The Holistic Parrot by Leslie Moran
There are many ideas out there about the best diet to feed a captive parrot. However, when you take a look at what science has to say about the relationship between food, nutrition and building good health, there’s only one avian feeding plan that holds any weight. Balanced therapeutic nutrition made from whole real foods. Always organic whenever possible.
According to the Sri Dev Suman Uttarakhand University in India, there are three components to ‘therapeutic nutrition’. These are ‘Natural Foods and Food Products’, ‘Supplements’ and ‘Nutraceuticals’. In this article we will discuss ‘Natural Foods and Food Products’ which are eatables provided to us by nature, ideally, with nothing added and nothing taken away (the definition of a kosher food). We can list the foods in categories of grains, legumes (pulses), vegetable, fruits nuts and seeds. With these foods being prepared and eaten in as close to the most natural way possible.
An example of a natural food being denatured is polished rice. Also called white rice, during the milling and polishing process white rice loses a significant amount of nutrients compared to the unprocessed, whole grain, brown rice. The outer layers of a rice kernel, the bran and germ of the rice grain, are rich in fibre, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which are removed during the milling and polishing processes.