Providing your cat with a happy lifestyle is what being a pet parent is all about, and it starts with her food. Along with plenty of fresh cool water, she needs the best cat food for her stage in life--one that includes protein, carbohydrates, certain types of fats, and essential vitamins and minerals to keep her active.

There are plenty of healthy cat food options on the market. But with so many products to choose from, where do you begin?

Meats vs. Meat Flavors

The first step to identifying the best cat food is to familiarize yourself with the products' ingredients. Keep in mind items are organized according to weight, PetMD points out, with the heaviest appearing first. You typically see the main meat product listed first or second because it has the highest weight (which includes water content).

If a pet food product in the US is labeled as having a single ingredient ("tuna," for instance), according to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), it must contain at least 95 percent of that food product. For products advertised as "with tuna", AAFCO requires that it only has to include 3 percent of that product. Tuna "flavored" on the other hand, means that there has to be enough so that a cat can discern the difference.

Once you start reading labels this closely, you'll notice common ingredients that appear in cat food, particularly the following items:

• Chicken, tuna, beef, corn, barley or wheat. Protein is important because it provides the necessary building blocks for muscle and contributes to energy your cat needs from her food.
• Wheat, corn, soy, barley, and oats. In addition to protein, animals use carbohydrates for energy.

Just like with our own foods, as you can see, it's important to know where the advertised food items appear on the ingredients list and why. Keep in mind, though, that a key ingredient may appear lower in the list because of its density, not for a lack of nutrition.

Common Vitamins

Along with proteins and carbohydrates, the best cat food has the vitamins that are essential to keeping a cat healthy.

• Vitamin A: typically in the form of beta-carotene, for healthy skin, vision, and immune system.
• B vitamins: including biotin (B7), riboflavin (B2), or pyridoxine (B6), niacin (B3), and thiamin (B1) for maintaining a strong nervous system and most vital organs. Thiamin is especially important in cats who are often predisposed to deficiency here.
• Folic Acid, or B9: a water-soluble vitamin that aids in digestion and promotes healthy cell growth, which is especially important for kittens and pregnant cats.
• Vitamin B12 supplement: also helpful for proper cell growth (both blood and nerve).
• Vitamins C and E, antioxidants that are crucial to the resilience of your cat's immune system.

Common Minerals

Minerals present in the best cat food aren't that dissimilar to those in your own nutritional needs. They include:

• Calcium, which keeps your cat's bones, joints, and teeth healthy.
• Phosphorous, obtained from the meat that cats ingest to build healthy teeth and bones alongside calcium.
• Iron, an element in mammal cells, used as a component of the hemoglobin in red blood cells. These are the cells that carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.
• Magnesium, important for all sorts of body processes, such as building strong bones, producing energy, and regulating blood pressure.
• Sodium, which maintains normal blood pressure as well.
• Zinc, needed to make the body's proteins as well as its DNA.

A healthy cat food will include these essential elements to provide your pet with a nutritious, well-balanced meal. Don't forget pet food ingredients are usually regulated by the product's home country's food and drug governing body, which should be of some additional comfort to pet parents.