Does your dog or cat eat better than you do?

I was at the grocery store on Monday and was mesmerized by a lady who was actually reading the nutritional label on a bag of dog food. Yep, dog food. The photo on the dog food bag appeared to be a bowl of stew. Yum.

It wasn’t really ironic that she was reading the nutritional label, because let’s face the facts, there are more commercials on television and way more chit chat about our furry four-legged friend’s nutrition than there has ever been. Which, I think is pretty great and we should continue to be concerned about the health of our pets.

But, here’s the deal that I found a little strange. While she was reading the label on the dog food, I couldn’t help but notice the unhealthy food options that she selected and that were already in the shopping cart. Bizarre, but true. There were sugar-laden beverages with bright shiny colors with dye number whatever, processed foods with artificial flavors and colors and a wide assortment of carbonated drinks.

I’m not one to judge, people can choose to fuel their body with whatever they want. But, curiosity gets the best of me sometimes and I couldn’t help but wonder if our animals are eating a healthier diet than we are? Kinda makes you go hmmmmm … right?

What if we took a little more time for ourselves in selecting our own nutrition? What if we looked at the nutritional label before we simply grabbed an item based on time, convenience or the latest marketing scheme?

I would love to hear from you if you have a pet. Do you feel like your furry little friend eats better than you do?

Natalie Dreger is a certified fitness professional and can be reached at www.nataliedreger.com.