Why Modern Diets Create Digestive Stress

Why Modern Diets Create Digestive Stress

natural vs dehydrated food

Ultra‑processed and cooked diets disrupt digestion in several ways. High‑heat processing destroys natural enzymes, refined starches dilute the protein content pets are biologically designed to digest, and dry foods weaken stomach acid production over time. Low stomach acid leaves proteins only partially digested, slows stomach emptying, and reduces the signals needed for healthy bile and pancreatic enzyme release—often causing reflux‑like symptoms that are mistakenly blamed on excess acid.

Even fresh and raw‑fed pets face a different challenge: naturally occurring enzymes in meat and plants aren’t enough to fully break down fats without the lipase that carnivores would normally obtain from eating whole prey, especially the pancreas. The result is a widespread, often overlooked epidemic of enzyme insufficiency that contributes to gas, bloating, loose stools, SIBO, gallbladder sludging, and pancreatitis.