11 Superfoods To Add To Your Rats Diet

We all want the best health for our rats, with the help of these superfoods you can ensure your rats stay in tip top condition. Healthy rats are happy rats!

Each of the foods on this list are great for supplementing a healthy rat diet based off of one of the best rat foods available.

Sidenote: These foods should be given in moderation and small quantities to avoid stomach upsets and other potential issues such as vitamin overdose.

Steamed broccoli has many unique health benefits and a few especially important ones for rats.

First of all broccoli is great at lowering cholesterol, the fiber in broccoli has some special properties that results in bile excretion being more efficient which has shown in studies an improved rate of lowering cholesterol.

Broccoli also has the highest source of Vitamin C for any cruciferous vegetable, making broccoli a great source of anti-oxidants which keep cancers at bay, which is especially important in rats.

Blueberries are another great source of anti-oxidants in rats, but there’s key evidence from studies that suggest that blueberries are great for heart health.

The unique properties of the phytonutrients in blueberries have been shown to help lower bad cholesterol and triglycerides.

Since blueberries are a low-gi food (low glycemic index or low in sugars) and they’re good for the heart it makes them brilliant for overweight rats that are on the right track to getting back to a healthy weight range.

Cranberries are a useful superfood for rats due to being high in Vitamin C, having select phytonutrients in the right quantities and being a low-gi food.

Not only does cranberry help fight cancer causing free-radicals, but the phytonutrients are believed to help prevent and protect against urinary tract infections which is one of the fairly common illnesses in rats, especially males.

Garlic is a great superfood for rats due to being high in selenium which is great at reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.

Keeping your rats free of inflammation especially as they get older can help prevent many illnesses associated with rats, but the oxidation benefits are far more important in rats, preventing heart disease and stroke.

Giving your rats garlic can also help by staving off bacteria and viruses due to its anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties

There is also some significant new research that suggests that garlic may prevent the conversion of excess calories to fat so readily which is also potentially useful for rats.

One thing about garlic is it’s quite strong and could upset your rats tummies, so make sure you only give them very small amounts.

Phytochemicals in spinach help prevent cancers and inflammation much like many of the rat superfoods on this list, that’s really important for rats, especially when not all rats will like all the foods on this list.

One unique property of spinach however, is that it’s especially high in Vitamin K – Vitamin K is great for increasing bone density and this gives bones a greater strength, preventing breaks which is quite common in playful rats or rats that fight a lot!

Olives have some of the healthiest quantities of the best fats of any food in the world.

This means that olives are great for heart health which can help prevent strokes, heart attacks and other common heart related issues in rats.

Olives are also thought to have almost unique anti-inflammatory effects that work in different ways to other common anti-inflammatory superfoods.

Note: Ensure that you don’t give your rats the unpitted olives as the pits are a choking hazard and toxic, additionally don’t give your rats too much as they are extremely fatty, even if they are good fats it can lead to unwanted weight gain.

Raspberries are well known for their anti-oxidant effects, however new research suggests that raspberries phytochemicals actually go beyond that in their role of preventing cancer…

While anti-oxidants may prevent cancer taking hold, this new research suggests that the phytochemicals in raspberries may actually trigger cancer cells to begin a process of cell-death, meaning this now super superfood may well actually help your rats kill off cancerous cells that have already taken hold.

Rocket is a great source of anti-oxidants and phytochemicals.

It is also high in Vitamins A, K & C. This makes rocket a great superfood for rats, preventing cancers, skin issues, bone density issues.

Rocket also has an abundance of B-Complex vitamins such as riboflavin, thiamin, niacin and B6. These are thought to help with metabolic function among other things, which is another great way to keep your rats in the healthy weight range which will help prevent diabetes, heart disease and other common weight related issues.

Cabbage is another great source of Vitamin-C. It also promotes and stimulates collagen synthesis which will help keep your rats teeth healthy and strong.

One unique property of savoy cabbage for rats is that it helps with breathing issues such as asthma, the mechanisms by how this works are too complicated for this one post, however there is some evidence to suggest that this is particularly useful for rats since all rats are born with Myco (Mycoplasma Pulmonis) which effects their breathing.

Kale is considered as one of the best superfoods and for good reason, kale is able to support the detoxification system in the body at an almost genetic level.

With over 45 different flavonoids in Kale there are numerous ways it supports and promotes a healthy body, such as anti-cancer properties, stomach health properties and heart health promoting properties.

It’s also one of the very best sources of Vitamin K, and it’s also high in Vitamins A & C.

Watercress is our top superfood for rats, watercress after numerous studies was found to be one of the best anti-cancer superfoods in the world. This is due to the spectacularly high amount of anti-oxidants present, the types and the quantities of different phytochemicals.

Scientists have studied and examined many compounds and chemicals in watercress, recently studying phenylethyl isothiocyanate. PEITC inhibits the livers phase I enzymes which have been found to activate carcinogens in animals.

Among some of the other benefits of watercress it boasts the ability to help and prevent lung issues such as asthma, promote bone health, provide support and healing benefits for cardiovascular health issues, prevent strokes and reduce risk of eye-sight issues such as cataracts.

All of these benefits from one food is what makes this our ultimate superfood for rats and we recommend giving them 1 or 2 small leaves (raw, but washed) every other day.

These few superfoods for rats can be used for supplementing their diets to ensure optimal health and giving them a varied selection of foods to keep their diet new and fun.

Don’t forget to share this with other rat owners to make sure their ratties get all the benefits from these superfoods too!