Gymheads take to eating dog food due to its high protein content

Jack Peat

‘It’s for the gains’

Gym fanatics are taking to eating dog food to ‘fuel their gains’, despite canine cuisine being potentially harmful to humans.

People on TikTok have noticed the high protein content in dog food and have decided to get in on the action while sharing their experience trying it.

Some have even managed to look past the questionable flavours and the potential risks to humans in favour of the benefits of fueling a workout.

Fitness influencer Henry Clarisey, 21, from Buffalo, New York, decided to try Kibbles ’n Bits’ Oven Roasted Beef With Spring Vegetable and Apple Flavors.

@henry.fit #stitch with @kizaru.adm #fyp #fitness #bodybuilding #physique #creatine #gym #dogfood #viral ♬ original sound – Henryfit

Posting on TikTok, he tells viewers that, according to an app, Pedigree’s dog food has 666 grams of protein — around 600 grams more than the amount of protein most people should consume each day.

Clarisey promised viewers he would try dog food if his video got 15,000 likes. After posting, his video got 2.5 million likes — “I knew I needed to try it,” he told BuzzFeed News.

“The dog food tasted extremely dry. Needed so much water after eating it,” Clarisey said. “Tasted like little pieces of dirt and I definitely don’t think it was worth it. Even though it’s a lot of protein, I’d take steak or protein powder.”

In this video, he adds “It’s for the gains” as he eats the Kibbles ’n Bits. After grimacing and gagging while he chews the product, he tells followers “I promise you guys, it’s not worth it.”

@henry.fit Replying to @kenton916 ❗️trying the dog food❗️#fyp #fitness #bodybuilding #physique #creatine #gym #dogfood #viral ♬ Blade Runner 2049 – Synthwave Goose

Speaking to Buzzfeed News, Tracy Navarra, a veterinarian at Peachtree Hills Animal Hospital, explained that dog food does not meet the nutritional requirements of human food, just as human food does not meet the nutritional requirements of dog food.

“Dogs’ intestines are equipped to deal with pathogens, bacteria, dirt, virus, litter, parasites, etc., that the human gut is not accustomed to,” Navarra said.

“We are not the same, so we should not eat the same. While the nutritional needs of protein, carbohydrates, and fats may not be that different between the human and dog, it should not be the deciding factor in choosing, by free will, to consume dog food.”