What Does Luca & sAVANNAH Eat?
MY PROFESSIONAL BIO, EDUCATION, AND EXPERIENCE IS ON THIS PAGE HERE, NOT ON THIS PAGE.
Raw vs. Cooked
Luca is my (nearly) 10 year old foster-fail old man dog. Luca eats a mixture of raw and cooked. Animal products are raw (except eggs) and plant products are cooked.
He eats a diet of meat, bones, organs, skin, eggs, oily fish (and oils), digestible carbohydrates, veggies, and supplements as needed. I stick to beef organs because I am able to get high quality organ meat through Oxbow Cattle Company. I want to support local farming as much as possible. If I hit the lottery, he would get nearly all his food from there. These organ meats can be consumed by humans and dogs- so this results in the highest quality possible with convenience.
He does not get a high amount of raw meaty bones. This is how he does best, especially with his age.
Sometimes I prep 21 days at a time. Other times I pull ingredients out fresh. When I prep 21 days, things are ground and fish is served separately. Eggs are hardboiled. He still gets the occasional RMB, milk as a treat, and overall cheat meals. I prep the same way I generally instruct clients to. Prep takes me 2 hours alone with some clean-up or about 1.5 hours, including cleanup, with my husband’s help.
I store his food in plastic containers because I keep breaking the glass ones. I cannot afford all the containers for humans and dogs to be in glass. I am slowly moving over to steel. I am doing the best I can and want to be honest about the abilities of each pet owner. Raw is pricey enough already and I take as much care with the human diets as I do the dogs (well..almost)- more on that soon.
When life becomes crazy, I allow myself to utilize commercial products. I use Answers Pet Food, Northwest Naturals, and if I had to do long term kibble I would do Farmina. I always add my own additions to commercial food- especially antioxidants.
I don’t feed ingredients like broccoli. It produces some serious gas and is not a good time for anyone. I try to rotate out
Organ Meats
- Beef heart
- Beef liver
- Beef kidney
Raw Meaty Bones
- Chicken Backs (ground) Oma’s Pride
- Turkey Neck (Rare)
- Chicken Drumsticks
Fish / Lipids
- Raw sardines (until summer)
- Fermented Cod Liver Oil W/ Butterfats from Green Pastures (Fishless recipes)
Carbohydrates (cooked)
- Sweet potatoes
- Oats
- Celery
- Spinach
- Kale
- Beets
- Carrots
- Blueberries (not his favorite) Raw
- Squash
Other
- Eggs (mainly hardboiled)
- Raw Beef Green Tripe
- Bone broth (when boneless recipes in rotation)
- Milk (in moderation, as a treat. Raw or commercial)
- Standard Process E
- Source Naturals Magnesium Chelate
- Kelp
- Zinc Chelate
Meat
- Ground Lean Turkey
- Beef Chuck For Stew
- Beef London Broils
- Beef Bottom Round
Luca’s Health
Luca is in incredible health, especially for his breed and age. He sees the vet every year (more if I can afford it) for annual blood work and check-ups. He is the softest boxer I have ever had.
When I adopted him at seven, he had pretty bad joint issues. He has nearly 0 symptoms since perfecting his diet.
Luca sees The Path Home Veterinary as they provide exceptional service right on Luca’s favorite couch.
He has no health conditions at this time.
Luca’s Buds
Luca loves his buds Gunner, Molly and Kit who live with Tina. He is a fan of my best friend Tina, who is a trainer at Know Thy Dog. A train and board facility that inspired the name for Feed Thy Dog.
Visits to Tina’s provides Luca with social enrichment. Other enrichment includes daily walks and front porch sitting.
For cardio, Luca chases a remote controlled helicopter- weather permitting.
Of course, Luca is my bud, too. He is the best dude to have around here in Montana. Hands down the best lounging on the porch, on a boat, in a tent type of dog. Note: Beer only consumed by humans.
Luca’s Health
Luca is in incredible health, especially for his breed and age. He sees the vet every year (more if I can afford it) for annual blood work and check-ups. He is the softest boxer I have ever had.
When I adopted him at seven, he had pretty bad joint issues. He has nearly 0 symptoms since perfecting his diet.
Luca sees The Path Home Veterinary as they provide exceptional service right on Luca’s favorite couch.
He has no health conditions at this time.
Luca’s Buds
Luca loves his buds Gunner, Molly and Kit who live with Tina. He is a fan of my best friend Tina, who is a trainer at Know Thy Dog. A train and board facility that inspired the name for Feed Thy Dog.
Visits to Tina’s provides Luca with social enrichment. Other enrichment includes daily walks and front porch sitting.
For cardio, Luca chases a remote controlled helicopter- weather permitting.
