Review of I and Love and You Nude Food
I and Love and You Nude Food receives the Advisor’s top rating of 5 stars.
The I and Love and You Nude Food product line includes the 3 dry dog foods listed below.
Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available… Growth, Maintenance, All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
| Product | Rating | AAFCO |
|---|---|---|
| I and Love and You Nude Food Simply Sea | 5 | A |
| I and Love and You Nude Food Poultry Palooza | 5 | A |
| I and Love and You Nude Food Red Meat Medley | 4.5 | A |
Recipe and Label Analysis
I and Love and You Nude Food Red Meat Medley was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.
I and Love and You Nude Food Red Meat Medley
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Pork, beef meal, herring meal, peas, chickpeas, pea protein, dried egg product, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), pea starch, wild boar, sweet potatoes, pork liver, dried carrots, whole ground flaxseeds, ground miscanthus grass, natural flavors, olive oil, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, choline chloride, potassium chloride, apples, yeast culture, sodium bicarbonate, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation product, dried Aspergillus niger fermentation product, Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation product, dried Candida rugosa fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, calcium carbonate, zinc proteinate, zinc sulfate, iron proteinate, ferrous sulfate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, manganese oxide, calcium iodate, ethylenediamine dihydroiodide, coconut oil, fish oil, dried chicory root, salt, pumpkin, mixed tocopherols (as preservative), rosemary extract, turmeric, Yucca schidigera extract
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 5.6%
Red denotes controversial item
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 34% | 15% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 38% | 17% | 38% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 33% | 35% | 32% |
Ingredient Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is pork. Although it’s a quality item, raw pork contains up to 73% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.
After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.
The second ingredient is beef meal. Beef meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh beef.
The third ingredient is herring meal, another protein-rich meat concentrate.
Fish meal is typically obtained from the “clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings” of commercial fish operations.1
The fourth ingredient includes peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. And like all legumes, they’re rich in natural fiber.
However, peas contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.
The fifth ingredient lists chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans. Like peas, beans and lentils, chickpeas are a nutritious member of the fiber-rich legume (or pulse) family of vegetables.
However, chickpeas contain about 22% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
The sixth item is pea protein, what remains of a pea after removing the starchy part of the vegetable.
Even though it contains over 80% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.
And less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.
The seventh ingredient is dried egg product, a dehydrated form of shell-free eggs. Quality can vary significantly. Lower grade egg product can even come from commercial hatcheries — from eggs that have failed to hatch.
In any case, eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.
The eighth ingredient is canola oil. Unfortunately, canola can be a controversial item. That’s because it can sometimes (but not always) be derived from genetically modified rapeseed.
Yet others cite the fact that canola oil can be a significant source of essential omega-3 fatty acids.
In any case, plant-based oils like canola are less biologically available to a dog than fish oil as a source of quality omega-3 fats.
The ninth ingredient is pea starch, a paste-like, gluten-free carbohydrate extract probably used here as a binder for making kibble. Aside from its energy content (calories), pea starch is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
It’s important to note that a number of ingredients included in this recipe are each a type of pea product:
- Peas
- Pea protein
- Pea starch
Although they’re a mixture of quality plant ingredients, there’s an important issue to consider here. And that’s the recipe design practice known as ingredient splitting.
You see, if we were to combine all these individual items together and report them as one, that newer combination would almost certainly occupy a higher position on the list — possibly making peas (not meat) the predominant ingredient in this recipe.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this I and Love and You product.
With 5 notable exceptions…
First, we find flaxseed, one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided they’ve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.
However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
Next, we note the inclusion of coconut oil, a natural oil rich in medium-chain fatty acids.
Medium-chain triglycerides have been shown to improve cognitive function in older dogs.2
Because of its proven safety3 as well as its potential to help in the treatment of canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) and chronic skin disorders, MCT can be considered a positive addition to this recipe.
In addition, chicory root is rich in inulin, a starch-like compound made up of repeating units of carbohydrates and found in certain roots and tubers.
Not only is inulin a natural source of soluble dietary fiber, it’s also a prebiotic used to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in a dog’s digestive tract.
Next, we note the use of sodium selenite, a controversial form of the mineral selenium. Sodium selenite appears to be nutritionally inferior to the more natural source of selenium found in selenium yeast.
And lastly, this food contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.
Nutrient Analysis
Based on its ingredients alone, I and Love and You Nude Food looks like an above-average dry product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 38%, a fat level of 17% and estimated carbohydrates of about 38%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 38% and a mean fat level of 17%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 38% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 44%.
Which means this I and Love and You product line contains…
Above-average protein. Near-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the pea products, chickpeas and flaxseed, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a significant amount of meat.
Our Rating of I and Love and You Nude Food
I and Love and You Nude Food is a grain-free dry dog food using a significant amount of named meat meals as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.
Enthusiastically recommended.
I and Love and You Dog Food Recall History
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls since 2009 related to I and Love and You.
- I and Love and You Dog Treats Recall of 2015 (7/13/2015)
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
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More I and Love and You Brand Reviews
The following I and Love and You dog food reviews are also posted on this website:
- I and Love and You Dog Food Review (Canned)
- I and Love and You Lovingly Simple Dog Food Review (Dry)
- I and Love and You Naked Essentials Dog Food Review (Dry)
- I and Love and You Stir and Boom Dog Food Review (Dehydrated)
A Final Word
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The Best Senior Dog FoodsReferences
- Association of American Feed Control Officials ↩
- Pan Y et al, Dietary supplementation with medium-chain TAG has long-lasting cognition-enhancing effects in aged dogs, British Journal of Nutrition, Volume 103, Issue 12, June 2010, pp 1746-1754 ↩
- Matulka RA et al, Lack of toxicity by medium chain triglycerides (MCT) in canines during a 90-day feeding study,Food Chem Toxicol, Jan 2009, 47(1) 35-9. ↩
02/20/2022 Last Update
