Review of Simply Nourish Limited Ingredient Diet Dry Dog Food

Simply Nourish Limited Ingredient Diet receives the Advisor’s second-highest tier rating of 4.5 stars.

The Simply Nourish Limited Ingredient Diet product line includes the 6 dry dog foods listed below.

Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile when available… Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Simply Nourish Limited Ingredient Adult Salmon and Sweet Potato 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.

---

Ingredient Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is salmon. Although it is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, raw salmon 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 salmon meal. Because it is considered a meat concentrate, fish meal contains almost 300% more protein than fresh fish itself.

Fish meal is typically obtained from the “clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings” of commercial fish operations.¹

The third ingredient is dried sweet potato, a dehydrated item usually made from the by-products of potato processing. In most cases, dried sweet potato can contain about 10% dry matter protein which can have a slight affect on our estimate of the total meat content of this recipe.

The fourth ingredient includes dried peas. Dried peas are a good source of carbohydrates. Plus they’re naturally rich in dietary fiber.

The fifth ingredient lists dried lentils, another good source of carbohydrates that is naturally rich in dietary fiber.

However, both dried peas and lentils contain about 27% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.

The sixth 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.

The next ingredient is 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.

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.

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 Simply Nourish product.

With 5 notable exceptions…

First, we find pea fiber, a mixture of both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber derived from pea hulls. Aside from the usual benefits of fiber, this agricultural by-product provides no other nutritional value to a dog.

Next, we find 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.

In addition, this recipe contains 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.

Next, we find no mention of probiotics, friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing to help with digestion.

And lastly, we note the use of taurine, an important amino acid associated with the healthy function of heart muscle. Although taurine is not typically considered essential in canines, some dogs have been shown to be deficient in this critical nutrient.

Since taurine deficiency appears to be more common in pets consuming grain-free diets, we view its presence in this recipe as a positive addition.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Simply Nourish Limited Ingredient Diet Dog Food looks like an above-average dry product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 28.9%, a fat level of 14.4% and estimated carbohydrates of about 48.7%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 29.8% and a mean fat level of 14.1%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 48.1% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 47%.

Which means this Simply Nourish product line contains…

Near-average protein. Below-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to other dry dog foods.

Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the dried potatoes, peas, lentils and flaxseed, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a notable amount of meat.

Our Rating of Simply Nourish Limited Ingredient Dog Food

Simply Nourish Limited Ingredient Diet is a grain-free dry dog food using a notable amount of named meat meals as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4.5 stars.

Highly recommended.

Simply Nourish Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls since 2009 related to Simply Nourish.

• Simply Nourish Dog Food Recall (8/15/2021)
• PetSmart Announces Recall of Certain Lots of Simply Nourish Dog Treats (10/8/2014)

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.

Get Free Recall Alerts

Get free dog food recall alerts sent to you by email. Subscribe to The Advisor’s recall notification list.

More Simply Nourish Brand Reviews

The following Simply Nourish dog food reviews are also posted on this website:

• Simply Nourish Grain Free Dog Food Review (Cups)
• Simply Nourish Grain Free Dog Food Review (Dry)
• Simply Nourish Original Dog Food Review (Dry)
• Simply Nourish Shreds Dog Food Review (Canned)
• Simply Nourish Source Dog Food Review (Dry)