When choosing the right food for pupper, there is much more to consider than animal proteins. Just like in our own diets! Other foods, like fresh veggies, seeds, and herbs, add tons of micronutrients that you won’t find in animal foods. One of these all-important ingredients is purple sweet potato for dogs.
Have you ever seen purple sweet potato when doing your weekly grocery run? If they’re in season, you might get lucky. But normally, we see those familiar orange or golden-coloured potatoes that are also orange on the inside. A purple sweet potato, or purple yam, is purple all throughout! (These aren’t to be mistaken for regular yams, which have a purple skin and white flesh.) Now that you have a specific potato in mind, let’s get down to the tasty nutritious facts.
Purple potatoes vs. regular sweet potatoes—what’s the difference?
As far as pupper’s health is concerned, purple sweet potatoes can be a better option to include in their diet than regular sweet potato. The purple sweet potato has a lower glycaemic index, which means it won’t cause blood sugar spikes. And because the purple sweet potato is less commonly utilised and produced compared to standard orange sweet potatoes, it’s much less likely to be genetically modified.
What makes them purple?
What gives the purple sweet potato its lush, vibrant colour is actually one of its biggest health benefits—an antioxidant known as anthocyanin. This same antioxidant gives blueberries, red grapes, and red cabbage their purple colours. Turns out humans and puppers alike are advised to “eat the rainbow” for a reason!
Upping the antioxidants to give pupper that extra boost
Here at Lyka, we know you want the best for your pupper. And we also know that every ingredient in their food matters.
According to the Queensland government, carbohydrate-based foods with a low glycaemic index (including purple sweet potatoes!) can have a positive impact on blood sugar levels. This means purple sweet potato for dogs can prevent diabetes from developing.
Compared to regular sweet potatoes, the purple sweet potato is rich with antioxidants and phytonutrients—important disease-preventing nutrients that can help provide your pupper with the healthiest future possible! When you think of antioxidant-rich produce, your mind may jump to blueberries or other types of berries. But did you know that the purple sweet potato actually is packed with many more antioxidants?
Why antioxidants are so important in your pupper’s diet
Antioxidants have numerous health benefits for humans and puppers alike. They work hard within the body to help protect against damage caused by free radicals. This damage is connected to cardiovascular diseases and cancers. The most commonly occurring antioxidants include vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, and selenium, which are found naturally in many different fruits and veggies. The right combination of antioxidants in your pupper’s diet can make a huge difference in their health. Just like you, your pupper should have a nutritionally balanced diet derived from high-quality ingredients.
Is purple sweet potato featured in Lyka foods?
The answer is YES!
We’ve revamped our recipes in order to create tastier and even more nutritious Lyka bowls for pupper. These new recipes include our beef bowls, which not only include the highest quality and freshest ingredients, but also include those good-for-you low-GI ingredients that are rich in antioxidants—like purple sweet potato for dogs.
Choosing Lyka foods will help your pupper enjoy a healthy, nutrition-enriched life. And as a fur parent, you can be confident about the ingredients. We know how much your pupper means to you and we’re here to teach you all about the nutrition your pupper needs!
Main image courtesy of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds / rareseeds.com
