Nom Nom vs. Sundays for Dogs: What’s the Better Food?
Sundays
With so many options available, it can be tricky to find the best food for your dog. Not sure whether Nom Nom or Sundays for Dogs is the right choice? Read on to find out!
Looking for the right dog food can be tough. Of course, you want only the best for your buddy, but there are so many dog food recipes to choose from that it can be hard to narrow them down. Between high-protein and grain-free blends, allergy-safe diets, fresh dog food and dried, and your pup’s own preferences, you might be overwhelmed by all the possibilities.
But don’t worry — we’re here to help.
The dog food aisle is a confusing place. It seems like every brand is advertising the healthiest dog food ever — but they can’t all be right, right? Thankfully, if you want the convenience of great food without the hassle of the supermarket, we have good news. Two of the most popular dog foods, Sundays for Dogs and Nom Nom, both deliver meals straight to your home.
There are some similarities between Sundays and Nom Nom, but there are also several key differences. Read on to find out how they compare to each other, and which one might be better for your furry friend.
What Goes Into Healthy Dog Food?
If you’re searching for high-quality dog food options, you’ve already taken the first step toward keeping your pup happy and healthy. Every canine has different needs, but here are some common baselines that every good dog food should follow to support your dog’s overall health.
AAFCO Nutritional Standards
The Food and Drug Administration regulates all the dog food on the market. Although they ensure every kibble is safe and holds some nutritional value, they don’t go beyond the basics. FDA approval just means the food has been processed and labeled according to current laws, and contains only the ingredients listed on the package. They don’t distinguish between different qualities of food, or tell you which one might be healthier for your pooch.
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), on the other hand, is a voluntary membership organization that regulates a variety of animal feeds, dog food included. They’re considered the industry standard for healthy and trustworthy dog food, but not every brand follows their guidelines.
Both Nom Nom and Sundays for Dogs meet AAFCO nutrient requirements, which go above and beyond FDA guidelines. This is a good sign, but it’s not the whole story just yet when looking for quality food!
Human-Grade, Nutrient-Dense Ingredients
If you want to make sure your pup is getting the real food they need, without preservatives or anti-nutrients, check the ingredients list. The best dog food contains all-natural, whole-food ingredients, such as quality meat, whole veggies, and the right fruits. Synthetic preservatives, fillers, powders, and lab-made vitamin supplements should generally be avoided.
Many of the best dog foods use human-grade ingredients, which are ingredients considered safe for human consumption. These beat feed-grade ingredients which can be contaminated with animal byproducts like beaks, claws, and feathers.
The Right Grains
You may have heard that grain-free dog food is better, especially for dogs with high activity levels. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. Unless your dog has a specific grain allergy (which isn’t too common), there’s no science-backed reason to choose grain-free food.
In fact, grain-free diets may be linked to dilated cardiomyopathy, a type of heart failure in dogs.
The FDA is still investigating the connection between grain-free diets and DCM, but we recommend avoiding grain-free food unless your veterinarian says otherwise.
Nom Nom Dog Food
Nom Nom provides cooked, frozen dog food straight to your front door, as scheduled by a meal plan you set up. Let’s dive into their food-making process and see how it holds up.
Human-Grade Ingredients
Nom Nom uses human-grade food in all of their recipes. This is a good sign — it means their food is actually real food, with no inedible by-products like feathers or fur. If you want your dog to eat as well as you do, always opt for human-grade food — your pup will thank you for it!
Both Artificial and Synthetic Ingredients
Nom Nom uses lots of natural ingredients, such as ground turkey, eggs, brown rice, carrots, spinach, and fish oil.
However, Nom Nom dog food also contains anywhere between 13 and 14 synthetic ingredients, depending on the recipe. Synthetic ingredients should be avoided so your dog can benefit from the high-nutrient versions of whole-food derived ingredients instead.
Some of Nom Nom’s recipes, such as Chicken Cuisine, also uses canola oil. There is some debate over whether canola oil is a good option for dog food. It may contain trans fats, which are not the beneficial type of fatty acids you actually want to see in your dog’s food at mealtime.
Anti-Nutrients
Anti-nutrients interfere with nutrient absorption, making it difficult for the body to extract and process nutrients from food. Unfortunately, anti-nutrients like peas and lentils are found in a majority of dog food recipes you’ll find at most pet retailers, grain-free recipe or not.
Anti-nutrients have been previously linked to heart issues caused by dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), which can be severely harmful or even fatal. The FDA found that dog foods high in anti-nutrients were frequently correlated with cases of DCM.
Unfortunately, the Nom Nom recipes contain several anti-nutrients, including russet potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, and peas.
Only one of their options, Turkey Fare, is totally anti-nutrient-free.
Needs Thawing
Nom Nom food is cooked, frozen, and mailed to your home in pre-portioned meals. While their gentle cooking is far better than heat extrusion (the process used for most kibble), the thawing and feeding process can be inconvenient.