Of course, Luca is my bud, too. He is the best dude to have around here in Montana. Hands down the best lounging on the porch, on a boat, in a tent type of dog. Note: Beer only consumed by humans.
What I eat and Do
A lot of owners who dump their heart into their pet’s food casually joke that they feed their dog a beautiful steak dinner but consume a Costco muffin for the week. While funny on the surface, I still appreciate and understand the power of good nutrition and the very real consequences of long-term suboptimal nutrition.
Excellent nutrition is what gives me the physical power and mental stability to run Raw Fed and Nerdy and Feed Thy Dog. It allows me to be a much better student. It allows me to sleep and wake up refreshed. It keeps my body pain-free. For those wondering if I “NRC my diet,” you bet I do. I use cronometer and edit the RDAs according to the nuanced differences in my needs. I require preformed fatty acids, preformed vitamin A, more Riboflavin, and more Folate- to name some. I adjust nutrient needs as my environment changes (such as the seasons).
I set a timer on my phone to attempt to limit screen time- especially because I need to be online all day.
What I eat and Do
A lot of owners who dump their heart into their pet’s food casually joke that they feed their dog a beautiful steak dinner but consume a Costco muffin for the week. While funny on the surface, I still appreciate and understand the power of good nutrition and the very real consequences of long-term suboptimal nutrition.
Excellent nutrition is what gives me the physical power and mental stability to run Raw Fed and Nerdy and Feed Thy Dog. It allows me to be a much better student. It allows me to sleep and wake up refreshed. It keeps my body pain-free. For those wondering if I “NRC my diet,” you bet I do. I use cronometer and edit the RDAs according to the nuanced differences in my needs. I require preformed fatty acids, preformed vitamin A, more Riboflavin, and more Folate- to name some. I adjust nutrient needs as my environment changes (such as the seasons).
I set a timer on my phone to attempt to limit screen time- especially because I need to be online all day.
Fitness | Barre & Aerial Dance
Fitness for me is being consistent and enjoying it. It is the best way to keep at progress. I enjoy barre with Tracey Riley. Her class is ballet-ish to rock & roll. This class has helped me put on much more muscle over the past year and feel somewhat elegant while doing it. My favorite class of all time! It has been one of my favorite parts of moving to Helena, Montana.
I also take private aerial dance lessons from Bumblebee Aerial Fitness in Helena, Montana. This class is every bit mentally difficult as it is physically difficult. This has helped me target my upper body- and try something completely new.
Personal Nutrition | Chris Masterjohn, PHD
I utilize a lot of information from Dr. Chris Masterjohn, PhD. I am a happy client of his. Only a year following his advice have I dramatically reduced skin issues, sleep issues, joint issues, and greatly reduced anxiety. He gives you the science and doesn’t push the fad stuff on you. Details Schmetails just tell me what works! I heavily utilize his e-book (which he keeps up to date): Testing Nutritional Status The Ultimate Cheat Sheet. (Aff. link. Use code “SAVE20” to get 20% of the book!)
The Utimate Cheat Sheet allows you to determine best ways to test for deficiencies and imbalances. It allows you never be deficient again. I am linking it because I truly believe the help it provides. It is 100% grounded in science. If you plan on getting the cheat sheet, I really recommend getting an ancestry test done or a 23 And Me (only need ancestry) test done (Aff. Link). Then download your raw DNA file and run the file through Strategene. Use this information with the CMJ Cheat Sheet. This has been a life changer. Just some small changes based off of these tools healed my skin and my brain.
I also keep up to date in human nutrition, but not as a professional. I am a proud Masterpass (Aff. Link) holder. This provides me with the most up-to-date science that I can apply to myself, my family, and certainly some things to canine nutrition. I utilize the Antioxidant Masterclass in the Free Fall Course on Raw Fed and Nerdy. I am a Masterpass holder so that I can listen to podcasts, get the transcripts, and be the very first to receive new content.
What I Eat
I do not consume factory farmed animal products. All animal products are generally local. I use cronometer to help me make shopping lists for the month. This allows me to eliminate decision fatigue by not having to decide what to eat. It also helps me eat enough in general. It overall helps me be properly nourished. I use an omega juicer NC800 and an Instant Pot. For me- I NEED to save time.
Generally, I wake up and I make fresh juice from the veggies below for me and my husband. I make coffee and I feed the dog. I have personal time in the morning before going to work. I get sunshine whenever possible. Mid morning I will have a grass fed yogurt mix I have prepped. It has berries, bananas, calcium supplement, a tiny bit of maple syrup.
For lunch I eat what has been prepped- generally a carb source, a big salad, and protein. Repeat for dinner.
