Foraging- Work Harder, Tastes Better

Research Shows Animals Prefer Taste of Food They Work Harder For

Working to get some food

Scientists at Johns Hopkins working with mice showed that not only is food valued more when it is worked for, it may even taste better for up to 24 hours.  Mice were trained to press levers to get two flavors of sugar water.  They had to work 15 times as hard to get one of the flavors.  Later, when they were allowed free access to both flavors, they preferred the one they had earlier worked harder for.  

So don't forget to set up foraging situations for your parrots. Our foraging rolls are an easy way to do this but our UnPellet, Green Chunks, or any dry foods can be hidden around your birds' cages.  Hide the foods you really want them to eat rather then the treats, and see if it makes the nutritious foods more desirable for them.  

To read the full article, click here 

About Us- Chef Claire

Chef Claire

Welcome New Parrot Food Chef Claire
A few months ago we introduced you to Kristin, who was going to take Tricia's place when Tricia had her baby.  As it turned out, Kristin's talent was more in setting up spreadsheets and she has been really helpful getting our costs figured up on products. So since Tricia's baby will be here any day now, we were lucky to find someone who loves to cook and wants to work part-time.  Claire went to law school but has decided to stay home with her two daughters. She is a runner, knitter, and PTA member and enjoys cooking.  She says that making the foraging rolls is "zenlike" and is pleased to be making you tasty and nutritious treats for your parrots.  

Nutrition- Mold Growth and Inhibition in Food

Mold Growth and Inhibition in Food

Mold Growth and Inhibition in Foods
Lucy Towbin

I would like to provide some general information about mold in foods  I
have researched the topic of mold growth in foods extensively because in this
business, I do not use artificial preservatives or mold inhibitors. So I needed
to know how to minimize the risk of mold growth without them.  I also work
in public health with dieticians and sanitarians who inspect restaurants and I
have learned a lot over the years about food storage and pathogen growth
from them as well as reading the literature that gets circulated
around.


Here is a web site that shows the optimum temperatures as well as the range of
temperatures for mold growth: healthandenergy.com/mold_prevention.htm .
As you can see, the optimum temperatures range from 73-104 F depending on which
type of mold it is.  This means that mold grows BEST at these temperatures.  The
RANGE of temperatures at which mold CAN grow, however, is 45-127 F. This means
that SOME molds can live and grow in temps as low as 45 and some can live and
grow in temps as high as 127.  But it isn't optimum.  So if you use high heats
(as when foods are processed in canning) or if you freeze foods, you are getting
them outside of that range and they can not live.  Unfortunately, the extreme
temperatures also destroy some of the nutrients in foods.  So refrigeration is
still within the RANGE/LIMITS of temps where molds CAN grow. But it is not
optimum. Refrigeration cuts down on mold growth but it does not destroy mold
growth.  It also does not destroy the nutrients like the high heats and freezing
do.


Ok, now let's talk about what makes mold grow.  Here is another web site from
the University of Central Florida if you want to read more than my summary:
www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/consumer/buildings/basics/moldgrowth.htm.  There have
to be four things for mold to grow:  mold spores, mold food, appropriate
temperature (which we've already covered) and sufficient moisture. Mold spores
are absolutely everywhere. They are on our skin, in the air we breathe, on our kitchen
counters, everywhere. They just don't grow unless they have the other conditions.
So we can not eliminate mold spores.  We just can control their ability to grow.
We can't eliminate them. In fact we wouldn't want to. As with bacteria and viruses,
there are good molds and bad molds.


So how do we prevent the bad types of mold from growing?  Let's discuss the last
two elements: mold food and moisture.  Mold can grow on just about any organic
(as in having carbon atoms, not organic as in organically grown) substance.  So
we can't eliminate that. And we are talking about foods that get moldy anyhow.
So that leaves the last element, moisture.  Mold cannot grow without a
considerable amount of moisture.  That is why a peach left in a plastic bag will
mold before a peach left out on the counter top. The plastic bag holds the
moisture in.  It is also why dehydrated foods can be kept so long at room
temperature and NOT mold. They don't have enough moisture.  Refrigeration
generally removes moisture from products. Have you ever put something in the
refrigerator and didn't wrap or cover it properly?  Didn't it dry out, at least
on top? This is because refrigeration (also air conditioning in the home)
removes moisture from the air.  So if you refrigerate something, you are
inhibiting the mold growth two ways.  You are lowering the temperature so that
it is below the optimum range, and you are reducing the moisture levels in the
surrounding air for the food.  It doesn't STOP the possibility of mold growth
altogether, but it does reduce it. 

Nutrition- Dehydrated vs. Freeze Dried

Dehydrated Vs. Freeze Dried
 What is the Difference? 

Bell peppers before drying

People have been dehydrating foods for centuries.  Our foods are dehydrated at low temperatures to preserve the nutrients.  Dehydrating removes most of the water from the food, making it more shelf stable, while preserving the nutrients and taste.  They are less expensive than freeze dried foods and the texture tends to be more chewy, although some foods are quite crispy.

Freeze drying is a newer process in which the food is flash frozen, placed in a vacuum chamber, and then the water is removed by evaporating the ice at temperatures as low as -50 Farenheit.  Freeze dried foods are also very shelf stable but will rehydrate quickly when opened and exposed to air. Freeze dried foods have a crunchy texture. Nutrients are lost when foods are frozen because freezing causes the cells to rupture. 
Here is an interesting comparison of frozen vs. canned vs. dehydrated foods.  Overall, 

Bell peppers after drying

dehydrating only causes about 3-5% nutritional loss, whereas freezing causes 40-60% from the cells rupturing and canning causes 60-80% from the high heat used. So since freeze drying uses freezing in the process, we don't believe it is a good choice compared to dehydrated foods.  It is also much more costly.               

