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In 2018, I began fermenting vegetables for my dogs. I've always believed that vegetables are beneficial for dogs because they are a great source of antioxidants, nutrients, and fiber. By fermenting the vegetables, I'm also adding a natural probiotic to the diet and making the nutrients in the vegetables more bioavailable (easy to absorb). When I learned that seeds have nutritional benefits for our dogs, I began adding the seeds to my ferment as well.
- chia seeds
- pumpkin seeds
- sunflower seeds
- sesame seeds
Benefits of Sesame Seeds for Dogs
When feeding sesame seeds, I look for unhulled seeds because I read that the process of hulling the seed removes the outer skin along with many of the nutrients.
- Unhulled sesame seeds are a great source of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and copper.
- Unhulled sesame seeds also improve the absorption of nutrients in the system.
- Sesame seeds are thought to help fight cancer and reduce the risk of cancer.
- Sesame seeds improve fat burning in the system and are a source of fiber; together, these benefits promote a healthier digestive system and weight.
How I Feed Sesame Seeds to My Dogs
Like chia seeds and sunflower seeds, sesame seeds are rich in nutrients. I alternate the seeds in my dogs' diet to give them all of the benefits. In my research, I've read that in order for our dogs to gain the nutritional benefits of the seeds we add to their diet, we first need to grind the seeds into a powder or soak them overnight.
Well, this is what I do…
How to Ferment Sesame Seeds
Ingredients:
- 1 lb of sesame seeds (or any other seeds)
- 20 oz of water
- 3 tbsp of sea salt
Directions:
- Start out by making a brine for your ferment by dissolving the sea salt into the water. No need to worry about feeding your dog too much salt, the brine is what the bacteria will eat while fermenting the seeds.
- Add the raw seeds to a bowl and pour the brine over the seeds, covering them completely. I let the bowl sit for 24 hours.
- After you've finished soaking, drain the seeds and now you have fermented seeds that you can add to your dogs' meals or add to a vegetable mix.
My Lazy Fermenting Recipe
An easier way to ferment seeds (or maybe this is just the lazy way) is to add the seeds to my vegetable ferment and let nature take its course. You can find my recipe here:
How to Add Seeds to a Veggie Mix
Another way that I add seeds to my dogs' diet is to grind them in my NutriBullet (super speedy) and mix them into a bowl of pureed vegetables. Making a veggie mix is super easy. I buy one or two bunches of every vegetable that I know my dogs can eat safely, blend them into a puree, transfer to Rubbermaid containers, and freeze.
My most recent veggie mix included collard greens, cabbage, portobello and shiitake mushrooms, green beans, and asparagus. See, super easy.
Insanely Easy Way to Add Seeds to a Dog's Raw Diet
I don't always have sesame seeds on hand and I don't ferment vegetables and seeds during the winter (it takes too long). Instead, I give my dogs something else so they get the health benefits of seeds and other foods – Raw Vibrance base mix. If you want your dog to experience the health benefits of raw feeding, but you're not ready to take on the work of DIY raw feeding, I encourage you to try a base mix and the only ones I trust to feed to my dogs are made by Dr. Harvey's.
What's Raw Vibrance?
Raw Vibrance is a base mix created by Dr. Harvey's. It's the first base mix that I've found that isn't weighed down with grains or potatoes. I alternate Raw Vibrance with my vegetable mix and fermented vegetables; this practice along with alternating
The ingredients in Raw Vibrance are all things I currently feed to my dogs, with the exception of bone meal (my dogs enjoy raw meaty bones regularly).
Broccoli, Green Beans, Squash, Carrots, Celery, Cabbage, Crushed Eggshell, Spinach, Pumpkin, Beets, Raw Goat’s Milk Powder, Apples, Blueberries, Bone Meal, Sesame Seeds, Chia Seeds, Shiitake Mushrooms, Green Lipped Mussel Powder, Milk Thistle, Ginger, Spirulina, Kelp, Parsley, Eggshell Membrane
Using a base mix like Raw Vibrance (or Paradigm, also by Dr. Harvey's) makes feeding a raw food diet easier and since these base mixes contain most of the foods I already feed to my dogs, I don't have to add as many supplements to their meals.
Sourcing Sesame Seeds for Dogs
Because I'm super anal about my dogs' diet, I look for raw, certified organic seeds for their diet. I have been able to source these in the “natural” section of my grocery store and I usually buy chia seeds, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds too.
This is a sponsored post. I was compensated for producing content that educates dog parents about feeding a fresh food diet and sharing my experience as a raw feeder who purchases and feeds Raw Vibrance base mix by Dr. Harvey's. All of the thoughts in this post are honest and real. I've sadly nearly finished my second 6 lb bag of Raw Vibrance – it's just that good.
