What we feed our animals is closely linked to their quality of life and their general well-being. Food and supplements both have a vital role to play in their general health and the nutricines found in food are a crucial part of that.
Nutricines have an impact on health and nutrition even though they are not classed as direct nutrients (like fats, carbohydrates or protein for example). You will have heard of some well known nutricines - antioxidants for example. We use a wide variety in our supplements and feeds, like bioactive ingredients, non-digestible oligosaccharides, enzymes, emulsifiers, flavours and colours.
Nutricines are what directly link nutrition with health outcomes and the prevention of disease. The concept of Total Nutrition shows that both nutrients and nutricines are needed to maintain good health. (For a more in-depth explanation from our experts see our Knowledge Base article 'The Role of Nutricines in Health and Total Nutrition'.)
We've utilised our intimate knowledge of nutricines and how they work with the animal's body in all our formulations. Nutricines (or nutraceuticals) are at the heart of our formulations. We've carefully crafted each one with an impressive combination of the right ingredients to get the best results for your animals.
Choosing the Right Ingredients
We've selected our ingredients because of the important nutricines they contain and the health benefits they provide. Not only that, we haven't stopped at ticking off two or three health benefits with each supplement. Our formulations are designed to provide complete support to your animal's natural systems from the inside out.
Oatinol™
This is completely unique to GWF Nutrition and is our own formulation. This groundbreaking delivery system uses a unique blend of oils, including hemp oil and oat oil, to give a higher absorption rate of nutrients into your animal's digestive system - which means improved bioavailability of the important nutricines. Ensuring a healthy digestive system is the first step to getting those nutricines into the body.
Black Oats
We grow an old variety of these lean, low starch oats especially for our own products at Chapel Farm in Berkshire. The oil from these oats is a key part of our trademarked Oatinol™ Delivery System, which helps to support a healthy gut and means your animal can absorb more of the vital nutrients. The oil content of these oats is relatively high and they are the perfect working feed for horses if balanced properly.
Hempseed
We were the first feed manufacturer to start using hempseed in 2010. It is the best source of Omega 3 fatty acids in the plant world and is rich in vitamin E (a natural antioxidant) and amino acids (great for healthy muscles). It’s also highly digestible, particularly for horses, which makes it an ideal ingredient to support hind gut digestion.
Micronized Beet Pulp
Not only is this a natural prebiotic supporting friendly bacteria in the gut, it is also a valuable source of high digestible pectin fibre which is great for maintaining condition in your horse. It supports the lining of the gut and is also a good source of uronic acid, found in hyaluronic acid which is good for the joints.
Curcumin
You may well have heard of the spice turmeric or golden paste as a popular nutrient used for all kinds of health benefits. However, curcumin is the active ingredient of turmeric and it is a natural and powerful antioxidant which supports the normal anti-inflammatory action of the body. We use a concentrated form of curcumin (containing as much as 98% curcuminoids, compared to 2-3% in turmeric) to make the most of its natural properties.
Collagen Matrix
Collagen is the body’s natural glue and gives tissues in the body their firmness and resilience – which is why it’s an important ingredient in many of our supplements.In our joint supplements for dogs, cats and horses it is beneficial for connecting and supporting the bones, tendons, muscles and cartilage. We also use it in our hoof care supplement as it’s crucial for the integrity of the base membrane of the horse’s hoof and for the tendons and ligaments that connect to the hoof.