Before bed I will often eat a carbohydrate rich snack- like chips and salsa, cheese and crackers, or something similar. I am not afraid to use those carbs to help me sleep.
I generally limit drinking now to the weekends, but I do enjoy beverages occasionally throughout the week if social media has been maddening.
I eat:
- Many hardboiled local, high quality eggs from happy chickens. I use an instant pot for this.
- A wide array of veggies– celery, apple, wheatgrass, mangos, bananas, pineapples, blueberries, raspberries, kale, spinach, ginger, carrots, lots of beets <3, tomatoes, bell peppers, parsley, cilantro, brussels sprouts, green beans, and much more. But those are the staples. Most mornings I wake up and make fresh juice.
- Meat– I eat part of one local chicken every week. I eat grass fed and finished beef from a local farm several times a week.
- Fish– I eat canned sardines when histamine tolerance allows me to. I eat wild caught cod or salmon 1-2 x a week in rotation.
- Quinoa, rice, lentils, beans are carbohydrate staples. I am not a 0 carb lady. These carbs help my mind stay happy, allows me to sleep, and spares protein. I have a hard time eating enough. Carbohydrates help. I try to get 200 grams a day. A lot of these carbs are reheated carbs so I am unsure on the calories.
- Coffee: I drink 2-4 cups of organic (often local) french brew coffee daily. I make cold brew in the summer.
- Organ Meat– I consume at least 4 oz of grass fed and finished liver a week
- I consume dairy from grass fed cows including milk, butter, and yogurt. I add calcium to my yogurt with granola and other fruit. I also eat cheese from grass fed cows.
- Most grain products are sprouted- such as Ezekial Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins. I through cream cheese and eggs on these with fresh juice for an easy cheat but healthier meal.
- I consume the fat and skin of animal meats I consume. I purchase the entire animal when I can- including cows. I make bone broth in the pressure cooker.
- I let no cooking liquids go to waste. If I poach a chicken in the pressure cooker, I collect the broth and cook rice in it.
- I consume gelatin on days I do not consume bone broth or edible bones.
- I avoid shellfish and pork for non-dietary reasons
- I drink beer and wine in moderation. Everybody’s moderation level is different. I really DO like Pina Coladas.
- Sometimes I have cookies and junk food. But I try not to because it can become a vicious cycle for me.
- Supplements: I only supplement what I need- just like with dogs. No multivitamins here. I utilize Jarrow Methylfolate on days I do not get enough folate- I am also effected by methylation issues if my diet does not provide what I need and am on the more “affected” part of the spectrum for genetic variations. I have to be careful to get enough or my brain gets unhappy. I take potassium citrate daily because I never get enough. I add creatine and follow CMJ’s MTHFR protocol. I take Standard Process Chezyn (zinc) because I appear to need higher amounts of zinc and vitamin A to keep the skin and eyes in good shape. It also helps my histamine tolerance. I take Standard Process Cataplex E. I sometimes take Green Pastures Fermented Cod Liver Oil with Butterfats. This helps me with vitamin A, D, and omega 3’s. I take this as needed. I am not a believer of consuming high amounts of PUFAs during generally healthy states. I also take organically bound minerals from Standard Process because I won’t get enough iodine without it.
- Herbs: I take chastetree berry extract (currently) and milk thistle. Milk thistle helps my acne. However, I think most of the issues were stemming from inadequate A, E, Zinc, and MTHFR issues. I plan to eliminate these and see how I do on a proper nutritional protocol.
Summary: I dance to work out. I rely on a human nutrition professional. I eat a wide array of plant foods. Plants make up the majority of the volume of my food. I eat meat- including the organs, bones, and skin- fish, eggs, dairy. I calculate what I eat. I supplement what I need. I sleep well. I get sunshine. I also drink wine and eat cookies.
Roborock S6 | Robot Vacuum and Mop
The most time consuming part of keeping the house clean is sweeping and mopping because of all the dog hair. I have only had this a short while- but it is fantastic. This particular one maps the house and I can schedule different areas of the house to be cleaned at different times (ex: schedule vacuum after dinner every evening in the kitchen/dining room). I schedule it to do a full sweep/mop before the weekends. The app allows for virtual walls to prevent it from going where I do not want it to go. The map recognizes rooms, also. This one has great coverage- I have found it to be better than the Roomba 900 series. The roomba 900 cleaned the full apartment and covered 400 sq. ft. The Roborock s6 cleaned 500 sq. ft in the same amount of time. This difference in coverage is due to the Roborock’s excellent navigation abilities. The mopping is a light mopping, but it works great for what it is. This will be awesome for after dog food preps. You can also control it directly with the app or tell it to go spot clean an area if you need a quick sweep of something. Robot vacuums have come a long way and I am entirely impressed. Scroll through image above to see map.
