A delight for Me and distaste for Thee?
Oh Beef Liver, my Love. Just kidding! But for real now: the neglect of a nose to tail diet is maybe one of the biggest culprits of ill health in modern society.
Let me show you why, my friends.
The bioavailable nutrients, let me get back to what that even means later on, in beef liver compared to an egg, fruit or vegetable are... astounding to say the least!
Grass-fed beef liver supports:
Energy production
Glowing skin
Fertility
Fetal Development
Strong Bones
Heart Health
Brain Power
Strength and Endurance
Eye Health
Elevated Mood, especially if you Moo while you eat it, lol
Strong immunity
Needless to say, I believe beef liver to be a superfood!
100g of Egg, Liver, Spinach and Orange compared.
I highlighted all the nutrients that raw beef liver contains the most of. Check out those bioavailable amounts of B Vitamins, Copper, Phosphorus, Selenium, Zinc and Vitamin A. The differences are huge. You would need to eat 4000g of spinach to get your needed amount of selenium in your diet. Selenium is very important for thyroid function. Without proper thyroid hormones you will not have a functioning metabolism and enough energy.
Spinach has no retinol which is the bioavailable form of Vitamin A. Carotene needs to be converted into retinol and your body needs co-factors as well as energy to do so! Why give your body extra work when it's bioavailable in animal foods?
Beef liver also contains CoQ10, a powerful antioxidant, and Catalase, an enzyme that catalyzes the production of hydrogen peroxide.
All B vitamins are needed for immune system functionality, energy, and detox. For example, the recommended daily amount for B12 is 2.4 mcg for adults. You can see without eating some organ meat that it will be very hard to cover that from veggies and fruits alone. Hopefully you eat some cheese, if not organ meats, to cover those nutritional needs ;-)
Our daily need for bioavailable copper is 900 mg. Copper gets activated by retinol and helps iron to get absorbed/activated so that it can provide us with energy for the day. It is going to be very hard to get that amount from a diet without a nose to tail consideration.
Phosphorus is needed to keep your calcium in check and supports proper thyroid function.
Zinc plays a vital role in our immune system and other important body functions.
And the list goes on!
Never felt any improvement from your multi vitamin? Well, here is why!
Your body can’t use synthetic ingredients in the same way it does bioavailable ingredients that are food derived.
Synthetic vitamins are made from chemicals to mimic the natural way your body absorbs nutrients from food.
Synthetic vitamins are difficult for your body to absorb and can even cause health issues.
Whole food vitamins condense and concentrate fruits and vegetables to make natural vitamins for your body.
Whole food vitamins are bioavailable and recognizable to your body.
Vitamins are organic molecules you need, but your body can’t produce.
Food is what keeps your body stocked with these essential nutrients. That’s why nutrition is fundamental to your body’s health.
Pastured, grass-fed, organic, feed lot?
I personally always vote for the ruminant animals raised on pasture, as their nutrients will be way more abundant than a sad little organic chicken grown in a cage with soy, corn, synthetic supplements and city water. Grass holds a lot of vital nutrients that are going to be absorbed by the animal and passed down to the consumer, you.
A wild hunt would be the best of the best, of course. And homegrown second best, if fed correctly. Organic is ok too of there are no other options. I would steer away from feed lot animals, though.
Which animal livers to use?
You can use them all. But beef liver seems to match the nutrient profile of the human liver closely. Especially the iron-to-copper (1:2) and zinc-to-copper ratio. Different species will provide a different nutrient profile. For example, lamb liver has a copper-to-iron ratio of 1:1 and younger animals in general tend to have more copper.
Chicken, Bison, Duck, Turkey, Pork, Deer…and so on.
How to consume liverrrrrrrr you wonder?
For me the easiest way is to fry a little in a pan and have it for breakfast. But there are other great ways to have variety.
Pâté is a great option and there are some very simple recipes to find on the internet.
Offal meat ground into hamburger patties. These can be ordered online and shipped directly to you.
Cut into small chunks, freeze them, then take a few pieces daily.
Desiccated freeze-dried raw beef liver in capsule or powder form. (It’s important to choose those that are undefatted). I like the ones by Perfect Supplements a lot.
Dose: One 4 - 6 oz. (~110-170g) serving of fresh beef liver per week.
Since fresh liver can be energizing, I suggest taking it earlier in the day, preferably alongside a fatty meal for optimal nutrient absorption, but it’s fine to choose whatever time works best for you.
If starting with a desiccated beef liver product, you will need to slowly work up to enough capsules (or powder) to reach a dosage of 4,000-6,000 mg to approximate the nutrient value in a 4-6 ounce serving of fresh beef liver. The dosage suggested on the product label (typically 3,000 mg) will not be sufficient to achieve this goal, so the number of capsules will need to be increased accordingly.
Your daily dose may be spread out between 2-3 meals.
If you are looking to take a multi vitamin, Grass Fed Beef Liver in combination with bone broth, trace minerals and a fruit derived vitamin C is all you need to promote overall health and wellness.
Resources
https://www.Nutritionvalue.org
https://www.doctorkiltz.com/beef-liver/
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