What We Mean by Whole Foods

Food, as it should be.

We’re not saying you need to go full DIY raw (but good on you if you do!). We’re just saying: real food matters.

At its core, real food is whole, recognizable ingredients—high-quality proteins, natural fats, and thoughtfully chosen fruits and vegetables combined to deliver balanced, everyday nutrition.

That kind of nutrition supports what pet parents notice most: smooth digestion, steady energy, and coats you can see the difference in..

No synthetic shortcuts. No unnecessary fillers. Just real food, designed to fit real life and real bowls.

Nutrients from Food, Not the Lab.

No Synthetic Packs. No Powdered Add-Backs.

Most pet foods take a detour: overprocess the ingredients, strip out the nutrients, then add synthetic vitamins and minerals back in to “rebuild” what was lost. We skip that mess altogether.

We don’t use synthetic vitamin packs. We don’t use powdered premixes. Every bit of nutrition in our food comes directly from real meat, organs, and organic produce—because your pet’s body knows what to do with food. Not lab-made fillers.

✓ No synthetic vitamins

✓ No added mineral packs

✓ No need to “reconstruct” nutrition


This is food that feeds biology. Not just the bowl.

See for Yourself: Our Ingredients vs. Theirs

Ingredient Decks Shouldn’t Need Decoding.

We keep our ingredient lists short, clean, and readable—because what’s in the bowl matters. It’s not just about hitting nutrient targets. It’s about how you get there.

The Simple Food Project – Chicken & Turkey

  • Chicken
  • Turkey
  • Chicken Hearts
  • Flaxseed
  • Sweet Potato
  • Chicken Liver
  • Organic Carrots
  • Whole Ground Krill
  • Whole Ground Pumpkin Seeds
  • Organic Blueberries
  • Organic Spinach
  • Organic Cinnamon
  • Sea Salt
  • Dried Kelp
  • Dried Yeast
  • Mixed Tocopherols (natural preservative)

Stella & Chewy's – Chicken Dinner Patties

  • Chicken with Ground Bone
  • Chicken Liver
  • Chicken Gizzard
  • Pumpkin Seed
  • Organic Cranberries
  • Organic Spinach
  • Organic Broccoli
  • Organic Beets
  • Sodium Phosphate
  • Organic Carrots
  • Organic Squash
  • Organic Blueberries
  • Fenugreek Seed
  • Potassium Chloride
  • Dried Kelp
  • Mixed Tocopherols (preservative)
  • Choline Chloride
  • Probiotics (4 strains)
  • Zinc Proteinate
  • Iron Proteinate
  • Taurine
  • Calcium Carbonate
  • Vitamin E Supplement
  • Thiamine Mononitrate
  • Copper Proteinate
  • Manganese Proteinate
  • Sodium Selenite
  • Niacin Supplement
  • D-Calcium Pantothenate
  • Riboflavin Supplement
  • Vitamin A Supplement
  • Vitamin D3 Supplement
  • Vitamin B12 Supplement
  • Pyridoxine Hydrochloride
  • Folic Acid
Sodium Phosphate

Used to stabilize texture and shelf life. Not a whole food—just functional filler.

Potassium Chloride

Choline Chloride

A synthetic compound added to support liver and nerve function—usually added post-processing.

Taurine

Synthetic taurine is added when real meat isn’t enough. Ours gets it naturally from organ meats—no need to add it back in.

Calcium Carbonate

Made from ground rock or limestone—not from animal bones or food-based sources.

One of these lets food do the work.

The other? Needs over 20 added vitamins and minerals just to meet the mark.

If you need a chemistry degree to read it, it probably isn’t food.

Feeding Real Food—How It Helps

It’s What’s Inside the Bowl (and the Ingredients).

Feeding real food helps your pet thrive—not just survive.
Every ingredient plays a role in supporting their body, inside and out:

  • Omega-Rich Ingredients

    Fats that do more than hit a number.

    Omega fats play a role in how the body builds and maintains cells, manages energy, and keeps tissues functioning as they should. But not all Omegas arrive the same way.

    In whole foods like wild-caught fish and krill, Omega-3s come packaged within the ingredient itself—alongside proteins, minerals, and naturally occurring compounds that help the body actually use them as food. That means they’re delivered in balance, not isolation.

    We don’t rely on refined oils added at the end to inflate a label. Instead, we build Omegas directly into the recipe so they show up the way nature intended.

  • Balanced by a Holistic Vet

    No math. No synthetics. Just built-in nutrition.

    Most commercial foods rely on synthetic premixes to hit minimum nutrient targets—because high-heat processing destroys much of the natural nutrition. At The Simple Food Project, we build balance into the recipe itself. Each formula was developed by holistic veterinarian Dr. Chris Bessent to meet the full nutritional needs of dogs or cats using nothing but real food.