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At the time of writing, the Roborock s6 is the newest on the market from this particular brand. I initially had the Roomba (900..something.. from Costco), but returned it when I discovered a few key tings:
- The Roomba required that I purchase a seperate mop robot. It should be noted that the mop from Roomba (Braava) likely works much better than the Roborock mop- but I much prefer the 2 in 1 and felt iffy on the navigation abilities of the Braava.
- The Roomba requires light to work because it relies on a camera
- The Roomba’s navigation abilities was great- but just not as good as the Roborock. As mentioned above, it covered less area.
- The Roborock is quicker and results in less energy usage. I found it to crash less into things.
- I mostly have hard floors. I have heard the Roomba 900+ series is better on carpet. I think that should be noted. The Roborock s6’s brush thingy is silicon and can get stuck on carpets. You can replace this brush affordabily and easily with previous versions that work better on carpet.
My floors do feel very, very clean. I am quite happy with this purchase. I do recommend you setup the Roborock and Roomba on their own guest networks as they will spy on your data.
Omega NC800 Juicer
Some days are so busy I find myself not eating enough. Fresh plant food in general can be more time consuming to eat. I like this juicer because it does not result in a lot of oxidation. It has high juice yields and most importantly it is very easy to clean, set-up, use, and take down. Often the process being about 10 min. I typically do a leafy green (like spinach), an apple, carrots, and ginger- though we do mix it up according to what is available. Blenders are great for maintaining all of the fiber, but sometimes it is too much for me. They also are not as good as this juicer when it comes to reducing oxidation. The plant fiber leftover from juicing can be composted, added to your food, your dogs’ food, or you can add some back into the juice if you would like. This has been a great way to get plant food in when I am low on time- where the alternative would have been not eating at all.
This particular one can also make nut milks- but I have not tried that feature yet.
Makes great apple juice (apples must be very fresh or they will mush) and even better orange juice…a critical component of mimosas.
Instant Pot Duo
I am late to the Instant Pot craze but I am glad that I joined in! I love the instant pot because bulk making food is much easier since pressure cooking is quicker. My favorite things to make it the isntant pot include:
- Add however many eggs you want (that reasonably fit). a few cups of water, and pressure cook on high for 3 minutes. Use the instant release as soon as it hits 3 minutes. Perfect hard-boiled eggs each time..easy to remove shell.
- Rice always comes out perfect
- I have cooked a full chicken in this and then used the juices for rice
- Beets and sweet potatoes for the dog- the skin comes right off
- Bone broth
- Stews- they taste like they have been cooking all day!
With a slow cooker, I can bulk make one meal a day. This allows me to do multiple or speed up general cooking time when I am making staple food items- rice, potatoes, eggs, and more.
Glass Storage Containers
I have gotten quite a few questions about what containers I use to prep. These are glass containers but the lids are indeed plastic. It doesn’t bother me much because we aren’t really making contact with the food and it is a very big step up from my 100% plastic containers. I have had these for several months now and they work great- no leaking etc.
If you are afraid of using glass (like me), stainless steel would be an incredible option- I just couldn’t swing the price as I had to buy 28 containers. I did save up for the glassware.
Chef Knife
This was one of our first investments after we got married for our human selves. I hardly ever use any other knives. A solid chef knife will get you set up! I don’t think somebody needs type of knife for dog food prep, it is just what we happen to use (thankful to the amazon wedding gift cards!). We have had it for several years now and enjoy it quite a bit!
Cast Iron Skillet
I essentially use just one pan and it would be the cast iron. Affordable and without potentially toxic non-stick chemicals. Note that some iron can be transferred to the food, but for most people and animals the small amount isn’t a huge deal.
You do have to care for it correctly and that means not washing it the same way you would a traditional pan. You need to be careful to manage the seasoning and sing it sweet lullabies before you go to bed at night. For real though it took a little bit for me to get the hang of it.
Spatula
Here is one of the few spatulas I own. I try to wash it right away after using. Have had it a few years with no complaints.
Pot
I use this a lot when boiling food for the Luca when I choose the boiling method. We got this as a wedding gift 4 years ago and have no complaints.
Kitchen Scale
So I cannot find the specific scale that I have but it is very similar to this one. My husband got me one as a gift (he knows my heart, truly) and I cannot seem to find it online. However, I love this style of kitchen scale that measures from grams to pounds. They clean super easily and the large surface area makes it quite versatile.
Giant Mixing Bowl
This bowl (or similar) is seen in my prep videos. Please note that I do not use this for cooking with heat. It is a cheap mixing bowl.
Blender