In order to feed your dog, you must first thaw the food in the refrigerator for at least a day. You’ll have to prepare every dog meal in advance, and add another family member’s dishes to the dishwasher routine.
If the food stays thawed for too long in the fridge, there’s a risk it might be contaminated by bacteria and can spoil.
The Nom Nom Verdict
Nom Nom makes small batches of gently cooked dog food, using whole and natural ingredients mixed with synthetic ingredients. Most of their food contains several anti-nutrients, which can rob recipes of nutritional value and may increase the risk for DCM. Their frozen food retains most of its nutritional value because of the cooking process, but it must be thawed and prepared before your pup can eat it.
Overall, Nom Nom is a dog food delivery service with a lot of good points. However, their food does contain synthetic ingredients in addition to natural ones, as well as anti-nutrients. You might also find the wet food messy and inconvenient to have to thaw, especially if you’re traveling or have unexpected changes in plans.
Sundays for Dogs: How Do We Compare?
Sundays for Dogs makes and delivers gentle air-dried, all-natural, ready-to-eat dog food in a convenient, shelf-stable package. Let’s explore the details of the Sundays recipe and see how it stacks up.
Human-Grade Food
Plenty of feed-grade dog foods label themselves as a “balanced diet” or that they offer “complete wellness,” but they won’t tell you their food might contain hooves, blood, or hair. They aren’t held to the same high standards as human-grade dog food.
Like Nom Nom, Sundays uses human-grade ingredients to craft our dog food. If your pup is a member of the family, they deserve to eat safe, quality food like you.
When you buy Sundays, you guarantee your dog a quality meal without any unpleasant surprises. What’s more delicious than that?
All-Natural Ingredients
Sundays uses all-natural ingredients. If you check out the list on the nutrition label, you’ll see both of our recipes contain familiar, nutritious foods like cherries, zucchini, eggs, and apples.
The first ingredient in our beef recipe is USDA beef; the first ingredient in our chicken recipe is chicken. There’s nothing unexpected, nothing unintentional, and nothing artificial.
While these whole, nutrient-rich foods offer many health benefits, there’s another bonus: your pup will love them! A bowlful of Sundays is closer to beef jerky treats in taste and texture than traditional kibble. Since the main ingredient is meat, most dogs think our food tastes just like their favorite treat. Don’t be surprised if they lick the bowl clean.
Free of Anti-Nutrients
Sundays was founded by a veterinarian and an engineer. They wanted only the best for their furry companions, so the Sundays diet contains no anti-nutrients. That means no potatoes, rice, chickpeas, lentils, soy, legumes, or gluten.
We use whole fruits, veggies, grains, fatty acids, antioxidants, and probiotics to offer your pup a nutritionally complete meal, and we’re not going to undo that intentional planning by throwing in filler anti-nutrients!
Exclusively Air-Dried
At Sundays, our dog food is gently air-dried, preserving its nutritional value so all that beneficial goodness actually gets to your dog’s bowl. There is no additional processing or heat extrusion — just mixing, drying, and serving.
When your Sundays arrives, it doesn’t need any special treatment, either. It’s dry and shelf-stable, so you can keep it wherever you want — as long as your dog can’t get their paws on it!
Easy To Digest
Sundays food is easy on the doggy digestive tract. It contains several key ingredients like ginger and pumpkin which are good for sensitive stomachs. Thanks to the many natural, whole ingredients, it’s also high in fiber and prebiotics. If your pup’s a picky eater, or their tummies can’t handle over-processed food, Sundays can help.
The Sundays Verdict
Sundays makes healthy, all-natural dog food without any synthetic ingredients or anti-nutrients. Our formula contains whole foods chosen to keep your pup nourished and happy. It’s just as convenient as kibble, but offers ingredients that surpass what you’ll find in many fresh food options.
Sundays has high standards your dog will appreciate. Our recipes were designed with one purpose: to create the best dog food available with the best ingredients we have.
Choosing the Right Food for Your Dog
If you’re a responsible pup parent, you know that it’s not easy to choose the right food. In this article, we’ve given you an overview of what to look out for, what to avoid, and what methods you might use to find the right food for your dog. We’ve covered FDA and AAFCO standards, the ingredients your dog needs, and the additives worth avoiding.
We’ve also compared Nom Nom and Sundays for Dogs in-depth, covering the food-making processes, ingredients, and delivery. After investigating both dog foods, we narrowed down which one might be healthier, tastier, or just plain better for your pooch.
While Nom Nom beats the average dog food in several ways, it doesn’t quite reach the Sundays bar for healthy, all-natural, human-grade food.
We’re here to help you do your research and put your dog’s health first, and we hope this article helped shine some light!
If you’re ready to try Sundays for yourself, you can get started with Sundays here.
If you’re looking for more helpful resources, check out our Dog Food Comparison Tool here, or explore the rest of our articles here!
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