from the food processor reviews.

Power and Pulse Control

You can check out on the reviews on the Internet to find out a suitable food processor for your usage. Generally, the motor of the processor requires similar ratio or more powerful compared to the size of the machine, otherwise, you will get inconsistent results. Basically, the bigger the machine, the larger the motor.

Other than the power, there is two basic motor types. They are belt driven and direct driven. Belt driven processor has the motor just beside the work bowl, and a drive belt and wheels connect it. The belt driven processor will take up more counter-top space than the direct driven one. The direct driven processor has the work bowl on top of the motor; it allows more direct transfer of power from the motor to the bowl.

Most reviews will tell you if there is pulse control other than the usual power on and off button. Personally, I would prefer one that come with pulse control, because pulse control allows you to have more control and precision.

Complimentary Add-on and Features

It is important to check if there are any complimentary accessories and special features. Most food processor reviews do include such information. Some manufacturers even manufacture accessories rack or holder that helps to organize and store these accessories. They may even have compatible or universal blades from similar product range within the same brand.

Ease of Cleaning

Sometimes you may rather stick to the knife and chopping board just because you do not have a dishwasher to clean up the different blades and parts of the food processor. Nowadays, the machines are usually dishwasher-friendly, and for those that are not, check the instructions carefully and look out for those that could be easily clean with water.

Food Processor Reviews

Know what you are buying is important. I have read the reviews that allow me to know better on which brands are more reputable and trustworthy. Look for the product information, technical details and voltage especially for those who are purchasing as a gift for your loved ones or friends who stay abroad.