Liver is a superfood. It is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet.
Why aren’t we eating more liver? Somewhere along the line, the sacredness of liver was lost. Diet culture has slandered traditional animal foods as unhealthy and “too rich” in calories. There’s also misinformation that animal liver “stores” toxins. The liver processes toxins, it does not store them. But what it does store are high concentrations of B vitamins, iron, and other minerals.
In the spirit of good stewardship, why would we toss out part of the animal when they can all be used? Often historically, when a cow or other animal was harvested for food, the liver amoung other organs were saved for the pregnant or nursing mothers. It also seems logical that the organs are where some of the highest concentration of nutrients are stored.
It has taken me about two years to grow to appreciate and enjoy the taste of liver. Did you know it takes nearly 15 tries to come to enjoy a food? I continue to encourage parents of littles to continue offering a food, even if the child does not prefer it. I guess this method works for adults to! Developing the palate for certain foods takes time. In our instantly gratifying world of webpages and content that loads in milaseconds, it can be hard to be patient with these things. I persisted with liver even though I could not get used to the metallic like taste at first but after, literally, years of preparing it, I have learned a few tricks in the preparation process. And I genuinely look forward to a liver pate snack.
It takes about 15 attempts at trying a food before one starts to “enjoy” it.
There is reason to be motivated to include liver in the diet, along with other organ meats. Liver is a good place to start. Liver is a superfood. It is full of bioavailable vitamins in forms that we do not easily get in such bioavailable high concentrations.
Liver the Superfood
Some of the nutrients found in liver
Preformed Vitamin A
Preformed vitamin A is ready for the body to use. Beta carotene is a more commonly known form of “vitamin a” but it has to be converted to retinol vitamin a before it can be utilized by the body. There is research that suggests that there are genetic variabilities in how efficiently betacarotene is converted to retinol vitamin a.
Heme Iron
Liver is an excellent source of iron. Iron is a vital nutrient that supports the creation of red blood cells. It is very important in supporting pregnancy and for growing children. Liver containers heme iron, which is easily absorbed by the body.
Omega-3 DHA/EPA
Liver (especially from grass fed cows) contains EPA and DHA fatty acids which are beneficial many functions in the body including inflammation, heart disease, and mood. While it is not a high source, like salmon, it’s worth noting that this organ has EPA/DHA.
Folate (B9)
Essential for cell growth and forming DNA, liver is an excellent source, if not the best source on earth! Folate is an especially important nutrient during conception and pregnancy. Folate is not interchangeable with folic acid, which is a synthetic form of B9 that is not easily converted to the active form of folate.
Riboflavin (B2) and Cyanocobalamin (B12)
These B vitamins are essential to red blood cell and cellular health.
Zinc and Selenium
These are two minerals that play important roles in immunity.
BITE FOR BITE LIVER PROVIDES MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK AT A LOW COST
Of course there are other foods with these nutrients out there. So why eat the liver? Because, bite for bite liver is dense in bioavailable nutrients.
3.5oz Liver
Values taken from USDA Food Data Central compared to FDA RDI’s for adults and children greater than 4 years of age. Pregnant and lactating women have increased needs.
Vitamin A
3,146% RDI
Iron
47% RDI
Omega-3 EPA/DHA
0.88g PUFA per 3.5oz
EPA 0.112g
DHA 0.039
Folate (B9)
65% RDI
Riboflavin (B2) and Cyanocobalamin (B12)
B2 – 180% RDI
B12 – 3,520% RDI
Zinc and Selenium
Zinc – 27% RDI
Selenium – 30% RDI
HOW TO ADD LIVER TO YOUR DIET
Pate. I recommend starting with pate as it is blending with other delicious foods. Pate is a blend of liver with herbs, cream, and butter. You can also add onions and apples for more flavor. It is incredibly delicious, even my 16 month old loves it! If you prefer not to cook it, you can find it pre-made at the grocery store in a variety of flavors. If you are still a bit skittish but want to try it, mixing the pate itself into meatballs may suit you.