Parrot Times Healthy Human Food for Parrots

Here are some great veggies & fruit to feed:
Asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, corn, cucumber, green beans kale, peas, peppers, potato, pumpkin, spinach, sprouts, squash, sweet taters, tomato, yam & zucchini. And for fruits...Apple, banana, blueberries, cantaloupe, cherries (without the pit), coconut, grapefruit, kiwi, melons, mango, oranges, papaya, peaches, pears, pineapple, plums, raspberries & strawberries.

Veggies & Fruit to avoid:
Avocado (guacamole), onions, mushrooms, iceberg lettuce & celery (hope I'm not forgetting any, I'm tired!). I wouldn't feed grapes either. I stay away from peanuts because they have a high level of mold.

One VERY important reminder... be sure to wash all the fruit and veggies. If at all possible, buy organic. Whatever you do, stay away from any imported fruit/veggies from Chilie. There have been some problems reported and some countries don't have the regulations on pesticides like the US does. I will not buy any fruit or veggies anymore without knowing where they are from. Organic is your best bet.

Pasta, beans (cooked), sweet potato & brown or wild rice are great foods to keep your bird's diet balanced. Other "people food" such as scrambled eggs, french toast, spaghetti, crackers & bagels are ok to feed also.

Interesting quick facts:
* Dried, unsweetened apricots have the highest vitamin A content of ALL fruits!
* Apples have acids which keep the liver and digestive system healthy.
* Of all the melons, Honeydew has the lowest vitamin content.

I would recommend this book: The Healthy Bird Cookbook by Robin Deutsch. Lots of great info and recipes!

Pellets are another important part of your bird's diet. There are several schools of thought on the amount of pellets that should be fed. Some people feed a majority of the diet as pellets and others feed only a small portion of the diet as pellets. This is a choice you will have to make as to what you want your parrot's diet to be. Pellets have come a long way and are very good for our parrots but even so, I believe that they shouldn't be more than a maximum of 50% of their diet. This is just my opinion of course!