    What that means for you? No need to “complete” the diet with powders. No guesswork. Just food that’s nutritionally sound from the start—designed to support energy, immunity, muscle tone, and longevity.

  • Gentle on Digestion

    Food that supports everyday digestive comfort.

    Digestion isn’t just about breaking food down — it’s about how comfortably the body handles a meal from start to finish.

    Highly processed foods often rely on rendered meals, fillers, and heavy carbohydrates that can complicate digestion and leave pets feeling off after eating. That’s not because something is “wrong” — it’s because the food itself asks the body to do more work.

    Our recipes are built around whole ingredients and a carnivore-focused approach, with fewer fillers and less excess. That simplicity helps support normal digestive function and more consistent feeding routines over time.

    In practical terms, it means meals that tend to sit better, feel steadier day to day, and make feeding less of a guessing game — for both pets and pet parents.

  • Real Skeletal & Organ Meats

    The way carnivores recognize food.

    Muscle meat and organs aren’t trends—they’re foundational. Skeletal muscle provides essential amino acids, while organs like liver and heart naturally contain vitamins and minerals that belong in a carnivore’s diet.

    We use whole cuts and real organs, not rendered meals, so nutrients stay part of the ingredient itself. Nothing stripped out. Nothing added back later. Just food, in a form dogs and cats instinctively recognize.

    It’s a more honest way to formulate—and one that respects the whole animal, not just the parts that are convenient.

  • Organic Fruits & Veggies

    Supporting whole-body nutrition, naturally.

    We’re picky about our produce. Every fruit or veggie we include serves a purpose—and that purpose is usually antioxidant power. When included thoughtfully, they contribute naturally occurring vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that help round out a complete diet.

    Ingredients like blueberries, broccoli, and cranberries add nutritional diversity that complements proteins and fats, supporting normal cellular processes and overall vitality without overpowering the recipe.

    Because these nutrients come from whole foods, they’re delivered in balance — not isolated, amplified, or added back later. The result is food that supports everyday health through variety, balance, and ingredient integrity, without drifting away from a carnivore-first approach.

  • Hydration-Forward Feeding

    Because food doesn’t show up dry in nature.

    Freeze-dried food gives you options. Serve it dry, or add warm water or broth to bring the food back to life—releasing aroma, softening texture, and adding moisture to the bowl.

    That flexibility matters. Fresh food naturally contains moisture, and rehydrating freeze-dried meals helps the bowl reflect that reality—especially for pets who prefer softer textures or more aromatic meals.

    It’s one more way we design food to work in real life, not just on paper. Same ingredients. Same integrity. Just served the way your pet likes it.

“We don’t hide the nutrients in a powdered premix. They’re in the food.”

Not All “Real Food” Is Created Equal

Let’s Break Down the Formats

Because the words “real food” get tossed around a lot—so let’s talk about what actually ends up in the bowl.

DIY Raw

Nourishing when balanced—but takes time, tools, and sourcing savvy.

Kibble

Ultra-processed with synthetic vitamins added back in.

Most Freeze-Dried

Real meat + organs, but many still rely on synthetics and filler ingredients.

The Simple Food Project

Whole food only—no synthetics, no fillers, no powdered premixes.

The Difference Real Food Makes

Consider what you’re feeding your own dog—or cat.

They may not be able to tell you how they feel, but their body often does.

Start by asking:

  1. Do they itch, flake, or have a dull coat?
  2. Are their stools inconsistent—or just plain stinky?
  3. Is their breath sour, their weight off, their energy low?
  4. Are they constantly licking, tooting, scratching?

Those things don’t point to one single issue—but they can be signs that a food isn’t the best match.

Real food doesn’t mean perfection overnight. But when you feed high-quality, whole ingredients that line up with your pet’s biology, the body often responds in noticeable ways over time.

That can be as simple as tossing an egg into the bowl once a week, or switching to a freeze-dried recipe made entirely from whole foods (like ours). Any amount of real food is a win.

Because real food is functional. It nourishes the body, supports everyday wellness, and helps create a better baseline.

And when it’s fed in species-appropriate proportions?

That’s when it starts to make a real difference.

Real Food. Real Nutrition.

Everything your pet needs. Nothing they don’t.

When the ingredients are simple and the nutrition comes from real food, it’s easier to understand what you’re paying for—and why it matters. And the more you understand your pet’s food, the more confident you become in what you’re putting down each day.

Feeding better doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to be honest.

The information on this page reflects individual viewpoints and product philosophy and has not been evaluated by regulatory authorities. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.