Nutrition- Why Purple Corn

Why Purple Corn?
And Why Not Yellow Corn? 

Purple Corn

Parrots love corn. We don't use regular yellow or white corn, however, because most corn available today is hybridized for sweetness, not for nutritional value, and many types are GMO (Genetically Modified Organism).

Our purple corn is just as crunchy and parrots love it just as much as the ordinary varieties. However, this organic purple corn is an ancient variety and has one of the highest antioxidant contents of any food. It is a nutritional powerhouse. To read more about the details of its nutrional and possible healing powers click here: purple corn

We have purple corn in the UnPellet Mix and also sell it separately here.

Nutrition- Alfalfa

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)
 Why This Every Day Plant is SOOooo Good!

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)

You may think of alfalfa as just some farm feed.  It's been fed to many animals for a good reason. It is the oldest plant grown for animal feed and probably originated in Iran or around the Mediterranean.  Its use predates history.  Alfalfa contains high amounts of easily assimilated nutrients and it also enhances the assimilation of nutrients in the digestive tract.  The highly nourishing properties of alfalfa include high calcium, magnesium, and silicon content.

Alfalfa contains high amounts of chlorophyll, protein, fiber, beta-carotene, vitamins A and C, B vitamins (biotin, folic acid, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, riboflavin, and thiamin). It contains average amounts of vitamin D, E, and K, as well as amino acids (valine, lysine, arginine, leucine, isoleucine, tryptophan, phenylalanine, methionine, and threonine). Additionally, alfalfa contains trace minerals including calcium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, silicon, sodium, and zinc.

For people, one cup of tea, drunk before meals, may be useful to strengthen the digestive system.  Alfalfa aids in the assimilation of proteins, carbohydrates, and minerals.  It also helps to regulate the pH level of the stomach and may be useful for those who suffer from hyper-acidic stomach conditions and stomach ulcers.

So now you know why we include this nutritious plant in our Green Chunks as well as some of our rolls.  

alfalfa plants

Nutrition- Hemp and Coconut

We live in a "fat free" oriented culture where fat is thought of as something that is "fattening" and not good for us. But we have gone overboard in eliminating fats from our own diets, and sometimes also from the diets of our pets. There are some fats that have high nutritional value and elements not found elsewhere.  Here we tell you about three of these so you will understand why we include them in our products. 

Only Hemp seed oil contains Omega 6, Omega 3 and GLA (gamma linonlenic acid). Only Hemp seed oil contains 75-80% polyunsaturated fatty acids, the highest in the plant kingdom and unique among seed oils. Though flax oil is high in Omega 3, the perfect balance of hemp's EFAs allows your body to best digest the excellent properties in hemp oil. Hempseed is considered by leading researchers and medical doctors to be one of the most nutritious food sources on the planet. Shelled hempseed is packed with 33 percent pure digestible protein and is rich in iron and vitamin E as well as omega-3 and GLA. A recent report funded by the Canadian government states that hemp protein is comprised of 66 percent high-quality edistin protein, and that hempseed contains the highest percentage of this of any plant source. Hemp also contains three times the vitamin E contained in flax. Unlike soy, hemp is not genetically modified, and it doesn't contain the anti-nutritional qualities  commonly found in soy.

Because the human body produces no Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), it is important that EFAs be consumed on a regular basis. It is estimated that more than 90 percent of Americans take in too little of one of the most important EFAs--omega-3--which is found in flax, walnuts, deep-water fish, and hempseeds. EFAs are the "good fats" that doctors recommend as part of a healthy, balanced diet. The quality of omega-3 is vital, and can be diminished by oxygen, heat, and light. Thus consume the freshest seeds possible and store them in a dark, cold environment such as a refrigerator. Hemp seed oil has been dubbed, "Nature's most perfectly balanced oil" due to the fact that it contains the perfectly balanced 3:1 ratio of both the required essential fatty acids (EFAs) for long term human consumption.

Since the 1960s, coconut oil has been unfairly labeled as "unhealthy." The media reported studies of how tropical coconut oils were laden with artery-clogging fats. What wasn't reported was the fact that the coconut oil used in the studies was hydrogenated — not the virgin oil used for centuries as a staple food. We now know it's hydrogenation — artificially adding a hydrogen molecule to oils in order to make them shelf-stable — that's the problem, not coconut oil. Hydrogenated soy, corn, and canola oils — loaded with dangerous trans-fats and processed with toxic hexane solvents — are routinely added to packaged foods. Hydrogenation fattened corporate profits and American waistlines, and is now linked with diseases.

Why is it that baby formulas often include coconut oil as an ingredient? Because coconut is one of the most healthy super foods in the world. Coconut oil is cholesterol and trans fat-free, contains only 1% Omega-6 and is rich in medium-chain "good fats" that doctors recommend.

One of the good fats that comprises about 50% of coconut oil, is lauric acid. Lauric acid is a rare medium-chain fatty acid found in mother's milk that supports healthy metabolism and is now being studied for its anti-fungal, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial health-protecting properties. Some researchers predict that lauric acid will become as well known in health circles as Omega-3 is today. In fact, the Monsanto company has already developed a GMO canola oil variety that attempts to mimic coconut oil's  high percentage of lauric acid. As we learn about the downsides of consuming too many Omega-6 vegetable oils, coconut oil is making a comeback.