[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Betsy –

Very good questions!

To give my opinion on your first question – my answer would be that it depends on what kind of food we’re talking about. If we’re talking about kibble – a food in which a carbohydrate binder is required – I would put foods that utilize pseudo-grains as binders on the same level as “grain-free” foods that use potato, tapioca or legumes. So if, for example, there I had two kibbles to choose from and each had an equal amount of protein and fat, one used millet as a starch and one used tapioca – I would give no preference. As for a homemade diet in which it’s possible to not use any starches, no I wouldn’t add any pseudograins (unless they were sprouted!) or any other starches for that matter.

To answer your second question – yes, pseudo-grains are susceptible to aflatoxin contamination. But, keep in mind, it’s not only grains and pseudo-grains that can be contaminated with aflatoxin. Many seeds (such as sunflower seeds and cottonseeds), nuts (coconut, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, peanuts), spices (turmeric, ginger, chile peppers, black pepper, coriander) and even dairy products derived from animals fed feed that contained aflatoxin are commonly contaminated with aflatoxin.