Fresh Isn’t Always Healthy: Rethinking Insulin, Carbohydrates, and Your Dog’s Diet

Over the last few years, many dog owners have moved away from traditional kibble in favor of fresh and gently cooked meals. That shift reflects a growing awareness that ultra-processed foods aren’t ideal—and that’s a positive step.

But there’s an important detail that often gets overlooked:

Fresh does not automatically mean healthy.
And when it comes to your dog’s metabolic health, carbohydrates matter.

If we want to support long-term energy balance, healthy weight, and pancreatic function, it’s worth looking beyond how food is prepared and asking a deeper question:
What is actually driving insulin in your dog’s body?

---

Why Insulin Matters in Dogs

Insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas to move glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream into cells.

Dogs do not have a dietary requirement for carbohydrates, but when carbohydrates are eaten, insulin must rise to manage them. Feeding trials in dogs have consistently shown that starch-containing meals produce higher post-meal glucose and insulin responses than meals centered on protein and fat (Meyer et al., Journal of Nutrition; Carciofi et al., American Journal of Veterinary Research).

Occasional insulin release is normal.
Chronic, repeated insulin spikes are not.

Over time, elevated insulin demand is associated with:

• Reduced insulin sensitivity
• Increased fat storage
• Chronic low-grade inflammation
• Greater pancreatic stress
• Increased risk of obesity and diabetes

Most dogs don’t develop diabetes suddenly—it often follows years of metabolic strain.

---

Where Carbohydrates Really Come From

Carbohydrates aren’t limited to “junk food.”
They include ingredients such as:

• Rice
• Potatoes and sweet potatoes
• Oats and barley
• Lentils, chickpeas, peas, and beans

These ingredients are common in kibble—but they are also widely used in gently cooked and fresh diets.

Here’s the key point:

Controlled feeding studies show that starch-rich diets consistently produce larger insulin responses in dogs, regardless of whether the starch comes from kibble or cooked fresh food (Meyer et al.; Carciofi et al.).

Because cooking changes the structure of food, starches are typically required in cooked formulations to provide calories, texture, and nutrient balance at scale. In other words, cooking does not reduce carbohydrate exposure—it often depends on carbohydrates to function as a complete diet.

Fresh can be less processed than kibble, but it is not inherently low-carbohydrate.

---

Kibble vs. Cooked Fresh vs. Raw: Insulin Impact

Kibble

• Requires starch for extrusion
• Digests quickly
• Produces frequent glucose and insulin spikes
• Creates ongoing pancreatic workload

Gently Cooked / Fresh

• Less processed than kibble
• Still relies on starches for calories and structure
• Produces moderate to high insulin responses
• Often perceived as “low-glycemic,” but still glucose-driven

Raw / Whole-Animal Diets

• Naturally very low in carbohydrates
• Calories come from protein, fat, bone, organs, and connective tissue
• Minimal post-meal glucose rise
• Lower insulin demand
• Reduced metabolic stress over time

This isn’t about ideology or “raw vs cooked.”
It’s about what stimulates insulin—and insulin is driven primarily by carbohydrates, not by protein or fat.

---

Why Dogs Handle Carbs Differently Than Humans

Dogs are metabolically adapted to a diet based on animal tissue:

• Short digestive tract
• Very little salivary amylase (the enzyme that breaks down starch)
• High capacity to use protein and fat for energy
• No essential carbohydrate requirement
• When dogs consume starch-heavy meals day after day, the pancreas must continually compensate. Research on canine obesity and insulin sensitivity shows that excess body fat and higher carbohydrate intake reduce insulin responsiveness—while dietary changes and weight normalization improve it (German et al., British Journal of Nutrition).

Carbohydrates are not inherently “toxic,” but they are not metabolically neutral for dogs.

---

Feeding Frequency Matters Too

Diet composition is only part of the picture.
How often dogs eat also affects insulin exposure.

A large observational study from the Dog Aging Project (Hoffman et al., GeroScience, 2021) found that adult dogs fed once daily had lower odds of:

• Obesity
• Diabetes mellitus
• Gastrointestinal disorders

Why?
Fewer meals mean fewer insulin spikes and more time spent in a low-insulin state.

Once-daily feeding isn’t appropriate for every dog, but the takeaway is clear:
Dogs benefit metabolically from fewer insulin-triggering events.

---

Rethinking “Healthy” Dog Food

This isn’t about criticizing kibble or attacking fresh food companies.
It’s about asking better questions.

Instead of only asking:

• Is it fresh?
• Is it gently cooked?

Also ask:

• Where do the calories come from?
• How much starch is in this food?
• How often is my dog’s insulin being triggered?
• Is this diet aligned with my dog’s natural metabolism?

---

A More Natural Model

In nature, dogs and their ancestors:

• Ate whole prey
• Consumed protein, fat, organs, bone, and connective tissue
• Experienced natural fasting between meals
• Had minimal exposure to starch

Whole-animal diets don’t rely on carbohydrates for structure, calories, or balance.
They work with a dog’s biology rather than forcing metabolic compensation.

---

The Bottom Line

Fresh food can be a meaningful step forward—but fresh plus high-carbohydrate is still high-carbohydrate.

If your goals include:

• Stable energy
• Lean body condition
• Reduced metabolic stress
• Long-term pancreatic health
• Then it’s worth rethinking not just how your dog’s food is made—but what is driving insulin at every meal.

---

References

• Meyer H. et al. Postprandial glucose and insulin responses in dogs fed diets with varying starch content. Journal of Nutrition.

• Carciofi A.C. et al. Effects of dietary protein and carbohydrate levels on glycemic and insulin responses in dogs. American Journal of Veterinary Research.

• German A.J. et al. Obesity, insulin sensitivity, and metabolic health in dogs. British Journal of Nutrition.

• Hoffman J.M. et al. Associations between feeding frequency and health outcomes in dogs. GeroScience, 2021.