Liver: A nutritional powerhouse, loaded with vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other compounds vital to your health

Our ancestors knew the importance of eating organ meats. This includes the liver, heart, and kidneys.

Organ meats from grassfed animals are one of the most nutrient-dense foods available, more so than eating the animals muscle. The organ meat is full of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other nutrients.

Liver was often given to sick people. It was believed that eating this organ would help rebuild their bodies because of the huge amounts of nutrients within the animal’s liver. People checked the animals for any signs of illness so they were sure they were eating the organs of a healthy animal. 

Liver was considered a staple of the diet, with many preparation options, sautéed, eaten raw, puréed, roasted, and minced, made into dumplings and even pastry dishes. I was shocked to find hundreds of recipes today for all kinds of organ meats.

Liver: A nutritional powerhouse, loaded with vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other compounds vital to your health

Compared to the muscle meat we are used to eating, organ meats are more densely packed with just about every nutrient. Organ meat is loaded with vitamins, A, B1, B2, B6, folic acid and B12, D, E and K. Minerals like phosphorus, iron, copper, magnesium, iodine, calcium, potassium, sodium, selenium, zinc and manganese enhance the nutritional powerhouse of organ meat. Organ meats also contain high amounts of essential fatty acids, including arachidonic acid and the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA.

Vitamin A: supports good vision, healthy immune system, supports cell growth, helps with dry eyes, used for specific types of leukemia, maintains healthy bones and teeth, prevents urinary stones, great for healthy skin, essential for the reproductive process in males and females.

Organ meat contains folic acid and many B vitamins. They slow brain shrinkage by as much as seven-fold in the parts of the brain known to be affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): helps the body make healthy new cells. It also protect the immune system. Studies say this vitamin is necessary to help break down simple carbohydrates.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): is an antioxidant to help fight free radicals that damage cells and may prevent early aging and heart disease. Riboflavin is important for producing red blood cells that are necessary for transporting oxygen throughout the body. Several studies suggest B2 can prevent migraines.

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): helps regulate levels of the amino acid homocysteine (associated with heart disease). Mood and sleep patterns can be affected by B6 because it helps body produce serotonin, melatonin and norepinephrine, a stress hormone. Some studies suggest vitamin B6 can reduce inflammation for people with conditions like rheumatioid arthritis.

Folic Acid: fetal brain and spinal cord development, production of red blood cells, heart health and function, helps depression, reduces risk of dementia, helps keep the brain young and functioning properly.

Vitamin C: An antioxidant that also lowers blood pressure and lowers blood lead levels, promotes healthy eye function, boost our immune system and acts as a natural antihistamine.

Vitamin D: maintains normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. It may also protect against osteoporosis, high blood pressure, cancer, and other diseases. 

Vitamin E: Also an antioxidant that protects cell damage and is key for healthy skin, eyes and a strong immune system.

Vitamin K: is a fat soluble vitamin that assists with blood clotting and bone metabolism. Vitamin K is also known to prevent Alzheimer’s by limiting neuron damage.
Our bodies need polyunsaturated (“good”) fat such as omega 6 and omega 3. These fats make up our cell membrane walls.

Omega-3: lowers risk of heart attack, lowers risk of depression, helps baby development: visually and neurologically, improves lung function while lowering inflammation (a key component in asthma), reduces ADHD symptoms, helps protect against Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Omega 6: Regulates blood pressure, blood clotting, inflammation, immunity and brain function.

Magnesium: regulates melatonin hormone for better sleep, relaxes the nervous system, helps cells store more energy, helps the body produce more Insulin like Growth Factor (IGF-1 helps with growth and strength in muscles), better flexibility, supports bone integrity and strength, remineralizes teeth, alkalizes the body, hydrates, relieves constipation, assists enzyme function, diabetes.

Potassium: heart health, regulates hydration, pain management, strengthens body systems, helps alleviate psychological problems.
Iron: helps carry oxygen through our body and help keep our blood cells healthy.

Calcium: helps maintain heart rhythm, muscle function, and more. There’s good evidence that calcium can help prevent or control high blood pressure. It also may reduce PMS symptoms as well as preventing certain cancers. Calcium with Vitamin D may help protect against breast cancer in premenopausal women.

Phosphorus: is required by the body for bone and teeth formation and allows for proper digestion of riboflavin and niacin. It aids in transmission of nerve impulses, helps your kidneys excret wastes, gives you energy, forms the proteins that aid in reproduction, and may help block cancer.

More than half of all our bones are made from phosphate, and is also utilized to maintain tissues and fluids.

Manganese: benefits a healthy bone structure, and helping to create essential enzymes for building bones. It also assists the metabolism, formation of connective tissues, absorption of calcium, proper functioning of the thyroid gland and reproductive hormones, regulates blood sugar level.

Copper: promotes proper growth, absorption of iron, enzymatic reactions, connective tissues, hair, eyes, ageing and energy production. It also supports heart rhythm, thyroid glands, arthritis, wound healing.
Copper cannot be created by the body and hence needs to be supplemented

Iodine: 60% of the iodine in the body is stored in the thyroid gland. Iodine is very important for normal functioning of the thyroid glands, which secretes thyroid hormones that control the body’s metabolism and prevents its storage of excess fats. Other benefits of iodine by toxic removal from the body.

Selenium: can protect against certain heart diseases, boost the immune system, maximize thyroid function, anti-inflammatory, prevent cancer, reduce premature aging, hair health, and hormones balancer.

Organ meat may not sound appetizing, but with all of its vitamins and minerals it’s worth looking for a recipe that you maybe willing to try!